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( MENAFN - GetNews) Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Non-Fiction - Environment book "Our Global Crisis" by Brian D. McLean, currently available at . Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies. "Reviewed By Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite Brian D. McLean's Our Global Crisis critically examines humanity's consumption patterns and their detrimental effects on societal stability and ecological health. McLean offers the extinction of the passenger pigeon as a cautionary tale, leaning into how overhunting and habitat destruction, fueled by 19th-century technological advancements, led to its decline. McLean warns against contemporary threats like deforestation and overpopulation, drawing parallels to historical societies, such as Rapa Nui, that faced collapse due to resource mismanagement. He speaks on the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for anxiety-driven consumption, leading to social unrest, particularly in the United States. McLean critiques anthropocentrism and calls for a collective mindset prioritizing societal welfare over individualism, talking about the necessity for effective political leadership and international collaboration through organizations like the United Nations to foster sustainable practices and address the urgent challenges posed by climate change and overconsumption. Our Global Crisis:“We'll Never Run Out!” by Brian D. McLean is an exhaustively researched and sweeping examination of humanity's precarious relationship with consumption and survival instincts. His incisive writing is authoritative, intelligent, and comprehensive in how he challenges readers to look deeply into the consequences of unchecked economic growth, urging a reevaluation of our priorities. As someone with a deep interest in anthropology, I most appreciated McLean's discussion of our primitive tendencies serving as a reminder that, despite our intelligence, we often fall prey to short-sighted decision-making, jeopardizing our future. The work is totally up to date and current, given its post-pandemic look at how it was managed, making it relatable to readers at any stage of life, of which McLean adeptly states we are the guardians. This book is essential for those seeking to understand the interconnectedness of our choices and the urgent need for collective responsibility in the face of global crises. As far as I'm concerned, this should be required reading for those studying environmental and social sciences." You can learn more about Brian D. McLean and "Our Global Crisis" at where you can read reviews and the author's biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages. MENAFN16122024003238003268ID1109000040 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. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.George Weston Ltd. stock falls Friday, underperforms market

NoneTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers. The FBI, Homeland Security, state police and other agencies are investigating. Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety , but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft — and to be allowed to shoot them out of the sky. Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones statewide since mid-November, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Murphy, a Democrat, said Monday that equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment except to say it was powerful and could even “mitigate” the drones, though he added that’s not currently legal on U.S. soil. The state tallied 12 sightings Saturday and just one on Sunday. Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones. The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively. White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday said the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks from reported drone sightings in the northeast, saying officials believe they were lawfully flown drones, planes or even stars. “There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,” Kirby said. “And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.” The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said. The FBI received more than 5000 tips in recent weeks, he added, with only “about 100” deemed credible enough to require additional investigation. Authorities say they do not know. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI said they have no evidence that the aircraft pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” Speculation has nevertheless raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents. Officials stress that ongoing investigations have found no evidence to support such concerns, but U.S. Rep Chris Smith, a Republican, on Saturday echoed such speculation. “The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities — or worse — by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said. On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder cast doubt on the idea that the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are. He said about 1 million drones are registered drones in the U.S. and about 8,000 flying on any given day. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh has said the aircraft are not U.S. military drones. In Boston, city police arrested two men accused of operating a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport on Saturday night. Authorities said an officer using drone monitoring technology detected the aircraft and the location of the operators. A third man fled police and remains at large. Authorities said the two men face trespassing charges and could face more charges and fines. Drones flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, forced base officials to close its airspace for about four hours late Friday into early Saturday, said Robert Purtiman, a base spokesperson. It was the first time drones had been spotted at the base, one of the largest in the world, and no sightings have been reported since, Purtiman said Monday. He said the drones had no impact on any facilities on the base. Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on Truth Social. Kim said he’s heard no support for the notion the government is hiding anything. He said a lack of faith in institutions is playing a key part in the saga. “Nothing that I’m seeing, nothing that I’ve engaged in gives me any impression of that nature. But like, I get it, some people won’t believe me, right? Because that’s the level of distrust that we face," Kim said Monday. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut last week called for the drones to be “shot down." Rep. Smith urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to bring down one or more drones to try to figure out who deployed them. The objects could be downed over the ocean or in an unpopulated area on land, Smith said Saturday. “Why can't we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” Smith said. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said members of the public must not try to shoot down drones, as that would violate state and federal laws. Drone sightings were also reported in New York, where a permit is required. Mayor Eric Adams said the city was investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials. The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the city — were shut down for about an hour Friday night because of drone activity, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “This has gone too far,” she said in a statement. The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Gun found on suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO matches shell casings at scene, police say ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner says the gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO matches shell casings found at the crime scene. Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said Wednesday that lab results matched suspect Luigi Mangione’s prints to a water bottle and a snack bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing. Police had said earlier that they believed the gunman bought the items at a nearby coffee shop while awaiting his target. Mangione is jailed in Pennsylvania on weapon and forgery charges, but he also has been charged in New York with murder in Brian Thompson's death. His lawyer has noted that Mangione is presumed innocent. Arguments over whether Luigi Mangione is a 'hero' offer a glimpse into an unusual American moment Memes and online posts in support of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, who's charged with killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO, have mushroomed online. Some cast Mangione as a hero. That's too far, says Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a rising Democrat who was almost the Democratic vice presidential nominee this year. CEO Brian Thompson's death touched off off these ripples. They offer a glimpse into how so many different aspects of 21st-century life can be surreally connected, from public violence to politics, from health care to humor, or attempts at it. The Trump and Biden teams insist they're working hand in glove on foreign crises WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t think much of Joe Biden’s foreign policy record. He frequently casts the outgoing Democratic president as a feckless leader who shredded American credibility around the world during his four-year term. But the Trump and Biden national security teams have come to an understanding that they have no choice but to work together as conflicts in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine have left a significant swath of the world on a knife’s edge. It’s fuzzy how much common ground Biden and Trump’s teams have found as they navigate crises that threaten to cause more global upheaval as Trump prepares to settle back into the White House. FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign at the end of Biden's term in January WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray says he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January. The announcement Wednesday comes a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the position. At a town hall meeting with bureau workers, Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought.” Wray had previously been named by Trump and began the 10-year term. a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Trump fired then-FBI Director, James Comey. Syrians flock to morgues looking for loved ones who perished in Assad's prisons DAMASCUS (AP) — Many bodies have been found in Syrian detention centers and prisons since President Bashar al-Assad's government fell. Now Syrians around the world are circulating images of the corpses in hopes that they will see slain loved ones whose fate had been a mystery. At the morgue visited by The Associated Press on Wednesday in Damascus, families flocked to a wall where some of the pictures were pinned in a haunting gallery of the dead. Relatives desperately scanned the images for a recognizable face. Some of the prisoners died just weeks ago. Others perished months earlier. US warns Russia may be ready to use new lethal missile against Ukraine again in 'coming days' WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says Russia could launch its lethal new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine again soon. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh cited a U.S. intelligence assessment in telling reporters on Wednesday that an attack could come “in the coming days.” She says the U.S. does not consider the Oreshnik missile a game changer on the battlefield. But that Russia is using the weapon to intimidate Ukraine as both sides wrestle for an advantage that will give them leverage in any negotiations to end the war. The Russian Defense Ministry also is warning it may retaliate against Kyiv for an attack on a military base in the Rostov region in southern Russia on Wednesday. Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 33 including children, Palestinian medics say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 33 people. One of the strikes hit a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north, killing 19. A separate strike outside nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital killed a woman and her two children, and another strike in central Gaza killed at least seven people. Israel's military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and accuses militants of hiding among them, putting their lives in danger. Local health officials say Israel’s retaliatory offensive after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 has killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Hannah Kobayashi, missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search, is found safe LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe. That’s according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Kobayashi vanished last month in Los Angeles. The missing Hawaii woman's disappearance prompted a massive search and a missing persons investigation. It was not immediately clear where she was found, but police previously said she had voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico. The LAPD said Wednesday the department will wrap up its investigation. Kobayashi's family reported her missing to law enforcement on Nov. 11 after relatives received “strange and cryptic, just alarming” text messages. Kobayashi’s mother and sister said they are “grateful” she has been found safe. Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, an AP-NORC poll finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he'd do no such thing. That's according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that only a small share of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the president's decision. About half “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove of it, and about one-quarter said they neither approve nor disapprove. Nevertheless, about 4 in 10 Americans said they approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president. That's roughly where his approval rating has stood in AP-NORC polling since 2022. Malibu wildfire grows, thousands remain evacuated but firefighters get break from improving weather MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Weather conditions are forecast to improve this week in Southern California and aid firefighters in their battle against a wildfire that’s forced up to 20,000 people from their homes. The blaze grew to more than 6 square miles by Wednesday morning. It was not immediately known how the fire started. It tore through part of Malibu, a community of about 10,000 people on the western edge of Los Angeles renowned for its stunning scenery of seaside bluffs and Zuma Beach featured in Hollywood films. Celebrities, including performers Cher and Dick Van Dyke, were among the evacuees.QIIB launches special offer for Visa credit cards

It’s critical to understand what to anticipate from a personal finance standpoint as the new year dawns as 2025 draws near. Additionally, even if Social Security policy has not changed significantly, there are still some significant developments that both workers and retirees should be aware of. Here are some ways that current and future Social Security payments, taxes deducted from your paycheck, and other factors may be affected by the various inflation-based and wage growth-based adjustments that are made each year. Social Security has announced that retirees’ paychecks will change in 2025 The most notable change to Social Security in 2025 is probably going to be the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA). The COLA that takes effect in 2025 won’t be nearly as large as those in recent years because inflation has undoubtedly slowed significantly. However, Social Security recipients will still get a 2.5% increase in their monthly paychecks to keep pace with inflation. Although Social Security is paid a month in arrears, this will initially appear in your January 2025 payment even though it takes effect with the December 2024 payment. For comparison, this means that if your monthly benefit is $1,900, which is about the average for a retired worker, you will receive an increase of about $48 per month in 2025. The maximum Social Security paycheck will increase In 2024, the highest monthly paycheck that a person who is retiring at full retirement age could receive is $3,822. Due to various inflation-related adjustments to the formula for calculating paychecks and the inflation-indexed wages from previous years, the maximum in 2025 will be $4,018 per month, or over $48,000 annually. Social Security benefits can increase for those who wait to claim them. A person who retires at age 70 in 2025 will get a maximum benefit of $5,108 per month, or over $61,300 annually, in inflation-protected retirement income. Americans will have a new taxable earnings limit This is a reform to Social Security that affects existing employees. The maximum amount of earned income that is liable to Social Security tax is set annually . It’s also based on pay growth rather than inflation, unlike the COLA and other adjustments. The maximum taxable earnings, known officially as the contribution and benefit base, will rise to $176,100 in 2025. Social Security tax, which is 6.2% for both employers and employees, will be applied to any income up to this threshold. The earnings test limits will increase for all Americans in the US If your earnings exceed a certain threshold, you may have some or all of your monthly benefits withheld if you are a beneficiary and have not yet reached full retirement age . The earnings test limitations for people who become fully retired after the year ends will rise from $1,860 per month in 2024 to $1,950 per month in 2025. The monthly cap will increase from $4,960 to $5,180 in 2025, with only months leading up to your birth month counted toward the cap. Every $3 in excess earnings over this threshold will result in $1 in benefits being withheld. Will there be further significant changes beyond 2025? As you can see, the 2025 adjustments to Social Security are all related to wage growth and inflation rather than any modifications to the rules or programs themselves. But there’s a good likelihood that some significant changes will occur beyond 2025. For starters, unless something is done, Social Security is predicted to run out of funds in 2034. Additionally, remember that the president-elect’s views on Social Security differ from those of his predecessor. Therefore, there’s a good chance that Social Security may undergo significant changes in the years to come.

