Google unveils latest AI model, Gemini 2.0On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 18. At least 26 states have adopted laws restricting or banning such care for minors, and most of those states face lawsuits. The nation's top court will be weighing whether Tennessee's law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, requiring that people in similar circumstances be treated the same under the law. Both sides in the case claim they are acting to protect minors from harm. Gender-affirming care is supported by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. Here's a look at what's typically involved: Evaluation and diagnosis happen first Young people who persistently identify as a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth are often referred to clinics where teams from various medical specialties provide gender-affirming care. Such care begins with an evaluation, which can include a pediatrician and a mental health specialist who assess the degree of distress, if any, the young person is experiencing. Those who meet defined criteria may be diagnosed with what's called gender dysphoria if their distress is continuous and significant. Some young people and their families may decide to try a social transition involving a new hairstyle, clothing, name or pronouns. Experts agree that allowing children to express their gender in a way that matches their identity is beneficial. Chazzie Grosshandler, 18, of Chicago, said she was 9 years old when she told her parents she was a girl and "not just a boy who likes girly things." She started receiving care two years later. "The first-ever step of gender-affirming care for me was when I told my parents that I was a girl and that I had felt this way for a long time and that they accepted me," she said. "I think people get really confused when they hear the word 'care' that it has to be something medical. But the truth is that it's more than just medical. It's love and acceptance." Puberty blockers can be a next step A subset of young people may be offered additional interventions such as puberty blockers to ease distress and give them time to explore their gender identity. The drugs, known as GnRH agonists, block the release of key hormones involved in sexual maturation. They've been used for decades to treat precocious puberty, an uncommon medical condition that causes puberty to begin abnormally early. The medication starts after a young person show early signs of puberty - enlargement of breasts or testicles. This typically occurs around age 8 to 13 for those assigned female at birth and a year or two later for those assigned male at birth. The drugs can be given as injections every few months or as arm implants lasting up to a year or two. Many of the effects are reversible - puberty and sexual development resume as soon as the drugs are stopped. Researchers are exploring the effects of puberty blockers on bone development, but no research has shown an increased risk for bone fractures. Young people can stay on puberty blockers for several years. Some transgender youth may take hormones After puberty blockers, trans adolescents go through puberty either with or without hormone treatment. Some may choose to take hormones to make their bodies more closely match their gender identity. They take manufactured versions of either estrogen or testosterone - hormones that prompt sexual development in puberty. Estrogen comes in skin patches and pills. Testosterone is available in injections, implants or gels. Guidelines recommend starting these when teens are mature enough to make informed medical decisions. Many transgender people take the hormones for life. If the medication is stopped, some physical changes remain. Testosterone generally leads to permanent voice-lowering, facial hair and development of the Adam's apple. Estrogen can lead to permanent breast development. Research on long-term hormone use in transgender adults has found potential health risks including a modest risk for blood clots with estrogen and negative cholesterol changes with testosterone. Surgery is rare Gender-affirming surgery in transgender teens is far less common than hormone treatment. When it is done among transgender youth, it's almost always breast reduction surgery in older transgender males. Even so, that type of surgery is extremely rare. Perhaps surprisingly, breast reduction among minors is most frequently performed in males who are not transgender. This is for a condition called gynecomastia, which means having more breast tissue than usual. A study looking at millions of 2019 insurance claims found 151 breast reductions performed for U.S. minors. Nearly all - 97% - were not transgender. Hormones and well-being Research suggests that transgender youth are prone to stress, depression and suicidal thoughts. Some studies suggest treatment for gender dysphoria can improve young people's well-being, but some nuances remain unclear. In one study, researchers spent two years testing and tracking 315 transgender youth who received hormone therapy. Depression and anxiety symptoms eased and life satisfaction increased among those designated female at birth, but not among those designated male at birth. The researchers speculated that the youth designated male at birth might be more affected by stress from being different from most of their peers. In the same study, published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, two participants died by suicide - one after six months and the other after a year. Longer term studies on treatment outcomes are underway.sg777 buzz 。

Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair suspended 3 games without pay after violent hit on Trevor Lawrence HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following his hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair’s punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, he noted that he has had multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons. Runyan says “video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide.” USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final match THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Alyssa Naher made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1. The U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer, wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European matches would be her last. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts. Second-to-last college playoff rankings offer last chance to see how nervous teams should be The next-to-last rankings for the College Football Playoffs come out Tuesday night, serving up one last chance to see who would be in, who would be out, who will be mad and who should be very, very nervous. There are about 18 teams vying for 12 spots in the first-of-its-kind playoff that begins Dec. 20. Outside of Oregon — the only undefeated team in the country — and Notre Dame — on a 10-game winning streak and not playing this weekend — there are very few sure things. The rankings released Tuesday will be the last dry run before the real list is revealed Sunday. Signing with Dodgers was really easy decision for 2-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining a team that includes two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani influenced the left-hander too. Snell was introduced Tuesday at Dodger Stadium after signing a $182 million, five-year deal last weekend. Snell has known Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman since he was 18. Friedman says all conversations the front office has had since the World Series ended last month involved Snell, who was 2-2 against the Dodgers during his career. High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. Javier Mascherano arrives at Inter Miami as coach, 5 years after team first pursued him to play FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Javier Mascherano has arrived in Miami and is already at work as Inter Miami's new coach. The former teammate of Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez says he's aware of critics who believe he doesn't have the experience needed to succeed in the job. Inter Miami first pursued Mascherano as a player in 2019 with hopes that he would coach in its academy system after one season. Five years later, he's tasked with bringing trophies to the club that Messi has lifted to new heights. Analysis: Getting benched may have been best thing that happened to Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson Getting benched may have been the best thing that happened to Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson. Both second-year quarterbacks are playing well since returning to the starting lineup. Young has steadily improved after coming back in Week 8. He’s displayed the skills that earned him a Heisman Trophy at Alabama and convinced the Panthers to draft him ahead of C.J. Stroud with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. Richardson has led Indianapolis to a pair of comeback wins late in the fourth quarter in three starts after he regained his starting job. Young and Richardson both have a long way to go to prove they can be franchise quarterbacks. But there’s far more optimism now that they’re not busts. Transgender powerlifter asks Minnesota Supreme Court to let her compete in women's events ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Attorneys for a transgender athlete have urged the Minnesota Supreme Court to allow her to compete in the women's division at powerlifting events, saying she’s protected against discrimination by the Minnesota Human Rights Act. USA Powerlifting rejected JayCee Cooper’s application in 2018 to compete in the women’s division of its events on the ground that she enjoys strength advantages over other women. Cooper sued in 2021, and a trial court sided with her. But the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court in March, saying there were “genuine issues of fact” about why USA Powerlifting excluded Cooper. Fueled by boos, Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy turns in 235-yard performance in return to Denver DENVER (AP) — The boos only brought out the best in Jerry Jeudy as he returned to Denver. The explosive Cleveland Browns wideout turned in an electric performance Monday night with nine catches for 235 yards, the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team. He also had a 70-yard touchdown in a 41-32 loss to the Broncos. Jeudy, who played his first four seasons with Denver, was jeered every time he caught the ball. He loved all the noise directed at him, even motioning at times for the crowd to get even louder. His only regret was the Browns couldn’t close out the win. Ryggs Johnston goes from a tiny Montana town to Australian Open champion: Analysis Talk about taking the road less traveled. Ryggs Johnston honed his golf game in the tiny Montana town of Libby in the northwest corner of the state. He fulfilled his dream of going to Arizona State but never won a college tournament. But he did well enough to earn status in Canada and a pass to the second stage of Q-school. His Arizona State coach gave him a nudge to try European tour school. Johnston made it through all three stages and then won the Australian Open in only his second start on the European tour.Ruben Amorim has urged Manchester United supporters not to get carried away by warning that “the storm will come” and his side will be found out in some games. face at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night in the toughest test yet of Amorim’s short reign, and visit champions Manchester City in the derby clash on December 15 after a home game against Nottingham Forest. A on Sunday, which followed a in the Europa League and in Amorim’s first game in charge extended United’s unbeaten run to seven matches. has introduced a back three and new system since succeeding Erik ten Hag but, with little time to work on those changes on the training pitch given the congested schedule, the Portuguese says there will be problems along the way. “I would like to say different things, but I have to say it again: the storm will come,” said Amorim, who warned after the Ipswich match that United are “going to suffer for a long period”. “I don’t know if you use that expression but we are going to have difficult moments and we will be found out in some games. And I know that because I’m [getting to] know my players and I know football and I follow football. “So I understand the difference between the teams and we are at the point we are putting simple things in the team, without training, and you feel it in this game against Everton. “They changed a little bit the way they were building up – they are a very good team and we were with a lot of problems because we cannot change it by calling one thing to the captain because we don’t have this [time] training.” Amorim added: “I know it’s really hard to be a Manchester United coach and say these things – we want to win all the time, no matter what, and we are going to try to win. “But we know that we are in a different point, if you compare to Arsenal. We will try to win it and we go with confidence to win but we know that we need to play very well to win the next football match.” Amorim admitted he was a huge admirer of the job Mikel Arteta had done at Arsenal, not least in terms of developing younger talent such as Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard, and hoped to have a similar impact at Old Trafford. “I think he’s done an amazing job,” Amorim said. “Sometimes the coaches are just judged about the titles, but what he has been doing in Arsenal, I think, is amazing. It transformed the team. “He bought some youngsters that now are the big talents in this country. I hope to have the same mindset that he had in the difficult moments because I followed the Premier League for a long time. I think it’s a very good characteristic in Mikel and I think he did a great job.” Arsenal have invested considerable faith and time in Arteta, but Amorim said the scrutiny is such at United that he may need to deliver more quickly than the Spaniard. “That is also always important for a coach to have that confidence, but we have to acknowledge that Manchester United is a little bit different – all the attention that you guys put in here, all the time,” he said. ”So I know that sometimes it is not possible to have all that time. So we will try to manage that and try to do things a little bit more fast knowing that here is a massive attention and massive judgment every day.” One youngster who has made an immediate impression under Amorim is Amad Diallo, who has impressed at right wing-back. The Ivory Coast international is out of contract at the end of the season, although by 12 months to June 2026 and Amorim admitted his future needed resolving. “I think he wants to stay and we want him to stay, so that is clear and we will find a solution,” he said. Amorim said Amad’s versatility and ability to play in different positions, including as a No 10, was “one of his great advantages”. “He’s very good playing in that position but also playing between the lines, because he has good control and he seems faster with the ball than without the ball,” the head coach said. “He is capable of playing in both positions and he can play in different systems. So in the future, we will play in a different system, maybe. So it’s that kind of player that we need in the team.” Asked why he was playing Amad at wing-back rather than behind the striker, Amorim said: “Because of his left foot, sometimes in that position, the way he receives the ball, if you are right-footed, sometimes you don’t have the space to come inside. “But we have, for example, [Noussair] Mazraoui and [Diogo] Dalot who can go inside because they are fast and strong with the ball. But we chose Amad to have one against one outside. And that is very important to break some pressures, especially high pressures, and he has that ability. And then in that position, you need to have a good physicality. Good physicality is not the size, but he can run and that is a key point in that position. “So you try to choose players that you can put in that position and then the technical characteristics are perfect for him.” Luke Shaw says he is going through the “toughest period” of his career after the defender suffered a fresh injury that is expected to rule him out for several weeks. The England left-back made his first appearance for United since February in the – Ruben Amorim’s first game as head coach – nine days ago. Two more substitute outings followed against Bodo/Glimt and Everton, but Shaw is now set to be sidelined until later this month after sustaining a muscle injury. Sources say it is a new problem and not related to the hamstring injury he suffered in February or the subsequent calf problem that ruled him out for the first few months of this season after a brief cameo for England at the Euros in Germany. But it is a bitter blow for the 29-year-old, who has averaged just 16 Premier League starts per season over more than a decade at Old Trafford since a £28 million move from Southampton in 2014. In a statement on his social media feeds, Shaw said: “Hi guys, it’s hurting a lot having to write this, as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forward, but unfortunately I’ve had a small setback. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs but this has definitely been my toughest period. I’m absolutely devastated and it’s extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this moment in time. “I understand there are going to be people frustrated, angry, disappointed, and I understand all that. There is no one feeling that more than me at this moment in time. “But what I can promise is I will do everything I can to come back better soon, to help this club achieve its ambitions this season. “Thank you to everyone for the support. It really doesn’t go unnoticed and I really do appreciate it.”

