Years ago, every time the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots clashed, it was appointment viewing for NFL fans league wide. For more than a decade, each contest featured Tom Brady squaring off against Peyton Manning, and later Andrew Luck. However, the last three meetings ahead of the AFC foes' Week 12 contest have all featured different quarterbacks under center for Indianapolis. While each game between the two since 2018 saw Mac Jones take leadership of New England, 2024's contest in Massachusetts pits rookie quarterback Drake Maye against second-year gunslinger Anthony Richardson. Despite recent games between the Colts and Patriots not harboring nearly as much excitement as those in the past did, neither squad has been able to win consecutive games since New England beat Indianapolis eight straight times from 2010-2018. That trend may change in Week 12, as the Colts are favored to beat the Patriots by 2.5 points on the road, according to BetMGM . Indianapolis heads to Foxborough with a 5-6 record while New England sits at 3-9. The over/under set for the contest is at 42.5 points, considering the fact that the Patriots average 16.4 points per game and surrenders 23.5 through the first 12 weeks of the season. The Colts average 20.2 per contest while allowing 22.8 points per game. BetMGM's winning team model projects 75.5% confidence in an Indianapolis win, but it predicts New England to cover the spread with 59.3% confidence. Indianapolis has lost four of its last five contests whereas New England has lost three games in that same span. However, the Patriots are 0-3 against AFC South opponents this season while the Colts are 2-1 against AFC East foes, sporting a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. MORE NFL: Where the Colts stand in the AFC playoff picture in Week 13A homeowner’s “lovely” Christmas gesture to her garbage workers has divided social media. The image, shared to popular Facebook group Meanwhile in Australia, showed boxes of Cadbury Celebrations sitting on top of bins. The snap was taken in Toowoomba, Queensland, and the woman who posted it on social media said the garbage workers were “both so grateful”. She also said they were able to just reach out of the window and grab it, rather than having to stop the truck and get out. The image was captioned; “Isn’t that lovely.” Howeve, many social media users were divided over whether this was a thoughtful gesture or caused more of a headache for the garbage collectors. “My mum used to run out when they used to be on the back doing it by hand and be there waiting for them with a couple of long necks each,” one social media user commented. A Queensland woman's bin act has divided social media. Picture: Facebook/Meanwhile in Australia Another added: “We saw a post a few years back asking people not to do this because the garbos had to keep getting out of their trucks and it made their day take longer, so we didn’t do it this year.” “It’s 34 degrees here, they would be chocolate soup,” one commented. Another said they stopped giving garbage collectors things because they don’t work on public holidays in their area. One added that garbage collectors had been on strike for two weeks in their area. “That would be not helpful as they would have to get out of the truck every time and slow them down so much,” one social media user commented. One added: “I use to put some beer on top each year till last year when they didn’t bother getting it of top so when the lid was lifted to empty the beer rolled on the ground so didn’t give this year.” Many were torn over whether it was practical. Picture: Justin Lloyd. “I am a garbo and I cannot tell you how much little gestures like this can absolutely make our day ... thank you from myself and the drivers that work for me,” one sanitation worker said. Another added: “When I was growing up, Mum always gave them something for Christmas, money, and had them on the veranda for a cuppa or a beer.” One complained that their bin had been skipped so there was no chocolate for their garbage collectors. “It’s a great sentiment but the ants from the organic waste in my bins would have ants all over and in every wrapper of chocolate.” another added. More Coverage Shock reaction to Aussie’s naked dress Claudia Poposki ‘Ridiculous’: Fury over supermarket item Claudia Poposki Originally published as Queenslander’s bin act divides social media Real Life Don't miss out on the headlines from Real Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Real Life ‘Nothing like it’: Shoppers baffled by secret Kmart It’s just about as far from Australia as you can get, but an unexpected find in a major city could shock Kmart shoppers. Read more Environment Don’t do this to cardboard boxes Everyone is looking for ways to find shortcuts for the dreaded Christmas clean-up, but companies are warning against this recycling hack. Read moreThe Stormers looked like they were trying their best to throw away a win against the 14-men of the Lions in Cape Town on Saturday, but a late try sealed a needed 29-10 victory in the DHL Stadium. After scoring their bonus-point try in the 49th minute and building up a 22-5 lead, it looked like the game was dead and buried with the home side well on their way to a first United Rugby Championship (URC) win in three games. But, the visitors had other plans and despite being down a player after a dangerous cleanout red card to lock Ruben Schoeman, they fought until the very end to keep the Cape side's defence honest. For most of the 80 minutes, the Stormers defended like Trojans, but they also had plenty of lapses in concentration, coupled with missed tackles that allowed the Lions to stay on the front foot. It took a 76th minute-try by reserve tighthead prop Neethling Fouche to eventually seal the game for the Cape side after some good buildup play by fullback Warrick Gelant and outside centre Ruhan Nel. Before that, though, some massive... Leighton Koopmanjili-711 。