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Three firefighters and a dozen passengers were injured in Florida on Saturday when a fire truck with its lights flashing drove around rail crossing arms and into the path of a high-speed passenger train after waiting for another train to pass, according to video of the incident and a person briefed on what happened. The crash happened at 10:45 a.m. in crowded downtown Delray Beach. In the aftermath the Brightline train was stopped on the tracks, its front destroyed, about a block away from the Delray Beach Fire Rescue truck. Its ladder was ripped off and in the grass several yards away, The Sun-Sentinel reported . The Delray Beach Fire Rescue said in a social media post that three Delray Beach firefighters were in stable condition at a hospital. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue took 12 people from the train to the hospital with minor injuries. The person familiar with the details of the crash, who was not authorized to disclose what happened because of the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fire truck stopped at the crossing and waited for a freight train to go by before maneuvering around the lowered crossing arms. Video of the collision shows the fire truck driving around cars stopped at the crossing with its lights flashing to cross the double tracks. Emmanuel Amaral rushed to the scene on his golf cart after hearing a loud crash and screeching train brakes from where he was having breakfast a couple of blocks away. He saw firefighters climbing out of the front window of their damaged truck and pulling injured colleagues away from the tracks. One of their helmets came to rest several hundred feet away from the crash. “The front of that train is completely smashed, and there was even some of the parts to the fire truck stuck in the front of the train, but it split the car right in half. It split the fire truck right in half, and the debris was everywhere,” Amaral said. A Brightline safety officer said the entire community is involved in ensuring railroad safety and drivers should never go around closed gates. The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said in the afternoon that it was still gathering information about the crash and had not decided yet whether to investigate. The NTSB is already investigating two crashes involving Brightline’s high-speed trains that killed three people early this year at the same crossing in Melbourne along the railroad’s route between Miami and Orlando. More than 100 people have died after being hit by trains since Brightline began operations in July 2017 — giving the railroad the worst death rate in the nation. But most of those deaths have been either suicides, pedestrians who tried to run across the tracks ahead of a train or drivers who went around crossing gates instead of waiting for a train to pass. Brightline has not been found to be at fault in those previous deaths. Railroad safety has been a concern since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023, spilling toxic chemicals that caught fire. Regulators urged the industry to improve safety and members of Congress proposed a package of reforms, but railroads have not made many major changes to their operations and the bill has stalled. Earlier this month the two operators of a Union Pacific train were killed after it collided with a semitrailer truck that was blocking a crossing in the small West Texas town of Pecos. Three other people were injured, and the local Chamber of Commerce building was damaged. ___ Associated Press writers Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, Chevel Johnson in New Orleans and Julie Walker in New York contributed. More articles from the BDN

MECHANICSBURG — Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Port Allegany, 41-22 in the PIAA Class 1A final at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field on Thursday. Tied 14-14 late in the third quarter, defense powered the Marauders the rest of the way while their offense cooked for 27 straight points to go the distance. • Sign up for PennLive’s daily high school sports newsletter CONDENSED GAME ~ Bishop Guilfoyle beat Port Allegany, 41-22 in the PIAA 1A final. -Taurean Consiglio 15-160 rush, 4TD -Hamilton Gates 7-101 rush, TD -Braden Reilly INT + TD -Chase Kissell fumble recovery -Aiden Bliss 47-249 rush, 3TD Marauders with their fifth state title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IZii4CFTxV More High School Sports Taurean Consiglio, defense power Bishop Guilfoyle to PIAA 1A title over Port Allegany Taurean Consiglio’s 4 TDs push Bishop Guilfoyle past Port Allegany for the 1A state title How to watch Lampeter-Strasburg vs. Bonner Prendergast in PIAA Class 4A Football Championship Meet the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders playing in Friday’s PIAA 5A Football ChampionshipDonald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell as he's named Time's Person of the Year

( MENAFN - GetNews) Lucinity, a leading provider of AI-driven FinCrime operating systems, has secured a new deal with a prominent global financial services company through its collaboration with Microsoft. Washington D.C., United States - December 16th, 2024 - Banks and other financial services businesses face a continued challenge in the shape of increasing costs surrounding the management of anti-financial crime and other regulatory obligations, over and above the increasingly significant fines being levied for noncompliance. A substantial portion of these costs are headcount-related, with businesses often needing to hire aggressively to deal with increased alert/case volume generated by more tightly controlled detection systems (transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, fraud detection, etc.). Organizations are looking for a way to improve AML effectiveness and efficiencies through quick time-to-market deployments that don't require rip and replace investments, achieving business value with minimal costs within months. Lucinity and Microsoft are deeply focussed on preventing financial crime , bringing our industry, technical, AI and GenAI expertise together to enable financial services clients to minimize time to value in adopting GenAI, safe in the knowledge that it's underpinned by Microsoft's world-leading information security. Lucinity, a leading provider of AI-driven FinCrime operating systems, has secured a new deal with a prominent global financial services company through its collaboration with Microsoft. The financial services provider, known for facilitating cross-border payments for millions of businesses worldwide, has used the Microsoft Azure Marketplace to purchase Lucinity's innovative anti-financial crime solutions. One of the many benefits of this approach is that they are able to use the associated cloud consumption against their existing Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) agreement. Through Microsoft's Azure Marketplace, customers can seamlessly integrate Lucinity's advanced AML & anti-fincrime tooling via the Azure Marketplace, allowing them to make use of their existing cloud commitments and simplify their billing processes and unlock greater cost-efficiencies. This partnership enables Lucinity to scale its offerings across Europe and North America, reaching more customers while delivering efficient and cost-effective compliance solutions. The partnership between Lucinity and Microsoft has been instrumental in helping financial institutions adopt AI-powered AML tools with ease, ensuring frictionless deployment and procurement. As one of Lucinity's clients, the global financial services provider is now benefiting from this streamlined process, enhancing its financial crime compliance operations while maintaining a consolidated approach to its cloud spending. A pivotal moment in the evolution of Lucinity's partnership with Microsoft was the introduction of Luci Copilot , a groundbreaking generative AI tool designed to automate and improve financial crime investigations. This innovation quickly caught the attention of Microsoft's senior leadership, leading to Lucinity's inclusion in the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) program. With strong backing from Microsoft Denmark's leadership, Lucinity achieved full certification and transaction capability on the Azure Marketplace within just three months-an unprecedented timeline that highlights the strength of the collaboration. Lucinity's flagship products, Luci Copilot and Case Manager , are now available on the Azure Marketplace, providing financial institutions with advanced tools that enhance the accuracy and efficiency of their AML compliance operations. Luci Copilot uses AI to automate complex investigations, enabling compliance teams to focus on decision-making, while Case Manager offers a holistic and efficient platform for investigating suspicious activities, boosting productivity by reducing case investigation times from hours to minutes. Øzcan Deveci, Senior Partner Development Manager at Microsoft Denmark, commented:“Lucinity's rapid integration into the Azure Marketplace demonstrates the power of combining innovative technology with the scalability of Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. Their AI-driven solutions are a key value add for our financial services clients who are looking for efficient and secure ways to enhance their compliance efforts.” Moreover, Microsoft's robust security features have enabled Lucinity to achieve crucial SOC2 and ISO certifications, assuring clients that our solutions adhere to the highest standards of data protection and regulatory compliance. This level of security is essential for organizations combating financial crime, providing them with confidence in the safety and reliability of Lucinity's AML solutions. Udi Nessimyan, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Lucinity, said:“Our partnership with Microsoft enables us to deliver modern compliance tools that simplify operations, reduce costs, and scale to meet regulatory demands. As we expand across Europe and North America, this collaboration also positions us to bring our financial crime prevention solutions to industries like insurance and government, where combating fraud is critical.” About Lucinity Lucinity is a SaaS company that blends artificial intelligence with human expertise to enhance financial crime prevention and compliance. Lucinity's products reduce manual workloads and improve decision-making for compliance professionals. With a strong commitment to security and scalability, Lucinity helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations while optimizing operational performance. Learn more about Lucinity at MENAFN16122024003238003268ID1109000046 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. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Eversource and Local Partner BXP Selected to Receive Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Annual Visionary Award for Greater Cambridge Energy ProgramALL THE GAMES: Check out our capsules for Baton Rouge area semifinalists

Beijing Adopts Softer Approach in Asia Amid Heightened US–China Tensions

Ukraine demanded Wednesday that Russia end what Kyiv called "the largest kidnapping campaign in modern history" and return Ukrainian children forcibly transferred from its territory during the ongoing war. "Ukraine is searching for nearly 20,000 children who were subjected to illegal deportation and forced transfer," said Daria Zarivna, an adviser to Ukraine's president and a senior official at his Bring Kids Back Ukraine initiative. "Yet the actual figure could be much higher, but we can't find it out — Russian officials systematically refuse to provide information," Zarivna added. Zarivna told a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, convened to discuss the situation, that so far 1,022 children have been repatriated, and she urged the international community to pressure Moscow to cooperate. "Russia must be forced to meet its obligations under international law," Zarivna said. "It must be compelled to allow access to occupied territories, stop deportations and forced citizenship and political indoctrination of children, provide information about transferred kids, [and] cooperate to bring them home." Russia denies it has forcibly transferred children. "There is no program in Russia on adopting children from the area of the special military operation," Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, using the Kremlin term for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "Those who are orphans or those who are without relatives were only transferred onto temporary preliminary guardianship or temporary wardship, with Russian citizens," he said. "Nor is there any basis for the allegation about the forced naturalization of Ukrainian children." He said a decree streamlining citizenship simply provides "an opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship for humanitarian reasons" and does not require an individual to give up their Ukrainian citizenship. But the International Criminal Court disagrees. In March 2023, the court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian commissioner for children's rights. The ICC pretrial chamber said it "considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children." "We call on member states to execute these warrants and ensure accountability," Ukraine's Zarivna said. In June 2023, the U.N. secretary-general added Russia to its blacklist of perpetrators of grave violations against children for Moscow's actions in Ukraine, including the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools. US to sanction abusers The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced that the Biden administration is pursuing visa restrictions for five Russian officials and authorities backed or installed by Russia, for their involvement in human rights abuses in Ukraine, including the forced deportation, transfer, and confinement of Ukrainian children. "Make no mistake: Russian officials and Russian forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity," she said, chastising Moscow for being "intransigent and unrepentant, frustrating international efforts" to identify, locate, and reunite missing children with their families. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab, presented his group's findings that at least 314 Ukrainian children have been placed in the Kremlin's "program of coerced adoption and fostering" since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He said 67 of the children have been formally naturalized as Russian citizens, while 208 have been placed with Russian families through adoption or some form of permanent or temporary guardianship. "The children the Humanitarian Research Laboratory could find were exclusively, we believe, from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, but information reviewed by HRL analysts indicates children from Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv oblasts as well — areas captured by Russia after February 2022 — are likely included in the program as well," Raymond said. He said that the full number of children from Ukraine that Russia has placed in its adoption and fostering program is not known and his team could not determine it from the data they analyzed. "Russia must provide Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and other relevant authorities a full list of the children it has taken, including those in the database systems that we have reviewed," Raymond said. "Until Russia gives up this information, which it is legally and morally required to do, it will be impossible to fully assess how many children exactly from Ukraine are waiting to go home."okbet okbet 。

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction” amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees’ pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump’s nominees, it became clear after Gaetz’s withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators’ careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump’s picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won’t face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he “shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It’s one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power — not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants — even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.”