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MONCTON, New Brunswick, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Major Drilling Group International Inc. (“Major Drilling” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDI), a leading provider of specialized drilling services to the mining sector, today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, ended October 31, 2024. “For Q2 of fiscal 2025, Major Drilling’s globally diversified operations and reputation as the driller-of-choice enabled us to maintain our revenue run rate relative to fiscal Q1, despite challenging conditions in certain markets,” commented Mr. Denis Larocque, President & CEO of Major Drilling. “We were pleased once again by our Australasian and Chilean operations, which continue to offset lower activity levels in North America, primarily driven by lower junior exploration expenditures.” “The Company delivered solid financial results for the quarter, supported by an adjusted gross margin of 30.5%. This represented an increase from 28.9% in fiscal Q1 and is in line with the 31.0% achieved over the same period last year as the Company remains focused on profitable operations and our best-in-class specialized drilling services,” commented Ian Ross, CFO of Major Drilling. “As previously disclosed, our 2021 McKay acquisition successfully met all of the EBITDA milestones in the earnout period, with the final contingent payment of $9.1 million made during the quarter. We also continue to modernize our drill fleet, having spent $20.1 million in capex, which includes the addition of 5 new drills and support equipment, while disposing of 4 older, less efficient rigs, bringing Major Drilling’s total fleet to 610 drills. Given another strong operational performance, our net cash position increased to $100.4 million at quarter end, while we continue to retain an industry leading balance sheet, enabling the acquisition of Explomin in early fiscal Q3,” concluded Mr. Ross. “With McKay continuing to demonstrate strong results in Australasia since its acquisition in 2021, our focus now turns to the integration of Explomin – a leading South American driller with operations in Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Spain. I am excited to welcome Explomin and its employees to the Major Drilling team. Their long-standing reputation, strong base of senior mining customers, and focus on specialized drilling, with its well-maintained fleet of rigs, complement our existing operations and offer further potential growth opportunities in South America,” said Mr. Larocque. “As Peru has been on our radar for quite some time given its status as the second largest copper producer, Explomin solidifies our South American presence, supplementing our existing operations in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and throughout the Guyana Shield.” “Looking ahead to our seasonally slower third quarter of fiscal 2025, we are expecting programs in North America to pause for the holiday period slightly earlier than in prior years, although this is expected to be partially offset by ongoing strength in Australia and Chile. While we will be adding revenue from the Explomin operations, we expect them to have the same usual seasonality as the rest of our South American operations. Demand from senior customers for calendar 2025 is expected to remain robust, while we are optimistic regarding the activity levels of juniors following a slight increase in financing activity. The combination of elevated commodity prices, translating to increased free cash flow generation for mining companies, coupled with depleted reserve bases, should lead to increases in demand for drilling services over the years to come.” “Our well-maintained fleet ensures that we retain utilization capacity which, combined with our optimal inventory levels and experienced crews, puts us in an excellent position to capitalize on these increased levels of demand for our drilling services. Our core strategy is to remain the leader in specialized drilling as new discoveries are made in increasingly challenging and remote locations. Our solid foundation, supplemented by ongoing technological innovation, puts us in an ideal position to take on these new and exciting challenges.” “I’m extremely proud to announce that our Canadian team was recently awarded the Safe Day Every Day Gold Award by the Association for Mineral Exploration, Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, and Canadian Diamond Drilling Association. Our Canadian team achieved over 1,146,000 hours without a lost time injury, an achievement that demonstrates our ongoing dedication to maintaining high safety standards across all projects around the world,” concluded Mr. Larocque. Finally, Major Drilling announces the resignation of Mr. Robert Krcmarov from the Board of Directors effective December 5, 2024, to focus on his new role as Chief Executive Officer of Hecla Mining Company. Kim Keating, Chair of the Board, commented: “On behalf of the Board and the leadership team at Major Drilling, I would like to congratulate Rob on this appointment, and thank him for his significant contributions during his tenure on the Board. Rob’s experience and insights were of great benefit to Major Drilling’s Board and leadership team. He was instrumental in the development of Major Drilling’s Decarbonization Action Plan and in strengthening the Company’s health and safety program, as well as his timely advice regarding the most recent acquisition of Explomin Perforaciones earlier this month. We thank Rob for his invaluable advice and wish him all the best in his new role leading Hecla Mining Company.” Total revenue for the quarter was $189.3 million, down 8.6% from revenue of $207.0 million recorded in the same quarter last year. The foreign exchange translation impact on revenue and earnings, when comparing to the effective rates for the previous year, was minimal. Revenue for the quarter from Canada – U.S. drilling operations decreased by 20.0% to $85.4 million, compared to the same period last year. While senior and intermediate activity levels increased slightly, this only partially offset the decline in demand from juniors relative to the same period last year as they continued to face challenging financing opportunities. South and Central American revenue decreased by 6.5% to $49.1 million for the quarter, compared to the same quarter last year. While operations in Chile remain robust, this was offset by slowdowns in other parts of the region. Australasian and African revenue increased by 14.4% to $54.7 million, compared to the same period last year as demand for specialized drilling services in Australia and Mongolia continue to drive growth in the region. Gross margin percentage for the quarter was 23.4%, compared to 25.3% for the same period last year. Depreciation expense totaling $13.4 million is included in direct costs for the current quarter, versus $11.8 million in the same quarter last year. Adjusted gross margin, which excludes depreciation expense, was 30.5% for the quarter, compared to 31.0% for the same period last year. Adjusted gross margin remained relatively unchanged as the Company remains disciplined with respect to pricing. General and administrative costs were $18.4 million, an increase of $0.8 million compared to the same quarter last year. This increase primarily relates to inflationary wage adjustments. Other expenses were $2.5 million, down from $3.2 million in the same quarter last year due primarily to lower incentive compensation expenses given the decreased profitability. Foreign exchange gain was $0.5 million, compared to a loss of $0.9 million for the same quarter last year. While the Company’s reporting currency is the Canadian dollar, various jurisdictions have net monetary assets or liabilities exposed to various other currencies. The income tax provision for the quarter was an expense of $6.5 million, compared to an expense of $7.4 million for the prior year period. The decrease from the prior year was driven by reduced profitability. Net earnings were $18.2 million or $0.22 per share ($0.22 per share diluted) for the quarter, compared to net earnings of $23.7 million or $0.29 per share ($0.29 per share diluted) for the prior year quarter. The Company’s financial data has been prepared in accordance with IFRS, with the exception of certain financial measures detailed below. The measures below have been used consistently by the Company’s management team in assessing operational performance on both segmented and consolidated levels, and in assessing the Company’s financial strength. The Company believes these non-IFRS financial measures are key, for both management and investors, in evaluating performance at a consolidated level and are commonly reported and widely used by investors and lending institutions as indicators of a company’s operating performance and ability to incur and service debt, and as a valuation metric. These measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other publicly traded companies and should not be construed as an alternative to other financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS. This news release includes certain information that may constitute “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this news release that address future events, developments, or performance that the Company expects to occur (including management’s expectations regarding the Company’s objectives, strategies, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and businesses) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by future or conditional verbs such as “outlook”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, and terms and expressions of similar import. All forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by this cautionary note. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon various estimates and assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management related to the factors set forth below. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this document in light of management’s experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, these statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to: the level of activity in the mining industry and the demand for the Company’s services; competitive pressures; global and local political and economic environments and conditions; the level of funding for the Company’s clients (particularly for junior mining companies); the Company’s dependence on key customers; the integration of business acquisitions and the realization of the intended benefits of such acquisitions; efficient management of the Company’s growth; exposure to currency movements (which can affect the Company’s revenue in Canadian dollars); currency restrictions; safety of the Company’s workforce; risks and uncertainties relating to climate change and natural disaster; the geographic distribution of the Company’s operations; the impact of operational changes; changes in jurisdictions in which the Company operates (including changes in regulation); failure by counterparties to fulfill contractual obligations; disease outbreak; as well as other risk factors described under “General Risks and Uncertainties” in the Company’s MD&A for the year ended April 30, 2024, available on the SEDAR+ website at . Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency, or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements made in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events, or for any other reasons, except as required by applicable securities laws. Major Drilling Group International Inc. is the world’s leading provider of specialized drilling services primarily serving the mining industry. Established in 1980, Major Drilling has over 1,000 years of combined experience and expertise within its management team. The Company maintains field operations and offices in North America, South America, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Major Drilling provides a complete suite of drilling services including surface and underground coring, directional, reverse circulation, sonic, geotechnical, environmental, water-well, coal-bed methane, shallow gas, underground percussive/longhole drilling, surface drill and blast, a variety of mine services, and ongoing development of data-driven, high-tech drillside solutions. Major Drilling Group International Inc. will provide a simultaneous webcast and conference call to discuss its quarterly results on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00 AM (EST). To access the webcast, which includes a slide presentation, please go to the investors/webcasts section of Major Drilling’s website at www.majordrilling.com and click on the link. Please note that this is listen-only mode. To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-340-2217, participant passcode 4769038# and ask for Major Drilling’s Second Quarter Results Conference Call. To ensure your participation, please call in approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. For those unable to participate, a taped rebroadcast will be available approximately one hour after the completion of the call until Monday, January 6, 2025. To access the rebroadcast, dial 905-694-9451 and enter the passcode 1708283#. The webcast will also be archived for one year and can be accessed on the Major Drilling website at www.majordrilling.com. Ryan Hanley Director, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Tel: (506) 857-8636 Fax: (506) 857-9211 (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share information) Major Drilling Group International Inc. (the “Company”) is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act and has its head office at 111 St. George Street, Moncton, NB, Canada. The Company’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”). The principal source of revenue consists of contract drilling for companies primarily involved in mining and mineral exploration. The Company has operations in North America, South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. These Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting (“IAS 34”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and using the accounting policies as outlined in the Company’s annual Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended April 30, 2024. On December 5, 2024, the Board of Directors authorized the financial statements for issue. These Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and entities controlled by the Company. Control is achieved when the Company is exposed or has rights to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the investee. The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the period are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations from the effective date of acquisition or up to the effective date of disposal, as appropriate. Intercompany transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation, where appropriate. These Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared based on the historical cost basis, except for certain financial instruments that are measured at fair value, using the same accounting policies and methods of computation, with the exception of those detailed in note 4 below, as presented in the Company’s annual Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended April 30, 2024. The Company has not applied the following IASB standard amendment and standard that have been issued, but are not yet effective: The Company is currently in the process of assessing the impact the adoption of the above amendment and standard will have on the Consolidated Financial Statements. With the exception of the policy detailed below, all accounting policies and methods of computation remain the same as those presented in the Company’s annual Consolidation Financial Statements for the year ended April 30, 2024. Associates are companies that the Company has significant influence over and are accounted for under the equity method. Significant influence is the power to participate in the financial and operating policy decisions of the investee, but is not control or joint control over those policies. Significant influence is presumed when the Company has an ownership interest greater than 20%, unless certain qualitative factors overcome this assumption. In assessing significant influence and the ownership interest, potential voting or other rights that are currently exercisable are taken into consideration. Investments in associates are accounted for using the equity method and are initially recognized at cost, inclusive of transaction costs. The Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company’s share of the income or loss and equity movement of equity accounted associates. The Company does not recognize losses exceeding the carrying value of its interest in the associate. The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with IFRS, requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that are not readily apparent from other sources, which affect the application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised, if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods, if the revision affects both current and future periods. Significant areas requiring the use of management estimates relate to the useful lives of property, plant and equipment for depreciation purposes, inventory valuation, determination of income and other taxes, recoverability of deferred income tax assets, assumptions used in compilation of share-based payments, provisions, contingent considerations, impairment testing of goodwill and intangible assets and long-lived assets. The Company applied judgment in determining the functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries, the determination of cash-generating units (“CGUs”), the degree of componentization of property, plant and equipment, the recognition of provisions, the determination of the probability that deferred income tax assets will be realized from future taxable earnings, and the determination of whether the Company exerts significant influence with respect to its investment in associate under the equity accounting method. The third quarter (November to January) is normally the Company’s weakest quarter due to the shutdown of mining and exploration activities, often for extended periods over the holiday season. Capital expenditures for the three and six months ended October 31, 2024 were $20,073 (2023 – $17,443) and $41,324 (2023 – $33,717). The Company did not obtain direct financing for the three and six months ended October 31, 2024 or 2023. On July 22, 2024, the Company purchased shares in DGI Geoscience Inc. (“DGI”) for $15,000 in cash consideration, a 39.8% equity interest (that provides the Company with 42.3% of the voting rights). DGI and its subsidiaries are privately held entities, headquartered in Canada, focused on downhole survey and imaging services as well as using artificial intelligence for logging scanned rock samples. In addition to the equity interest, Major Drilling’s representation on the DGI Board of Directors gives the Company significant influence over DGI. While there are special approval rights granted to the Company as part of the investment, these are more protective in nature and therefore, would not result in control, or joint control of DGI. As a result, the Company concluded that the equity method of accounting is appropriate for its investment in DGI. During the prior quarter, the Company incurred costs of $205 for this investment, relating to external legal fees and due diligence costs. These amounts have been recorded as part of the cost of the investment in associate in the Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. In the current quarter, the Company’s earnings from investment in associate is $27. During the prior year, for the three and six months ended October 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 875,268 and 1,020,568 common shares, respectively, at an average price of $8.31 and $8.40, respectively, under its Normal Course Issuer Bid. Direct costs by nature are as follows: General and administrative expenses by nature are as follows: The income tax provision for the periods can be reconciled to accounting earnings before income tax as follows: The Company periodically assesses its liabilities and contingencies for all tax years open to audit based upon the latest information available. For those matters where it is probable that an adjustment will be made, the Company records its best estimate of these tax liabilities, including related interest charges. Inherent uncertainties exist in estimates of tax contingencies due to changes in tax laws. While management believes they have adequately provided for the probable outcome of these matters, future results may include favourable or unfavourable adjustments to these estimated tax liabilities in the period the assessments are made, or resolved, or when the statutes of limitations lapse. All of the Company’s earnings are attributable to common shares, therefore, net earnings are used in determining earnings per share. The calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three and six months ended October 31, 2024 excludes the effect of 200,000 options for both periods (2023 – 297,000 and 205,000, respectively) as they were not in-the-money. The total number of shares outstanding on October 31, 2024 was 81,842,086 (2023 – 82,093,486). The Company’s operations are divided into the following three geographic segments, corresponding to its management structure: Canada – U.S.; South and Central America; and Australasia and Africa. The services provided in each of the reportable segments are essentially the same. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in the Company’s annual Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended April 30, 2024. Management evaluates performance based on earnings from operations in these three geographic segments before finance costs, general corporate expenses and income taxes. Data relating to each of the Company’s reportable segments is presented as follows: *Canada – U.S. includes revenue of $25,695 and $34,074 for Canadian operations for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively and $57,543 and $70,762 for the six months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. **General and corporate expenses include expenses for corporate offices and stock-based compensation. *Canada – U.S. includes property, plant and equipment as at October 31, 2024 of $64,041 (April 30, 2024 – $62,991) for Canadian operations. The carrying values of cash, trade and other receivables, demand credit facilities and trade and other payables approximate their fair value due to the relatively short period to maturity of the instruments. The carrying value of contingent consideration and long-term debt approximates their fair value as the interest applicable is reflective of fair market rates. Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified and disclosed in one of the following categories: The Company enters into certain derivative financial instruments to manage its exposure to market risks, comprised of share-price forward contracts with a combined notional amount of $8,654, maturing at varying dates through June 2027. The fair value hierarchy requires the use of observable market inputs whenever such inputs exist. A financial instrument is classified to the lowest level of the hierarchy for which a significant input has been considered in measuring fair value. The Company’s derivatives, with fair values as follows, are classified as level 2 financial instruments and recorded in trade and other receivables (payables) in the Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. There were no transfers of amounts between level 1, level 2 and level 3 financial instruments for the three and six months ended October 31, 2024. As at October 31, 2024, 96.1% (April 30, 2024 – 95.9%) of the Company’s trade receivables were aged as current and 3.5% (April 30, 2024 – 3.5%) of the trade receivables were impaired. The movements in the allowance for impairment of trade receivables during the periods were as follows: As at October 31, 2024, the most significant carrying amounts of net monetary assets and/or liabilities (which may include intercompany balances with other subsidiaries) that: (i) are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the respective Company subsidiary; and (ii) cause foreign exchange rate exposure, including the impact on earnings before income taxes (“EBIT”), if the corresponding rate changes by 10%, are as follows (in $000s CAD): The following table details contractual maturities for the Company’s financial liabilities: On November 5, 2024, the Company completed the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Explomin Perforaciones (“Explomin”), a leading specialty drilling contractor based in Lima, Peru. This acquisition provides Major Drilling with increased exposure to the copper market as Explomin is one of the largest South American drilling contractors, with the majority of their operations in Peru, while also servicing markets in Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Spain. The purchase price for the acquisition is valued at an amount up to US$85 million, consisting of: (i) a cash payment of US$63 million payable on closing, subject to working capital adjustments; and (ii) an earnout of up to US$22 million payable in cash over the next three years, based on the achievement of certain milestones. The cash portion of the purchase price has been funded from Major Drilling’s cash and existing debt facilities.Lots of companies do potluck meals at work around Christmas. But the crew at Rogers Sugar add a twist: they raffle off items for donations to The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund. The tradition dates to the 1980s, when a couple of Rogers workers put up and decorated a Christmas tree. Other workers would pluck a candy cane off the tree and leave a donation, which was donated to the Empty Stocking Fund. “We (cajole) our suppliers, vendors, and we try to get a little bit of swag,” relates Lisa Harry, the health and safety manager at the Rogers Sugar complex on the east Vancouver waterfront. “A couple of minor gifts, and then we raffle them off.” This year’s raffle will include a Thatcher Demko Canucks jersey, as well as some Adirondack chairs fashioned out of wooden pallets by retired employee Bill Day. Another Rogers employee, Ron Trayling, will donate some comics from his large personal collection. “Ron Trayling is one of our utility workers here,” explains Harry. “He’s been here for well over 30 years. He’s been a quiet but very strong force within the Empty Stocking Fund. He’s one of the only people that are still left that originally kind of started it. The others have retired.” The potluck/raffle is a party that’s usually held on the weekend or two before Christmas. “We could have oodles of gifts,” said Harry. “We’ve had tickets to hockey, we’ve had dinners to Fairmont, we’ve had TVs. It started out with home-baked goods, homemade wine and swag from suppliers and stuff like that.” There are currently 202 employees at Rogers Sugar, which dates to 1890 and is the oldest industrial site in Vancouver. Typically, the raffle raises around $10,000, which is then matched by the company. “At the very end, everyone’s name goes back into the hat or bin, whatever it is we’re using,” said Harry. “We pull (the name of) that last person, and they get the tax writeoff for whatever amount we’ve raised as an employee group.” For 106 years, The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund has been dedicated to making the holidays brighter for B.C. residents who are less-fortunate. With the generosity of our readers and supporters, the fund gives money to 25 B.C. community groups that provide food hampers and gifts to children, needy families and singles. Donations can be made to: Online at: https://theprovince.com/esf By calling: 604-253-6911 jmackie@postmedia.com

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The Government will block new incinerators if they do not help meet environmental objectives under rules unveiled on Monday. Developers will have to show that their project either helps reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste going to landfill, or replaces an older, less efficient incinerator. The move forms part of the Government’s drive to increase recycling rates, which have held at about 45% of household waste since 2015. Environment minister Mary Creagh said: “For far too long, the nation has seen its recycling rates stagnate and relied on burning household waste, rather than supporting communities to keep resources in use for longer. “That ends today, with clear conditions for new energy from waste plants – they must be efficient and support net zero and our economic growth mission, before they can get the backing needed to be built.” Developers will also have to ensure their incinerators are ready for carbon capture technology, and demonstrate how the heat they produce can be used to help cut heating bills for households. The Government expects that its “crackdown” on new incinerators will mean only a limited number are built, while still reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and enabling the country to process the waste it produces. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the country was almost at the point where it had enough waste facilities to handle non-recyclable rubbish, and so had limited need for new incinerators. But the proposals stop short of the plans included in the Conservatives’ 2024 manifesto, which committed to a complete ban on new incinerators due to their “impact on local communities” and declining demand as recycling increased.

Intuit earnings beat by $0.14, revenue topped estimates

Roblox, More Than Just a Game The gaming giant Roblox has long been celebrated for its innovative platform, allowing users to both design and play games. This success, however, has also been mirrored on the financial markets where its stock price becomes a focal point for investors and gamers alike. As Roblox expands its technological horizons, what lies ahead for its market valuation? Technological Integration and Market Shifts Roblox’s stock performance has been closely observed, showcasing bouts of volatility but maintaining long-term potential. With the company diving deep into emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse, the impact on its financial prospects is significant. These technological advancements are not only expected to enhance the user experience but also to drive major growth in digital economies, captivating investor interest. The Metaverse: A Financial Frontier The concept of the metaverse is rapidly transforming from science fiction to reality, and Roblox stands at its forefront. The integration of this new virtual realm promises increased user engagement, potentially leading to higher revenues. As the company pushes forward with these initiatives, its stock price may reflect growing optimism from both consumers and investors about Roblox’s future. Risks and Opportunities While the potential for technological breakthroughs offers exciting opportunities, investors must also stay wary of risks such as market competition and technological setbacks. Yet, with a robust strategic vision and an evolving technological landscape, Roblox aims to redefine its role and valuation in the gaming and financial world. Roblox’s Tech Evolution: Future Financial Prospects and Market Impact Roblox, a powerhouse in the gaming industry, continues to blaze a trail with its innovative approach, offering users the dual thrill of game creation and play. As its technological ambitions broaden, critical analysis of its market valuation and future prospects grows increasingly important. Let’s delve deeper into Roblox’s technological strides, market strategies, and emerging trends shaping its financial landscape. Roblox’s exploration of virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse signifies a strategic leap to blend gaming with immersive digital experiences. This transition is projected to reshape digital economies, elevating Roblox’s appeal in the eyes of investors and gamers alike. The adaptation of VR can enhance the user experience, potentially leading to increased engagement and monetization options, thereby positively affecting stock performance. Recent trends suggest that while Roblox’s stock exhibits volatility, it remains poised for long-term growth. This is due, in part, to the company’s active pursuit of technological integration which is likely to appeal to forward-thinking investors. The market reaction to Roblox’s initiatives in the metaverse could set a precedent for similar platforms, establishing a benchmark for valuation within this evolving digital landscape. Roblox’s development pipeline is infused with innovation aimed at enriching user interaction. This includes enhancements to its game development tools, allowing creators more flexibility and efficiency in design. As an early pioneer in user-generated content within gaming, Roblox continually seeks to refine these tools, offering creators even more powerful options to craft compelling experiences. As the platform scales, Roblox remains dedicated to ensuring the security of its user base, especially given its significant youth demographic. Investments in robust security measures and adherence to data privacy standards are crucial. Additionally, sustainability is being woven into its corporate ethos, with Roblox considering eco-friendly practices in its data centers and operational choices. The horizon for Roblox is marked by potential exponential growth as it aligns with technological trends such as the metaverse. Analysts predict that continued innovation and strategic partnerships could expand its market penetration and profitability. For those interested in a deeper dive into Roblox’s innovations, exploring the company’s main website could provide further insights into its strategic direction and upcoming projects. With its ongoing evolution, Roblox is more than just a game; it is a dynamic force poised to redefine the digital frontier for both players and investors.RedForce blames politicians for stalling debt collectionsg777 manila 。

NoneeSecurity Planet content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More . Microsoft recently announced that they’re making changes to their Windows operating system to improve security and reliability. The company has introduced the Windows Resiliency Initiative, a comprehensive strategy to address critical vulnerabilities and enhance overall system integrity. These new features will be available to the Windows Insider Program community sometime in early 2025. Why the Need for the Resilience Initiative? Following the CrowdStrike outage that crashed over 8 million Windows PCs and servers and caused an estimated $5.4 billion in losses over the summer, Microsoft was faced with the crucial task of ensuring that this would never happen again and regaining the trust of their users. With cyberattacks on operating systems, applications, and networks becoming more sophisticated, the tech giant formulated a strategy to enhance the protection of Windows systems, focusing strongly on phishing attacks. During the Ignite 2024 conference, Microsoft announced the Windows Resiliency Initiative to address these security concerns. The goal of the Windows Resiliency Initiative is to prevent future system outages and to add other security features to protect against exploiting the operating system and accessing users’ personal data. David Weston, VP of enterprise and OS security, said in a blog post , “We are committed to ensuring that Windows remains the most reliable and resilient open platform for our customers.” Key Components of the Initiative Microsoft’s Windows Resiliency Initiative covers four areas of focus: apply the lessons learned from incidents to improve reliability, enable apps and users to run without admin privileges, create stronger controls for what apps and drivers are allowed to run, and strengthen identity protection tools to defend against phishing attacks. Strengthening Reliability After learning from July’s outage, Microsoft is implementing measures to make Windows more stable. This includes its new Quick Machine Recovery feature, which allows IT administrators to remotely diagnose and repair compromised or non-bootable devices, minimizing downtime and potential data loss. Administrators will also no longer be required to have physical access to the machines to make changes to Windows Updates. Reducing Administrative Privileges When attackers attempt to gain access to a system, they tend to target systems and applications that will grant them privileged access to the computer and network. This is typically elevated or admin-level user access that’s required for the application to function properly. Microsoft sought to address this issue, and as a result, they created a new feature called administrative protection. Users will be given standard user accounts by default. In addition, developers will now be able to develop products outside of the kernel, which means fewer Windows applications will require administrative privileges to run, limiting the potential impact of successful attacks. This approach also helps to contain the spread of malware and ransomware, which, according to Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report, resulted in 93% of these attacks being successful due to them having access to so many privileged user accounts. Stronger Apps & Drivers Controls Microsoft is implementing stricter controls over the installation and execution of unsafe drivers and applications. The new “Smart App Control” feature will reduce the risk of malicious software infiltrating systems by ensuring only verified apps can run on the PC. IT admins can select a template that only allows “signed and reputable” apps to run and add unknown apps through policy changes. Improving Identity Protection According to Microsoft’s Entra ID data, more than 600 million identity attacks occur daily, and 99% of them are password based. As a result, Microsoft is investing in advanced identity protection technologies to safeguard user accounts and prevent phishing attacks and unauthorized access. This includes strengthening password policies, implementing multi-factor authentication, and leveraging advanced threat detection techniques. Other Improvements from the Initiative Weston also highlights other commitments made by Microsoft to enhance the security and resilience of Windows devices in order to remain a secure platform for their partners, developers, and customers. This includes working with security vendors, adding new encryption features to protect personal information, and even implementing new coding languages into their platform. Collaboration with Security Partners Microsoft is actively collaborating with security vendors and researchers through initiatives like the Microsoft Virus Initiative (MVI) to share threat intelligence and improve the security posture of Windows devices. These partnerships will involve: Safe deployment practices: Microsoft will adopt safer and more secure product update deployments and recovery procedures. Enhanced monitoring: Rollouts will be monitored to minimize negative impacts from updates and patches. Data Protection Windows 11 Enterprise introduced a new Personal Data Encryption feature. This feature uses Windows Hello authentication to help protect files stored in known locations like the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders. Users and device administrators won’t be able to view files, and they will remain encrypted until they’re authenticated with Windows Hello. Transition to Rust Microsoft revealed that they’re gradually transitioning specific components from C++ to Rust, a popular language known for its safety, to improve code security and reliability. Bottom Line: The Initiative Is a Step in the Right Direction The Windows Resiliency Initiative has the potential to enhance the security and reliability of Windows devices significantly. It represents a significant step forward in Microsoft’s commitment to securing its flagship operating system. By addressing critical vulnerabilities from past mistakes, reducing attack surfaces, and improving recovery capabilities, Microsoft plans to protect users from a wide range of cyber threats while ensuring improved stability and reliability. Although security relies on several other components — user education on best practices; strong passwords; proper implementation of systems, applications, and third-party solutions; and constant research and development — to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals, the Windows Resiliency Initiative takes a proactive approach to protect its users. Learn more about the CrowdStrike outage and the class action lawsuit that resulted from it.

