In conclusion, Gan Zhiou's appointment as Vice Governor of Shanxi Province is a testament to his leadership skills, dedication to public service, and commitment to advancing the Party's goals. As he assumes his new role, there is no doubt that Gan Zhiou will bring a fresh perspective and drive positive change in Shanxi Province, ultimately benefiting the people and contributing to the prosperity of the region.Pep Guardiola: If I can’t reverse Manchester City slide then I have to goThe new, 12-team College Football Playoff brings with it a promise to be bigger, more exciting, more lucrative. Perfect or 100% fair? Well, nobody ever believed that. The first expanded playoff bracket unveiled Sunday left a presumably deserving Alabama team on the sideline in favor of an SMU squad that finished with a better record after playing a schedule that was not as difficult. It ranked undefeated Oregon first but set up a possible rematch against Ohio State, the team that came closest to beating the Ducks this year. It treated underdog Boise State like a favorite and banged-up Georgia like a world beater at No. 2. It gave Ohio State home-field advantage against Tennessee for reasons it would take a supercomputer to figure out. It gave the sport the multiweek tournament it has longed for, but also ensured there will be plenty to grouse about between now and when the trophy is handed out on Jan. 20 after what will easily be the longest college football season in history. All of it, thankfully, will be sorted out on the field starting with first-round games on campuses Dec. 20 and 21, then over three succeeding rounds that will wind their way through traditional bowl sites. Maybe Oregon coach Dan Lanning, whose undefeated Ducks are the favorite to win it all, put it best when he offered: "Winning a national championship is not supposed to be easy.” Neither, it turns out, is figuring out who should play for it. The Big Ten will lead the way with four teams in the tournament, followed by the SEC with three and the ACC with two. The lasting memory from the inaugural bracket will involve the decision that handed the ACC that second bid. Alabama of the SEC didn't play Saturday. SMU of the ACC did. The Mustangs fell behind by three touchdowns to Clemson before coming back to tie. But they ultimately lost 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal as time expired. “We were on pins and needles,” SMU coach Rhett Lashley said. “Until we saw the name ‘SMU’ up there, we were hanging on the edge. We're really, really happy and thankful to the committee for rewarding our guys for their total body of work." The Mustangs only had two losses, compared to three for the Crimson Tide. Even though SMU's schedule wasn't nearly as tough, the committee was impressed by the way the Mustangs came back against Clemson. “We just felt, in this particular case, SMU had the nod above Alabama,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, the chairman of the selection committee. “But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. We looked at the entire body of work for both teams.” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne was gracious, up to a point. “Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country,” he said on social media. He acknowledged — despite all of Alabama’s losses coming against conference opponents this season — that the Tide’s push to schedule more games against teams from other major conferences in order to improve its strength of schedule did not pay off this time. “That is not good for college football," Byrne said. Georgia, the SEC champion, was seeded second; Boise State, the Mountain West champion, earned the third seed; and Big 12 titlist Arizona State got the fourth seed and the fourth and final first-round bye. All will play in quarterfinals at bowl games on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Clemson stole a bid and the 12th seed with its crazy win over SMU, the result that ultimately cost Alabama a spot in the field. The Tigers moved to No. 16 in the rankings, but got in as the fifth-best conference winner. The conference commissioners' idea to give conference champions preferable treatment in this first iteration of the 12-team playoff could be up for reconsideration after this season. The committee actually ranked Boise State, the Mountain West Champion, at No. 9 and Big 12 champion Arizona State at No. 12, but both get to skip the first round. Another CFP guideline: There’s no reseeding of teams after each round, which means no break for Oregon. The top-seeded Ducks will face the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 earlier this year in one of the season’s best games. No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Dec. 21. Clemson is riding high after the SMU upset, while Texas is 0-2 against Georgia and 11-0 vs. everyone else this season. The winner faces ... Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Huh? No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Dec. 21. The biggest knock against the Mustangs was that they didn't play any big boys with that 60th-ranked strength of schedule. Well, now they get to. The winner faces ... Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, SMU vs. Boise was the quarterfinal we all expected. No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Dec. 20. Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti thought his team deserved a home game. Well, not quite but close. The winner faces ... Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs got the No. 2 seed despite a throwing-arm injury to QB Carson Beck. But what else was the committee supposed to do? No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State , Dec. 21. The Buckeyes (losses to Oregon, Michigan) got home field over the Volunteers (losses to Arkansas, Georgia) in a matchup of programs with two of the biggest stadiums in football. The winner faces ... Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Feels like that matchup should come in the semifinals or later. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Pep Guardiola has pledged to step aside if he fails to turn around Manchester City’s poor run of form. The City boss is enduring the worst run of his glittering managerial career after a six-game winless streak featuring five successive defeats and a calamitous 3-3 draw in a match his side had led 3-0. The 53-year-old, who has won 18 trophies since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, signed a contract extension through to the summer of 2027 just over a week ago. Yet, despite his remarkable successes, he still considers himself vulnerable to the sack and has pleaded with the club to keep faith. “I don’t want to stay in the place if I feel like I’m a problem,” said the Spaniard, who watched in obvious frustration as City conceded three times in the last 15 minutes in a dramatic capitulation against Feyenoord in midweek. “I don’t want to stay here just because the contract is there. “My chairman knows it. I said to him, ‘Give me the chance to try come back’, and especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and see what happens. “After, if I’m not able to do it, we have to change because, of course, (the past) nine years are dead. “More than ever I ask to my hierarchy, give me the chance. “Will it be easy for me now? No. I have the feeling that still I have a job to do and I want to do it.” City have been hampered by a raft of injuries this term, most pertinently to midfield talisman and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. The Euro 2024 winner is expected to miss the remainder of the season and his absence has been keenly felt over the past two months. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has also not started a match since September. The pressure continues to build with champions City facing a crucial trip to title rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Defeat would leave City trailing Arne Slot’s side by 11 points. “I don’t enjoy it at all, I don’t like it,” said Guardiola of his side’s current situation. “I sleep not as good as I slept when I won every game. “The sound, the smell, the perfume is not good enough right now. “But I’m the same person who won the four Premier Leagues in a row. I was happier because I ate better, lived better, but I was not thinking differently from who I am.” Guardiola is confident his side will not stop battling as they bid to get back on track. He said: “The people say, ‘Yeah, it’s the end of that’. Maybe, but we are in November. We will see what happens until the end. “What can you do? Cry for that? You don’t stay long – many, many years without fighting. That is what you try to look for, this is the best (way). “Why should we not believe? Why should it not happen with us?”