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NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, ran the insurance arm of the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years. He previously led its Medicare and retirement businesses. As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. Thompson’s few moments of public attention stood in contrast to his role in reshaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting when he was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a masked assailant who fled on foot, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. He said Thompson walked out of the hotel alone. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. This story corrects the style of the company’s name to UnitedHealthcare."Tides x Nest" NEW TAIPEI CITY x TOKYO International Forum on Social Housing: Expanding Horizons in Social Housing Across BordersSecurity cameras captured video of a University of Mississippi student leaving his campus apartment twice on the morning he was last seen alive, University Police Department Capt. Jane Mahan testified Wednesday in the trial of the man accused of killing the student. Jimmy “Jay” Lee, 20, was a gay man well known in the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss and in Oxford, where the university is located. He vanished July 8, 2022. Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., 24, of Grenada, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in Lee's death, and his trial began Tuesday in Oxford. Herrington has maintained his innocence. Police said cellphone history showed conversations between Herrington and Lee on the morning Lee disappeared. Jurors on Wednesday were shown video clips of Lee leaving his own apartment shortly after 4 a.m., wearing a robe and slippers. The clips showed him returning about 40 minutes later and leaving again just before 6 a.m. When he left the last time, he was looking at his cellphone. A friend of Lee, Khalid Fears, testified Tuesday that he had a video chat with Lee while Lee left the apartment around 6 a.m. that day. Lee said he was going back to see a man he had seen hours earlier, Fears testified. Mahan testified Wednesday about the timeline of the video clips showing Lee at the campus apartment. She said campus police started searching for Lee after his mother, Stephanie Lee, called later that day to request a welfare check on her son after he didn't respond to multiple messages. Jay Lee's apartment had an electronic key card, and Mahan testified that police contacted the campus housing department to put an alert on his card, which would automatically send police an email if the card were used. An assistant district attorney, Gwen Agho, asked Mahan if Lee ever returned to his apartment after he was recorded leaving that morning. “Not that I've ever been notified of, no,” Mahan said. Lee and Herrington saw each other twice during the hours before Lee disappeared, Agho said during opening arguments Tuesday. She said the men had sexual contact during their first meeting, and Lee was upset when he left Herrington’s apartment. Herrington invited Lee back — and before Lee arrived, Herrington searched online for how long it takes to strangle someone, Agho said. Herrington “was not openly in the LGBTQ community,” she said. A witness, Kizziah Carter, testified Wednesday that he was driving home from work at about 7:30 that morning and saw Herrington jogging along a road in Oxford. Carter said he knew Herrington and honked to greet him, and Carter flagged him down to ask for a ride. The road was near an apartment complex where Lee's car was found later in the day. Carter said he drove Herrington to Herrington's apartment in another complex. Surveillance video also recorded Herrington running from where Lee’s car was found, and he was later seen picking up a shovel and wheelbarrow at his parents’ house, authorities said. Lee’s body has not been found. In October, a judge declared him dead at the request of Lee’s parents. Lee’s active presence on social media fell silent after July 8, 2022, and no transactions have appeared on his credit card since then, prosecutors said. Herrington was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished, then released five months later on a $250,000 bond. A grand jury indicted him in March 2023. Herrington’s attorney, Kevin Horan, told jurors Tuesday that prosecutors have “zero” proof that Lee was killed or that any crime happened. Both Herrington and Lee had graduated from the University of Mississippi. Lee was pursuing a master’s degree. He was known for his creative expression through fashion and makeup and often performed in drag shows in Oxford, according to a support group called Justice for Jay Lee. Prosecutors have announced they do not intend to pursue the death penalty, meaning Herrington could get a life sentence if convicted. Mississippi law defines capital murder as a killing committed along with another felony — in this case, kidnapping.

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Recently, the Commission on Audit (COA) En Banc affirmed that there was nothing irregular in Development Bank of the Philippines’ (DBP) sale of Philex Mining Corp (PMC) shares in 2009. Recall that the DBP Audit Team filed a notice of charge which alleged that DBP incurred a “loss of opportunity trading gain” of P412.50 million when it sold the PMC shares to DVRI in November 2009, given that 27 days later the PMC shares rose from its selling price of P12.75 per share to P21 per share. Before proceeding, this writer discloses that he was once a DBP Executive Vice President who joined DBP way after the questioned transaction. In my former position, however, I learned about the many careers that were derailed by the charge and the negative morale effect of the very public case on the people inside the bank. It is also a fact that a junior officer tragically passed away, allegedly due to depression from “show cause” letters regarding said incident. Without commenting on the case merits, it is established that the COA has decided that the difference in sale price is because of the volatility and speculative nature of stock market trading. The COA noted that despite the variance between the sale price in November 2009 and December 2009, DBP did not suffer an actual loss. Similarly, in 2014, the Sandiganbayan already threw out a related criminal case for alleged behest loans in connection with the sale of PMC shares. It took 15 years to finally put to rest any question of irregularity. While the COA's decision provides some resolution, the case has already caused significant damage to affected individuals. Another example is the accounting firm Arthur Andersen (AA) that was dissolved in 2002 following allegations related to the Enron scandal. In 2005, the US Supreme Court overturned AA’s conviction on the grounds of flawed jury instructions, suggesting that the legal process was not entirely fair. Although AA's role in the Enron scandal is undeniable, some argue that the consequences were overly severe and had broader negative impacts. The action of a few penalized thousands of innocent officers and employees—a question of proportionality. Some would argue that the Enron case was complex, and Anderson was scapegoated for broader systemic issues. The issue of regulators and auditors imposing unfounded penalties is a significant concern, particularly when such actions irreversibly damage careers, reputations, and businesses. Accountability is a fundamental principle of justice, and the question of whether regulators and auditors should be held accountable for errors or overreach is both ethical and practical. Regulators and auditors play a crucial role in ensuring compliance, integrity, and public trust across industries. They act as watchdogs to detect fraud, prevent malpractice, and protect stakeholders. Their authority allows them to investigate, impose penalties, and sometimes even revoke licenses or certifications. However, this power must be exercised judiciously and transparently because of its far-reaching consequences. When regulators or auditors make errors, the consequences for the subjects can be severe. Consider the following consequences: First, reputational damage. A publicized penalty or adverse finding can irreparably harm an individual’s or organization’s reputation, even if later reversed. Second, financial losses can be substantial. Fines, legal fees, and lost business opportunities can have long-term financial implications. Third, the emotional and career impacts can be devastating. Professionals may lose their careers, livelihoods, and professional standing due to accusations later proven unfounded. There is a compelling argument for holding regulators accountable when their actions are found to be erroneous or excessive. Individuals and organizations harmed by wrongful penalties should have avenues for compensation, akin to suing for damages in cases of negligence or malpractice. Regulators should be required to demonstrate due process, ensuring their findings are well-supported and fair before imposing penalties. Independent oversight bodies could review regulatory decisions to minimize errors and ensure fairness. Regulators should publicly acknowledge their errors, much like subjects are publicly penalized for wrongdoing. The critical issue is how to balance authority and accountability. Regulators need sufficient authority to act decisively, especially in urgent situations. Excessive fear of being held accountable could result in regulatory paralysis, where they avoid taking necessary actions. Many regulatory issues involve complex and evolving facts, which can lead to genuine error. Determining whether an error was due to negligence or unavoidable circumstances is often difficult. A fair and transparent process is essential to assess the circumstances of each case. Likewise, if regulators are overly penalized for their efforts, it may open the door for frivolous or retaliatory lawsuits, undermining their effectiveness. Regulators and auditors must be held to high standards of accountability, just as the subjects they oversee are. While they are essential for maintaining order and trust, their authority must be exercised with care and responsibility. Implementing mechanisms for oversight, redress, and transparency can help achieve a balance. The aim is to ensure justice for all parties concerned. (Benel Dela Paz Lagua was previously EVP and Chief Development Officer at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and an advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. Today, he 1 is an independent director in progressive banks and in some NGOs. The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.)Chelsea transfer news: Blues identify £14.8m striker as Victor Osimhen, Alexander Isak alternative?

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Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday in what New York police called a "brazen, targeted attack," was a longtime leader in Corporate America, a model student and star high school athlete – and he had been caught up in a high-profile insider trading lawsuit this year. Thompson, 50, lived in Minnesota and was visiting New York for UnitedHealthcare's annual investors conference before he was killed. Thompson was appointed chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in 2021, and had been at the company since 2004. Prior to being named chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked as CEO of the company's government programs business, which includes its Medicare and retirement businesses. UnitedHealthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, America's largest insurance company. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare in 2004, Thompson worked as a manager and practiced as a CPA at PwC for nearly seven years. Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in accounting. He graduated as valedictorian, according to his LinkedIn. He was a Collegiate Scholar, Carver Scholar, State of Iowa Scholar and Faculty Scholar. Thompson graduated from South Hamilton High School in Jewell, Iowa, in 1993. Thompson was the valedictorian of his class, Heather Holm, the superintendent for South Hamilton Community School District, told CNN. "During his time at South Hamilton, Brian was a star student, athlete, homecoming king, and a respected leader. His achievements and character left a meaningful legacy within our schools and community," Holm said in a statement. "We join all who are mourning in remembering Brian's life and legacy." Thompson is remembered as a beloved leader and friend, according to UnitedHealth Group. "Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," the company said in a statement. Allegations of fraud Thompson in May was sued for alleged fraud and illegal insider trading. The Hollywood Firefighters' Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, CEO Andrew Witty, Executive Chairman Stephen Hemsley and Thompson, alleging the executives schemed to inflate the company's stock by failing to disclose a U.S. Justice Department antitrust investigation into the company. UnitedHealth Group in 2021 announced it would buy Change Healthcare. The Justice Department sued to break up the deal but a judge ultimately allowed it go through. But the Wall Street Journal in February 2024 reported the Department of Justice re-opened its case, even after the merger went through, to investigate whether the companies properly set up a so-called firewall to prevent customer information from flowing between divisions of the merged company. The lawsuit claimed Thompson knew about the investigation as early as October 2023 and sold 31% of his company shares, making a $15 million profit, 11 days before the Journal publicized the probe. The Journal report sent UnitedHealth's stock sinking 5%. The revelation of the alleged insider trading led Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to write a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, calling on Chairman Gary Gensler to investigate UnitedHealth for the executives' stock sales. The senators noted Thompson faced up to $5 million in penalties and 20 years of prison time if convicted. "The reports regarding these trades reveal a disturbing fact pattern," the senators wrote. "The timing of these trades... raises numerous questions." The lawsuit, which remains active, was seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages from UnitedHealth and the executives named in the suit, including Thompson. The Southern District of New York declined to comment. UnitedHealthcare did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. CNN's Kara Scannell contributed to this report.Canada introduced seven major changes to its international student route in 2024 which aligns with the government’s aim of scaling back the number of temporary residents. The major changes include updates, closures, caps and new rules. For example, there were updates on the eligibility criteria for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs), cost of living requirement, and regulations for open work permits for spouses of students. In addition, there were caps on study permit applications, as well as stricter rules for study permits and off-campus work hours for international students. Additionally, the student direct stream and the Nigeria student express route were closed in 2024. Marc Miller, Canada’s Immigration Minister had this to say about the adjustments to its temporary resident pathway: “To be clear, all newcomers are valued in Canada. They contribute to Canada’s economic, social and cultural fabric. Our economic future depends on those we bring to Canada”. “But we also need to recognize that this can impact communities, such as the increases in unemployment amongst youth and newcomers... for the first time in Canadian history, we will include targets for temporary residents in addition to permanent residents in our annual immigration levels planning”. “First, we will reduce the target on study permits issued by 10 percent in 2025 and 2026 compared to 2024. This means we aim to issue up to 437,000 study permits in both 2025 and 2026, which would represent about a 36 percent decrease from 2023”. Here are some of these changes in detail: Curriculum licensing agreements: Starting in September, international students in programs under a curriculum licensing agreement were no longer eligible for PGWPs. The deadline for this change was later moved up to May 15. Three-year PGWPs for master’s degree students: Graduates of Master’s degree programs became eligible for three-year work permits from February 15. This benefits students with shorter programs, giving them more time for work experience and potential permanent residency. Language requirements for PGWP applicants: From November 1, PGWP applicants had to meet specific Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) scores—7 for university graduates and 5 for college graduates. Field of study requirements for PGWP eligibility: From September 18, only students graduating from fields linked to long-term occupational shortages were eligible for PGWPs. This does not apply to Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral graduates from universities. The fields of study linked to fields with long-term shortages are Agriculture and Agri-food, Healthcare, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Trade and Transport. International students who applied for study permits before November 1, 2024, are exempt from the field of study requirements for PGWP eligibility. However, if they apply for a new study permit after this date, such as when changing schools or programs, the field of study requirement will then apply. Updated cost of living requirement As of January 1, 2024, IRCC increased the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants. The new requirement for a single applicant doubled from $10,000 to $20,635. Applicants must have these funds in addition to covering their first-year tuition and travel costs. This new requirement applies to all study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024. Closure of the Student Direct Stream and Nigeria Student Express On November 8, IRCC announced the immediate closure of the Student Direct Stream (SDS). Launched in 2018, SDS aimed to expedite study permit applications for students from 14 countries, including India, China, Pakistan, and the Philippines, with a standard processing time of 20 calendar days. However, typical processing times vary by country, often taking much longer. For example, the current processing time for a study permit from Pakistan is 10 weeks. Simultaneously, IRCC also terminated the Nigeria Student Express (NSE) program, which provided a similar expedited service for Nigerian applicants. Cap on study permit applications On January 22, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a new intake cap for international student study permit applications. This cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved new study permits for 2024, representing a 35 per cent decrease from the previous year. In April, Marc Miller, Canada’s Immigration Minister, clarified that the target for approved study permits in 2024 is 485,000. The figure of 360,000 accounts for the anticipated 97,000 extension applications and includes a buffer for other variations. On September 18, IRCC announced a further reduction in the number of study permits for 2025, based on a 10 per cent decrease from the 2024 target of 485,000. Therefore, 437,000 study permits will be issued in 2025. The Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-27, released in October, outlined targets for temporary residents, including international students, arriving in 2025, 2026, and 2027. The target for new international student arrivals in 2025 is set at 305,900. This applies only to new arrivals and does not include study permit renewals or extensions for students already in Canada. Stricter rules for study permits To manage the new intake cap for international student study permits, IRCC introduced Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) on January 22, 2024. These letters, issued by provinces and territories, verify that an international student has a credible admission and falls within the new cap limits. As of January 22, 2024, all study permit applications require an attestation letter. However, in March, IRCC announced exemptions for specific student categories. PALs are necessary for most post-secondary applicants, non-degree granting graduate programs, and any international student not on the exemption list. Exemptions include primary and secondary school students, Master’s or doctoral students, in-Canada visiting or exchange students at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), existing study and work permit holders, and family members of permit holders. Additionally, students already approved for a study permit or whose applications were received before January 22, 2024, at 8:30 am EST are exempt. On September 18, IRCC also mandated that Master’s and PhD students must obtain PALs. New requirements for international students changing schools On April 29, the temporary pandemic measures allowing international students to work over 20 hours per week ended. The pre-pandemic limit of 20 hours per week off-campus during academic terms was reinstated but increased to 24 hours per week from November 15. As of November 15, international students wishing to change schools needed to apply for a new study permit. Previously, students could change schools on the same permit by updating their status online. As of December 13, international students transferring schools for winter or spring 2025 could start studying before receiving a new study permit, provided they applied for it. It was re-iterated that college and university vocational students change programs and apply for a new study permit after November 1 must meet field of study requirements. Updated regulations for open work permits for spouses On January 22, IRCC introduced new restrictions on spousal open work permits for international students. These permits are now limited to spouses of students enrolled in Master’s and Doctoral programs. Previously, spouses of students in college and undergraduate programs were eligible. As of March 19, a new policy was implemented, with IRCC also announcing exceptions for specific undergraduate programs. Spouses or partners of students in professional degree programs in the medical, and engineering fields and education degrees at a university remain eligible for spousal open work permits. These fields and programs are: – Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD) – Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL) – Doctor of Medicine (MD) – Doctor of Optometry (OD) – Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm) – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc) – Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) – Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc) In September, Further restrictions were announced, limiting open work permit eligibility to spouses of Master’s degree students enrolled in programs lasting at least 16 months. This policy has not yet come into effect.