West Ham have beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in England's Premier League, heaping more pressure on beleaguered coach Gary O'Neil. Both sides came into the match at London Stadium on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) under a cloud and the game was widely billed as a make-or-break encounter for O'Neill and West Ham counterpart Julen Lopetegui. Wolves started the night second to last, while the Londoners were in 14th place, and the pressure and nerves were apparent in an edgy first half that was devoid of class and composure. Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos had half-chances for West Ham, while at the other end Joao Gomes shot over from a good position. Things improved after the break, and West Ham took the lead in the 53rd minute from a corner kick. Wolves left Tomas Soucek unmarked at the back post and his looping header sailed into the far corner. Matt Doherty equalised for Wolves in the 69th minute. However, just three minute later West Ham's talismanic captain Jarrod Bowen found time and space in the box to slot home with his left foot. West Ham were without Michail Antonio, their ever-present striker who broke a leg in a car crash on Saturday, and Bowen held up Antonio's No. 9 shirt to celebrate his goal. The West Ham players took to the field in training tops with Antonio's name and number on them, and the home fans gave him a warm round of applause in the ninth minute. The result left the Hammers in 14th spot, one point behind Manchester United. It was the third defeat in a row for Wolves, who remain on nine points, equal with third-to-last Ipswich Town.Microsoft's chief commercial officer sells $10.4 million in stockCourtland Sutton's surge is helping rookie Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos make a playoff push

Peloton Interactive Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading dayA bankruptcy judge on Monday delayed a hearing in conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ effort to stop the satirical news outlet The Onion from buying Infowars, keeping the auction sale up in the air for at least another few weeks. Jones alleges fraud and collusion marred the bankruptcy auction that resulted in The Onion being named the winning bidder over a company affiliated with him. A trustee overseeing the auction denies the allegations and accuses Jones of launching a smear campaign because he didn't like the outcome. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez had been scheduled to hear an emergency motion to disqualify The Onion's bid on Monday, but put it off until either Dec. 9 or Dec. 17. That's also when the judge will hear arguments on the trustee's request to approve the sale of Infowars to The Onion. Lopez said it made sense to have one hearing on both requests. “I want a fair and transparent process and let’s just see where the process goes," Lopez said. Lopez could ultimately allow The Onion to move forward with its purchase, order a new auction or name the other bidder as the winner. At stake is whether Jones gets to stay at Infowars’ studio in Austin, Texas, under a new owner friendly to him, or whether he gets kicked out by The Onion. The other bidder, First United American Companies, runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements. Jones continues to broadcast his show from the Infowars studio, but he has set up a new location, websites and social media accounts as a precaution. The trustee shut down the Austin studio and Infowars' websites for about 24 hours last week after The Onion was announced as the winning bidder, but allowed them to resume the next day, drawing more complaints from Jones. Jones declared bankruptcy and liquidated his assets after he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. He was ordered to pay damages for defamation and emotional distress in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas after he repeatedly said the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a hoax staged by actors to increase gun control. Proceeds from the liquidation are to go to Jones’ creditors, including the Sandy Hook families who sued him. Last year, Lopez ruled that $1.1 billion of the Sandy Hook judgments could not be discharged in the bankruptcy. On Monday, he denied a request from Sandy Hook families to make the full $1.5 billion not dischargeable, meaning the debt cannot be wiped clean. Also Monday, lawyers for the social media platform X objected to any sale of the accounts of both Jones and Infowars, saying X is the owner of the accounts and it has not given consent for them to be sold or transferred. Jones' personal X account, with 3.3 million followers, was not part of the auction, but Lopez will be deciding if it should be included in the liquidation. Jones has praised X owner Elon Musk on his show and suggested that Musk should buy Infowars. Musk has not responded publicly to that suggestion and was not among the bidders. Jones was permanently banned from Twitter in 2018 for abusive behavior, but Musk restored Jones’ account on the platform he has since renamed X in December last year. Jones alleges The Onion’s bid was the result of fraud and collusion involving many of the Sandy Hook families, the humor site and the court-appointed trustee. First United American Companies submitted a $3.5 million sealed bid, while The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash. But The Onion's bid also included a pledge by Sandy Hook families to forgo some or all of the auction proceeds due to them to give other creditors a total of $100,000 more than they would receive under other bids. The trustee, Christopher Murray, said that made The Onion's proposal better for creditors and he named it the winning bid. Jones and First United American Companies claimed that the bid violated Lopez’s rules for the auction by including multiple entities and lacking a valid dollar amount. Jones also alleged Murray improperly canceled an expected round of live bidding and only selected from among the two sealed bids that were submitted. Jones called the auction “rigged” and a “fraud” on his show, which airs on the Infowars website, radio stations and Jones' X account. He filed a counter lawsuit last week against Murray, The Onion's parent company and the Sandy Hook families in the bankruptcy court. In a court filing on Sunday, Murray called the allegations a “desperate attempt” to delay the sale of Infowars to The Onion and accused Jones, his lawyers and attorneys for First United American Companies of a “vicious smear campaign lobbing patently false accusations.” He also alleged Jones collaborated with First United American Companies to try to buy Infowars. Lopez’s September order on the auction procedures made a live bidding round optional. And it gave broad authority to Murray to conduct the sale, including the power to reject any bid, no matter how high, that was “contrary to the best interests” of Jones, his company and their creditors. The assets of Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, that were up for sale included the Austin studio, Infowars' video archive, video production equipment, product trademarks, and Infowars' websites and social media accounts. Another auction of remaining assets is set for Dec. 10. Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments citing free speech rights, but has acknowledged that the school shooting happened . Many of Jones’ personal assets, including real estate, guns and other belongings, also are being sold as part of the bankruptcy. Documents filed in court this year say Jones had about $9 million in personal assets, while Free Speech Systems had about $6 million in cash and more than $1 million worth of inventory. Dave Collins, The Associated PressHow to combat toxic bosses: Social media and flexible work can save careers, new research shows

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French lawmakers have passed a no-confidence vote against the government, throwing the European Union's second-biggest economic power deeper into a crisis that threatens its capacity to legislate and tame a massive budget deficit. Login or signup to continue reading Far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined forces on Wednesday to back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, with a majority 331 votes in support of the motion. Barnier has to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron, making his minority government's three-month tenure the shortest lived in France's Fifth Republic beginning in 1958. He is expected to do so on Thursday morning, French media reported. The hard left and far right punished Barnier for using special constitutional powers to adopt part of an unpopular budget without a final vote in parliament, where it lacked majority support. The draft budget had sought 60 billion euros ($A97.98 billion) in savings in a drive to shrink a gaping deficit. "This (deficit) reality will not disappear by the magic of a motion of censure," Barnier told lawmakers ahead of the vote, adding the budget deficit would come back to haunt whichever government comes next. No French government had lost a confidence vote since Georges Pompidou's in 1962. Macron ushered in the crisis by calling a snap election in June that delivered a polarised parliament. With its president diminished, France risks ending the year without a stable government or a 2025 budget, although the constitution allows special measures that would avert a US-style government shutdown. France's political turmoil will further weaken a European Union already reeling from the implosion of Germany's coalition government, and weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. The country's outgoing defence minister Sebastien Lecornu warned the turmoil could impact French support for Ukraine. The hard left France Unbowed (LFI) party demanded Macron's resignation. Barnier's political demise was cheered by far-right chief Marine Le Pen, who has sought for years to portray her National Rally party as a government in waiting. "I'm not pushing for Macron's resignation," she said. "The pressure on the president will get greater and greater. Only he will make that decision." France faces a period of deep political uncertainty that is already unnerving investors in French sovereign bonds and stocks. Earlier this week, France's borrowing costs briefly exceeded those of Greece, generally considered far more risky. Macron must now make a choice. The Elysee Palace said the president would address the nation on Thursday evening. Three sources told Reuters that Macron aimed to install a new prime minister swiftly, with one saying he wanted to name a premier before a ceremony to reopen the Notre-Dame Cathedral on Saturday, which Trump is due to attend. Any new prime minister would face the same challenges as Barnier in getting bills, including the 2025 budget, adopted by a divided parliament. There can be no new parliamentary election before July. Macron could alternatively ask Barnier and his ministers to stay on in a caretaker capacity while he takes time to identify a prime minister able to attract sufficient cross-party support to pass legislation. A caretaker government could either propose emergency legislation to roll the tax-and-spend provisions in the 2024 budget into next year, or invoke special powers to pass the draft 2025 budget by decree - though jurists say this is a legal grey area and the political cost would be huge. Macron's opponents also could vote down one prime minister after the next. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!

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Microsoft Announces Security Update with Windows Resiliency Initiative

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A local real estate group issued an apology after a group of attendees at its recent dinner and dance event were seen donning blackface make-up and Afro wigs. A photo of eight of the attendees posing in front of an event backdrop was posted on video-sharing platform TikTok on Nov 24. The clip had garnered more than 25,000 views as at 6.30pm on Nov 25, and the photo was later shared on social media platform X. Another photo posted on X shows them standing on stage during an event titled UOL & PPHG Annual Dinner & Dance x Remixed Party 2024. PPHG stands for Pan Pacific Hotels Group. In response to queries from The Straits Times, a UOL Group spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident. “We sincerely apologise for any offence caused,” the spokesperson added, without responding to questions about whether the attendees are UOL or PPHG employees and whether any action has been taken against them. Parent of Balestier Khalsa player apologises for racist remark A search by ST found that the event was held on Nov 14. Its theme was “The Rhythm of the Night”. Netizens criticised the attendees’ blackface make-up, with some saying they should be held accountable. In July, a Raffles Institution student wore a mask with the face of a dark-skinned man while posing as a food delivery rider on Racial Harmony Day. He was counselled and disciplined by the school after a photo of his inappropriate dressing went viral.

Saving a child is what many fathers would doFormula 1 is expanding with an 11 th team joining the global motorsport for the 2026 season, naming General Motors GM with Andretti Global. While the new team is still over a year away from starting, it will add an increased American presence to the sport and more competition for recent and four-time consecutive champion Max Verstappen. What Happened : Formula 1, which is a unit of publicly traded Liberty Formula One FWONA FWONK , announced it reached an agreement with General Motors for a new team, branded as Cadillac, which will enter beginning in 2026, following up a previous rejection of a GM-linked team earlier this year. General Motors will also become an engine supplier for the league at a later date, the league announced . The GM team will use Ferrari engines until the GM engines are officially approved for the sport. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the U.S., we have always believed that welcoming an impressive U.S. brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said. General Motors President Mark Reuss called Formula 1 the "pinnacle of motorsports" and said the announcement of becoming the 11 th team is an honor for the automotive company. "We're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval of the team comes after the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into why Liberty Media, who owns the commercial rights to Formula 1, would not approve the American team bid started by Michael Andretti. The new team, called Cadillac F1, will be run by Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter after Andretti stepped aside from the group in September. Former Formula 1 champion and racing legend Mario Andretti will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1 while his son Michael will have no official position. Read Also: Netflix Lands More Live Sports: How Success Of Docuseries Helped Pave The Way Why It's Important: The announcement comes after Formula 1's Las Vegas Grand Prix, one of three U.S. races in 2024, was recently held and saw Max Verstappen win his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship. While Verstappen finished fifth in the race, he secured enough points to guarantee that no one could match his points total with two races left in the season. This marks the fourth consecutive title by Verstappen with his first title in 2021 a close one with racing legend Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen has been dominant in the sport in recent years winning the title with races still left in season three of the four years. Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races this season before falling out of form but later did enough to win enough points to secure the title. The new GM team marks the second American-owned team . Gene Haas owns a team but chooses to have international drivers. Michael Andretti's original vision was to have an American-owned team and also feature American drivers, something that fans of the sport will be closely watching. Team expansion has been infrequent with four teams added in 2010 to push the total to 13 teams and 26 cars. Of the four teams added, one never raced and the other three were out of the league by 2017, as reported by the Associated Press. The existing 10 team owners have been against expansion due to the dilution of prize money, but have no formal say in the approval process. Adding another American team could benefit ESPN, which is a unit of Walt Disney Co DIS . ESPN secured the renewal of the U.S. rights in 2022, paying an estimated $75 million to $90 million annually for the rights for three additional years. ESPN fought off several other parties interested in the rights, as viewership for the sport has surged in recent years. Along with recent growth in viewership in the U.S. Formula One teams have also experienced increased interest in ownership stakes from investors, including several notable American football players. The Alpine racing team received investments in 2023 from Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce , professional golfer Rory McIlroy and actor Ryan Reynolds. FWONA Price Action : Liberty Formula One shares were up 4.25% to $80.74 on Monday, hitting an intraday high of $80.88, which is a new 52-week high. The stock is up 41% year-to-date in 2024. Read Next: Ryan Reynolds’ Billion-Dollar Streak: Will His Viral Marketing Firm Go Public Next? Photo: Jay Hirano Photography via Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

https m sg777 co Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, says effective leadership at any level is critical in deciding success or failure within an organisation. Senator Morris Dixon, during a recent visit to the Green Island High School in Hanover, as part of a tour of schools in Region Four, which includes the parishes of St. James, Hanover, and Westmoreland, underscored the invaluable role of effective leadership in shaping the educational landscape. “Leadership is critical to the overall success of an institution,” the Minister said, highlighting the impressive progress made at Green Island High. “With strong leadership and a dedication to innovation, Green Island High School serves as a shining example of what is possible when a community comes together to support its youth,” the Minister added. She praised the collaborative efforts of the principal, teachers, and the school Board, noting that their unified vision is evident in the school’s achievements. The Minister pointed to Green Island’s impressive achievements in the performing arts, expressing her delight at the school’s dedication to this area. She argued that the arts play an essential role in fostering creativity and self-expression among students. Senator Morris Dixon also noted that the performing arts not only enhance students’ educational experiences but equip them with valuable skills that can be leveraged in various career paths. Minister Morris Dixon also highlighted the importance of technology in education, pointing out that the future of Jamaica’s students hinges on their ability to embrace innovative tools and methods. “Technology is the future, and our students need to be equipped with the skills that will make them competitive in a global marketplace,” she emphasised. The Minister praised Green Island High for its forward-thinking initiatives, which she believes are crucial for preparing students for the demands of the 21st century. “It is clear that the teachers at Green Island High are dedicated to their students’ success. Their commitment to fostering a love for learning is evident in the positive interactions I witnessed today,” she added. The Minister noted that her visit to the region comes at a time when the Jamaican education system is undergoing significant changes, with a renewed focus on improving outcomes for all students. She said that by showcasing successful models like Green Island High School, she hopes to inspire other institutions to adopt similar approaches that prioritise leadership, innovation and collaboration. “We must continue to invest in our schools and our teachers, as they are the backbone of our education system. Together, we can build a brighter future for our children,” Senator Morris Dixon added.

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Federal Judge Rules Alabama City Must Allow Gay Pride Float at Christmas ParadeSyria’s prime minister said that most cabinet ministers were back at work on Monday after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad. However, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt”. Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Mr Assad’s brutal rule. There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali for the first time. Mr Jalali stayed in Syria when Mr Assad fled and has sought to project normalcy since. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Mr Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a UN official said some government services had been paralysed as worried state employees stayed at home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonised by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Mr Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” In a video shared on a rebel messaging channel, Mr al-Sharaa said: “You will see there are skills” among the rebels. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Mr Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Mr Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Mr Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets.