The Pittsburgh Steelers look to continue their improbable season atop the AFC North when they visit the disappointing Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. The Steelers (8-3) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end last time out, suffering a 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 21 in a game that featured a second-half snowstorm. Pittsburgh rallied from an 18-6 deficit to take a 19-18 lead with 6:15 to go in the fourth quarter before the Browns scored what ended up being the game-winning points in the final minute. After the Steelers kicked a 15-yard punt following a three-and-out, their defense went on to allow Cleveland to convert on fourth-and-3, leading to Nick Chubb's 2-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remaining in the contest. "We just didn't make enough of those critical plays in those moments," Pittsburgh defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. "We've stepped up in those critical moments. But on the flip side, those three losses we've had, we haven't had those moments. We're trying to change that where, no matter what team, we gotta have those winning moments." All three of the Steelers' losses this season have come against teams that currently have a losing record. Pittsburgh also fell to the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts. Still, the Steelers currently lead the AFC North, but the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) are right on their tail. It's a tight race in the division that Cincinnati (4-7) has slipped out of. Even though the Bengals have been in a rut -- with three losses in their past four games -- Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor doesn't want his team to just throw in the towel. "This is December football," Taylor said. "This is where it means something. Regardless (of) what our record is right now, you need to play your best football in December, and now, more than ever, we're going to need that from our guys, and they understand that. They subscribe to it, and we just keep ... moving forward from here." The Bengals were on their bye last week, but before that, they were on the wrong end of a 34-27 decision against the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 17. Like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati came back from a sizable deficit only to lose. Joe Burrow threw three second-half touchdown passes against Los Angeles as the Bengals climbed out of a 27-6 hole, but Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins found the end zone from 29 yards out with 18 seconds left in regulation to break a 27-27 tie. Burrow went 28-for-50 passing for 356 yards and the three TDs. "I think we're playing a really good team," Heyward said of Cincinnati. "The roster is very good. And you look at their losses, they come down to those critical moments." Making things harder for the Steelers could be the absence of linebacker Alex Highsmith, who did not practice on Wednesday because of an ankle injury. For the Bengals, left tackle Orlando Brown, who has missed the past three games with a leg injury, was a limited participant on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins missed practice with an illness and starting linebacker Logan Wilson (knee) also did not practice. Burrow (wrist) was a full participant. --Field Level Media

Life insurers in Bangladesh saw some 3.47 lakh policies discontinued in the January-September period this year amid worsening financial health of clients, political changeover and repeated flooding devastating lives and livelihoods in vast areas of the country. Besides, unclear policy data and fragile customer confidence in the local insurance sector contributed to policy discontinuations, according to sector insiders. In 2023, some 15.42 lakh customers of a total of 36 life insurance companies saw their policies lapse, according to regulatory data, and the trend did not see much improvement this year. In the first nine months of 2024, Delta Life Insurance Company Limited topped the policy lapse list, with 56,338 of its clients shelving different types of insurance payments. On the list, National Life Insurance Company Ltd and Popular Life Insurance Company Ltd appeared second and third respectively, according to the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (Idra). Pragati Life Insurance PLC saw 23,023 of its policies lapse, the fourth highest, while Alpha Islami Life Insurance Ltd saw 21,917 of its life policies discontinued. A policy lapse occurs when policyholders fail to pay their premiums on time, leading to the cancellation of insurance coverage. "Lapsed policies are bad for both customers and insurers," said SM Ibrahim Hossain, director of the Bangladesh Insurance Academy, a state-run institute that trains insurance professionals. For customers, he explained that a policy lapse means losing the safety net that could protect them against unforeseen events. For insurers, it leads to revenue loss and negative impacts on financial stability and customer relationships, he added. However, Uttam Kumar Sadhu, chief executive officer of Delta Life Insurance Company, is optimistic about getting back "a large number" of their lost clients by the end of 2024. "Customers often face financial crises due to various reasons. Due to this, they understandably cannot pay the money on time," said Sadhu, whose company had around 12.43 lakh policies in September after subtracting the discontinued ones. "After three to four months, a large portion of them will revive," he said. "This has