No. 3 Longhorns, No. 15 Aggies one win from pivotal College Football showdown on Nov. 30 on ABC13WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - In its latest jab at Beijing, the U.S. will empower companies like Google and Microsoft to act as gatekeepers worldwide for highly sought-after access to AI chips, two people familiar with the draft plan said. Under the regime, to be released as soon as this month, these companies would have to comply with strict requirements, from reporting key information to the U.S. government to blocking Chinese access to AI chips. That would permit them to offer AI capabilities within the cloud overseas without a license, the sources said. The new rules, some of whose details are being reported for the first time, show officials are scrambling in the waning days of the Biden administration to streamline the process for approving AI chip exports while also preventing bad actors from accessing them. The U.S. fears China could harness the power of AI to supercharge its military, unleash powerful cyber attacks or even train a bioweapon. The Commerce Department declined to comment on the content and timing of the new regulations. Sources cautioned the administration's plans may change. Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) , opens new tab Google and Microsoft (MSFT.O) , opens new tab did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measure takes a page from a national security agreement Microsoft inked with the U.S. government in April allowing it to provide AI technology to Emirati firm G42, the people said, whose historic ties to China fueled worry in Washington. Under the new draft rules, other companies beyond those with gatekeeper status will compete for licenses to import a smaller number of high-end Nvidia (NVDA.O) , opens new tab and AMD (AMD.O) , opens new tab artificial intelligence chips in each country, one of the sources said. Nvidia, which makes the world’s most powerful AI chips, said it is ready to work with the administration on the rules. AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Exempted from the regime's caps would be 19 allied countries like the Netherlands and Japan plus Taiwan, which would have unlimited access to the AI chips or the capability they provide, two of the sources said. Also outside the framework would be a list of nuclear embargoed countries, including Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela, which are already blocked from acquiring U.S. AI semiconductors and would remain so. The U.S. government is conducting a final review of an "Artificial Intelligence Diffusion" rule drafted by the Commerce Department, according to a government posting this week, indicating it may be closing in on publication. Three sources said the posting referred to the AI caps. The Information Technology Industry Council, an advocacy association whose members include AMD and Google, is concerned the Biden administration is rushing the complex rule out without industry input that could head off adverse consequences. “If reports are accurate, such changes would dramatically expand the scope of export controls and have significant global implications," Naomi Wilson, the council’s senior vice president of Asia and global trade policy, said in a statement. The rules build on a program unveiled in September that gives permission to pre-approved data centers overseas to receive AI chips without a license, two sources said. To achieve that status, data centers must provide information about customers, business activities, access restrictions and cybersecurity. Sign up here. Reporting by Alexandra Alper and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Chris Sanders and Chizu Nomiyama Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

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GREEN BAY, Wisc. (AP) — Je'Shawn Stevenson scored 20 points as Cleveland State beat Green Bay 83-61 on Saturday. Stevenson added three steals for the Vikings (5-6, 1-1 Horizon League). Tevin Smith scored 16 points while shooting 5 of 10 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line. Chase Robinson shot 4 for 8, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points. The Phoenix (2-8, 0-2) were led in scoring by Foster Wonders, who finished with 10 points. Mac Wrecke added 10 points for Green Bay. Jeremiah Johnson also put up nine points. Cleveland State next plays Saturday against Brescia at home, and Green Bay will host Milwaukee on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — If last month's election wasn't painful enough for Florida Democrats, they're losing another state House seat after one of their members announced Monday that she's switching parties. State Rep. Susan Valdés, a former school board member who was reelected as a Democrat last month, said on X that she is “tired of being the party of protesting.” Valdés ran to be chairperson for her local county’s Democratic executive committee earlier this month. She won her current term by nearly 5 percentage points but can't run for reelection again because of term limits. Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and both branches of the Legislature since 1999. Valdés is serving her final two years before leaving office due to term limits. Republicans now have an 86-34 majority in the House. “I got into politics to be part of the party of progress,” Valdés wrote. “I know that I won’t agree with my fellow Republican House members on every issue, but I know that in their caucus, I will be welcomed and treated with respect.” House Speaker Daniel Perez reposted Valdés’ statement and welcomed her into the House, where Republicans have a supermajority of 86-34. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said she was surprised and disappointed by Valdés’ announcement. “It is sad that she has elevated her own aspirations above the needs of her district,” Driskell wrote in a statement on X.Warren Buffett Has Sold $133 Billion Worth of Stock in 2024 So Far, but This Small $550 Million Purchase Is Sending a Big Message to Investors - The Motley Fool

The Ravens looked better defensively last week, but now Roquan Smith's injury is a concern

Labour leader holds exploratory coalition talks with Fianna Fail and Fine GaelA week after a demoralizing loss to the Tennessee Titans, the AFC South-leading Houston Texans might have a perfect opportunity to reboot when they face the host Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Then again, maybe not. It depends, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said, if the Texans (7-5) are "locked in" and able to make a December push. "I just look at it as being intensely focused on your job and being where you're supposed to be, executing the minor details of your job," Ryans said. "It all comes down to minor, minute details that you get exploited if you don't do them the correct way and teams find those and they make you pay. "And a lot of the things, as I talked to our guys about, are things that we can control." Jacksonville (2-9), sitting at the bottom of the AFC South, is coming off a humiliating 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. It marked the fourth straight setback for the Jaguars, who had dropped their previous three games by a combined 13 points. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson noted that changes are coming, although he opted not to show his cards. "I'm not going to get into the whole details of things, but there are things in the run game that we have to get back to," Pederson said. "Even in the passing game, tweaking some things there. There are things that can, hopefully, help our production over the last six weeks." One of those things could be the return of starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has not played since Nov. 3 due to a left shoulder injury. Lawrence was a limited participant during practice on Wednesday, with Pederson telling reporters Monday that the signal-caller's status for Sunday would be determined as the week progresses. Pederson has also had his eye on Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has run into some struggles during his sophomore season. Stroud has thrown nine interceptions in 12 games (all starts) after throwing only five as a rookie. He was picked off twice in the 32-27 setback against Tennessee, also throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 20-for-33 passing. Pederson still believes the 23-year-old can hurt the Jaguars, though. "Playing the quarterback position is hard," Pederson said. "I don't know everything that goes on down there. I'm sure there's been injury, guys have missed (time). He's missed his playmakers from time to time. And then there's the film. There's the film out there." The Texans have lost three of their past four games and four of their past six as defenses continue to solve Stroud. Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) and Denico Autry (knee) were among those who didn't practice for Houston on Wednesday, and safety Jalen Pitre is expected to miss several weeks because of a shoulder injury. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah (hamstring) was the only Jaguar to miss practice on Wednesday. Cornerback Tyson Campbell (shoulder) joined Lawrence as limited. Sunday marks the second meeting of the season between the teams. The Texans topped Jacksonville 24-20 back on Sept. 29. --Field Level Media