Deutsche Bank Appointed as Depositary Bank for the Sponsored American Depositary Receipt Program of Jinxin Technology Holding Company

MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robinhood Markets, Inc. (“Robinhood”) (NASDAQ: HOOD) today reported select monthly operating data for November 2024: Funded Customers at the end of November were 24.8 million (up approximately 420 thousand from October 2024, up approximately 1.5 million year-over-year). Assets Under Custody (AUC) at the end of November were $195 billion (up 22% from October 2024, up 106% year-over-year). Net Deposits were $5.6 billion in November, translating to a 42% annualized growth rate relative to October 2024 AUC. Over the last twelve months, Net Deposits were $47.4 billion, translating to an annual growth rate of 50% relative to November 2023 AUC. Equity Notional Trading Volumes were $147.1 billion (up 16% from October 2024, up 178% year-over-year). Options Contracts Traded were 155.5 million (down 2% from October 2024, up 63% year-over-year). Crypto Notional Trading Volumes were $35.2 billion (up over 500% from October 2024, up over 700% year-over-year). Margin balances at the end of November were $6.8 billion (up 10% from the end of October 2024, up 100% year-over-year). Total Cash Sweep balances at the end of November were $26.5 billion (up 4% from the end of October 2024, up 74% year-over-year). Total Securities Lending Revenue in November was $23 million (up 21% from October 2024, up 109% year-over-year). For definitions and additional information regarding these metrics, please refer to Robinhood’s full monthly metrics release, which is available on investors.robinhood.com . The information in this release is unaudited and the information for the months in the most recent fiscal quarter is preliminary, based on Robinhood’s estimates, and subject to completion of financial closing procedures. Final results for the most recent fiscal quarter, as reported in Robinhood’s quarterly and annual filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), might vary from the information in this release. About Robinhood Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOD) transformed financial services by introducing commission-free stock trading and democratizing access to the markets for millions of investors. Today, Robinhood lets you trade stocks, options, commodity interests, and crypto, invest for retirement, and earn with Robinhood Gold. Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Robinhood puts customers in the driver's seat, delivering unprecedented value and products intentionally designed for a new generation of investors. Additional information about Robinhood can be found at www.robinhood.com . Robinhood uses the “Overview” tab of its Investor Relations website (accessible at investors.robinhood.com/overview ) and its Newsroom (accessible at newsroom.aboutrobinhood.com ), as means of disclosing information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (“SEC”) Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg. FD). Investors should routinely monitor those web pages, in addition to Robinhood’s press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts, as information posted on them could be deemed to be material information. “Robinhood” and the Robinhood feather logo are registered trademarks of Robinhood Markets, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Contacts Investor Relations ir@robinhood.com Media press@robinhood.com

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Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly had to step in to ensure that the family of Manchester United legend Sir Matt Busby kept seats in Old Trafford amid unpopular changes under the INEOS hierarchy. Busby is a legendary figure at United, having managed the club between 1945 and 1969, winning 13 major trophies. He passed away in 1994, but his family have had complimentary season tickets at Old Trafford ever since. The family have sat in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and had access to a lounge, with the club trying to maintain a connection to their past. However, the change of ownership to INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe in February led to a breakdown in communication over the summer over their tickets. The Daily Mail reports that Ferguson felt he needed to reach out to the new chief executive Omar Berrada to ensure that the Busby family retained season tickets. He was successful, with United finding them different seats in the same stand. The move ensured that INEOS did not score a PR own goal, although they have done so on several other occasions this year. Ferguson himself is no stranger to the ruthless edge of the new hierarchy, having lost his lucrative club ambassador role in the restructure implemented by Ratcliffe. The petrochemicals billionaire personally met with Ferguson in October to inform him of the decision to cut his £2million-a-year gig. Ratcliffe has been very open in his desire to cut costs at the club since taking sporting control by buying 27.7 per cent of the club for £1.3bn in February. He has slashed 250 jobs and cancelled the Christmas party as well as other freebies for staff, including tickets for the FA Cup final in May. "Manchester United has become mediocre," he told the United We Stand fanzine last week. "It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world . We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.” The Daily Mail reports that former United chairman Martin Edwards, ex-chief executive David Gill and long-serving director Mike Edelson have now been told they can’t visit the dressing room after games. Meanwhile, former players Norman Whiteside and Gordon Hill have been left unhappy after having their season tickets seats moved. Denise Whiteside took to social media in February to brand United a “disgrace” for their treatment of her husband, claiming they had been moved in order to accommodate more executive seating inside the stadium – something the club denied. Ratcliffe has also been criticised after raising the price of tickets to £66. "We need to find a balance – and you can't be popular all the time either,” he said in response. “Here, we are talking about 3 per cent of the tickets. I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham ." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing charged with murder in New York, court records showU.S. Gold Corp. Closes $10.2 Million Non-Brokered Registered Direct Offering

Cannabis Stocks Feel The Burn: Matt Gaetz Bows Out As Trump's Attorney General NomineeFuture of Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) for EV Market: Analysis and Leadership by Sonavox, Denso, Brigade Electronics, Aptiv, HELLA, Continental, BESTAR, Bodun Electronics 12-09-2024 09:09 PM CET | Tourism, Cars, Traffic Press release from: STATS N DATA Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) for EV Market "Press Release: Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) for EV Market Market Overview and Recent Developments The Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) for the Electric Vehicle (EV) market is an innovative solution designed to enhance pedestrian safety by providing sound alerts for silent-running electric vehicles. As the global automotive industry pivots towards electrification, the importance of AVAS cannot be overstated. This system not only fulfills regulatory requirements but also addresses growing consumer concerns regarding safety and awareness in urban environments. Recent developments in the AVAS market have been fueled by technological advancements and strategic collaborations among key industry players. In December 2024, the market is experiencing a surge driven by the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, which are projected to dominate the automotive landscape in the coming years. The transition from internal combustion engines to electric propulsion systems necessitates the implementation of AVAS to ensure that pedestrians and other road users are alerted to the presence of vehicles that operate quietly. The demand for AVAS is also being supported by regulatory frameworks that mandate sound systems in electric and hybrid vehicles. These frameworks aim to mitigate the risks associated with silent vehicles, particularly for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, collaborative efforts among manufacturers, technology providers, and regulators are paving the way for enhanced AVAS solutions that integrate seamlessly with various vehicle platforms. You can access a sample PDF report here: https://www.statsndata.org/download-sample.php?id=264153 Key Growth Drivers and Trends Several critical factors are influencing the demand for Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems in the electric vehicle market. Sustainability is at the forefront, with consumers increasingly prioritizing environmentally friendly solutions. The transition to electric vehicles inherently supports a reduction in carbon emissions, and the implementation of AVAS contributes to a holistic approach to sustainable mobility. Digitization is another key driver, as advancements in technology enable enhanced functionality and customization of AVAS solutions. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is reshaping the AVAS landscape, allowing for personalized sound profiles that can be tailored to different vehicle types and user preferences. This customization not only improves user experience but also enhances the effectiveness of sound alerts in various environments. Consumer awareness continues to rise, with increased emphasis on safety features in vehicles. As the EV market expands, consumers are actively seeking vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies, including AVAS. This trend is prompting manufacturers to innovate and differentiate their offerings, leading to a competitive market where sound systems are a significant selling point. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming how AVAS systems operate. IoT-driven solutions enable real-time monitoring and data collection, allowing manufacturers to refine sound profiles and improve system performance. As these trends converge, the AVAS market is poised for substantial growth and evolution. Market Segmentation The Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) market can be segmented as follows: *Segment by Type* • Split AVAS • Integrated AVAS *Segment by Application* • Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) • Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Split AVAS systems are characterized by their standalone operation, providing flexibility in sound design and implementation. In contrast, integrated AVAS systems are built directly into the vehicle's existing architecture, offering a streamlined approach that leverages the vehicle's electronic systems for enhanced functionality. Within the application segments, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are leading the demand for AVAS due to their silent operation, necessitating sound alerts for pedestrian safety. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) also contribute to market growth as they combine traditional combustion engines with electric propulsion, requiring integrated sound solutions when operating in electric mode. Get 30% Discount On Full Report: https://www.statsndata.org/ask-for-discount.php?id=264153 Competitive Landscape The AVAS market is characterized by the presence of several leading companies that are significantly influencing market trends and driving innovation. These companies include: • Sonavox Sonavox is renowned for its cutting-edge sound solutions, offering a range of customizable AVAS products designed to enhance pedestrian awareness and safety. Their commitment to quality and innovation positions them as a key player in the market. • Denso Denso has established itself as a leader in automotive technology, developing integrated AVAS solutions that align with the latest vehicle designs. Their focus on sustainability and safety makes them a vital contributor to the AVAS landscape. • Brigade Electronics Brigade Electronics specializes in safety solutions for commercial vehicles. Their expertise in sound systems for heavy-duty applications has equipped them to make significant strides in the AVAS market, enhancing safety for all road users. • Aptiv Aptiv is at the forefront of mobility technology, providing innovative AVAS solutions that leverage advanced electronics and software. Their focus on integrating AVAS with smart vehicle systems enhances the overall user experience. • HELLA HELLA is known for its expertise in automotive lighting and electronics. Their AVAS solutions are designed to meet regulatory requirements while providing high-quality sound alerts, ensuring pedestrian safety. • Continental Continental is a major player in the automotive industry, offering integrated AVAS systems that enhance vehicle safety and compliance. Their technological prowess and market experience position them as an influential force in the AVAS sector. • BESTAR BESTAR specializes in audio solutions for vehicles, focusing on delivering high-performance sound systems for AVAS applications. Their innovative approach to sound design ensures a distinctive auditory experience for electric vehicles. • Bodun Electronics Bodun Electronics has developed a range of AVAS products aimed at enhancing vehicle safety. Their commitment to research and development has resulted in innovative solutions that meet the evolving demands of the EV market. • HARMAN HARMAN, a leader in connected car technology, provides advanced AVAS solutions that integrate seamlessly into modern vehicle architectures. Their focus on enhancing user experience through technology positions them as a key innovator in the market. Opportunities and Challenges The AVAS market presents numerous opportunities, particularly in untapped regions where electric vehicle adoption is on the rise. Emerging markets in Asia-Pacific and Latin America are witnessing increased interest in electric mobility, creating a demand for effective AVAS solutions. Additionally, evolving consumer preferences towards safety and technology-driven vehicles further bolster market potential. However, the AVAS market also faces several challenges. Regulatory constraints can vary significantly across regions, complicating compliance for manufacturers. Operational inefficiencies in the production and integration of AVAS solutions can hinder market growth. Moreover, a shortage of skilled talent in the automotive technology sector poses a challenge for companies looking to innovate and expand. To address these challenges, companies must invest in research and development to create adaptable AVAS solutions that meet diverse regulatory requirements. Streamlining operational processes through automation and collaboration with educational institutions can help mitigate talent shortages and enhance workforce capabilities. Technological Advancements Cutting-edge technologies are impacting the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System market, with significant advancements in artificial intelligence, IoT, and virtual tools. AI integration allows for the development of smart sound systems that can adapt to varying environments, enhancing effectiveness and user experience. IoT-driven systems facilitate real-time data collection and analysis, enabling manufacturers to optimize AVAS performance based on user feedback and operational conditions. Virtual tools are also evolving, allowing for simulations and testing of AVAS designs before implementation, ensuring that sound profiles meet safety and regulatory standards. Research Methodology and Insights STATS N DATA employs a rigorous research approach to provide accurate insights into the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System market. Utilizing a combination of top-down and bottom-up methodologies, our research team conducts extensive primary and secondary research to gather data from credible sources. Triangulation methods ensure that our insights are reliable, comprehensive, and reflective of current market dynamics. The combination of qualitative and quantitative research techniques allows us to offer a well-rounded perspective on market trends, growth drivers, and future opportunities within the AVAS sector. By staying at the forefront of industry developments, STATS N DATA positions itself as a trusted authority in market research and analysis. In conclusion, the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System market is poised for significant growth driven by technological advancements, regulatory support, and changing consumer preferences. As the electric vehicle landscape evolves, the demand for innovative AVAS solutions will continue to rise, creating opportunities for manufacturers and technology providers alike. With a focus on safety and sustainability, AVAS will play a crucial role in the future of mobility. For customization requests, please visit: https://www.statsndata.org/request-customization.php?id=264153 https://www.statsndata.org/report/acoustic-vehicle-alerting-system-avas-for-ev-market-264153 John Jones Sales & Marketing Head | Stats N Data Phone: +1 (315) 642-4324 Email: sales@statsndata.org Website: www.statsndata.org STATS N DATA is a trusted provider of industry intelligence and market research, delivering actionable insights to businesses across diverse sectors. We specialize in helping organizations navigate complex markets with advanced analytics, detailed market segmentation, and strategic guidance. Our expertise spans industries including technology, healthcare, telecommunications, energy, food & beverages, and more. Committed to accuracy and innovation, we provide tailored reports that empower clients to make informed decisions, identify emerging opportunities, and achieve sustainable growth. Our team of skilled analysts leverages cutting-edge methodologies to ensure every report addresses the unique challenges of our clients. At STATS N DATA, we transform data into knowledge and insights into success. Partner with us to gain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced business environment. For more information, visit https://www.statsndata.org or contact us today at sales@statsndata.org This release was published on openPR.

Stillwater parent asks the Board to consider athletics budget cuts, not just SPEDFormer Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh dies aged 92TROY, MI – Detroit’s Cass Tech football team is headed to Ford Field after taking down undefeated Detroit Catholic Central, 17-14, in a rematch of their last state championship in 2016. The Technicians made an early statement, with senior Alex Graham running Catholic Central’s kickoff back for a touchdown. The Shamrocks answered with a rushing touchdown from junior Samson Gash, but Cass Tech blocked the PAT to maintain a 1-point lead until the final minutes of the first half. With just 1:30 left in the first half, Catholic Central’s star running back Jaden Pydyn ran in a touchdown and two-point conversion to give the Shamrocks the lead. The Technicians responded with a last-minute drive to put freshman quarterback Donald Tabron in position for a 14-yard touchdown pass to Will Sykes to tie the score. The two top defenses battled it out in the second half, with George Sanchez-Murillo nailing a 38-yard field goal to give the Technicians the lead with 9:00 remaining in the fourth quarter. Each team forced a turnover, and with 1:38 on the clock Catholic Central found themselves battling for field position. The Technicians blocked the tying 42-yard field goal attempt to secure a 17-14 win. Cass Tech will face Hudsonville at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 at Ford Field in the Division 1 state championship. MLive photojournalist Jacob Hamilton was there to document the action, both on and off of the field. Check out photos from the game in the gallery above. Click here for a direct link to the gallery. You must be a subscriber to view the photo gallery. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link .m sg777 live 。

Ewa offers scholarships to students of Fed Poly, lifts 5, 000 families, traditional rulersA day of embarrassment ends with further indignity for Marnus and Australia

Baylor 45, Kansas 17

Byhre 0-3 0-0 0, Barnstable 3-11 3-4 10, Blue 4-11 2-2 11, Dobbs 6-10 3-4 16, Minessale 2-5 0-0 4, Bjerke 2-4 2-2 8, Oosterbaan 1-3 1-2 4, Nau 1-2 2-2 5, Dufault 1-3 2-2 4, Lafferty 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 21-53 15-18 65. Duffy 1-2 0-0 2, Stillwell 7-13 6-10 22, Fulks 2-6 5-7 9, McKee 4-11 1-3 9, Pullian 3-5 0-0 7, Franklin 6-10 1-2 15, Lovelace 2-5 0-0 5, Pippa-White 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 13-22 69. Halftime_Milwaukee 32-22. 3-Point Goals_St. Thomas (MN) 8-28 (Bjerke 2-3, Lafferty 1-1, Nau 1-2, Oosterbaan 1-3, Dobbs 1-4, Blue 1-5, Barnstable 1-6, Byhre 0-2, Minessale 0-2), Milwaukee 6-17 (Stillwell 2-2, Franklin 2-5, Lovelace 1-2, Pullian 1-2, Davis 0-1, Fulks 0-1, Pippa-White 0-1, McKee 0-3). Fouled Out_Minessale. Rebounds_St. Thomas (MN) 23 (Blue, Dobbs 5), Milwaukee 36 (Stillwell, Franklin 8). Assists_St. Thomas (MN) 8 (Dobbs 5), Milwaukee 13 (Fulks 8). Total Fouls_St. Thomas (MN) 24, Milwaukee 15. A_1,669 (10,783).