been observed in the past as well." The CEO said initiatives have been taken to provide rewards and incentives to revive the lapsed policies. The results of the improvement will be available by the end of December. Nura Alam Siddikie Ovee, chief executive officer of Alpha Islami Life Insurance Limited, said the main reason behind policy discontinuation is the financial crisis. "Many people are now in financial hardship due to high inflation and the economic fallout stemming from the political changeover in August," he added. In addition, as many insurance agents are changing companies, taking their customers to their new firms, this is another reason many policies have been discontinued, he said. Ovee also pointed out that many policyholders were convinced to buy policies but later found those did not apply to them. "Some policies have also been cancelled due to this." Md Jalalul Azim, managing director of Pragati Life Insurance, said one of the reasons behind the policy discontinuation was the fierce nationwide protest in July-August, which ultimately hurt incomes and slowed down the overall economy. Besides, he said flooding in August and September in many areas, including Cumilla, Feni, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Chattogram and Sylhet, deterred their agents from collecting premiums from many clients on time, resulting in policy lapses. Azim mentioned that those policies can be reactivated by paying late fees. However, they have waived the fees until December this year to encourage customers to renew the policies. Md Kazim Uddin, managing director of National Life Insurance PLC, said many of their customers had their policies matured recently, but problem banks could not pay them due to a liquidity crisis. This has created a confidence crisis among customers, which has had a negative impact on the insurance sector. In view of this, many customers did not deposit the insurance premium and a lot of policies have lapsed, he said. Apart from this, due to high inflation, which has been above 9 percent since March last year, it has become difficult for many people to maintain their normal lives, he said. People are breaking their savings to meet family expenses, he said, adding that as a result, many are unable to deposit premiums on time, resulting in policy lapses. Zahangir Alam, a director and the spokesperson of the Idra, told The Daily Star last Thursday that they are pursuing insurers in various ways to keep the number of discontinued policies low. Besides, companies that have the highest number of policy lapses are being monitored closely, he said. In the last 14 years, more than 26 lakh insurance policies have lapsed in Bangladesh. In 2009, the total number of policies was nearly 1.12 crore while it fell to 85.88 lakh in 2023, according to Idra data.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will launch the World Bank-funded Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Incomes Ecosystem Strengthening (UPAGRISE) project here on December 28. The project aims at transforming agriculture in the backward districts of Purvanchal and Bundelkhand. The move comes after the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IRBD), the lending arm of the World Bank, recently sanctioned the loan of ₹ 2800 crore for the project. The remaining nearly 30% of the funds, around ₹ 1200 crore, will be spent by the state government. The U.P. Cabinet has already given its nod for the ambitious scheme. “After the World Bank’s approval of the loan, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has given his consent to launch the UPAGRISE in the presence of the International Bank officials here on December 28, marking the beginning of a crucial project,” a senior agriculture department official said. According to the officials, the World Bank sanctioned the loan at its board of directors’ meeting earlier this month. The bank communicated the decision through a letter (HT has copy of the letter) to UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and the Central government on December 13. “I am pleased to inform that Board of Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved on December 12, 2024 a loan in the amount of US$325 million for the above-mentioned project (UPAGRISE),” IBRD country director, India, Auguste Tano Kouame wrote in the letter. The $500 million project to be in place for six years (2024-25 to 2029-30) aims to transform agriculture in 21 backward districts in eastern UP and all seven districts of Bundelkhand. The initiative seeks to boost crop productivity, enhance incomes for small and marginal farmers, and address low agricultural output, limited value addition, and poor export performance. The project focuses on climate-resilient farming, high-value crop clusters, and local agribusiness promotion. Key measures include forming 30,750 Farmer Producer Groups, adopting advanced technologies and creating a digital agribusiness network for better stakeholder communication. “Other initiatives include improving post-harvest management, enhancing fish production, and ensuring environmental and social safeguards. Efforts will be directed at reducing costs, increasing productivity, and ensuring food security for the state’s 240 million residents,” the official said. GFX FOCUS AREAS • The initiative seeks to boost crop productivity, enhance incomes for small and marginal farmers, and address low agricultural output, limited value addition, and poor export performance. • The project focuses on climate-resilient farming, high-value crop clusters, and local agribusiness promotion. • Key measures include forming 30,750 Farmer Producer Groups, adopting advanced technologies and creating a digital agribusiness network for better stakeholder communication.