Pep Guardiola: If I can’t reverse Manchester City slide then I have to go
Results of a non-binding vote on the proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine in Crowsnest Pass were announced Monday, with more than 71 per cent of voters supporting the project. About 54 per cent of eligible voters participated in the plebiscite, which was held to gauge community sentiment specifically on metallurgical coal mining by Northback Holdings Corp. The ballot posed the question, “Do you support the development and operations of the metallurgical coal mine at Grassy Mountain?” An advance poll was conducted on Nov. 19, followed by the primary voting day on Monday. The results showed 71.7 per cent of voters in favour of the project, while 28.3 per cent opposed it. Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter expressed satisfaction with the strong voter turnout and called the result a “real strong message” from the community. “I’m very pleased that we had over 53 per cent of the eligible voters turn out to vote on this subject,” Painter told Shootin’ the Breeze. “This sends a very strong message to our council that our community is in favour of ethical metallurgical coal mining in our area.” Painter emphasized the importance of understanding community preferences regarding a project that could affect housing, infrastructure and employment in the region. “We are the community that this mine primarily will draw from. Therefore, it is important that we need to know where our community stands and they have told us,” he said. However, he acknowledged that the municipal council’s role is limited to advocacy and that the ultimate decision on the proposed mine is not in their hands. “We are not the decision-maker on this project; we are only one of the stakeholders,” he noted, adding that council will move forward and continue to advocate. The Grassy Mountain coal mine project has been the subject of significant debate. On Sept. 10, Crowsnest Pass council passed a motion to conduct a non-binding vote, seeking input from residents on their support for the development and operations of the proposed mine. Since then, a long-standing debate has grown heated at times regarding the consequences of mining. Supporters have cited its potential to drive economic growth and create jobs, while critics have voiced concerns over environmental risks, such as selenium contamination and air quality issues due to dust generation. Painter acknowledged these concerns, stating, “Clean water is very important. We get that. Now you must also remember that the area of this mine site, Grassy Mountain, is not pristine mountaintops. It’s previously mined land with no reclamation.” He added that mining operations have made strides in addressing environmental concerns, citing global investments in clean-water technology by other mining companies. “Our mining neighbours to the west of us, Glencore, is spending billions of dollars on clean water technology. They are leaders globally in clean water,” he said. The mayor clarified that council’s next steps would involve internal deliberations, with no influence over the regulatory process or the mining company’s decisions. “We cannot control what they are going to do. They’re bound by the rules and regulations of our country. We cannot influence that,” he said. Northback Holdings, the company behind the Grassy Mountain project, welcomed the vote’s outcome, calling it a step forward for “responsible resource development.” In a statement issued on social media, the company expressed gratitude for the community’s support and reiterated its commitment to balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship. “Exciting news from Crowsnest Pass! Residents have voted in favour of the Grassy Mountain project! Thank you for your overwhelming support for responsible resource development and economic growth,” the company said. “Together, we’re creating well-paying jobs and a brighter future for the region. At Northback, we are committed to modern mining practices that protect the environment while revitalizing the local economy. Let’s move forward together!” Northback representatives were unavailable to comment on the voting results.
US could 'absolutely' leave NATO, Trump saysOne of the key drivers of this upward momentum is the recent announcement of a significant policy reform by the government aimed at boosting economic growth and supporting the capital markets. The introduction of new measures to further open up the financial sector and stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship has been warmly welcomed by investors and market participants. This move not only signifies the government's commitment to reform and liberalization but also signals its determination to create a more investor-friendly environment.Additionally, a team of experts and inspectors will be dispatched to conduct a full-scale assessment of the public bathhouse to identify any potential hazards or deficiencies that may have contributed to the recent spate of fainting incidents. This comprehensive evaluation will guide the subsequent renovations and upgrades that are necessary to bring the facility up to the required safety standards.
YINZIWEI, known for his charismatic on-screen presence and exceptional vocal abilities, has garnered a massive following for his work in both the acting and music realms. His addition to the cast of "Fatal Mistake 3" has raised excitement levels to new heights, as he brings his unique talent and star power to the table, promising an unforgettable performance that is sure to captivate audiences.