NEW DELHI: Women outshone men in terms of turnout at polling stations in 2024 Lok Sabha election, clocking a polling percentage of 65.8 as against 65.6 for their male counterparts. However, barely 9.5% of the total 8,360 candidates in the parliamentary poll were women, with 74 who got elected constituting 13.6% of Lok Sabha. This is the second time in the history of general elections to Lok Sabha that women turnout surpassed male participation. The share of women in the total electorate too went up to 48.6% from 48.1% in 2019 general election, as did the number of female electors per 1,000 male electors, which rose to a new high of 946 from 926 in the 2019 election. Interestingly, though there were a total 800 female contestants, 152 of the 543 parliamentary constituencies (PCs) did not have a single woman in the fray. These details are part of the granular data on 2024 general elections released by Election Commission on Thursday. As per the latest set of reports, the country's electorate saw a 7.4% increase to nearly 98 crore in 2024, of which 64.6 crore voted, from 91.1 crore in 2019, of which 61.4 crore had voted. Of the 64.4 crore votes cast, 64.2 crore were by way of EVMs and 42.8 lakh through postal ballots. The overall polling percentage was 65.7, excluding postal ballots, and 66.1 with postal ballots. Interestingly, while only 0.08% of EVM votes were rejected, nearly 12.5% of postal ballots received were rejected. 'NOTA' votes on EVM were 0.9%, but 1.1% by postal ballot route. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News (TNS) Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did. Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free health care to Native Americans, but its services are limited by a chronic shortage of funding and staff. Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That arrangement came through the Purchased/Referred Care program, which pays for services Native Americans can’t get through an agency-funded clinic or hospital. Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs. But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. The financial consequences for patients can last years. Those sent to collections can face damaged credit scores, which can prevent them from securing loans or require them to pay higher interest rates. The December report , by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found these long-standing problems contribute to people in Native American-majority communities being nearly twice as likely to have medical debt in collections compared with the national average. And their amount of medical debt is significantly higher. The report found the program is often late to pay bills. In some cases, hospitals or collection agencies hound tribal citizens for more money after bills are paid. Hawley’s son was born in 2003. She had to wait another year to buy a home, as she struggled to pay off the debt. It took seven years for it to drop from her credit report. “I don’t think a person ever recovers from debt,” Hawley said. Hawley, a cancer survivor, still must navigate the referral program. In 2024 alone, she received two notices from clinics about overdue bills. Frank White Clay, chairman of the Crow Tribe in Montana, testified about the impact of wrongful billing during a U.S. House committee hearing in April. He shared stories of veterans rejected for home loans, elders whose Social Security benefits were reduced, and students denied college loans and federal aid. “Some of the most vulnerable people are being harassed daily by debt collectors,” White Clay said. No one is immune from the risk. A high-ranking Indian Health Service official learned during her job’s background check that her credit report contained referred-care debt, the federal report found. Native Americans face disproportionately high rates of poverty and disease , which researchers link to limited access to health care and the ongoing impact of racist federal policies . White Clay is among many who say problems with the referred-care program are an example of the U.S. government violating treaties that promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for their land. The chairman’s testimony came during a hearing on the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, which would require the Indian Health Service to create a reimbursement process for patients who were wrongfully billed. Committee members approved the bill in November and sent it for consideration by the full House. A second federal bill, the Protecting Native Americans’ Credit Act , would prevent debt like Hawley’s from affecting patients’ credit scores. The bipartisan bill hadn’t had a hearing by mid-December. The exact number of people wrongfully billed isn’t clear, but the Indian Health Service has acknowledged it has work to do. The agency is developing a dashboard to help workers track referrals and to speed up bill processing, spokesperson Brendan White said. It’s also trying to hire more referred-care staff, to address vacancy rates of more than 30%. Officials say problems with the program also stem from outside health providers that don’t follow the rules. Melanie Egorin, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said at the hearing that the proposed legislation doesn’t include consequences for “bad actors” — health facilities that repeatedly bill patients when they shouldn’t. “The lack of enforcement is definitely a challenge,” she said. But tribal leaders warned that penalties could backfire. Related Articles Health | Most medical debt can no longer hurt your credit score under new California law Health | How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic Health | How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday Health | New childhood leukemia protocol is ‘tremendous win’ Health | For some FSA dollars, it’s use it or lose it at year’s end White Clay told lawmakers that some clinics already refuse to see patients if the Indian Health Service hasn’t paid for their previous appointments. He’s worried the threat of penalties would lead to more refusals. If that happens, White Clay said, Crow tribal members who already travel hours to access specialty treatment would have to go even farther. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found clinics are already refusing to see any referred-care patients due to the program’s payment problems. The bureau and the Indian Health Service also recently published a letter urging health care providers and debt collectors not to hold patients accountable for program-approved care. White, the Indian Health Service spokesperson, said the agency recently updated the referred-care forms sent to outside hospitals and clinics to include billing instructions and to stress that patients aren’t liable for any out-of-pocket costs. And he said the staff can help patients get reimbursed if they have already paid for services that were supposed to be covered. Joe Bryant, an Indian Health Service official who oversees efforts to improve the referral program, said patients can ask credit bureaus to remove debt from their reports if the agency should have covered their bills. Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state helped shape the proposed legislation after their citizens were repeatedly harmed by wrongful billing. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said problems began in 2017, when a regional Indian Health Service office took over the referred-care program from local staff. It “created a domino effect of negative outcomes,” Erickson wrote in a letter to Congress. He said some tribal members whose finances were damaged stopped using the Indian Health Service. Others avoided health care altogether. Responsibility for the Colville Reservation program transferred back to local staff in 2022. Staffers found the billing process hadn’t been completed for thousands of cases, worth an estimated $24 million in medical care, Erickson told lawmakers . Workers are making progress on the backlog and they have explained the rules to outside hospitals and clinics, Erickson said. But he said there are still cases of wrongful billing, such as a tribal member who was sent to collections after receiving a $17,000 bill for chemotherapy that the agency was supposed to pay for. Erickson said the tribe is in the process of taking over its health care facilities instead of having the Indian Health Service run them. He and others who work in Native American health said tribally managed units — which are still funded by the federal agency — tend to have fewer problems with their referred-care programs. For example, they have more oversight over staff and flexibility to create their own payment tracking systems. But some Native Americans oppose tribal management because they feel it releases the federal government from its obligations. Beyond wrongful billing, access to the referred-care program is limited because of underfunding from Congress. The $1 billion budget this year is $9 billion short of the need, according to a committee report by tribal health and government leaders. Donald Warne, a physician and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, called the proposed legislation a “band-aid.” He said the ultimate solution is for Congress to fully fund the Indian Health Service, which would reduce the need for the referred-care program. Back in Montana, Hawley said she braces for a fight each time she gets a bill that the referral program was supposed to cover. “I’ve learned not to trust the process,” Hawley said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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NEW YORK — The brooding waltz was carefully composed on a sheet of music roughly the size of an index card. The brief, moody number also bore an intriguing name, written at the top in cursive: “Chopin.” A previously unknown work of music penned by the European master Frederic Chopin appears to have been found at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan. The untitled and unsigned piece is on display this month at the opulently appointed institution, which had once been the private library of financier J.P. Morgan. A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, is held in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum on Nov. 13 in New York. Robinson McClellan, the museum curator who uncovered the manuscript, said it's the first new work associated with the Romantic era composer to be discovered in nearly a century. But McClellan concedes that it may never be known whether it is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. The piece, set in the key of A minor, stands out for its “very stormy, brooding opening section” before transitioning to a melancholy melody more characteristic of Chopin, McClellan explained. “This is his style. This is his essence,” he said during a recent visit to the museum. “It really feels like him.” McClellan said he came across the work in May as he was going through a collection from the late Arthur Satz, a former president of the New York School of Interior Design. Satz acquired it from A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., an avid autograph collector who had been director of the school. McClellan then worked with experts to verify its authenticity. The paper was found to be consistent with what Chopin favored for manuscripts, and the ink matched a kind typical in the early 19th century when Chopin lived, according to the museum. But a handwriting analysis determined the name “Chopin” written at the top of the sheet was penned by someone else. Born in Poland, Chopin was considered a musical genius from an early age. He lived in Warsaw and Vienna before settling in Paris, where he died in 1849 at the age of 39, likely of tuberculosis. A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, is seen in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Nov. 13 in New York. He’s buried among a pantheon of artists at the city’s famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, but his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is housed in a church in Warsaw, in keeping with his deathbed wish for the organ to return to his homeland. Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Polish capital city where the composer grew up, agreed that the document is consistent with the kinds of ink and paper Chopin used during his early years in Paris. Musically, the piece evokes the “brilliant style” that made Chopin a luminary in his time, but it also has features unusual for his compositions, Szklener said. “First of all, it is not a complete work, but rather a certain musical gesture, a theme laced with rather simple piano tricks alluding to a virtuoso style," Szklener explained in a lengthy statement released after the document was revealed last month. He and other experts conjecture the piece could have been a work in progress. It may have also been a copy of another's work, or even co-written with someone else, perhaps a student for a musical exercise. Jeffrey Kallberg, a University of Pennsylvania music professor and Chopin expert who helped authenticate the document, called the piece a “little gem” that Chopin likely intended as a gift for a friend or wealthy acquaintance. “Many of the pieces that he gave as gifts were short – kind of like ‘appetizers’ to a full-blown work,” Kallberg said in an email. “And we don’t know for sure whether he intended the piece to see the light of day because he often wrote out the same waltz more than once as a gift.” David Ludwig, dean of music at The Juilliard School, a performing arts conservatory in Manhattan, agreed the piece has many of the hallmarks of the composer’s style. “It has the Chopin character of something very lyrical and it has a little bit of darkness as well,” said Ludwig, who was not involved in authenticating the document. But Ludwig noted that, if it's authentic, the tightly composed score would be one of Chopin’s shortest known pieces. The waltz clocks in at under a minute long when played on piano, as many of Chopin’s works were intended. “In terms of the authenticity of it, in a way it doesn’t matter because it sparks our imaginations,” Ludwig said. “A discovery like this highlights the fact that classical music is very much a living art form.” The Chopin reveal comes after the Leipzig Municipal Libraries in Germany announced in September that it uncovered a previously unknown piece likely composed by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in its collections. Christmas music has beginning centuries ago with pagan rituals. Those traditions evolved with St. Francis of Assisi’s Nativity plays in the 13th century, and survived Puritan rule when many Christmas traditions and celebrations were banned during part of the 17th century. Traveling minstrels spread original songs before the invention of the printing press in 1440 ushered in an era of texts that served as the foundation for some of the most beloved Christmas songs. These tunes would be shared in the form of poetry and hymns . Today, Christmas music runs the gamut from silly to revolutionary. Songs range from grandmothers getting trampled by reindeer to those based on the work of a Romantic-period poet. Who knew that the catchy tune of Wenceslas, the king with the funny name, is a reverent song about the patron saint of the Czech Republic? Or perhaps it would surprise readers to discover that “Silent Night” These songs we know by heart and hear so often have rich histories rooted in things like war, religion, social reform, and slavery. Stacker compiled a list of Christmas songs released before 1920 and explored the origins of these pieces. This list includes Christmas carols, famous instrumentals, popular hymns, and spirituals from countries around the world. Many of these songs were created out of a chance collaboration between artists spanning time and space; a clergyman pens a hymn, and years later, a composer resurrects those words and sets them to a melody. It may come as no surprise, then, that what people consider to be Christmas classics are among . “Silent Night,” for example, had 137,315 recordings according to a 2017 Billboard report. Read on to learn about the rich histories of some of the most beloved Christmas songs that are more than a century old. Written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 and originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh,” “Jingle Bells” is one of the most beloved and ubiquitous Christmas carols in existence. In 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford made “Jingle Bells,” the first song heard from space as they orbited Earth aboard the Gemini 6. It may be surprising that this Christmas classic was written as a Thanksgiving song. This traditional English Christmas carol refers to the practice of wassailing, the definition of which has . In the song, wassailing is the practice of traveling door-to-door, wishing good health, and asking for a bit of hospitality and Christmas tidings in return, including a drink from a communal bowl filled with mulled cider or ale called wassail. Other familiar variants of the song include “Here We Come A-Caroling,” and “Here We Come A Christmasing.” Published by hymn writer John Mason Neale in 1853, this carol was based on the life of the virtuous ruler . Wenceslaus I was revered for his piety, morality, and virtue. After his assassination, he was posthumously conferred as a king by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, which is why people don’t sing of good Duke Wenceslaus. Wenceslaus was elevated to sainthood immediately after his death, and he's considered the patron saint of the Czech Republic. The version of “O Tannenbaum” most of us are familiar with today was written in 1824 by Ernst Anschütz, a well-known organist and composer from Leipzig, Germany. based on a 16th-century German folk song that pays homage to the steadfast nature of the "Tannenbaum," the German word for a fir tree. The song’s association with Christmas began with Anschütz even though no explicit mention of Christmas was made in his original lyrics. Furthermore, most Christmas trees are spruce, not fir. Readers may be more familiar with the song’s English title, “O Christmas Tree.” If you’ve ever wondered what “God rest you merry” means, you’re not alone. This carol’s title is often The phrase “rest you merry” is used in the same way we use “rest assured.” It is not an address to merry gentlemen but rather an imperative statement to all gentlemen to be happy, citing the birth of Christ. It’s even referenced in Charles Dickens' classic “A Christmas Carol.” The earliest known print edition of the carol dates back to 1760, but its author is unknown. Originally titled “Three Kings of Orient,” this carol was written by journalist-turned-clergyman John Henry Hopkins in 1857 for a Christmas pageant and published six years later. The carol chronicles the Christian gospel of Matthew in which three biblical magi, commonly known as the three wise men, bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to honor the birth of Jesus. Edmund Sears—a Unitarian pastor in Wayland, Mass.—wrote a five-stanza poem titled “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” in 1849. It was adapted by American composer Richard Storrs Willis in 1850 and set to a melody called “Carol.” The words of this poem-turned-carol are regarded as an account of the issues at the time. Topics referred to in the song include the end of the Mexican-American war and a call for peace among men. Proudly rejoicing the nativity of Jesus, “Go Tell It on the Mountain” was an African-American spiritual dating back to 1865. was a composer and ethnomusicologist who compiled hundreds of spirituals and even composed a few, including “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” in his work: “American Negro Songs and Spirituals; A Comprehensive Collection of 230 Folk Songs, Religious and Secular.” Written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and published in 1871, this carol explores what the shepherds present at the birth of Jesus must have been thinking when they encountered him. In gospel, hymns, and art, shepherds are central characters in the Nativity of Jesus. The song is set to the familiar melody of “Greensleeves,” a 16th-century English folk song. The exact origins of this popular carol are unknown, but it is most often credited to John Francis Wade. Originally written and printed in Latin as “Adeste Fideles,” it first appeared in Wade’s 1751 collection “Cantus Diversi.” What began in 1818 as a modest performance outside of St. Nicholas parish in Oberndorf, Austria, has become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. Translated into over 300 languages, was written by a priest named Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818. The song became popular among traveling folk singers, and before long, it could be heard around the world. The English version we know today called “Silent Night” was not written until 1863. “Stille Nacht” was . “Carol of the Bells” is no doubt familiar to you, if not by name, then by melody. The carol was based on an Ukranian folk chant called "Shchedryk,” which was traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve as it spoke of good fortune for the upcoming year. American composer Peter J. Wilhousky adapted the lyrics "Shchedryk” into a Christmas song in 1919 using the original musical arrangement by Ukranian composer Mykola Leontovych. the carol over the last century, and one of its more popular variants is “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. “In the Bleak Midwinter” was based on a poem of the same name written by English poet Christina Georgina Rossetti in 1872. English composer Gustav Holst first set the poem to music in 1906. This particular carol was published by Cecil Sharp, a famous conservator of English folk tradition, in 1911. The song is that dates back to pagan rituals. Holly, representing males, and ivy, representing females, used to be burned together during the pagan festival of Beltane to encourage a fruitful spring. In Christianity, holly is symbolic of the crown of thorns Jesus wore during his crucifixion. With this rich history, evergreens like holly and ivy are viewed as symbols of rebirth and renewal, which are common themes celebrated at Christmas time. This carol was based on the poem "Christmas Bells," written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863. With an injured wife and a son who joined the union army against his father’s wishes, Longfellow lamented hearing bells on Christmas Day during the American Civil War. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness when goodwill and peace on Earth seemed impossible. The poem was set to music in 1872 by English composer John Baptiste Calkin. “O Holy Night” is based on a French poem titled "Minuit, Chrétiens," written by Placide Cappeau at the behest of a parish priest. Composer Adolphe Adam set the poem to music that same year, and it quickly gained popularity throughout France. When Cappeau denounced the Catholic Church to join the socialist movement, the church responded by denouncing his beloved carol. The song made a resurgence after it was translated into English and introduced in America by John Sullivan Dwight. After visiting Bethlehem in the , Phillips Brooks was inspired to write about his experiences. Brooks, an Episcopal priest, shared the poem he had written with Lewis Redner, his church’s organist, and asked him to create a melody for it so they could perform it at an upcoming Sunday school service. In a single evening, Redner composed the tune that we know today. Reflecting on the success of the carol, : “Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.” Mistakenly attributed, for many years, to Martin Luther—the seminal figure of Europe’s Protestant Reformation in the 16th century—and even titling early versions of this piece “Luther’s Cradle Song,” “Away in a Manger” is a relatively simple carol with unknown origins. The first record of the text being set to music with the title “Away in a Manger” is found in the 1885 publication “Little Children's Book for Schools and Families.” The carol we know as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was originally titled "Hymn for Christmas-Day,” published in 1739 by and brother to John Wesley, the movement’s founder. But it was George Whitefield who adapted the text in 1753 to give us that familiar opener “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The melody was composed by Felix Mendelssohn and later adapted by William H. Cummings in 1855 to create the song that's popular today. This numeric carol was originally published in England in 1780 in a children’s book called “Mirth Without Mischief.” It is believed to be a type of children's in which the singer must remember every verse or forfeit something if they make a mistake. Citing the gospel of Luke, this English carol is based on a French song called “Les Anges dans nos campagnes.” The lyrics were written by James Chadwick, a bishop in 1862. His words were set to the tune "Gloria," which was arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. This Christmas ballad is believed to date back to the 15th century. Unlike many other carols that reference the gospels of Luke or Matthew, this story takes place sometime in between as Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem. It is of Joseph struggling to accept Mary’s pregnancy, evidenced through lyrics such as “O then bespoke Joseph/ With words so unkind,/ Let him pluck thee a cherry/That brought thee with child.” The song was made popular again by Joan Baez’s rendition in 1961. The exact origins of this carol are unknown, but it is believed to be one of the oldest carols still sung today. Dating back to the 12th century, “The Friendly Beasts” is a traditional French carol about the animals present at the birth of Jesus and the gifts they bestowed on him. “Joy to the World” was originally written as a hymn by Isaac Watts. Watt’s adaptation of Psalm 98 interprets Christ as the king of the church and as the king of the world. “Joy to the World” is . Perhaps the darkest song on this list, “Coventry Carol,” depicts the biblical event “The Massacre of the Innocents” in which King Herod ordered the killing of all male babies under the age of two in Bethlehem. The song takes the form of a lullaby recited to the persecuted children. In Christianity, “The Massacre of the Innocents” is an important part of the broader Nativity story and thus a relevant story in the Christmas narrative. “Coventry Carol” was originally part of a medieval mystery play performed in England called “The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.” Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

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sg777 fan WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 2, 2022. A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” US officials recommend encrypted messaging apps amid "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack, attributed to China, targeting AT&T, Verizon, and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel was allegedly the target of cyberattack attempt by Iranian-backed hackers. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline . “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online. Picture this: You're on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened? Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN . Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords. Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online. Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft. Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords. One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect. If your phone falls into the wrong hands, there's a good chance you won't be getting it back. Out of those 91,000 phones stolen in London in 2022, only 1,915 (or about 2%) were recovered. The good news is that you can take precautions to make the loss of your phone less devastating by backing up your data before you travel. With backed-up data, you can acquire a new device and still access your photos, contacts, messages, and passwords. Moreover, if you have "Find My Device" or "Find My Phone" enabled, you can remotely wipe your stolen phone's data so the thief cannot access it. It's safest to back up your data to a hard drive and not just the cloud. That way, if you have to wipe your device, you don't accidentally erase the backup, too. In order for the previous tip on this list to work, "Find My Phone" must be turned on in advance, but remotely wiping your device isn't the only thing this feature allows you to do. The "Find My Phone" feature enables you to track your device, as long as it's turned on and not in airplane mode. This is particularly helpful if you misplaced your phone or left it somewhere since it can help you retrace your steps. While this feature won't show you the live location of a phone that has been turned off, it will show the phone's last known location. With "Find My Phone," you can also remotely lock your phone or enable "Lost Mode," which locks down the phone, suspends any in-phone payment methods, and displays contact information for returning the phone to you. If your phone was stolen, experts caution against taking matters into your own hands by chasing down the thief, since this could land you in a potentially dangerous situation and is unlikely to result in getting your phone back. 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... Former Governor of Anambra State, Sen. Chris Ngige has called on the Supreme Court to revisit its judgment on Local Government financial autonomy, saying it undermined the1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). He made the call at the 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the Association of Urological Surgeons, Nigeria (NAUS) over the weekend, while delivering a paper as guest lecturer in the topic, “Local Government Administration and Primary Healthcare.” Ngige who was two time Minister for Labour and Employment during President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, argued that the judgment attempted to completely knock down Section 7 of the Constitution, which firmly puts the local government areas under the control of the states. Besides the political consequences, he recalled that the same Supreme Court had earlier in 2006 made a pronouncement, warning the Federal Government against dictating to the states how to spend local government funds accruable to them. The previous ruling by the Supreme Court under Justice Mohammed Uwais, Ngige reminisced, was made in a case filed by three state governments-Lagos, Abia and Delta-through their attorney generals, challenging then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Local Government Account Monitoring Committee Act 2005. Ngige who is a medical doctor and health system administration specialist, said he does not support the direct payment of federal allocation to the local governments without statutory firstline deductions for payment of salaries and wages of local government workers, pensions and gratuities, traditional rulers entitlements and customary court allowances. Citing his experience as a Governor, he recalled that council chairmen between 1999 and 2002 owed several months of salaries and allowances, and pensions and gratuities, not only in Anambra State, but almost all the states of the Federation. He said most past council chairmen craved for acquisition of choice estates in Abuja, Lagos and even London, at the detriment of public health centres and schools in their area, where teachers were owed several months arrears of salaries and allowances, stressing that some chairmen even proved to be more corrupt than the Governors. He opined that the judgment of the Supreme Court not only runs ultra vires of the Constitution but amounts to throwing away the baby with the dirty bath water. According to him, Chapter 1 under the General Provisions (Part 1) of the Constitution, makes it very clear that “(1) This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “(2)The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. “(3) If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.” The two-time Minister said the constitution, which the courts are meant to interpret, clearly defines the boundaries of the powers of every institution. Ngige said as far as the Constitution was concerned, only two federating bodies exist in Nigeria, namely the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, with the Federal Government at the top. “Each State of the federation was named in Part I of the First Schedule of the Constitution and the FCT in party II. The Constitution goes on to show the 768 local government areas in Nigeria in the second column of Part I of the First Schedule and six area councils in Part II of the same schedule. “The constitution makes special arrangement for the local governments and puts them in the Fourth Schedule, and in addition to their functions in this schedule, asked the House of Assembly to make laws for them in Section 7. So, the Constitution puts the local governments in the bowels of the States. “Section 162 (6) says that ‘Each State shall maintain a special account to be called “State Joint Local Government Account” into which shall be paid allocations to the councils in the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State. “Hence, the Constitution makes the local government areas appendages of the States. Section 7 gives the House of Assembly the powers to make laws for the establishment, structure, composition, finances and functions of the local government councils. The only power given to the National Assembly is to make provision for statutory allocation of public revenue to local government councils in the Federation and it has so been done.The power of distribution lies squarely with the House of Assembly, working in tandem with the State Economic Board.” Speaking further, Ngige dismissed the widely held notion of the existence of three tiers of government in Nigeria, stressing that more tiers of government exist in the country, including the town and village governments in the South and in the Northern part, the theocratic establishment, ruling through the Emirate Councils and Surbodinate Councils, and others down the ladder. He blamed the failure of the local government system in Nigeria on the docility of the Houses of Assembly and the flagrant inability of the Governors to adhere strictly to all the provisions of the Constitution, regarding local government, especially not establishing democratically elected councils and economic planning board, as stipulated in Section 7 (1) and (3) of the Constitution, respectively. He equally attributed the failure of the local government system to the unwholesome activities of governors with itchy fingers, seizing and diverting council funds to other uses, other than public interest. Ngige regretted that when Governors overstep their bounds, doing what the constitution did not permit, the Houses of Assembly keep silent, instead of calling them to order. He insisted that the local government system would start working in Nigeria when Governors begin to obey the law and the Houses of Assembly become alive to their responsibilities, including calling erring Governors to order. “Section 7 further says ‘(3) It shall be the duty of the local government council within the State to participate in economic planning and development of the area referred to in the sub-section and to this end, an economic planning board shall be established by Law enacted by the House of Assembly.’ The board will determine the utilization of council funds.” “When I was Governor in Anambra, I operated with an economic planning board created first by an executive order and later, an executive bill that I sent to the House of Assembly. It was like the National Planning Commission of the Federal Government. The economic board will formulate the template and send it to the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLGA). Salaries, emoluments and allowances of local government staff, education, healthcare, security, among others were in the first line charge. Everything worked well, particularly in the primary health care centres where we employed many young doctors and other health workers for local government hospitals and primary health medical centres in the wards “The SJLGA was strong and efficient under my administration, and we had the State Economic Planning Board with all the Chairmen of all the LGA in the State as members. This ensured full participation of the LG council bureaucracy in the projections, both at that level and at the councils. The fund for LG administration and capital projects were thereafter remitted to the LG council account. In this way the people’s money was deployed for work for them. We can’t be moving from frying pan into fire. “Under my administration, we used the SJLGA to offset the arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities owed workers by my predecessor. “It is good to note that this was made possible within the first 18 months of my stay in office. Remember that at the inception of this democracy in 1999, the local government chairmen took over from the Head of Personnel who the military used to govern the councils. When I took over in Anambra, local governments were in arrears of salaries, emoluments and allowances of staff, ranging between 15 to 22 months. I am not talking about pensions and gratuity. My predecessor, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju (now late) could not do anything. The local government chairmen left one year before the end of his tenure. Regarding primary healthcare, he frowned at the abandonment of more than 15,000 primary healthcare centres built across the country as constituency projects, and called on the State Economic Planning Boards to ensure that the abandoned health centres were revamped as quickly as possible. He maintained that the local government system has a pivotal role in the basic healthcare system, which former Minister of Health, Olukoye Ransom Kuti transformed into primary healthcare system. According to him, the primary healthcare system can be used to catch those cases that would be treated at that level, while those that cannot be treated there, would be referred to the secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions. He, however, blamed the Commissioners for Health in States for the failure of primary healthcare system, notwithstanding that the National Health Act 2014, championed by himself and other medical doctors at the 7th Senate, namely Ifeanyi Okowa and Bukola Saraki, brought in the Federal Government to devote resources from its Consolidated Revenue, while the State would provide counterpart funding in vaccine for prevention and other aspects of primary healthcare. He noted regrettably, that the States and local governments have been defaulting, refusing to honour their own obligations. He appealed to medical doctors to stop cocooning themselves with fat medical books of Anatomy, Medicine and Surgery, but also to take interest in the government around them, to participate in politics, especially at the local government level, where they would affect lives most.