FAIRFIELD – Nate Hibbert set the pace with 18 points as the Vanden High School boys basketball team closed out the Jerry Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas Saturday with a 91-62 win over The Vine Christian Academy. James Carraway added 13 points against the Kissimmee, Florida, school and Templeton Fountaine V scored 11. Matthew Wright led the team with 10 rebounds. Vanden improved to 4-4. Vanden lost to Santiago of Corona on Friday, 61-55. Isiah Dixon had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Chriseanie Nealy led the team with 13 points, Carraway had 12 and Hibbert added 11. The Vikings open play in the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic on Thursday with an 11:30 a.m. game against Edison of Stockton. The tournament features a 16-team field with games scheduled for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Global stocks mostly cheer Nvidia results as bitcoin gainsWith an important regular-season finale ending a short week, Mississippi has watched its dreams shift from national success to perhaps something it certainly did not want on Thanksgiving weekend: An Egg Bowl that holds only regional significance and statewide bragging rights. After their third and disappointing defeat, the No. 14 Rebels will play Friday afternoon in their annual Egg Bowl matchup against rival Mississippi State in the intrastate series in Oxford, Miss. It will not be easy putting aside the catastrophic 24-17 loss at Florida last Saturday, a soul-crushing setback that all but ended any College Football Playoff aspirations for the most talented Rebels team assembled in a long time. Coach Lane Kiffin's team slid five spots to 14th in the latest CFP rankings. The offseason outlook was rosy when Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) shelled out big NIL money and added the top portal class to fill a roster that won 11 games in 2023. But the Rebels repeatedly shot themselves in the foot Saturday against the Gators. Ole Miss' high-powered offense turned the ball over three times, went 3 of 14 on third down, failed on two fourth-down attempts, dropped five passes and missed a field goal. Before the game, ABC's broadcast noted that the Rebels had an 84 percent chance to make the CFP. Following the loss, that number dwindled to four percent. The only way the Oxford school gets in is if there is the repeated chaos of Week 13, one that talk show host Paul Finebaum called "the most SEC carnage" he had ever seen. The Egg Bowl has been played on Thanksgiving Day 23 times, including 2017 to last season, but Kiffin feels the afternoon start on Friday is an advantage. "It helps them to know that playoffs are still alive and they get kind of the first shot to show everybody on a national stage," Kiffin said Monday, "as opposed to a Saturday game where these people that make the decisions don't necessarily see all the games because so many are going on." For the second time this month, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will lead his last-place Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7) against a former boss. The 40-year-old head coach faced Tennessee and coach Josh Heupel, who had Lebby on his staff at UCF in 2018 and 2019, in a 33-14 loss on Nov. 9. Now he will face Kiffin, whom he was paired with in 2020 and 2021 in their first two seasons at Ole Miss when the school led the SEC in total offense. A frequent social media user who enjoys trolling others, Kiffin took a jab at Lebby and Mississippi State when the first-year coach was hired. "We've traded texts throughout the season and had communication," Lebby said Monday. "But no, not this week. He'll continue to find ways to have fun on social. That's who he's always been and who he'll always be." Ole Miss owns a 65-46-6 series advantage and has claimed five of the past seven matches, including a 35-3 "Egg Brawl" victory by the Bulldogs in 2018 that was later vacated. Another loss to the Rebels would give MSU its first winless SEC season since 2002. --Field Level Media

First Half_1, Orlando City, Enrique, 9, 39th minute. Second Half_None. Goalies_Atlanta, Brad Guzan, Josh Cohen; Orlando City, Pedro Gallese, Javier Otero. Yellow Cards_Williams, Atlanta, 59th. Referee_Armando Villarreal. Assistant Referees_Kathryn Nesbitt, Chris Elliott, Greg Dopka. 