circus font Shohei Ohtani wins his third MVP and first in the NL following a historic offensive season with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fellIlona Maher is so proud of her issue photos, she displays one of them on her smartphone. The Olympic rugby player addressed the image on her phone's PopSocket (a phone-gripping disc that can go on the back of the device) Dec. 13 in a selfie video , explaining that she showcases one of the images from the special Sports Illustrated edition because she's proud of the way she looks in it. "Yes, this is me," she said, nodding while holding up her phone. "This is a photo of me from my SI Swim photoshoot and I look amazing." "Is it maybe a little self-absorbed to have this on the back of my phone?" she continued, laughing. "Maybe. Maybe it is. But when you look this good, it's good to just keep looking at it." The athlete, who's become as known for her sense of humor as her skill on the field, went on. "Like you have a bad day, you're like, 'Aww, I'm not feeling too good.' Then, BAM! Take a look at that. Look at her. She's so pretty," she said, holding the image on herself closer to the camera. "Anyway, I'm not ashamed," she said, adding, "And if I ever lose my phone, people are going to know whose phone it is." “Yes, I like to look at myself,” the Olympic rugby player captioned her video. Maher appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue in August 2024 shortly after she led at the Paris Games. In the cover image, she appears standing on a dock wearing a black bikini with her hands behind her head. More images of Maher wearing a royal blue string bikini appeared inside the publication. For the issue, Maher also talked to SI about how rugby gave her confidence. “I love that (rugby) showed me what I can do,” Maher told the publication. “It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified.” Maher became a standout athlete at the Paris Games thanks to her hilarious social media videos that displayed her wit and intelligence as well as her positive messages about body confidence. In one viral TikTok video, Maher who wrote that she had a body mass index (BMI) of 30. "I think you were trying to roast me, but this actually is a fact. I do have a BMI of 30 — well, 29.3 to be more exact,” Maher said in the video. “I’ve been considered overweight my whole life.” Maher noted that she was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weights 200 pounds, the only two measurements used to calculate BMI. “I chatted with my dietitian because I go off of facts and not just what pops up (in my head) like you do,” she told the troll in the video. “We talked about how (BMI) really isn’t helpful for athletes.” “BMI doesn’t really tell you what I can do. It doesn’t tell you what I do on the field, how fit I am,” Maher continued. “It’s just a couple numbers put together. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have or anything like that. "So yeah, I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight," she added. "But alas, I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not." Gina Vivinetto is a writer for TODAY.com.

The Philippine went up six spots to 63 rd place out of 133 economies with a score of 49.93 (out of a possible 100) in the 2024 edition of Network Readiness Index (NRI) by the nonprofit research organization Portulans Institute . The index assesses the application and impact of information and communication technology in economies around the world based on four pillars: technology, people, governance, and impact.