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Aidan Bouman threw a go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Quaron Adams followed with a 70-yard touchdown on a reverse as No. 4 seed South Dakota pulled away late to beat 13th-seeded Tarleton State 42-31 on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs. South Dakota will host the winner of Saturday's matchup between No. 5 seed UC Davis and 12th-seeded Illinois State in the third round. The Coyotes (10-2) trailed by seven points four times until Bouman connected with Keyondray Jones-Logan for a 12-yard touchdown and a 35-31 lead with 9:36 left to play. Tim White intercepted a Victor Gabalis pass, giving South Dakota the ball at its own 15-yard line. Adams, a sophomore receiver, raced to the end zone three plays later for his first career rushing touchdown and the Texans (10-4) never recovered in their first trip to the postseason. Gabalis threw three first-half touchdown passes, giving Tarleton State leads of 7-0, 14-7 and 21-14 at halftime. Travis Theis had two short touchdown runs in the first half to pull the Coyotes even and his 2-yard scoring run 51 seconds into the fourth quarter tied it at 28. Tarleton State took its last lead on a 23-yard field goal by Corbin Poston with 11:23 left to play. Bouman completed 18 of 22 passes for 213 yards and also had a 5-yard scoring toss to Jones-Logan off a deflected pass that stood up to a video review and tied the game at 21. Theis carried 25 times for 130 yards. Gabalis totaled 379 yards on 23-for-31 passing with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Darius Cooper caught nine passes for 161 yards and three scores. Cody Jackson had the other touchdown reception. 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-footballCanadiens Fact Check: St-Louis Discusses Slafkovsky Line ChangeThe NFL wished Taylor Swift a Happy Birthday with a TikTok of her and Travis Kelce’s most memorable moments—on and off the field. Kelce’s employer posted the video of the singer and his relationship, which already has racked up over 1 million views. The caption read, “Karma is the guy on the @Chiefs saying happy bday to me.” The clips showed Kelce and Swift celebrating his wins at games, the pair at her concerts, and her glitzed out in Chiefs gear. “If you told me 2 years ago I would be following the NFL on tiktok and not falling asleep everytime a game is on TV... never would’ve believed it,” wrote one commenter. “Happy birthday Taylor. Thank you for uniting the Swifties and the Football Fans together in the name of art and sport,” another wrote. Swift has been seen at many Chiefs games since the beginning of her relationship with the tight end, with him visiting her at some of her tour dates. karma is the guy on the @Chiefs saying happy bday to me 🎶 #taylorswift #traviskelce #nfl #kansascitychiefs Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson , known best to some for his past relationships with Kim Kardashian , Ariana Grande , Kate Beckinsale , and more famous women, now says he doesn’t want to be known as “this f---ing loser who just dates people,” in a new interview for W Magazine . to promote his new role as creative director for colorful sock brand Doublesoul, Davidson told the outlet his feeling that he was one of “a handful of celebs every couple of years” that the media “destroys,” after multiple run-ins with tabloids over his famous exes. “For some reason, I’m one of the people they chose to go after,” he said. But, he added, “It’s actually, in a way, a blessing, because it allowed me to take a step back and evaluate things. What do you want to be? Who are you?” Davidson said he only wants to be seen publicly “when it’s movie, stand-up, charity, or business ventures” and to focus on his stand-up career. “I’m someone who is from Staten Island, wanted to do stand-up, and if I got to do anything else because of stand-up, it was a miracle.” Posters are a great way to celebrate your favorite fandom. But if you’re looking for that real “WOW!” factor, nothing beats Fathead . For 17 years, Fathead has been an industry leader in officially licensed graphic wall art across sports and entertainment. You can even create personalized products, making big-head cutouts and life-size wall decals from your own photos. Installing the decals is a breeze. Unroll the decal and lie it flat. Wipe down your wall with a damp cloth. After the wall is dry, peel off the decal backing and apply it slowly, smoothing out any bubbles as you go. Need to adjust? No problem— Fathead decals can be peeled off and reapplied easily. No matter your favorite football team, Fathead has a wall decal for them . Free Shipping The basketball season has just tipped off. Celebrate your favorite player with a life-size wall decal. Free Shipping From everyone’s favorite web-slinging New Yorker to the fourth-wall breaking merc with a mouth, Fathead’s superhero decals burst with vibrant colors. You’ll marvel at how they bring your walls to life. Free Shipping If you buy something from this post, we may earn a small commission. The iconic sitcom Malcolm in the Middle will hit screens for the first time in 18 years, with a limited run of four episodes set to premiere on Disney+ . Frankie Muniz, who will reprise his role as Malcolm, announced the reboot Friday, along with Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, who play his parents. The original creator of the show will also return as a writer. The new series follows Malcolm returning home with his daughter for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, according to Deadline . Christopher Kennedy Masterson, who played the eldest brother Francis, and Justin Berfield, who played the middle child Reese, are likely to be asked to reprise their roles. Though it’s unlikely that Erik Per Sullivan, who plays the youngest brother Dewey, will make an appearance. He quit acting in 2010 and has not appeared at any reunions. Malcolm in the Middle first premiered on Fox in 2000 and ran for seven seasons. Its success as a family comedy is credited with paving the way for other single-camera sitcoms. Legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers is finally opening up about his strained relationship with his family. In his new documentary, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma , Rodgers explained that he has “stunted emotional intelligence” because of the lack of open emotion in his home growing up. “I think I saw my dad cry when my grandfather passed. And that might have been it,” Rodgers shared. “There wasn’t space for emotion.” Rodgers’ brother, Jordan, first opened up about the family’s rift during his time on The Bachelorette in 2016. During a hometown date with his now-wife JoJo Fletcher, the family explained that while they “miss” Rodgers, they no longer have a relationship with him. In a 2017 profile with The New York Times , Rodgers’ father, Ed, confirmed that he hadn’t spoken to his son in three years. “Fame can change things,” he said. At the time, Rodgers said he didn’t want to talk about his family publicly. In the doc, Rodgers spoke about his family while participating in an ayahuasca ceremony. The quarterback said the psychedelic drug allows users to “model a new way of thinking about masculinity, or what it means to be a man.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Consuming cannabis as an adult feels very different than doing so as a fresh-faced 21-year-old—so why should your smoking habits make your space feel like a disheveled college dorm room? NWTN Home’s collection of chic smoking essentials offers a more elevated way to enjoy cannabis in the comfort of your home. NWTN Home is a smokeware brand bringing craftsmanship to the cannabis industry by designing what they call “homeware for the high-minded.” Its weed-associated products are built to double as elegant and functional houseware items , helping you upgrade your home into a full smoking sanctuary. Plus, they make the perfect holiday gifts for your favorite creative cannabis connoisseur! This hand-poured, marbled ashtray rests atop a sleek melamine rolling tray and includes a helpful brass tool that can assist in your rolling process, making it the perfect blend of form and function. This standout stackable flower pot ashtray set is a surefire solution to keep your space clean—and your houseguests impressed. No cannabis collection is complete without something to smoke out of! These avant-garde gravity bongs are inspired by vintage housewares and designed to seamlessly blend into your barware and greenware set-ups. Released bodycam footage shows Paris Hilton’s ex-fiancé, Chris Zylka, in a chaotic brawl with police after a failed carjacking. Police in a Cleveland suburb first responded to reports of a shirtless, barefoot man walking in traffic in freezing temperatures on Dec. 4, local outlet WKBN first reported. Zylka was found in the middle of an intersection, where he allegedly tried to break into a woman’s car. He pointed a cell phone at the cops and began foaming at the mouth, leading officers to believe he was under the influence of drugs, according to the police report. Footage shows Zylka struggling with police officers and resisting arrest even after being tasered in the leg twice. He was then put in an ambulance by paramedics. The actor is now facing felony charges of assault and attempt to commit an offense, as well as misdemeanor disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and aggravated menacing. Hilton and Zylka started dating in 2017 after being friends for years. He proposed in early 2018 during a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, but they called off their engagement in November that same year. Vanderpump Rules alum James Kennedy is refusing to apologize for his domestic violence arrest . “We are in the process of conducting our own investigation into the allegations levied by the Burbank Police Department against James,” Kennedy’s attorneys said in a statement to the Daily Mail . “We understand that there were no injuries and we are hoping that, after careful review, the city’s attorneys will decide not to file formal charges.” Police were called to Kennedy’s home on Tuesday because of an argument between Kennedy and a woman. That night, Kennedy attended Kathy Hilton’s Christmas party with girlfriend Ally Lewber, though it’s unknown if she is the victim. Police told People that after an investigation, they arrested the reality star for misdemeanor domestic violence. He later posted $20,000 bail. A source at the Christmas party told People that Kennedy was acting “super aggressive.” “He was acting so erratic, running back and forth to the bar and body-checking people along the way,” the source alleged. “He appeared inebriated. Spent the evening mostly alone but when he did speak to people, he appeared irritated and rude.” A doctor has rubbished Brandi Glanville’s scary medical theory about her “deflated” face , saying he’s concerned about an infection that started via an injection. The 52-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum claims doctor s told her that it may have been caused by “a parasite that jumps around my face.” But Dr. Terry Dubrow, from Botched , has said he’s “concerned about an infectious process”. He told TMZ : “It’s an infectious process or a foreign body reaction to something she’s had injected.” A foreign body reaction is the response of biological tissue to any foreign material in the tissue, despite it often being inert and nontoxic, according to ScienceDirect.com Dubrow added: “Brandi needs a diagnosis... she has to figure out if there’s a microorganism in there. It’s not gonna be a parasite, it’s not gonna be something she ate... it’s going to be something that got into her bloodstream though, and seeded some foreign body.” Dubrow thinks Glanville either has a micro bacterium, a type of bacteria, or a fungus, a type of organism. Sick it! pic.twitter.com/hrtAzRwOCW A Buckingham Palace maid was arrested this week after she allegedly went “crazy” following a staff Christmas party which saw glasses and punches thrown in a London bar. A report in The Sun said as many as 50 royal servants gathered for an after-party following drinks at the palace Tuesday when the maid, 24, took a swing at a bar manager, threw glasses, and was ultimately arrested for common assault, criminal damage, and being drunk and disorderly. She was released after 24 hours with a fine. “The group walked in and this one girl just got hysterical,” a source told The Sun . “She started smashing glasses and abusing our staff members, so we had to call the police. I’ve never seen one person get that crazy during a night out. She was on another level.” A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident outside the workplace involving a number of Household staff who had previously attended an early evening reception at the Palace. While this was an informal social gathering, not an official palace Christmas party, the facts will be fully investigated, with a robust disciplinary process followed in relation to individual staff and appropriate action taken.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Apparently, boosting prostate health can actually be pleasurable—at least, that’s what premium sexual wellness brand MysteryVibe says. The Molto, an ultra-slim and bendable prostate vibrator designed by a doctor, is engineered to be the same size and width as a doctor’s finger and to mimic similar motions to that performed during an exam, allowing for not only intense prostate (the prostate is often hailed as the male ‘G-spot’) and anal stimulation but also a release of prostatic fluids. 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Because the Molto vibrator is an FDA-registered class II medical device, it’s also FSA/HSA eligible. Is Melania Trump finally back in action? The incoming first lady is joining Donald Trump on Sunday for a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to reports. Her husband, who was assassinated at a political rally in 2022, reportedly won over Trump during his first term with the proven combination of golf and flattery. Trump and Akie Abe have stayed close, with the president-elect regularly calling her to check in, a source told CNN. Melania Trump is scheduled to attend Sunday’s dinner, her latest public appearance after being largely absent on the campaign trail earlier this year. She also accompanied her husband to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday for Trump’s ringing of the opening bell. Melania has always been a somewhat reluctant first lady, and it’s still not clear how much time she plans to spend in Washington after Trump takes office in January. She did, however, tell Fox & Friends last week that at least she knows what to expect this time around. Trump is set to have a private dinner this Sunday with Akie Abie, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a person familiar says. The dinner will take place at Mar-a-Lago and Melania Trump is expected to attend. Trump and Mrs. Abe have maintained a close... The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006 has admitted she fabricated the entire story—18 years after her case captivated the nation before quickly falling apart. Crystal Mangum, the woman at the center of the scandal who is serving a prison sentence for the murder of her boyfriend years later, confessed to lying about the assaults in a new podcast interview. “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong, and I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me, and made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God,” Mangum told the podcast Let’s Talk with Kat . Mangum, who was working as an exotic dancer who performed at a lacrosse team party in March 2006, called the three lacrosse players she previously accused her “brothers,” and asked for their forgiveness. “I hurt my brothers, and I hope that they can forgive me, and I want them to know that I love them and they didn’t deserve it. I hope they can forgive me.” The charges against the three lacrosse players were dropped by then-North Carolina Attorney General (and current Governor) Roy Cooper in 2007. The Durham County prosecutor who charged the Duke students was eventually disbarred and convicted of contempt of court for giving the defense incomplete DNA test results that would have excluded the lacrosse players, local station WRAL reported at the time. More than 18 years after the Duke lacrosse allegations, Crystal Mangum admits that she made it all up. "I testified falsely against [the lacrosse players] by saying that they raped me when they didn't...I made up a story that wasn't true...I hope that they can forgive me." pic.twitter.com/3yMjbQTQXH