Kmart worker who suffered black eyes in shocking attack issues a message to Aussies as violence towards retail workers ramps up just before ChristmasSaturday, November 23, 2024 Anushka Sen, a rising star in India’s entertainment industry, was recently honored with a prestigious recognition as the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism at the India-Korea Partnership Business Forum, held in Delhi. This event marks another significant milestone in the young actor’s growing international influence, as she continues to foster cultural exchange and strengthen ties between India and South Korea. Anushka, 22, was presented with the honor by The Korea Herald Media Group during the event, which was attended by key figures from both Indian and South Korean industries. The ceremony was held at the Yashobhoomi, Delhi, and witnessed the convergence of industry leaders, government representatives, and delegates from both nations. The recognition is a testament to Anushka Sen’s role in promoting global partnerships, especially between India and South Korea. She shared her excitement on social media, writing, “Yesterday I got felicitated for my contribution in fostering and enhancing cooperation and strengthening friendship between the Republic of Korea and Republic Of India. Such an honour to receive this prestigious award from The Korea Herald Media Group @thekoreaherald at the Yashobhoomi, Delhi. Special thanks to @asialab.kr @asialab_ceo Director Lee for giving me the opportunity to collaborate with the Korean Industry and creating history together.” Anushka’s rise to fame has been marked by her ability to bridge cultures. She has quickly become a household name in India and gained immense popularity in South Korea, thanks to her work in both countries’ entertainment industries. She previously made headlines as the only Indian celebrity featured on billboards in South Korea, showcasing her widespread appeal. In addition to her massive social media following, which exceeds 50 million, Anushka has consistently made waves with her work on screen. Recently, she has been basking in the success of her latest release, Dil Dosti Dilemma , which has garnered praise from both fans and critics alike. Anushka is also expanding her international footprint with the project Asia , a collaborative effort, and her upcoming work on the South Korean production Crush , where she will star alongside Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji. Her diverse portfolio and passion for global projects underscore her relentless pursuit of excellence and ambition. A Cultural Bridge Between India and South Korea As the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism, Anushka Sen is set to play a crucial role in fostering tourism and cultural exchanges between India and South Korea. This prestigious position places her at the heart of initiatives aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two countries, especially in the fields of tourism, entertainment, and business. Anushka’s recognition is an example of how celebrities can play a key role in diplomacy, creating positive global connections through culture and media. South Korea has long been known for its dynamic tourism industry, which attracts millions of visitors from around the world. With Anushka as its ambassador, Korean tourism can expect to gain further traction in India, a country with a growing interest in exploring international destinations. Anushka’s influence, particularly among younger audiences, makes her an ideal advocate for promoting South Korea’s rich culture, tourism destinations, and world-class entertainment offerings. Her appointment as an ambassador also aligns with the broader efforts of both governments to deepen cultural exchanges and explore new opportunities in the tourism sector. Anushka’s deep connection to both cultures positions her as an effective spokesperson, bridging the gap between the two nations and creating a platform for mutual growth. Expanding Anushka’s Influence Internationally Anushka Sen’s appointment as the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism is just one of many international opportunities that have come her way in recent years. As one of India’s most popular and influential young celebrities, she continues to use her platform to promote cross-cultural collaboration and foster global relationships. This honor is not just a recognition of her work in entertainment but also a reflection of her growing influence as a cultural ambassador. Her role as a connector of cultures is exemplified by her active participation in global projects that promote positive interactions between India and countries around the world. Whether through her work in films, collaborations with international artists, or her advocacy for cultural exchange, Anushka has become a key figure in India’s growing soft power on the global stage. As the world increasingly becomes interconnected through technology, entertainment, and tourism, Anushka’s recognition as the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism underscores the importance of cultural diplomacy in today’s globalized world. Her role not only highlights her personal achievements but also emphasizes the power of collaboration between nations in fostering peace, understanding, and growth. Looking Ahead: Anushka Sen’s Promising Future With such an illustrious honor under her belt, Anushka Sen’s future looks brighter than ever. Her international career continues to soar as she takes on new challenges and expands her global reach. As Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism, she is poised to play an essential role in the continued development of the tourism industries in both India and South Korea. Her appointment signifies the growing importance of cultural ambassadors in the world of diplomacy and tourism, and Anushka is certainly a role model for young people aspiring to make a global impact. As she continues to inspire millions with her work and advocacy, Anushka Sen is not just a rising star but also a key figure in building bridges between India, South Korea, and the rest of the world.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mike McDaniel has seen a change in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over the past month. “He's found a way to improve the way he plays the position throughout the game,” the Dolphins coach said Sunday, after Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-15 win over the New England Patriots. “The most monumental thing that you have to overcome as a quarterback is playing the position regardless of the ebbs and flows," McDaniel added, "so not changing how you play based upon positive or negative results and letting every play stand on its own.” Tagovailoa has mastered that ability to remain even-keeled during Miami's three-game winning streak, McDaniel noted, highlighted by his 317-yard passing performance on Sunday. The Dolphins (5-6) have a thin margin for error the rest of the season but have kept themselves afloat with a strong stretch that includes two-straight 30-point games. With their win at New England (3-9) in Week 5, the Dolphins have swept their division rivals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000. Tagovailoa, who moved to 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with a league-high 73.4% completion rate and went 29 for 40. He has 11 passing touchdowns and just one interception since returning from injured reserve in Week 8. “We’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to," Tagovailoa said. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us.” The Dolphins have a short turnaround with a game at Green Bay on Thursday. Backup Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with about 11 minutes left in what was already a blowout, but a bad handoff on his first play resulted in a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. It cut New England's deficit to 31-15, and Tagovailoa returned the next drive. Miami's defense held the rest of the way. Linebacker Tyrel Dodson intercepted rookie quarterback Drake Maye on New England's penultimate drive, then Miami stopped the Patriots on fourth down on the next. Jaylen Waddle caught eight passes for a season-high 144 yards and a 23-yard touchdown that stretched Miami's lead to 31-0 entering the fourth. Running back De'Von Achane scored on a 9-yard screen pass and then walked into the end zone for an 11-yard TD in the first half. Jonnu Smith finished with 87 yards on nine catches to continue his strong first season as a Dolphin. One week after catching two touchdowns with a career-high 101 yards receiving, Smith found the end zone for a 7-yard TD catch on the Dolphins' second drive. New England was shut out until tight end Austin Hooper got behind the Dolphins defense for a wide-open 38-yard touchdown catch from Maye to make it 31-7 with 13:43 left. Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 221 yards with 26 yards rushing. But he couldn't overcome an overall sloppy performance by the Patriots in which they got nothing going offensively until the final quarter and had 10 penalties accepted against them. “I always say I hate losing more than I like to win," Maye said. "We got our butts whipped today, and it’s only up from here. We’ve got a bright future and the right players in there for the Patriots.” New England's best drive of the first half lasted 12 plays and covered 80 yards but included three accepted offensive penalties and ended in a missed 45-yard field goal by Joey Slye. The Patriots forced a Dolphins punt and moved down the field again on the opening drive of the second half, with Maye completing an improvised 10-yard throw on third down to receiver Kendrick Bourne. New England then tried a double pass with Bourne, whose cross-field throw fell short of Rhamondre Stevenson on 3rd-and-17. DeMario Douglas led the Patriots with 61 yards receiving. Antonio Gibson had six rushes for 30 yards. With the loss, the Patriots will finish their third straight season below .500. Its the first time since 1991-93 New England has had three straight losing seasons. “Once those guys cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them,” coach Jerod Mayo said. "There’s nothing any coach can do for them. It’s my job to continue to prepare not only them, but our coaches as well.” Dolphins: LB Anthony Walker Jr. sustained a noncontact hamstring injury in the second quarter. He was helped slowly off the field by trainers and did not return. Patriots: Host Indianapolis next Sunday. Dolphins: At Green Bay on Thursday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Sambhal violence: According to officials, at least 25 police personnel were injured during the violence, with one officer in critical condition. Among the civilian casualties, three young men lost their lives—two due to gunshot wounds and one from injuries sustained in a stampede. Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media platforms, prompting police to identify and arrest over 15 miscreants, including two women. Investigations are ongoing. New Delhi: The unrest surrounding the survey of Jama Masjid in Sambhal shows no signs of subsiding, with three deaths reported so far. Among the injured are the Circle Officer (CO) Sadar and the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Sambhal Superintendent of Police (SP), both of whom sustained gunshot wounds. Over 25 police personnel and a total of more than three dozen people have been injured. In response to the escalating violence, the district administration has suspended internet services for 24 hours and ordered the closure of schools up to Class 8. District Magistrate Dr Rajendra Pansia issued directives to seal off the area surrounding the mosque and deploy heavy police force to maintain order. Fifteen miscreants arrested so far According to officials, at least 25 police personnel were injured during the violence, with one officer in critical condition. Among the civilian casualties, three young men lost their lives—two due to gunshot wounds and one from injuries sustained in a stampede. Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media platforms, prompting police to identify and arrest over 15 miscreants, including two women. Investigations are ongoing. Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Anjaneya Kumar Singh said that a survey team had arrived at Jama Masjid around 7am on the day of the incident. Soon after, a large crowd gathered, and troublemakers from different directions initiated chaos. The mob resorted to stone-pelting and firing, forcing the police to use tear gas and pellet guns to control the situation. Rioters used women and kids as shield Commissioner Singh described the violence as premeditated, with anti-social elements well-prepared for the confrontation. Despite the clashes outside, the survey inside the mosque was completed by 10am, and the team was safely escorted away. The CO Sadar and the Sambhal SP’s PRO sustained gunshot injuries to their legs. Additionally, over 25 police officers suffered injuries in the melee. Rioters also torched several vehicles belonging to police officials, including those of Chandausi CO and other officers. The mob used women and children, some as young as 12-14 years old, as human shields during the violence. DIG Moradabad Range Muniraj G confirmed that officers, including an SDM, were injured in the violence. The police had to resort to tear gas and baton charges to disperse the mob. DIG Muniraj clarified that the police did not use lethal weapons and reiterated that the deaths were caused by firing from the rioters. Security forces conduct flag march Senior officials, including the Moradabad Divisional Commissioner, DIG, and Bareilly ADG, are currently stationed in Sambhal to oversee the situation. Security forces conducted a flag march around the mosque area late at night to instil confidence among residents. Sambhal District Magistrate announced the suspension of internet services and urged residents to avoid rumours. SP Sambhal assured the public that efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved in the violence. The situation remains tense but under control, according to authorities. The district administration and police are working round the clock to ensure peace and apprehend the culprits behind the unrest. Click for more latest India news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Prabhakar Jha is currently working as Chief Copy Editor at News9 Digital. He has over eight years of experience in this field. He has a keen interest in politics and world affairs.

NEW YORK , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative technology and media company zuMedia Inc. announced today the launch of the official fatSu website at www.fatSu.com . fatSu is the purple TikTok sensation who has danced her way into the hearts of millions throughout the world, spreading her message of joy through acceptance. Though fatSu creators Phyllis Jager and Barry Terach come from two entirely different worlds and backgrounds, they share the goal of actualizing a better way for people to understand and embrace one another, and they've joined forces to demonstrate these ideals via their newly-birthed social hero, fatSu. fatSu's whimsical antics bring joy and a sense of acceptance to all as she spreads the message that everyone should feel comfortable in their own bodies regardless of who they are or what they look like. Through their many principled initiatives, PJ and Barry are striving to battle a variety of social affronts that affect us all on a daily basis. For instance, their UNH8 cause provides a tangible, contractual way for people to commit themselves to stopping hate, and Be A Better Citizen provides opportunities for everyone to educate and equip themselves with tools that can improve both their confidence as well as the lives of those around them. fatSu is one of PJ's and Barry's star ambassadors determined to demonstrate compassion and acceptance throughout the cosmos. By supporting numerous zuMedia campaigns, her crusade is to lead the way and promote admirable virtues such as kindness and decency through her huge-hearted benevolence. On the fatSu website, users can learn about fatSu's origins and of her message, and purchase fatSu merchandise such as exquisite fatSu fragrances including her flagship scent "Iconic" , fatSu apparel and fatSu plushies. Visitors to the website can also download fatSu animated shorts and music. Additional fatSu videos can be found at the @HappenstanceManor page on TikTok. zuMedia Inc. is an innovative company that seeks to create groundbreaking technologies which can level the playing field for consumers, all with a sense of fun and the goal of allocating a substantial portion of its revenue to support humanitarian causes. In addition to its patented BACKSKIN advertising technology, zuMedia is the company behind the DMDb.com social and streaming platform. Soon to be released projects include PropertyDuds.com , the goal of which is to change the way consumers buy and sell their homes, and Feudr.com , a platform on which users can debate issues ranging from current events to the best way to clean a dirty pan. zuMedia can be found at www.zuinc.com . For more information, contact Phyllis Jager at pj@zuinc.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zumedia-announces-fatsu-website-302323236.html SOURCE zuMedia Inc.

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Alberta minister wants to see $100B in data centre infrastructure in next five yearsLAGOS – Latest Ericsson mobility report has predicted that 5G will make up 33% of total mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of the decade. That’s according to the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report which predicted that overall mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa will grow at an annual rate of 4%, increasing from 950 million in 2023 to 1.2 billion by 2030. The strongest growth will come from 5G subscriptions, which are forecasted to rise from 11 million in 2023 to 420 million by the end of 2030, a growth rate of 59% annually. This is a big jump from the Novem­ber 2023 edition of the report, which forecast around 180 million 5G sub­scriptions in the region by 2029, or 16% of total mobile subscriptions. It’s also much higher than recent forecasts from the GSMA, which pre­dicted that 5G will reach 17% of total connections in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Ericsson said that by 2030, 4G sub­scriptions will account for 35% of total mobile subscriptions, with 2G and 3G subscriptions expected to decline as the shift to 4G and 5G networks con­tinues. “Driven by a young and dynamic population, the increasing affordabil­ity of smartphones, and the growing demand for mobile data and advanced services, the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report high­lights the significant growth potential of mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saha­ran Africa by 2030,” Ante Mihovilovic, VP and head of networks at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said in a state­ment about the findings. Ericsson said the mobile growth was due to handset evolution and network rollouts in urban areas. Mihovilovic also predicted that the region will make notable strides in connectivity and digital transfor­mation, continuing the diversification into financial technology – particular­ly mobile money services – and fixed wireless access (FWA). Ericsson believes that as Africa’s broadband demands increase, FWA will serve as a pivotal technology for connecting the continent. The number of smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise from 540 million in 2024 to 880 million by 2030, further driving demand for data-intensive services. “While opportunities in the sector are substantial, significant infrastruc­ture investments and supportive reg­ulatory frameworks will be necessary for the telecom industry to play a cen­tral role in the region’s digital transfor­mation by 2030,” the report said. The researchers also highlighted that mobile data traffic per active smartphone is projected to grow from 5.4GB per month in 2024 to 17GB per month in 2030 in the region, represent­ing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21%.