4th Official_Pierre-Luc Lauziere. Atlanta_Brad Guzan; Luis Abram, Pedro Amador, Stian Gregersen (Tristan Muyumba, 73rd), Derrick Williams; Ajani Fortune, Saba Lobzhanidze, Dax McCarty (Xande Silva, 69th), Bartosz Slisz; Aleksey Miranchuk, Jamal Thiare (Daniel Rios, 43rd, Ronald Hernandez, 49th). Orlando City_Pedro Gallese; Robin Jansson, Rafael Santos (David Brekalo, 90th+1), Rodrigo Schlegel; Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena, Martin Ojeda, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (Kyle Smith, 79th), Facundo Torres; Ivan Angulo (Nicolas Lodeiro, 79th), Ramiro Enrique (Luis Muriel, 69th).Maryland (4-7, 1-7 Big Ten) at No. 4 Penn State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 4 CFP), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (BTN) BetMGM College Football Odds: Penn State by 24 1/2. Series record: Penn State 43-3-1. WHAT’S AT STAKE? The Nittany Lions will try for their first 11-win regular season in James Franklin’s 10-year tenure and hang onto their chance to host a playoff game. The Nittany Lions could still get to the Big Ten championship game, but would need Michigan to beat No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus earlier in the day. The Terrapins have lost four in a row and are trying to avoid their longest skid since losing seven straight to end the 2019 season. KEY MATCHUP Maryland’s front seven vs. Penn State’s running game. The Nittany Lions lost starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh to a long-term injury last week but were still able to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark against a tough Minnesota defense. Maryland has allowed 176 rushing yards per game over its last four. The Terps will need to do better against a Nittany Lion ground game fueled by running backs Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, tight end Tyler Warren and quarterback Beau Pribula. PLAYERS TO WATCH Maryland: WR Tai Felton. Only one FBS player has more catches than Felton. The sure-handed senior leads the Big Ten with 92 catches for 1,097 yards. He’s scored nine touchdowns and should be a focal point for Penn State’s secondary. Penn State: Singleton. The explosive back has recovered from the unspecified injury that slowed him earlier in the season. He had a season-high 19 touches last week versus Maryland including a career-most six catches. FACTS & FIGURES Maryland is 2-3 in Happy Valley since joining the Big Ten with wins in 2014 and 2020. ... Felton has 183 more receiving yards than the next closest Big Ten WR (Illinois’ Pat Bryant) and is 143 yards away from Marcus Badgett’s single-season record set in 1992. ... Penn State has won seven of the last eight against Maryland. ... The Nittany Lions secured their 27th 10-win season last week. ... Warren became Penn State’s all-time leader in reception yards for a tight end (1,516) with 102 yards against Minnesota. ... DT Zane Durant leads the Big Ten and is fourth among Power Four tackles with 8 1/2 tackles for loss this season. 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

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This year has encapsulated the dual journeys of the Proteas cricket teams — a tale of resilience in the Test format juxtaposed against the heartache of near glory in limited-overs cricket. As fans continue to rally behind their side, Zaahier Adams cannot help but wonder if the elusive trophy awaits just around the corner. Tristan Stubbs has a breakout year in the international game. | BackpagePix AT TEST LEVEL If there is a fairytale story of the year it's the Proteas' Test side. Having started the year under the most problematic circumstances with Shukri Conrad forced to take an extremely under-strength team to New Zealand, to being top of the ICC World Test Championship log and just one victory away from qualifying for the final at Lord's next year, is utterly remarkable. Conrad was faced with the unthinkable when the New Zealand tour clashed with SA2O back home. As a result the Test side was left without not only its regulars but the vast majority of contracted players within the country. Fortunately, Conrad has always been an out-of-the-box thinker which saw him send out an SOS to former Proteas Test spinner Dane Piedt and also Western Province and Nottinghamshire's veteran seamer Dane Paterson. Titans opener Neil Brand was named captain of the side for the two-match series, and while the Proteas ultimately lost the series 2-0 – losing out on valuable WTC points – they certainly did not disgrace themselves. Since then it has only been onwards and upwards for the Proteas Test side. Conrad's charges currently enjoy a five-match winning streak that includes series victories over the West Indies (1-0 away), Bangladesh (2-0 away) and Sri Lanka (2-0 home). The Bangladesh series victory was particularly satisfying, as it was the Proteas' first Test series win on the subcontinent in a decade. The upturn in the Proteas Test matches has been the remarkable turnaround of the batting unit's form under Conrad and... Zaahier AdamsWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members and several other countries have expressed interest in joining. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system . Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy." At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.” “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. Trump said there is "no chance" BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen "should wave goodbye to America.”Dodgers shortstop Jose Hernandez suspended for 2025 ACL season under minor league drug program