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide experience significant disability, representing 16% of the global population. Many persons with disabilities face higher mortality rates, are at increased risk of various health conditions, and encounter greater limitations in everyday functioning compared to others. These poorer health outcomes are termed 'health inequities' because they are largely avoidable and driven by unjust factors both within and beyond the health sector. These inequities stem from unjust and unfair conditions, including stigma and discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers within health systems. Factors contributing to this include societal discrimination, inequitable policies, social determinants of health, inadequate access to or quality of care, and negative attitudes from health workers, among others. These inequities serve as a stark reminder that persons with disabilities are too often left behind. Achieving good health and well-being for all, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3), necessitates the meaningful participation and empowerment of persons with disabilities. Disability inclusion must be central to health system planning, development, and decision-making. Effective health systems also underpin robust management of health emergencies. Failing to address health inequities for persons with disabilities denies them the universal right to the highest attainable standard of health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is committed to tackling these inequities through innovative and transformative approaches to health systems. SDG-3 cannot be achieved unless health equity for persons with disabilities is at the forefront of efforts. Regardless of context and available resources, governments and health sector partners must prioritise health equity for persons with disabilities. This includes empowering and involving persons with disabilities in health sector initiatives and monitoring the impact of these actions. Striving for health equity for persons with disabilities is a step towards achieving 'Health for All.' The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for, with, and by persons with disabilities is more attainable than ever if we work together. In 2019, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) to embed disability inclusion into every core function and activity of the UN system. December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). On this day, WHO collaborates with partners globally to advocate for action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for, with, and by persons with disabilities. The theme for this year is 'Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future.' This theme highlights the pivotal role of persons with disabilities in creating a more inclusive and sustainable world. It also underscores the importance of their participation in decision-making processes that impact their lives. This year's theme aligns with the current international political and policy landscape, particularly the Pact for the Future and the upcoming 2025 World Summit for Social Development. It aims to build momentum for achieving the 2030 Agenda. By amplifying the leadership role of persons with disabilities, these efforts—from global to local levels—can drive meaningful change. The writers are the assistant professors of Neonatology at the Institute of Child & Mother Health (ICMH), Matuail, Dhaka. Email: [email protected] , [email protected]FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Wesley Celichowski's 22 points helped Air Force defeat Stony Brook 69-61 on Saturday. Celichowski shot 6 of 10 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 8 for 8 from the line for the Falcons (3-7). Ethan Taylor scored 17 points while going 6 of 11 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and added eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Caleb Walker shot 6 of 6 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. The Seawolves (2-7) were led by CJ Luster II, who recorded 27 points. Stony Brook also got 13 points from Collin O'Connor. Andre Snoddy finished with 11 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Canada is already examining tariffs on certain US items following Trump’s tariff threat

Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fellPark Hyo-shin to release new song 'HERO' after 5 yearsTrump Vows To Build More Monuments And People Have Thoughts

AP News Summary at 3:42 p.m. ESTDublin North West General Election 2024 updates: Sinn Féin’s Dessie Ellis set to take first seat; Rory Hearne (SD) in second place but long wait yetokebet login agent 。

Xu Zhengyuan is known for his dedication to the sport of football and his constant pursuit of knowledge and improvement. Despite the ongoing holiday season, he seized the opportunity to visit the UK and immerse himself in the unique football culture of English football. Attending a Premier League match is not only a source of inspiration for Xu but also a valuable learning experience that can bring new insights and ideas to his coaching methods.Mr. Zhang Wei, Vice President of BYD Co., Ltd., reaffirmed the company's commitment to supporting vocational education in Henan province and nurturing talent for the future. He emphasized the importance of industry-academia collaboration in bridging the skills gap and driving economic development through innovation and workforce training.

As the transfer saga unfolds, fans and analysts are eagerly awaiting the outcome of Luke Mann's potential move to one of these top clubs. His development and future success will undoubtedly be closely monitored by football enthusiasts around the world.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday as Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag and were met by Buckeyes who confronted them. Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game. Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight, according to the statement. After the Ohio State players confronted their bitter rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines' flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved toward the Michigan bench. Eventually, police officers rushed into the ugly scene. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players. “There are some prideful guys on our team who weren't going to sit back and let that happen,” Day said. The two Ohio State players made available after the game brushed off questions about it. Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, didn't like how the Buckeyes players involved themselves in the Wolverines' postgame celebration. He called it “classless.” “For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game," he said in an on-field interview with Fox Sports. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know some people got to — they got to learn how to lose, man. ... We had 60 minutes, we had four quarters, to do all that fighting.” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better. “So much emotions on both sides," he said. "Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country, so we got to handle that better.” 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

Through the AIGC Director Collaborative Program, China is taking a bold step towards shaping the future of film and television creation, embracing the intersection of art and technology to drive innovation and creativity. By empowering emerging filmmakers with the tools and resources they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world, this program is poised to inspire a new generation of visionary directors who will redefine the boundaries of storytelling and visual expression.

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The turning point came in a crucial match against a formidable opponent, where Real Madrid put on a masterclass performance that left fans and pundits in awe. The team's star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, delivered a stunning hat-trick that sealed their victory and catapulted them back into contention for a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The resilience and fighting spirit displayed by the team were a testament to their strength and character.Shoats shot 6 of 15 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 6 from the free-throw line for the Saints (5-5, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Brendan Coyle scored 17 points and added nine rebounds. Major Freeman had 14 points and shot 5 for 9 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Paul McMillan IV led the Golden Griffins (0-10, 0-2) in scoring, finishing with 22 points and four assists. Jasman Sangha added 11 points and two steals for Canisius. Tana Kopa finished with six points. The Golden Griffins have lost 11 consecutive games, dating to a 72-56 defeat at the hands of Quinnipiac in the 2024 MAAC Tournament. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Coastal Carolina 48, Georgia St. 27

okebet slot app NoneBMW Vision Neue Klasse concept car is on display in Beijing. (Photo by Yi Haifei/China News ... [+] Service/VCG via Getty Images) The slowdown in European electric vehicle sales will soon be seen as a temporary blip as they accelerate again towards market leadership by 2030 and on to complete dominance by 2030. That’s the view of professional services company Accenture , in a report on how European automakers can survive the EV revolution. To stay ahead of Chinese and U.S. competition, Europeans must capitalize on their long-standing brand power, the report said. In a market where Chinese EV imports are said to have at least a 30% price advantage, heritage power may not be enough. And overall EV sales targets for 2030 based on EU rules cutting CO2 emissions now look impossible to achieve. Meanwhile, a rash of new EVs from next year will help establish the crucial mass-market. ‘There is a temporary slowdown in EV sales in Europe but over time this adoption curve will pick up and accelerate once again,” Juergen Reers, Global Automotive and Mobility Lead for Accenture said in an interview. And EVs will have to demonstrate some of their renowned on-the-road-acceleration if sales are to reach levels demanded by the European Union’s CO2-based rules requiring new car sales by 2035 are all EVs. The EU rules imply around an 80% level of EV sales by 2030. (The U.K. brought forward 100% to 2030). Most sales forecasts do predict a big pickup from the current drought, but unless things change drastically the 2030 target is in jeopardy. This Viral Smart Bassinet Is 30% Off With The Snoo Black Friday Sale The 50 Best Black Friday Deals So Far, According To Our Deals Editors Renault's general director Luca De Meo (L) and Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive at the launch of ... [+] the Renault R5 E-Tech electric car. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images) Schmidt Automotive Research reckons in 2024 West European EV sales will hit 1.9 million for a market share of 16.6%. In 2025 there will be a big jump to 2.7 million (22.2%) as EU CO2 rules tighten. Sales will advance by about 5 million between then and 2030 to 57% of the market, according to Schmidt. In April, investment bank UBS said Europeans will buy almost nine million fewer electric vehicles between 2024 and 2030 than expected, as high prices, insufficient range, and clunky recharging put off prospective buyers. UBS cut its forecast for European EV sales to 8.3 million in 2030 compared with its previous estimate of 9.6 million. In June, investment researcher Jefferies cut its Europe forecast to 6.8 million in 2030 from the 8.9 million published late last year. Last month it left that forecast intact but trimmed 400,000 EVs off its 3.2 million estimate for 2025 for a market share of 21%, not 24%. Its latest forecast, published Friday, slashed more than two million sales from its 2030 forecast. The 2030 forecast now stands at 4.7 million for a market share of 35%, down from the previous 50%. This is bound to renew the corporate clamour to radically change the EU’s CO2 regime. The sales forecasts suggest the 2030 targets are impossible. Recent slow sales have been down mainly to high prices. Is there a place in the market for a game-charging cut price €10,000 ($10,400) practical EV with 100-mile range, 60 mph speed, 2+2 children to turbocharge sales? “The number of EV models being launched priced at between €20,000 ($20,800) and €30,000 ($31,250) will uplift sales starting in 2025. I doubt if there will be any €10,000 models in the foreseeable future. Below €20,000 yes, but €10,000 remains a stretch in Europe,’ Reers said in the interview. The BYD Seagull and Wuling Bingo sell in huge numbers in China for around €10,000. But the high cost of making them meet EU safety standards makes it unlikely they would appear in Europe, according to Reers. Dacia Spring EV prices satart at around €15,000 (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images) German manufacturers have said the EU CO2 rules will be very difficult to meet and have suggested some mitigation. Reers said he could see the case for some adjustments, but the overall shape should remain intact. “For an industry with long-term investment cycles, having clarity on long-term goals is very important, but some adjustments on the CO2 reduction path towards the 2035 goal in line with the slower EV adoption make sense,” Reers said. As it becomes clearer that the EU CO2 targets will be increasingly difficult to make, the clamor from critics for them to be lifted is increasing. This view says politicians aren’t qualified to decide technology winners and the market should decide between hybrids, plug-in hybrids, more efficient internal combustion engines with so-called e-fuel, hydrogen fuel cells and of course pure electric. “I have some sympathy for that but from my point of view the future will be electric because that is the most effective and efficient way of getting to net carbon zero mobility,” Reers said. BYD Seagull small electric car, (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) In the report, Accenture said traditional automakers in Europe face mounting pressure as EVs upend the status quo. The China threat has been dented by EU tariffs, but the effectiveness of the curb remains to be seen. To fight off the threat. Europe’s manufacturers must leverage their impressive brand power, among other things. “To stay ahead, European (manufacturers) must capitalize on their heritage brands, get their EV manufacturing basics right by refining supply chains, battery platforms and vehicle manufacturing, and adopt customer-centric, software-first approach to future mobility,” the report said. This brand strength needs to be used to fight for market share in global markets. “These heritage brands are known for their engineering, manufacturing excellence, design and long-term quality – features that resonate with customers and are difficult for newcomers to replicate. For instance, consider how BMW has recently overtaken Tesla in Europe, highlighting that traditional brands can outperform even the most disruptive newcomers,” according to the report. It remains to be seen how effective blandishments about history and quality will be during hard times and against a 30% Chinese price advantage.