Utah Hockey Club walks to arena after bus gets stuck in Toronto trafficSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Getting blown out at Green Bay following another squandered late lead the previous week against Seattle has quickly turned the San Francisco 49ers from a Super Bowl contender into a team just fighting to get back to the playoffs. If San Francisco doesn't get healthy and eliminate the errors that led to Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Packers, the focus will turn from playoff permutations to what offseason changes are necessary. “I think everyone understands completely outside and inside what the situation is,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. “That’s why the Seattle game was so tough of a loss and that’s why last night was even worse. We know what we got ahead of us. We know exactly what the playoff situation is. That is what it is. But really, all that matters is this week when you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that.” The task doesn't get any easier as the Niners (5-6) get set to play at Buffalo on Sunday night. The 49ers are hoping to get injured stars Brock Purdy , Nick Bosa and Trent Williams back for that game, but their presence alone won't fix everything that went wrong on Sunday . The defense got repeatedly gashed early and put San Francisco in a 17-0 hole before the offense even generated a first down. The running game never got going as Christian McCaffrey has looked nothing like the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year in his three games back from Achilles tendinitis. And whenever the Niners appeared to do something right, a penalty came back to haunt them. It added up to the most lopsided loss for San Francisco since the 2018 season, before Shanahan had turned the Niners into perennial contenders. “It’s probably one of the worst ones I’ve been a part of,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “It is embarrassing. You’ve got to take it on the chin, take it like a man and move on.” Despite the doom and gloom, the 49ers are only one game behind Seattle and Arizona in the NFC West standings with six games to go. But San Francisco already has three division losses and a difficult schedule featuring games against the Bills this week and Detroit in Week 17. “My optimism is not broken by any means,” tight end George Kittle said. “We still have a lot of very talented players. We will get some guys back and I still have full trust in the coaching staff to put our guys in position to make plays. I have no worry about that. But definitely an uphill grind. We'll see what we’re made of, which I’m looking forward to.” Red-zone passes to Kittle. Backup QB Brandon Allen connected on a 3-yard TD pass to Kittle late in the second quarter for San Francisco's only TD. Kittle leads the NFL with eight touchdown catches in the red zone, which is tied with Vernon Davis (2013) for the most in a season for a Niners player since 2000. Kittle was the only consistent part of the San Francisco offense with six catches for 82 yards. Avoiding penalties. San Francisco had nine penalties for 77 yards and they were costly and sloppy. The Niners had 12 men on the field on defense on back-to-back plays, three false starts, a pass interference in the end zone and three penalties on special teams, including a holding on Eric Saubert that negated an 87-yard kickoff return by Deebo Samuel to open the second half. Rookie Dominick Puni had three penalties after being penalized just once in the first 10 games. DE Leonard Floyd. There were few positive performances on defense, but Floyd had both of the team's sacks. Run defense. San Francisco allowed 169 yards rushing, including 87 in the first quarter for the team's second-worst performance in the opening quarter since 1991. The Niners missed 19 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, as Josh Jacobs gained 83 of his 106 yards rushing after contact. Purdy took part in a light throwing session without pain on Monday and Shanahan is hopeful he can return to practice Wednesday after missing the Green Bay game with a shoulder injury. ... Bosa (hip, oblique) and Williams (ankle) also could return this week after sitting out Sunday. ... LG Aaron Banks, DT Jordan Elliott and WR Jacob Cowing all in the concussion protocol. ... RG Dominick Puni (shoulder) and CB Deommodore Lenoir (knee) underwent MRIs on Monday and the team is waiting for results. ... CB Renardo Green (neck) and LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee) are day to day. 11 — The Niners generated only 11 first downs, tied for the fewest in any game in eight seasons under Shanahan. They also had 11 in the 2022 NFC title game loss at Philadelphia when Purdy hurt his elbow and in Week 2 against Seattle in Shanahan's first season in 2017. The 49ers visit Buffalo on Sunday night. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Amanda Serrano demands rule change to make potential third Katie Taylor fight 'fair'