WASHINGTON , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA continues to advance its campaign to explore more of the Moon than ever before, awarding Firefly Aerospace $179 million to deliver six experiments to the lunar surface. This fourth task order for Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028. As part of the agency's broader Artemis campaign, Firefly will deliver a group of science experiments and technology demonstrations under NASA's CLPS initiative, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services, to these lunar domes, an area of ancient lava flows, to better understand planetary processes and evolution. Through CLPS, NASA is furthering our understanding of the Moon's environment and helping prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach. "The CLPS initiative carries out U.S. scientific and technical studies on the surface of the Moon by robot explorers. As NASA prepares for future human exploration of the Moon, the CLPS initiative continues to support a growing lunar economy with American companies," said Joel Kearns , deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington . "Understanding the formation of the Gruithuisen Domes, as well as the ancient lava flows surrounding the landing site, will help the U.S. answer important questions about the lunar surface." Firefly's first lunar delivery is scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-January 2025 and will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, on the northeast quadrant of the Moon's near side. Firefly's second lunar mission includes two task orders: a lunar orbit drop-off of a satellite combined with a delivery to the lunar surface on the far side and a delivery of a lunar orbital calibration source, scheduled in 2026. This new delivery in 2028 will send payloads to the Gruithuisen Domes and the nearby Sinus Viscositatus. The Gruithuisen Domes have long been suspected to be formed by a magma rich in silica, similar in composition to granite. Granitic rocks form easily on Earth due to plate tectonics and oceans of water. The Moon lacks these key ingredients, so lunar scientists have been left to wonder how these domes formed and evolved over time. For the first time, as part of this task order, NASA also has contracted to provide "mobility," or roving, for some of the scientific instruments on the lunar surface after landing. This will enable new types of U.S. scientific investigations from CLPS. "Firefly will deliver six instruments to understand the landing site and surrounding vicinity," said Chris Culbert , manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston . "These instruments will study geologic processes and lunar regolith, test solar cells, and characterize the neutron radiation environment, supplying invaluable information as NASA works to establish a long-term presence on the Moon." The instruments, collectively expected to be about 215 pounds (97 kilograms) in mass, include: Through the CLPS initiative, NASA purchases lunar landing and surface operations services from American companies. The agency uses CLPS to send scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to advance capabilities for science, exploration, or commercial development of the Moon. By supporting a robust cadence of lunar deliveries, NASA will continue to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry. Two upcoming CLPS flights scheduled to launch in early 2025 will deliver NASA payloads to the Moon's near side and south polar region, respectively. Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at: https://www.nasa.gov/clps View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/more-nasa-science-tech-will-fly-to-moon-aboard-future-firefly-flight-302335523.html SOURCE NASA

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By HALLIE GOLDEN Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem whose rocky relationship with her son was known widely through his hit song lyrics, has died. She was 69. Eminem’s longtime representative Dennis Dennehy confirmed Nelson’s death in an email on Tuesday. He did not provide a cause of death, although Nelson had battled lung cancer. Nelson’s fraught relationship with her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been no secret since the Detroit rapper became a star. Eminem has disparaged his mother in songs such as the 2002 single “Cleaning Out My Closet.” Eminem sings: “Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen. Bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’ through her purse and shit’s missin’. Goin’ through public housing systems, victim of Münchausen’s Syndrome. My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t.” Related Articles National News | FACT FOCUS: Vermont ruling does not say schools can vaccinate children without parental consent National News | Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s mother, dies at 69 National News | Judge weighs whether to order Fani Willis to comply with lawmakers’ subpoenas over Trump case National News | Are you a former SmileDirectClub customer? You might be eligible for a refund National News | Justice Department announces sweeping reforms to curb suicides in federal prisons and jails In lyrics from his Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” from the movie, “8 Mile,” his feelings seem to have simmered, referencing his “mom’s spaghetti.” The song went on to win best rap song at the 2004 Grammy Awards. Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem’s statements about her in magazines and on radio talk shows. In her 2008 book, “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,” she attempted to set the record straight by providing readers details about the rapper’s early life. The highly acclaimed rapper Eminem earlier this month won for best hip hop act at the 2024 MTV EMAs and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. He announced last month that he was going to be a grandfather, saying his daughter Hailie Jade is pregnant by way of a touching music video that is a tribute to their relationship. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News Second man dies in Newport News triple shooting; police still looking for suspects Second man dies in Newport News triple shooting; police still looking for suspects The latest business openings and closings in Hampton Roads The latest business openings and closings in Hampton Roads Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees Williamsburg Christmas parade to feature Commanders marching band Williamsburg Christmas parade to feature Commanders marching band Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say New Kent wants public input on future of Makemie Woods New Kent wants public input on future of Makemie Woods The Grinch can’t steal West Point’s Christmas The Grinch can't steal West Point's Christmas Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Trending Nationally Judge accused of ‘willful misconduct’ for letting illegal immigrant escape court Trump’s talk of reducing or relocating federal workers hits home in Maryland A young Coloradan learning to live with long COVID turns to TikTok to educate about chronic illness Fruit trees and ‘generational learning’ turn this California city into a parrot paradise as temperatures drop NBC’s enhanced yard lines, field numbers for Bills-49ers snow game draw strong reactions from viewersNone

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www sg777 com login RIMOUSKI, Québec, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Puma Exploration Inc. (TSXV: PUMA, OTCQB: PUMXF) (the “Company” or “Puma”) is pleased to announce the execution of definitive agreements with NB Gold Inc. (“NB Gold”), a private company, and Comet Lithium Corporation (TSXV: CLIC) (“Comet”) on December 23, 2024 to acquire the McKenzie Gold Project as described previously on November 18, 2024 . On the heels of its Williams Brook Project (“Williams Brook”) Option agreement with Kinross Gold ( see Oct. 24, 2024 News Release ), Puma aimed to secure and gain control over a second large and highly prospective mining exploration project. The Mackenzie Gold Project, located only 7 km west of Williams Brook, shares many of its characteristics and hosts many high-grade gold occurrences (up to 1,315 g/t Au) on the extensive property package. The project is easily accessible from the Company’s field operations and core shack, only 10 km away in St-Quentin and is ideally located to benefit from Puma’s proven low-cost exploration method. TRANSACTION DETAILS To secure an initial 70% interest in the McKenzie Gold Project, Puma will: Comet Lithium retains a 2% net smelter return royalty (“NSR”) on production from each of the Northwest Property (7298-7734) and the Grog Property (7211-8167-7683-9131-9132-9133). Puma reserves the right to purchase one-half (1%) of each NSR at any time with a cash payment to Comet of $500,000. NB Gold’s 30% interest will be free-carried until Puma incurs $2,000,000 in exploration expenditures. Once such an amount is reached, Puma and NB Gold will have to finance expenses according to their respective pro-rata interest in the joint venture. If one party’s interest drops below 10%, the ownership will be transferred to a 10% net profit on mining production. Puma will be responsible for the underlying agreements in particular, but not limited to the NSR granted to previous owners. The completion of this transaction is conditional upon several conditions, including, but not limited to, approval from the TSX Venture Exchange. Puma is dealing at arm's length with Comet and NB Gold. No finders fees are payable in connection with the transaction. Figure 1. Claims blocks of the McKenzie Gold Project A preliminary exploration program for the MacKenzie Gold Project, with a budget of $500,000, is scheduled for 2025. This program is fully funded by the closing of an unbrokered private placement announced today (details below). Preliminary fieldwork began in October 2024 and includes mapping, prospecting, and trenching. Assay results are pending and will be announced upon receipt. Qualified Person The content of this press release was prepared by Marcel Robillard, President and Dominique Gagné, P.Geo., qualified persons as defined by NI 43-101, who supervised the preparation of the technical information that forms part of this news release. About Puma’s Assets in New Brunswick Puma has accumulated an impressive portfolio of prospective gold landholdings strategically located close to roads and infrastructure in Northern New Brunswick - the Williams Brook Project and the new Mckenzie Gold Project. Both are located near the Rocky Brook Millstream Fault (“RBMF”), a major regional structure formed during the Appalachian Orogeny and a significant control for gold deposition in the region. Puma’s work to date has focused on the Williams Brook property, but prospecting and surface exploration work on its other properties have confirmed their potential for significant gold mineralization. About Puma Exploration Puma Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on finding and growing a pipeline of precious metals projects in New Brunswick, near Canada's Famous Bathurst Mining Camp. Puma has a long history in Northern New Brunswick, having worked on regional projects for over 15 years. Puma’s successful exploration methodology, which combines old prospecting methods with detailed trenching and up-to-date technology such as Artificial Intelligence, has been instrumental in facilitating an understanding of the region's geology and associated mineralized systems. Armed with geophysical surveys, geochemical data and consultants’ expertise, Puma has developed a perfect low-cost exploration tool to discover gold at shallow depths and maximize drilling results. The Company is committed to its DEAR business model of D iscovery, E xploration, A cquisition and R oyalties to generate maximum value for shareholders with low share dilution. Connect with us on Facebook / X / LinkedIn . Visit www.explorationpuma.com for more information or contact: Marcel Robillard , President and CEO. (418) 750-8510; president@explorationpuma.com Mia Boiridy , Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Development. (250) 575-3305; mboiridy@explorationpuma.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve several known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Puma to be materially different from actual future results and achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made, except as required by law. Puma undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. The quarterly and annual reports and the documents submitted to the securities administration describe these risks and uncertainties. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c42ff7e-9362-4486-99af-7cfc0dd36b0b“I’m Sure Deion Sanders Is Giving Him a Lot of Advice”: LeSean McCoy Speaks Up After Travis Hunter Deactivates His Instagram Due to Criticism of His Fiancée

There is no question that Pella makes some of the best windows on the market. They’re energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and stylish. The company has been around since 1925, and today is one of the leading manufacturers of new construction and replacement windows, available through the brand’s 200 affiliated “Pella Stores.” Pella Windows are also widely available through retailers throughout the country. One of those retailers is Lowe’s Home Improvement , the home improvement and building material giant, with a history that reaches back to 1946 and a network of stores that includes over 1,700 locations in the US. RELATED: How much does window replacement cost? Current pricing and what to expect So, the question is, if you’re going to buy Pella Windows, where should you get them? Through Pella or Lowe’s? Find out in this guide. What are Pella Windows? Pella Windows is a brand of high-quality, energy-efficient, and eco-friendly windows offered by Pella Corporation. The company was first formed in Pella, Iowa, and has been in business for almost 100 years. Pella has a history of innovation, developing highly efficient windows that offer energy efficiency, noise reduction, UV protection, and premium security. Several of the brand’s windows meet or exceed Energy Star standards and can be customized to the customer’s preferences. Pella offers eight product lines of windows. They include Reserve Traditional, Reserve Contemporary, Lifestyle Series, Impervia, 250 Series, Encompass, Hurricane Shield Series, and Defender Series. They’re available in double-hung, single-hung, casement, awning, picture, sliding, bay, bow, custom, and specialty designs. One aspect of Pella Windows that helps its products stand out from competitors is its eco-friendliness. Several models meet or exceed Energy Star standards, proving the company’s dedication to energy efficiency. Also, several of Pella’s windows are made from recycled materials, such as recycled sawdust, aluminum, and glass, reducing the carbon footprint associated with production and making it a great choice for eco-conscious homeowners. Pella Windows are available through Lowe’s or through one of its 200 other Pella Stores, which are independently operated businesses throughout the country. Despite the relatively small number of stores, they are available in all 50 states. Pella Windows warranties are relatively generous compared to other major window manufacturers. Pella offers a limited lifetime warranty on many of its products and up to two years on labor related to installation. Many other companies only offer 20-year limited warranties, and because most windows last 15 to 30 years, there will be several years during which the windows will not be under any warranty. What are the benefits of buying Pella Windows at Lowe’s vs. Pella Stores? Pella Windows are obviously excellent products, and most customers will be quite happy with their purchase regardless of where they buy them. However, there are a few benefits of purchasing Pella Windows at Lowe’s. For one, Lowe’s has over 1,700 locations across the U.S. In most cases, this means that a homeowner will be closer to their local Lowe’s than they would be to one of the 200 Pella Stores. They can speak with a product specialist at Lowe’s, get their questions answered, compare the multiple lines, and decide, all without the hassle of travel. Lowe’s can also help customers with the installation. One of its teams of contractors can install your windows, allowing you to shop for the windows you like and let someone else do the hard work for you. Some Pella Stores might have contractors or services that can handle installation, but it’s not a guarantee like it is with Lowe’s. The labor is then covered by Lowe’s Double Lifetime Window Warranty, which covers the labor to replace a window that Pella warranties. Also, Lowe’s will help customers finance their projects. Lowe’s can help set up a credit card or another third-party loan with fixed payments. Customers can then have their windows installed for an affordable price rather than coming up with the lump amount themselves. Again, some Pella Stores might offer financing, but there is no guarantee. Another major benefit to Lowe’s is convenience. Lowe’s can ship your windows directly to your house. Pella Stores can also deliver your windows, but we compared the delivery fees, and on average, Lowe’s is less than half the cost. If we had chosen to pick our windows up instead, we would’ve had to drive over an hour and a half to our closest Pella Store, while we have three Lowe’s within 30 minutes of us. Finally, it’s quite likely that you’ll receive the same access to the same product lines, styles, and materials from Lowe’s as you would any Pella Store. In fact, Lowe’s access to a large network of stores and warehouses could mean better access and faster delivery on in-stock items — something we’ve noticed while placing orders through both companies. Lowe’s Window Replacement and Installation for Pella Windows Before deciding if Lowe’s windows and window replacement services are the best for you, let’s take a deeper look into what the company offers. Price ranges and costs for window installation , replacement, or individual purchase are difficult to truly nail down because each window line, size, and style commands a different price. However, the least expensive Pella Windows model available at Lowe’s is a new white vinyl construction window featuring Low-E glass for $238. The most expensive window is the Lifestyle Wood double-hung window, which costs $1,116. As for double-hung windows, we found that customers could expect to pay an average of $525 per window. At the time of writing this comparison, over 1,900 Pella models are available at Lowe’s. Of these options, customers can choose double-hung, single-hung, casement, sliding, and bay or bow windows. There aren’t any awning windows or custom or specialty options available online, but the stores may be able to order them. Lowe’s does in-house consultations for its window installation services. A customer interested in having Pella windows installed will meet with a rep, discuss their options, and get questions answered. Within a few days, the customer will hear back with a quote, at which point they can decide if they’d like to move forward. Lowe’s has a handy breakdown available on its website to explain installation prices. Here’s the breakdown, which includes the cost of the window: Warranties with Lowe’s are excellent, but they’re a little confusing. First, Lowe’s warranties its labor for 1 year after installation. However, Pella covers labor for up to two years after installation. After the first year is up, Lowe’s Double Lifetime Warranty kicks in. This warranty covers the labor required to replace a window installed by Lowe’s installers if a manufacturer-covered repair needs to be performed. So, if there’s an issue with a Pella window that Lowe’s installed, Lowe’s Double Lifetime Warranty will cover the labor required to repair the window. Between Pella Windows’ warranty and Lowe’s, customers should feel confident that their windows will be covered. If you purchase your windows through Lowe’s, you’ll have access to Lowe’s customer service department. Having personally dealt with customer service, they’re quite helpful when it comes to answering the questions they can, but more often than not, they’ll connect you with the store from which you purchased your windows. But if you have issues with the windows themselves, you can contact Pella’s customer service for answers, as well. Depending on what you need, your local Lowe’s may have them in stock. If that’s the case, you can order them online and set them up for pickup. Lowe’s will receive the order, pick the windows out of the rack, and alert you that the order is ready. When you drive the story, they’ll bring them to the customer pick-up desk or, if available, curbside for easy loading. Final Verdict: Where To Buy Pella Windows Ultimately, we think Lowe’s is the best place to buy Pella windows. While Pella Stores might offer some of the same benefits, we think Lowe’s access to a large network of stores, lots of stock, help with financing, and installation crews make it a better fit for most folks. Lowe’s can help customers plan their entire window project with one-stop shopping (plus an in-home consultation). How We Tested We know that purchasing windows for your home is a big investment and that any home improvement project on that scale can be quite an undertaking. For that reason, we wanted to make sure we really dug into both Pella Stores and Lowe’s to find out which is the best place to buy Pella Windows. We compared both based on several factors: Considering those factors, we determined that Lowe’s is the best place to buy Pella Windows . For more information, contact your local Lowe’s store. Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post For over 200 years, the New York Post has been America’s go-to source for bold news, engaging stories, in-depth reporting, and now, insightful shopping guidance . We’re not just thorough reporters – we sift through mountains of information, test and compare products , and consult experts on any topics we aren’t already schooled specialists in to deliver useful, realistic product recommendations based on our extensive and hands-on analysis. Here at The Post, we’re known for being brutally honest – we clearly label partnership content, and whether we receive anything from affiliate links, so you always know where we stand. We routinely update content to reflect current research and expert advice, provide context (and wit) and ensure our links work. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.None

LaBeaux 1-3 0-0 3, Walker 6-12 8-9 20, R.Felton 8-19 1-1 20, Hayes 0-6 3-4 3, Riley 4-11 1-1 9, Farell 4-7 0-0 12, Woodard 3-4 0-0 6, Soumaoro 2-2 0-0 5, Malonga 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 13-15 78. Brigham 3-4 5-7 11, Nicholson 2-3 0-0 4, Cotton 5-9 2-2 15, Franklin 2-5 0-0 5, Pierre 4-10 7-11 16, Ituka 5-10 6-8 18, Houge 6-11 3-3 15, Niagu 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-53 23-31 86. Halftime_East Carolina 39-37. 3-Point Goals_East Carolina 9-27 (Farell 4-6, R.Felton 3-10, Soumaoro 1-1, LaBeaux 1-2, Woodard 0-1, Riley 0-2, Walker 0-2, Hayes 0-3), Jacksonville St. 7-15 (Cotton 3-3, Ituka 2-6, Pierre 1-2, Franklin 1-3, Houge 0-1). Fouled Out_LaBeaux, Riley, Woodard. Rebounds_East Carolina 29 (Walker, R.Felton 7), Jacksonville St. 33 (Brigham, Pierre, Houge 6). Assists_East Carolina 9 (Hayes 4), Jacksonville St. 13 (Pierre 6). Total Fouls_East Carolina 21, Jacksonville St. 13.

( MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) Global Times highlights China's 2024 foreign trade growth, structural upgrades, and commitment to global market sharing. Beijing, China, Dec. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over the course of 2024, China's foreign trade development has maintained a good momentum, with overall quality and structure improvement and stable growth. The achievements have not come easily considering the current slowing global economic recovery, intensifying trade protectionism and intertwined geopolitical conflicts. China's foreign goods trade increased by 4.9 percent year-on-year to reach 39.79 trillion yuan ($5.45 trillion) in the first 11 months of 2024, demonstrating stable growth and ongoing structural improvements, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed. "With the concerted efforts of both stock and incremental policies in the field, China is expected to end the year with a smooth performance in foreign trade and achieve the goal of stable quality and quantity," Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the GAC, said at a press conference on December 10. Sharing market to all While maintaining a stable growth in foreign trade, China also vowed to share its vast market with the world by boosting the expansion of imports, including policy support, platform construction and transport facilitation. In the first 11 months, China's imports from all the least developed countries (LDCs) that have established diplomatic relations with China increased by 12.4 percent, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China's imports, according to GAC data. Honey from Rwanda, wild aquatic products from Uganda, peanuts and sesame from Chad, fresh pine nuts from Afghanistan ... In 2024, more and more agricultural products have been exported to China, opening its market to more and more countries through major trade events and e-commerce. The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), held in November in Shanghai, featured 37 LDCs, with the event organizers providing more than 120 free exhibition booths specifically for businesses from these countries. "This is the second time that we have participated in the CIIE ... We have 30 companies coming to the expo this year compared with about 20 in 2023," Kassim Kone, a delegate from the Mali Export Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Mali, told the Global Times, an indication of how Mali values this event. Bangladesh also showcased a variety of products at the 7th CIIE, ranging from leather to food. Some of these products are already being exported to China, Md Ziaur Rahman, the commercial counselor of the Embassy of Bangladesh in China, told the Global Times. "Since its launch, the CIIE has been providing facilitation for LDCs. For the past seven years, more and more products from LDCs have entered the Chinese market through the CIIE, which contributed to the industrial development and improvement of people's livelihood in these countries," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on November 7 at a regular press conference. Shanghai launched the 2024 Shanghai Silk Road E-commerce Carnival in May 2024, under which Meione (Shanghai) Network Technology Co conducted a special promotion event exclusively for African products, selling raw materials such as cocoa cubes, coffee extracts and tea extracts from African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, Meione said in a statement shared with the Global Times. China has been facilitating market access for more imports, especially for LDCs. Starting from December 1, 2024, China gave zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to LDCs. China is the first developing country and major global economy to implement this initiative, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said. Regarding China's zero-tariff treatment policy for LDCs, of which Bangladesh is one, Rahman said that "this policy will significantly promote trade for countries like ours, and we are very grateful for it." "This demonstrates China's commitment to forge a global development partnership, under which no country or individual should be left behind," Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, an exporter of home furnishing products, told the Global Times on Friday. High-tech, high-quality China's foreign trade, while with increasing imports from more countries and keeping a stable growth in 2024, also improved its mix, with exports of high-quality and high-tech products particularly increased. Specifically, mechanical and electrical products accounted for nearly 60 percent of exports in the first 11 months, of which automatic data processing equipment and its parts, integrated circuits and automobiles exports grew by double digits, according to GAC data. Exports of the "new trio," namely, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, have become China's new business cards in the world. It means that in the "smile curve" of the global manufacturing industry, Chinese foreign trade enterprises are moving toward the upstream of the global value chain. The curve is called a "smile" because the two ends of the curve (R&D and after-sales service) have higher value, while the middle section (manufacturing) is relatively lower in terms of value creation. According to the latest data from China Automobile Dealers Association, China's cumulative export volume of new-energy vehicles was 1.72 million units in the first 10 months of 2024, an increase of 15 percent year-on-year. "Compared with labor-intensive goods such as textiles and clothing, the 'new trio' represents technology-intensive products, which are transformed and upgraded to high-end, intelligent and green - meaning higher added value," said Zhu. The transformation and upgrading of China's economic and trade structure have been demonstrated through China-initiated trade events, such as the CIIE, the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), and the China International Supply Chain Expo. The Canton Fair, for example, used to mainly showcase consumer goods. But in recent years, the proportion of intermediate and capital goods on display has increased to 12 percent, the Global Times learned from the organizer. In the machinery exhibition area where capital goods are concentrated, the number of booths has increased by more than 50 percent in the past five years. With increasingly advanced technologies, together with China's world-leading manufacturing level and stable supply chains, Chinese enterprises are making high-tech products more affordable for the world, Liu Jinshi, chief engineer of Ston Robotics Changzhou Co, told the Global Times. While China's position in the global trade market is gradually shifting to the middle and high-end in terms of industrial chains and value chains, the country's trade partners are also diversifying. In particular, its trade with developing and emerging markets grew at a fast pace. In the first 11 months, China's trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road cooperation saw a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, while that with ASEAN members rose by 8.6 percent. In this period, China's foreign trade with Latin America increased by 7.9 percent and that with Africa up 4.8 percent, according to GAC. Strong momentum The foreign trade of goods this year showed a good performance, both from the perspective of trading partners and the structure of traded goods, Wan Zhe, an economist and professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times. "The export growth of products with high technologies is strong, reflecting the increasing quality of China's industrial development," said Wan. China's economy has demonstrated strong resilience, great potential and vitality. The country is building a new economic development pattern of "dual circulation" with the domestic market as the mainstay and the domestic and overseas markets reinforcing each other and China is capable of resisting the impact of external shocks, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, said on November 22 at a press conference. The State Council recently issued a package of policy measures aimed at promoting the stable growth of foreign trade, while the MOFCOM, the GAC and other departments launched specific measures to accelerate the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade, further optimize the business environment at ports, and promote the convenience of customs clearance for enterprises, said Lü. The recent Central Economic Work Conference further stressed efforts to promote high-standard opening up while keeping foreign trade and foreign investment stable as being one of the key tasks for 2025, according to the Xinhua News Agency. "Looking ahead, favorable conditions are stronger than unfavorable factors, such as declining global demand and growing trade barriers and protectionism. There is a basis and support for China to achieve steady growth of imports and exports," said Zhu. Company: Global Times Contact Person: Wang Wenwen Email: ... Website: globaltimes.cn Telephone:13810630137 City: Beijing Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of KISS PR or its partners. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or professional advice. KISS PR makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. MENAFN25122024004107003653ID1109030034 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. 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By WILL WEISSERT, JUAN ZAMORANO and GARY FIELDS PANAMA CITY (AP) — Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic. Related Articles National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak National Politics | Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl The president-elect is decrying increased fees Panama has imposed to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He says if things don’t change after he takes office next month, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.” Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can’t reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s. Here’s a look at how we got here: It is a man-made waterway that uses a series of locks and reservoirs over 51 miles (82 kilometers) to cut through the middle of Panama and connect the Atlantic and Pacific. It spares ships having to go an additional roughly 7,000 miles (more than 11,000 kilometers) to sail around Cape Horn at South America’s southern tip. The U.S. International Trade Administration says the canal saves American business interests “considerable time and fuel costs” and enables faster delivery of goods, which is “particularly significant for time sensitive cargoes, perishable goods, and industries with just-in-time supply chains.” An effort to establish a canal through Panama led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, who built Egypt’s Suez Canal, began in 1880 but progressed little over nine years before going bankrupt. Malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases devastated a workforce already struggling with especially dangerous terrain and harsh working conditions in the jungle, eventually costing more than 20,000 lives, by some estimates. Panama was then a province of Colombia, which refused to ratify a subsequent 1901 treaty licensing U.S. interests to build the canal. Roosevelt responded by dispatching U.S. warships to Panama’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The U.S. also prewrote a constitution that would be ready after Panamanian independence, giving American forces “the right to intervene in any part of Panama, to re-establish public peace and constitutional order.” In part because Colombian troops were unable to traverse harsh jungles, Panama declared an effectively bloodless independence within hours in November 1903. It soon signed a treaty allowing a U.S.-led team to begin construction . Some 5,600 workers died later during the U.S.-led construction project, according to one study. The waterway opened in 1914, but almost immediately some Panamanians began questioning the validity of U.S. control, leading to what became known in the country as the “generational struggle” to take it over. The U.S. abrogated its right to intervene in Panama in the 1930s. By the 1970s, with its administrative costs sharply increasing, Washington spent years negotiating with Panama to cede control of the waterway. The Carter administration worked with the government of Omar Torrijos. The two sides eventually decided that their best chance for ratification was to submit two treaties to the U.S. Senate, the “Permanent Neutrality Treaty” and the “Panama Canal Treaty.” The first, which continues in perpetuity, gives the U.S. the right to act to ensure the canal remains open and secure. The second stated that the U.S. would turn over the canal to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, and was terminated then. Both were signed in 1977 and ratified the following year. The agreements held even after 1989, when President George H.W. Bush invaded Panama to remove Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega. In the late 1970s, as the handover treaties were being discussed and ratified, polls found that about half of Americans opposed the decision to cede canal control to Panama. However, by the time ownership actually changed in 1999, public opinion had shifted, with about half of Americans in favor. Administration of the canal has been more efficient under Panama than during the U.S. era, with traffic increasing 17% between fiscal years 1999 and 2004 . Panama’s voters approved a 2006 referendum authorizing a major expansion of the canal to accommodate larger modern cargo ships. The expansion took until 2016 and cost more than $5.2 billion. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said in a video Sunday that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to.” He added that, while his country’s people are divided on some key issues, “when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” Shipping prices have increased because of droughts last year affecting the canal locks, forcing Panama to drastically cut shipping traffic through the canal and raise rates to use it. Though the rains have mostly returned, Panama says future fee increases might be necessary as it undertakes improvements to accommodate modern shipping needs. Mulino said fees to use the canal are “not set on a whim.” Jorge Luis Quijano, who served as the waterway’s administrator from 2014 to 2019, said all canal users are subject to the same fees, though they vary by ship size and other factors. “I can accept that the canal’s customers may complain about any price increase,” Quijano said. “But that does not give them reason to consider taking it back.” The president-elect says the U.S. is getting “ripped off” and “I’m not going to stand for it.” “It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions — you’ve got to treat us fairly. And they haven’t treated us fairly,” Trump said of the 1977 treaty that he said “foolishly” gave the canal away. The neutrality treaty does give the U.S. the right to act if the canal’s operation is threatened due to military conflict — but not to reassert control. “There’s no clause of any kind in the neutrality agreement that allows for the taking back of the canal,” Quijano said. “Legally, there’s no way, under normal circumstances, to recover territory that was used previously.” Trump, meanwhile, hasn’t said how he might make good on his threat. “There’s very little wiggle room, absent a second U.S. invasion of Panama, to retake control of the Panama Canal in practical terms,” said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Gedan said Trump’s stance is especially baffling given that Mulino is a pro-business conservative who has “made lots of other overtures to show that he would prefer a special relationship with the United States.” He also noted that Panama in recent years has moved closer to China, meaning the U.S. has strategic reasons to keep its relationship with the Central American nation friendly. Panama is also a U.S. partner on stopping illegal immigration from South America — perhaps Trump’s biggest policy priority. “If you’re going to pick a fight with Panama on an issue,” Gedan said, “you could not find a worse one than the canal.” Weissert reported from West Palm Beach, Florida, and Fields from Washington. Amelia Thomson-Deveaux contributed to this report from Washington.John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh’s Net Worth Combined: How This Power Couple Amassed Their FortuneFaruqi & Faruqi Reminds Marqeta Investors Of The Pending Class Action Lawsuit With A Lead Plaintiff Deadline Of February 7, 2025 – MQ

(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Thursday, Dec. 26 COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2 p.m. ESPN — The GameAbove Sports Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Toledo, Detroit 5:30 p.m. ESPN — The Rate Bowl: Rutgers vs. Kansas St., Phoenix 9 p.m. ESPN — The 68 Ventures Bowl: Arkansas St. vs. Bowling Green, Mobile, Ala. IIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S) Noon NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Slovakia vs. Sweden, Group B, Toronto 2:30 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: U.S. vs. Germany, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario 5 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Czechia vs. Switzerland, Group B, Toronto 7:30 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Finland vs. Canada, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario NBA BASKETBALL 7 p.m. NBATV — Oklahoma City at Indiana 10 p.m. NBATV — Utah at Portland NFL FOOTBALL 8:15 p.m. PRIME VIDEO — Seattle at Chicago SOCCER (MEN’S) 7:30 a.m. USA — Premier League: Everton at Manchester City 10 a.m. USA — Premier League: Aston Villa at Newcastle United 12:30 p.m. USA — Premier League: Manchester United at Wolverhampton 3 p.m. USA — Premier League: Leicester City at Liverpool TENNIS 9 p.m. TENNIS — United Cup: Spain v. Kazakhstan 4 a.m. (Friday) TENNIS — United Cup: China v. Brazil 6 a.m. (Friday) TENNIS — United Cup: China v. Brazil The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .

COPENHAGEN >> Greenland is not for sale, its elected leader said on Monday, responding to comments made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding the “ownership and control” of the vast Arctic island that has been part of Denmark for over 600 years. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” the island’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said in a written comment. Trump on Sunday announced that he had picked Ken Howery, a former envoy to Sweden, as his ambassador to Copenhagen, and commented on the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark and host to a large U.S. Air Force base. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, did not elaborate on the statement. Denmark’s foreign ministry and the prime minister’s office were not immediately available for comment. The Danish government must state in clear terms that control over Greenland is not up for discussion or negotiation, member of parliament Rasmus Jarlov of the opposition Conservative Party said on social media platform X. “To the extent that U.S. activities aim to take control of Danish territory, it must be prohibited and countered. Then they can’t be there at all,” said Jarlov, who heads parliament’s defense committee. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth. But development has been slow, leaving its economy reliant on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark. With its Pituffik air base, Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island. During his previous term in office, Trump in 2019 expressed interest in buying Greenland, but the proposal was promptly rejected by Denmark as well as by the island’s own authorities before any formal discussions could take place. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the time labeled Trump’s offer as “absurd”, leading him to term her dismissal of the idea as “nasty” and to subsequently cancel a visit to Copenhagen. Frederiksen remains in her role as Danish prime minister. Since 2009 Greenland has held the right to declare independence from Denmark. The island of some 56,000 inhabitants, which relies on significant budget transfers from Copenhagen each year, has so far refrained from doing so. Separately on Sunday, Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.Global climate fight faces uncertainty as Trump eyes fossil fuel expansion

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona lost at home for the first time this season when the Liga leader was stunned by Las Palmas 2-1 on Saturday. Sandro Ramirez and Fábio Silva scored for the Canary Islands club on either side of Raphinha’s equalizer to give Las Palmas its first win at Barcelona in more than 50 years. Barcelona played superbly in the first three months under new coach Hansi Flick and was flying high after convincing victories over Real Madrid in the domestic competition and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It had won all eight of its home games. But it has gone three rounds of La Liga without a win. Before Las Palmas, it fell at Real Sociedad 1-0 and drew at Celta Vigo 2-2 after squandering a two-goal lead in the final minutes. The dropped points mean Madrid, despite its own troubles , especially in the Champions League, can move ahead of Barcelona in La Liga. It trails Barcelona by four points with two games in hand. “I don’t care about scoring, I care about winning,” Raphinha said after his standout performance was unable to end Barcelona's slump. “We have to take a hard look at what we are doing wrong. We have slipped in our form and are letting games get away form us. We have our next game on Tuesday (at Mallorca), and we need to turn this around so we can win the league.” Atletico Madrid was only two points behind Barcelona in second place — and with the same number of games played — after Antoine Griezmann scored a gem of a goal in a 5-0 demolition of last-placed Valladolid. Las Palmas savored its first victory at Barcelona since the 1971-72 season and just its third victory at the Catalan club overall. The other visits by the modest side that wears all yellow uniforms to Barcelona have ended in 34 defeats and three draws. “We are thrilled because we have made history,” Sandro said. “When you start the season you think that these games are usually going to end in wins for the bigger side, but if there is one thing we believe in is our capacity to work hard all week to get results like this.” Barcelona's Lamine Yamal returned from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks. Yamal appeared as a halftime substitute and Jasper Cillessen saved his best shot. The Las Palmas goalkeeper also palmed a Raphinha free kick over his bar in the final minutes. Sandro, a former Barcelona youth player, capped a fine five-pass buildup by Las Palmas from its own box as it masterfully undid Barcelona’s high pressure in the 49th minute. Raphinha had already hit the crossbar in the first half before he equalized in the 61st. The Brazil forward took a short pass from Pedri just outside the area, skirted across the edge and drilled a shot between two defenders. Story continues below video But Barcelona was caught pushing forward for a second goal when Silva controlled a ball from Javi Muñoz and sent in a shot bouncing past Iñaki Peña in the 67th. The unexpected loss dampened Barcelona’s celebration of its 125th anniversary, which included the debut of its new mascot “Cat,” a large, yellow feline wearing its team kit. Barcelona lost left back Alejandro Balde early in the game when he couldn’t continue after he crashed into Sandro at full speed. Balde appeared to hurt his upper chest or neck area when he ran into Sandro’s shoulder. He was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Gerard Martín. Griezmann scored one of the goals of the season when the forward exchanged a quick one-two with Julián Alvarez and used a sleek touch of the inside of his boot to roll the ball with him as he spun before dinking it over the Valladolid goalkeeper. That was the visitor's fourth goal. Shortly after, Valladolid fans stood up and applauded when Griezmann was substituted. “That is what every players wants, to make people enjoy what we do. So I appreciate their warmth,” Griezmann said. Atletico also got goals from Alvarez, Clement Lenglet, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexander Sorloth. Espanyol beat Celta 3-1 to end a streak of four losses in the league and relieve pressure on coach Manolo González. Alaves also drew with Leganes 1-1 at home. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerWASHINGTON — If President-elect Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States should have control of Greenland sounds familiar, that’s because he’s said it before — during his first term as president. Back in 2019, Trump’s call caused a brief diplomatic tiff with Denmark, under whose sovereignty the vast island falls. Then as now, the suggestion was met with derision in some quarters, but it spotlighted serious questions about the icy territory’s strategic significance in an era of accelerating climate change . Trump’s commentary also pointed up a quandary faced by U.S. allies, which will become more pressing within a few weeks, when the Oval Office changes hands: whether smaller and less powerful states ought to greet startling declarations from Washington with silence, conciliation, throat-clearing obfuscation or clearly stated opposition — especially since the issue in question might simply go away anyway. Sometimes, Trump ultimately defuses such flaps by saying he was only joking. At other times, he hints that those who defy him might face consequences later. Denmark is a member of the European Union, which is already preparing for a potentially tense relationship with the incoming president. Here is some background about Greenland, why the president-elect is raising the topic again, and what might come next. What is this place? Greenland is an Alaska-sized, self-ruling Danish territory off North America, between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. It is the world’s biggest island that isn’t a continent, about two-thirds of it lying within the Arctic Circle. It is largely ice-covered and sparsely populated: Fewer than 60,000 people live there. With the exception of foreign nationals, those living there are full citizens of Denmark. How did this idea even come up? The president-elect’s unexpected comment came Sunday as he was announcing his choice for U.S. envoy to Copenhagen, PayPal co-founder Ken Howery. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that “America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” citing “purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.” How did Greenland’s government respond? Somewhat crisply. On Monday, its elected leader, Prime Minister Mute Egede, said in a statement that Greenland “is not for sale and will never be for sale.” But the prime minister also said Greenland “must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially our neighbors.” How did Trump’s 2019 idea play out? When Trump made his initial real-estate overture, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s offer as “absurd.” The then-president termed that response “nasty” and called off a planned state visit to Denmark. Still, the idea of such a purchase was not unprecedented. The United States had made several similar forays, dating to the 1860s, all of them short-lived. This time around, any headaches for Denmark could be longer-lasting. Trump was already 19 months into his first term when he floated the purchase notion. With his swearing-in still four weeks away, there will be a full four years for the issue to simmer. Is territorial expansion a theme for Trump’s second presidency? In this postelection, pre-inauguration phase, Trump has already made waves by musing about the status of Canada, suggesting, in an apparent jab at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that the United States’ sovereign northern neighbor could become a 51st state. Also over the weekend, he hinted that Washington could move to seize control of the Panama Canal, ceded back to Panama a quarter of a century ago, over what Trump termed excessive fees to transit the vital waterway. There has been no indication the president-elect intends to follow up on any of these territorial propositions, or what would be the mechanism for doing so. Why is Greenland strategically significant? The island is home to a large U.S. military base. The melting of Greenland’s ice sheet, documented for years and known to be speeding up, could lead to the opening of previously blocked international shipping passages, spurring great-power competition in the Arctic. In addition, Greenland possesses immense mineral riches — gold, silver, copper and uranium — whose potential extraction would be complicated by harsh weather and lack of road access, as well as environmental concerns. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.