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Pakistani police arrest thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of rally in the capital

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jarvis Walker’s 20 points helped IU Indianapolis defeat Trinity Christian 106-49 on Saturday. Walker shot 7 for 12, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc for the Jaguars (4-5). Paul Zilinskas shot 5 for 9, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc to add 15 points. DeSean Goode had 14 points and shot 4 of 5 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line. The Trolls were led in scoring by Tylan Harris, who finished with 11 points. Kaden Eirhart added nine points for Trinity Christian. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .By Jennifer Allen Between cooking, cleaning and hosting, the familiar hustle of the holiday season can sometimes feel more hectic than heartwarming. But what if there were a way to embrace the season while leaving the chaos behind? Holiday cruises make all of this possible, offering the perfect getaway that can be tailored to any vibe – blending festive traditions with the excitement of travel. Imagine sipping hot chocolate in the background of the Northern Lights, exploring sun-drenched islands or maybe enjoying a festive dinner on the sea. Whether looking for family-friendly fun, romance for two or peaceful solo travel, holiday cruises deliver a unique celebration unlike any other. Do you want to skip the stress of the season but don’t want to miss out on the holiday cheer? Rest assured, among the most well-known cruise lines, most of them host elaborate holiday festivities that transform their ships into winter wonderlands complete with decorations, entertainment and activities fit for Santa Claus himself. Instead of buying gifts, stressing over what to cook or bake and cleaning over the holidays, Michelle Price of Honest and Truly prefers a holiday cruise for her family. “The ship takes care of everything, from making the beds in the morning to prepping our meals throughout the day. And they have various fun activities to keep us busy,” she says. From towering Christmas trees in the atrium to twinkling lights on every railing, cruises at this time of year are very creative with their festive splendor. Cruises will also complement their aesthetics to match entertainment, including tree-lighting ceremonies, live caroling and holiday movie nights under the stars. Depending on the cruise, you can expect a robust calendar of events with activities like ugly sweater parties, holiday trivia, Santa appearances and even onboard Christmas markets. The holiday wouldn’t feel complete without the food to match, and cruise lines deliver. You can enjoy lavish holiday dinners complete with everything, from the traditional turkey to international Christmas dishes. Some cruises even offer themed buffets with everything, from a turkey carving station to hot and creamy chowders , holiday cocktails, gingerbread-making workshops and seasonal dessert tastings to add fun to the feasts. Cruises cater to various travelers and take the guesswork out of planning a holiday. Unlike a traditional vacation where you are responsible for your own itinerary, cruises do the hard work for you by planning destinations, offering a wide variety of on-board activities and providing varied experiences that appeal to all. A 2024 survey by Expedia Cruises concluded that 82% of travelers who have cruised before say they would do it again. Traveling with the whole family can often feel like an exercise in logistics that leaves you more stressed than you were before your holiday. Holiday cruises simplify this, offering multigenerational activities, family-friendly dining options and flexible accommodations. The Disney Cruise Line, which includes the Very Merrytime Cruises for the holiday season, is popular for offering exciting kid-centric activities like themed crafts, holiday scavenger hunts and character meet-and-greets. These endless options paired with the kids’ or teens’ clubs keep younger travelers entertained while giving their parents peace of mind. When traveling with older family members, consider reaching out to the cruise ahead of time to find out what accessible options they offer. Cruise lines can sometimes accommodate requests that might be better suited for older folks like avoiding stairs or long walks to reach their room. Couples can rediscover their magic on holiday cruises that offer intimate moments and tailored experiences. The Romantic Cruises by Princess Cruises stand out because of their private balcony dining and couples’ activities like wine tastings or cooking classes to make hors d’oeuvres . However, many holiday cruises offer specialty experiences like date-night-worthy restaurants, sunset strolls on the deck and shared excursions that are sure to create lasting memories. For couples looking to rest and relax, holiday cruises can provide serene spaces, spa suites and infinity verandas that are perfect for unwinding together. Cruises provide the perfect atmosphere for singles to mingle and enjoy the holiday season with company. Social events like trivia nights, dance parties and holiday mixers encourage connection and camaraderie. Certain cruises, like the Norwegian Cruise Line and the Virgin Voyages’ Holiday Cruises, cater specifically to solo travelers. These cruises include adult-only entertainment, curated activities and a vibrant nightlife. Rest assured, these cruises provide plenty of holiday entertainment and seasonal activities that ensure you enjoy yourself while staying close to your holiday traditions. With over 323 cruise ships currently in operation serving 36 million passengers this year alone, according to photoAiD , how do you choose if you’re a first-time cruiser ? Start by confirming that the cruise is appropriate for the needs of your traveling group. Often, experiences that are tailored for a specific group, whether kids or couples, will be described in the cruise line’s name – take for instance, the Disney Cruise Line. You can also check out the on-board activities available to make sure that there are plenty of options for your company. Next, consider your budget. Holiday cruises make luxury accessible without breaking the bank, with options as low as $300 for shorter voyages. Cruises will often provide all-inclusive packages that bundle accommodations, dining, entertainment and travel into a single cost-effective experience. The Carnival Cruise line remains a favorite for budget-conscious travelers because of its fun festivities and great dining options. However, even high-end experiences, like the MSC Cruises’ Yacht Club, which includes amenities like private pools, lounges and butler services come at a fraction of the cost of traditional luxury resorts. Lastly, ask yourself what holiday vibe you’re going for. Are you dreaming of a sunny tropical Christmas or perhaps frosty landscapes? Either way, with thousands of options in December alone, as cataloged by CruiseBooking.com , there’s a cruise waiting for you. The Norwegian Cruise Line’s Caribbean Cruises stop at destinations like the Great Stirrup Cay, while Hurtigruten’s Arctic Expeditions sail through breathtaking fjords and snowy landscapes. Holiday cruises offer a unique way to celebrate the season that’s a guaranteed hit without breaking the bank. Consider leaving behind the stress of hosting and planning; step aboard a ship where every detail has been curated to bring enjoyment and relaxation. With the holidays calling, will you answer with a ticket to set sail? Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her writing appears in dozens of publications, and she has two cookbooks, “Keto Soup Cookbook” and “Keto Diabetic Cookbook and Meal Plan.” These days, she’s busy in the kitchen, developing recipes for various publications and traveling, and you can find all her best recipes at Cook What You Love .Rising tech stocks pull Wall Street to another record By

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From PM Modi to Mallikarjun Kharge, tributes poured in for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who passed away on Thursday night at the age of 92 due to age related medical conditions. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Manmohan Singh had sudden loss of consciousness at home today after which he was rushed to the AIIMS Delhi. "With profound grief, we inform the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh , aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26th December 2024. Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM," AIIMS said in a press release. Read More: Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister and hero of India's economic liberalisation, passes away at 92 India mourns Singh's death: "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (more to come) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it's the Oxford Word of 2024First Look Of Shane Nigam's Haal Released!NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russian attack with hypersonic missile

As science continues its evolution, discoveries and technologies can act like a master key that open doors leading to novel advancements. Artificial intelligence is one such key, making innovations possible by solving complex problems, automating tasks and enabling research that would have been impossible, or very time-consuming, without it. Mohammad Hosseini But do we want to do research on all topics, and shall we try the AI master key on every door? To explore this question, let’s consider the use of AI by genomics experts as an example. In recent years, genomics experts have added unbelievable depth to what we know about the world and ourselves. For example, genetics researchers have revealed facts about when certain animals and plants were domesticated. In another example, researchers used DNA from 30,000-year-old permafrost to create fertile samples of a plant called narrow-leafed campion. People are also reading... Importantly, genetic engineering has facilitated extraordinary advances in the treatment of complicated conditions, such as sickle-cell anemia. Thanks to AI, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in the pace and scalability of genomic exploration. But given the risks and possible consequences of AI use in science, should we rush headlong into using AI in all kinds of projects? One relevant example is research on Neanderthals, our closest relatives, who lived about 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals have been studied for several years now through genetic investigation of their fossils and their DNA. Genetic engineering can potentially use ancient DNA and genome editing methods to re-create a Neanderthal or aspects of a Neanderthal’s genetics and physiology. To do this, scientists could start by figuring out the DNA sequence of a Neanderthal by comparing it with the DNA of modern humans, because they are closely related. Then, scientists could use the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR to swap out parts of human DNA with Neanderthal DNA. This process would require a lot of trial and error and might not succeed soon. But based on what we know about genetics, if something is possible, AI can help make it happen faster, cheaper and with less effort. Scientists are excited about these developments because they could facilitate new discoveries and open up many research opportunities in genetic research. With or without AI, research on Neanderthals will proceed. But the extraordinary power of AI could give the final push to these discoveries and facilitate this kind of resurrection. At that point, the scientific community must develop norms and guidelines about how to treat these resurrected beings with dispositions very similar to humans. We would need to carefully consider their rights and well-being almost in the same way as when humans are involved and not as research subjects or artifacts of scientific curiosity. These ethical issues are discussed in more detail in a new paper published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. A more holistic question to consider is: Should we prioritize the use of resource-intensive AI, researchers’ time and public funds to resurrect extinct beings? Or should we invest these resources into conserving species that are critically endangered today to prevent biodiversity from more degradation? Hosseini is an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He wrote this for The Chicago Tribune . Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!Miguel Tomley scores 28 to lead Weber State over Pepperdine 68-53 at Arizona Tip-Off

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police arrested thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of a rally in the capital to demand the ex-premier’s release from prison, a security officer said Sunday. Khan has been behind bars for more than a year and has over 150 criminal cases against him. But he remains popular and his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated. Shahid Nawaz, a security officer in eastern Punjab province, said police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters. They include five parliamentarians. Pakistan has sealed off Islamabad with shipping containers and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with PTI strongholds in Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Tit-for-tat teargas shelling between the police and the PTI was reported on the highway bordering Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns.” The government and Interior Ministry posted the announcement on the social media platform X, which is banned in Pakistan. They did not specify the areas, nor did they say how long the suspension would be in place. “Internet and mobile services will continue to operate as usual in the rest of the country,” the posts said. Meanwhile, telecom company Nayatel sent out emails offering customers “a reliable landline service” as a workaround in the areas suffering suspended cellphone service. Khan's supporters rely heavily on social media to demand his release and use messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said Khan's wife Bushra Bibi was traveling to Islamabad in a convoy led by the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur. “She cannot leave the party workers on their own,” said Akram. There was a festive mood in Peshawar, with PTI members dancing, drumming and holding up pictures of Khan as cars set off for Islamabad. The government is imposing social media platform bans and targeting VPN services , according to internet advocacy group Netblocks. On Sunday, the group said live metrics showed problems with WhatsApp that were affecting media sharing on the app. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for Americans in the capital, encouraging them to avoid large gatherings and warning that even “peaceful gatherings can turn violent.” Last month, authorities suspended the cellphone service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to thwart a pro-Khan rally. The shutdown disrupted communications and affected everyday services such as banking, ride-hailing and food delivery. The latest crackdown comes on the eve of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko . Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said authorities have sealed off Islamabad's Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and is the destination for Khan's supporters. “Anyone reaching it will be arrested,” Naqvi told a press conference. He said the security measures were in place to protect residents and property, blaming the PTI for inconveniencing people and businesses. He added that protesters were planning to take the same route as the Belarusian delegation, but that the government had headed off this scenario. Naqvi denied cellphone services were suspended and said only mobile data was affected. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Asim Tanveer in Multan contributed to this report.

Retailers coax Black Friday shoppers into stores with big discounts and giveaways NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers in the U.S. have used giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts to reward shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns for now as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. Analysts reported seeing the biggest crowds at stores that offered real savings. They say many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation. Stores are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Online sales figures from Thanksgiving Day gave retailers a reason to remain hopeful for a lucrative end to the year. Southwest Airlines says it is ending cabin service earlier to reduce chance of injury Southwest Airlines is ending its cabin service earlier starting next month. Beginning on Dec. 4, a company spokesperson says flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. The company says it's making the changes to reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries. For passengers, that means they will need to return their seats to an upright position or do other pre-landing procedures earlier than before. While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. Why your favorite catalogs are smaller this holiday season PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — While retailers hope to go big this holiday season, customers may notice that the catalogs arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were scaled down to save on postage and paper. Some gift purveyors are sending out postcards. In a sign of the times, the American Catalog Mailers Association rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, industry experts say catalogs help retailers cut through the noise and still hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs. Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is returning home after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump says the dinner talks Friday night at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida were “productive.” But he signaling no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation” but offered no details. Trump said in a Truth Social post later Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” Trump and Republicans in Congress eye an ambitious 100-day agenda, starting with tax cuts WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans swept to power on Election Day and now control the House, the Senate and the White House, with plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda come January. Their to-do list includes extending tax breaks, cutting social programs, building the border wall to stop immigration and rolling back President Joe Biden's green energy policies. Atop that list is a plan to renew some $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts that were a signature domestic achievement of Republican Donald Trump’s first term as president. It's an issue that may define his return to the White House. The ruble's in a slump. For the Kremlin, that's a two-edged sword Russia’s ruble is sagging against other currencies, complicating the Kremlin’s efforts to keep consumer inflation under control with one hand even as it overheats the economy with spending on the war against Ukraine with the other. Over time a weaker ruble could mean higher prices for imports from China, Russia's main trade partner these days. President Vladimir Putin says things are under control. One wild card is sanctions against a key Russian bank that have disrupted foreign trade payments. If Russia finds a workaround for that, the ruble could regain some of its recent losses. Iceland votes for a new parliament after political disagreements force an early election REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This will be Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Massachusetts lawmakers push for an effort to ban all tobacco sales over time BOSTON (AP) — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans.” The bans phase out the use of tobacco products based not just on a person's age but on birth year. Lawmakers plan to file the proposal next year. If approved, the bill would set a date and ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after that date forever, eventually banning all sales. Vietnam approves $67 billion high-speed railway project between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has approved the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital Hanoi in the north with the financial capital of Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is expected to cost $67 billion and will stretch 1,541 kilometers (957 miles). The new train is expected to travel at speeds of up to 350 kph (217 mph), reducing the journey from the current 30 hours to just five hours. The decision was taken by Vietnam’s National Assembly on Saturday. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and Vietnam hopes that the first trains will start operating by 2035. But the country has been beleaguered by delays to its previous infrastructure projects. Inflation rose to 2.3% in Europe. That won't stop the central bank from cutting interest rates FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November — but that likely won’t stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new U.S. tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth. The European Union’s harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.3 percent, up from 2.0% in October, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. However, worries about growth mean the Dec. 12 ECB meeting is not about whether to cut rates, but by how much. Market buzz says there could be a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%.Union City Commissioner resigns, vacates seat for next term#okbetph 。