The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” As the Cross River Rail project continues to progress, crucial work affecting the existing rail network is slated for the holiday period, with up to 220 rail replacement buses expected to roll out to the rescue. At different stages across December and January all lines were expected to be affected, with timetable changes beginning from December 20 and continuing until January 19. Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton said the work involved “hundreds of metres” of track removal, connecting overhead line equipment at the southern tunnel entrance, and station work at select locations. “These works require continuous and extensive access to the rail corridor and could not be completed safely or efficiently with trains on the tracks,” he said. Head of Translink Deborah Hume said rail buses would keep the south-east’s transport network running for the period, but advised commuters and travellers to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. “All rail replacement bus timetables will be in Translink’s journey planner closer to the closures and can be accessed through the Translink app or on the Translink website,” she said. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has welcomed the passage of the government’s key housing policy, while acknowledging there’s more work to do. In questioning O’Neil, Nine’s Today host Sarah Abo noted that the 40,000 people who would be assisted over four years via the help-to-buy scheme “barely skims the surface” when considering that “there is not a single city or region across Australia where the average income earner can even afford to buy a house right now”. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil arrives at question time on Monday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen O’Neil agreed the policy was “not a silver bullet” but that “it was never meant to be”. “One of the things I want your viewers to know, is just be really wary about the snake oil salesmen in this housing debate who are pretending that there’s one thing we can do to fix the whole problem,” O’Neil said. “The truth is, we’ve had generations-in-the-making housing crisis in our country that’s been building for more than 30 years, and it requires our government to do lots of things differently.” O’Neil said the government was trying to build more homes, get a better deal for renters, and help more Australians into homeownership. “It’s a big, complex program and it’s going to take some time.” Read more about the passage of the housing bill here. A 1100-kilometre transmission line connecting the North-West Minerals Province to the electricity grid near Townsville could cost up to $9 billion to build. That is the latest price tag put on Copperstring 2032 by government-owned corporation Powerlink, as Nine News political reporter Tim Arvier reported on Monday night. The $9 billion includes a $2 billion contingency, and capitalised interest costs of $800 million, and follows a previous cost blowout to $6.2 billion, announced by the then Labor government in August. While documents provided to the LNP government suggest Powerlink made the higher estimate in August, Labor told Arvier that Treasury was behind the estimate of $6.2 billion. The bill to ban social media for children under 16 will be a “test” for Peter Dutton’s leadership, says Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. Speaking on Nine’s Today , Rishworth said there was bipartisan support for the bill, but that Dutton was losing control of his caucus. “Just a couple of weeks ago, Peter Dutton said he would facilitate this important piece of legislation and support the government. And now we see our senators defying him,” she said. “So this is a test for Peter Dutton and his leadership.” Also on Today was Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who said there were still concerns about digital ID laws and privacy. “We do want strong, robust laws to protect kids under 16 on social media platforms. “We’ve been out of the blocks before the government on this. We need to get the legislation right so it does actually get the outcomes we want. “And we need to make sure that those protections exist in the legislation.” Read more about the debate within the Coalition on the ban here. Social media companies, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the ban on children under 16. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the world-leading reform to parliament last Thursday, which she said would make the online environment better for young people. The consultation period for groups and individuals to make submissions closed on Friday. A Senate committee held a one-day hearing on Monday and is due to report back on Tuesday. In submissions to the inquiry, several groups, including social media companies, pointed to the short notice period. Snap Inc. wrote that “the extremely compressed timeline” had allowed stakeholders little more than 24 hours to provide a response, which “severely” constrained thorough analysis and informed debate. X, formerly Twitter, also criticised the “unreasonably short time frame of one day”, writing that it has “serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the bill”. Meta, which owns Facebook, wrote that there had been “minimal consultation or engagement” and urged the government to wait for the results of the age assurance trial before progressing with the legislation. TikTok said that despite the “time-limited review”, there was a range of “serious, unresolved problems” that the government must clarify to ensure there wouldn’t be unintended consequences for all Australians. AAP The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” The temperature in Brisbane is going to come close to 30 degrees today, on a partly cloudy day with the mere chance of a morning shower. The city is predicted to be warmer in the days to come, with the likelihood of showers stronger later in the week. Here’s the seven-day outlook: Stories making the rounds further afield this morning: Treasurer Jim Chalmers has revealed the budget bottom line is getting worse before the looming federal election, with warnings he faces a $27 billion blowout over the next four years. Labor has gained a crucial concession from the Greens after a year of dispute over a $5.5 billion housing plan, but other bills are on the brink of defeat after Senate crossbenchers blasted Labor for trying to rush through changes on various issues. Social media companies including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the proposal ban on children under 16. In the US, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. And Israel’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, with expectations that an accord could be announced “within hours”. Good morning, thanks for joining us for Brisbane Times’ live news blog. It’s Tuesday, November 26, and we’re expecting a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees. In this morning’s local headlines: Ahead of the return of parliament, Brisbane Times state politics reporter Matt Dennien has analysed official diaries to determine who the new ministers scheduled the most meetings with before their election victory last month. Brisbane home prices are forecast to rise by 9 to 14 per cent next year – the highest capital city increase apart from Perth. Police are investigating the death of a child in Innisfail in Far North Queensland on Monday afternoon. The Brisbane Lions have added their voices to a campaign by local charity Beyond DV for men to take the lead in eliminating violence against women. And Grant Howard has been a coal miner since he left school, now based in the Bowen Basin in Queensland. At the weekend he was arrested at a protest, trying to hasten the end of his industry.Fantasy Sports Market to Grow by USD 9.72 Billion (2024-2028), Driven by Launch of Fantasy Sports Apps, AI Driving Market Transformation - TechnavioPenticton pub raises $13K for local kids sports (Penticton)

NoneDAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad , gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey, which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after, we will work to build this country, and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. Syrian state television reported that the sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria were tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come. But there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not caused violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels were bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of joy unfolded in other major cities, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will impose a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. In other developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s Embassy in Damascus would reopen Saturday for the first time since 2012, when it closed due to the Syrian civil war. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. It has also seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group, as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would require a response. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.None

MCC has only one official Facebook page, mayor clarifies