MADRID (AP) — Getafe scored twice in three minutes midway through the second half to beat struggling Valladolid 2-0 and record only its second win in La Liga on Friday. The victory ended Getafe’s five-game winless run and lifted it into 15th place in the 20-team standings. Valladolid remained second to last. In the buildup to the match, Getafe sporting director Rubén Reyes described the game as a final but his team was lucky not to go behind as Valladolid created more of the early chances. However, the home side took control in the 69th minute when substitute Álvaro Rodríguez got the opener. Three minutes later, man of the match Allan Nyom made it 2-0. “There’s been a lot of games where we’ve run and fought but lost or drawn,” Nyom, the veteran Cameroon full back, said. “A game that reflects the effort we’ve put in in training is very welcome.” Adding to Valladolid’s woes, coach Paulo Pezzolano was sent off before halftime. The Uruguayan has the league’s worst disciplinary record, with seven yellow cards before Friday’s red. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerCanada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table

Valladolid loses again and Getafe ends winless run in La Liga

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Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table

TORONTO (AP) — Britta Curl-Salemme and Michaela Cava each scored twice and the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 6-3 on Saturday in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Curl-Salemme gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead at 6:29 of the third period. Cava scored the final two goals, the last into an empty net. Claire Butorac and Dominique Petrie also scored and Maddy Rooney stopped 21 shots to help Minnesota improve to 2-0-1. Daryl Watts, Victoria Bach and Jesse Compher scored for Toronto. The Sceptres are 1-2-0. Minnesota beat Toronto for the fourth straight game dating to last season’s playoffs. The Frost won the final three games of a best-of-five semifinal after dropping the first two. Takeaways Frost: Defender Maggie Flaherty served the first game of a two-game suspension for a headshot on Boston’s Alina Mueller, with Mae Batherson taking her place for her PWHL debut. Batherson is the younger sister of Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson. Sceptres: Rylind MacKinnon is one of only two Canadian university players in the PWHL, with New York's Emmy Fecteau from Concordia the other. MacKinn, a former University of British Columbia defender, has two assists this season. Up next Toronto is at New York on Wednesday night. Minnesota host Ottawa on Thursday night. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports The Associated PressDonald Trump’s return to the White House is stoking fears that he could reinstate a failed program launched during his first term that aimed to crack down on Chinese espionage, but ended up becoming more of a witch-hunt. Doing so would not only be destructive to American innovation, but give China an upper-hand in the tech race. The China Initiative, launched in 2018, was an extensive national security effort intended to prevent intellectual property theft and the transfer of US technological knowledge to China. It was led by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation before eventually being dismantled under the Biden administration in 2022. It devolved into an ineffective racial profiling campaign targeting Asian American academics, and left a string of wrongful accusations that upended researchers’ lives while doing little to stamp out suspected spying. The president-elect’s return is bringing a wave of fresh anxiety that it will be reinstated. A bill advanced in the House earlier this year has been blasted by some lawmakers as an attempt to revive the program under a different name. Project 2025, the viral conservative policy white paper that has been intrinsically linked to Trump’s agenda (he has tried to distance himself from it), expressly calls to “restart the China Initiative.” Trump has also surrounded himself with China hawks as he builds his new cabinet and campaigned on an “America First” vision. But if his goal is putting America first, it would also require recognizing that the nation is a land of immigrants, and welcoming the best and brightest from elsewhere gives it a major edge. The China Initiative resulted in espionage, theft or intellectual property charges against just 0.0000934 percent of Chinese STEM students and researchers at US universities. But the chilling effect the program had on science and tech in American academia has been severe. For more than two decades, China has been the most important supplier of US-based scientists, according to a Stanford analysis. But the number leaving has been steadily increasing. After the implementation of the China Initiative, departures surged by 75 percent -- two-thirds relocated back to China. If anything, the policy apparently served up a major win for the Communist Party’s own innovation ambitions. It may seem hard to quantify just how much pushing out scientists of Chinese descent could tip the scales. But we could learn from history. The US launched a broad crackdown on suspected Communist sympathizers during the Red Scare era, including Caltech professor Qian Xuesen, eventually driving him to return to China. He went on to become the “father of the Chinese missile program.” Former Navy Secretary Dan Kimball called it: “The stupidest thing this country ever did.” More recently, the contribution of a Chinese-born scientist helped spearhead the research that allowed Moderna to develop its COVID-19 vaccine in record time. The Stanford analysis found that scientists of Chinese descent who chose to stay in the US are finding it difficult to pursue their research, and roughly half are avoiding federal grant applications. Other factors would make a revival of the China Initiative especially destructive to America’s tech goals. Skilled labor has been repeatedly identified as one of the biggest barriers to US efforts to maintain dominance in advanced sectors such as chips manufacturing. China has been consistently graduating more STEM PhDs than the US. Recent economic malaise at home has been driving more Chinese talent abroad, and it would be in the US’ best interest to lure these innovators. At the same time, the risks of Chinese espionage is real and should be taken seriously. Silicon Valley firms are increasingly on alert for risks of intellectual property theft, escalating their vetting of staff and recruits. That is wise and should continue, though it should be driven by evidence and not just ethnicity. Data also suggests that hacking and cyberattacks are the preferred methods of spying. Rather than pouring vast resources into profiling individuals, the US should double down on investments in cybersecurity protections. In July, roughly five years after he was indicted, former University of Kansas professor Franklin Tao had his China Initiative-era conviction reversed. Ahead of his trial in 2021, his wife told Bloomberg News that the family came to the US to “pursue the American dream.” Instead, she found herself working three jobs to pay for her husband’s legal bills. His lawyer later said that the yearslong nightmare “virtually bankrupted” the family. Cases like these only give ammunition to the CCP’s propaganda arm as the government tries to seek talent to foster its own high-tech ambitions, which are rapidly catching up to the US. Even the most tough-on-China policymakers should remember that the US can’t lose the values it boasts about to counter threats from Beijing. Resuming attacks on scientists who choose to come to America for research will only harm innovation and national security interests in the long run. Catherine Thorbecke Catherine Thorbecke is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia tech. The views expressed here are the writer's own. -- Ed. (Tribune Content Agency)

No. 21 Nebraska women lose the 3-point battle, and an entertaining game, to Creightonag.okebet 。

Lagos State Government remains committed to intensifying collaborative efforts with captains of industries, the private sector and artisans, as a way to create employment opportunities for graduates from its five Technical Colleges. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated this on Monday at The-Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, the venue of the graduation ceremony of over 2000 students of its Technical Colleges, which was coordinated by the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB). He also stressed that by investing in the skills and capabilities of youths, the state is building the foundation for a prosperous, inclusive, and self-reliant society. According to a statement by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, the event is in line with the administration’s commitment to education and technology. In his speech during the event, the Governor urged the graduates to look beyond present challenges and strive for excellence using the skills garnered to compete favourably with their global counterparts in various vocational skills. He said, “Today, we celebrate not just the academic and technical achievements of over 2,000 graduates but also the remarkable potential they represent for the future of Lagos State and Nigeria. “The significance of technical and vocational education cannot be overstated. Institutions like LASTVEB equip young people with practical, industry-relevant skills that meet the demands of an evolving economy. Across trades such as engineering, construction, ICT, business, and the creative arts, our graduates have acquired the tools not just to participate in the workforce but to transform it through innovation and dedication. “This achievement aligns perfectly with our administration’s commitment to the Education and Technology pillar of the T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda. By investing in the skills and capabilities of our youth, we are building the foundation for a prosperous, inclusive, and self-reliant society. “Beyond these individual accomplishments, technical and vocational education drives community development, reduces unemployment, and ensures our graduates are competitive globally. “For instance, technical education has been shown to increase graduation rates, improve employability, and foster entrepreneurship. Many of our graduates today will step into the world as job creators, while others will fill critical roles in high-demand industries, bolstering Lagos State’s economic standing both nationally and internationally. “This event also underscores the importance of collaboration between government, industries, and educational institutions. Through our partnerships, we have been able to ensure that the curriculum remains aligned with current industry standards and that our students receive hands-on, experiential learning.” Governor Sanwo-Olu, while congratulating the graduating students, urged them to use their skills for societal transformation. He said, “As you step into the next phase of your lives, remember that your skills are powerful tools—not only for personal success but for societal transformation. “I congratulate all our graduates and thank the management and staff of LASTVEB, parents, and stakeholders for their tireless contributions to this achievement. Together, we are shaping a future where technical education is celebrated and valued as a cornerstone of sustainable development.” Speaking earlier, Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Tolani Alli-Balogun, urged the graduating students to think deeply, aim higher and strive for excellence in their career path and help in stimulating the economic growth of the country, noting that no nation develops without an adequate and robust technical education for the advancement of skills, knowledge development. “I know that turning your dreams into reality is not always easy. It requires hard work, dedication, and perseverance. It demands that you be focused, disciplined, and committed to your goals. It necessitates that you be willing to take risks, to face your fears and overcome them, and to push beyond your comfort zones. “Our ever-dedicated, amiable Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has created leverage through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Ministry of Wealth Creation to further empower you to greater heights in your career path. So that you can fit into the labour market, be self-employed, and eventually become employers of labour,” the commissioner said. Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Ms. Moronke Azeez, noted that Sanwo-olu’s administration is tackling unemployment challenges through different initiatives, producing skilled technicians for technical development to create more employment for youths and make them self-reliant. Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Miss Daniella Okpako, thanked Lagos State Government for its unwavering commitment to advancing technical education in the State and advocated scholarship for deserving students to further their education and build on the skills acquired. During the event, David Uchendu, who majored in Mechanical Engineering Craft Practice from Government Technical College, Ikotun, emerged as Best Overall, while Daniel Salami from Government Technical College, Agidingbi, who studied Instrument Mechanic Works emerged as Best in Innovation. Ifeoma Abalogun, from Government Technical College, Epe, who majored in Painting and Decoration, and Daniel Okpako, who studied Blocklaying, Bricklaying and Concreting from Government Technical College, Ikotun, were also honoured as Best Female in Construction. Benedict Wisdom (Electrical Installation and Maintenance Works), Oluwapelumi Adedeji (Garment Making), Babatunde Boyejo (Electrical Installation and Maintenance Works), Moyosore Odofin (Instrument Mechanic Works), and Grace Arebisola (Garment Making) were also recognised as Best Students from the five Government Technical Colleges in Ado-Soba, Agidingbi, Epe, Ikorodu and Ikotun respectively.UN says bystanders must step in to help end UK's violence against women epidemic

Covid corruption commissioner starts fraud probeVictory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Twilio Inc. ( NYSE:TWLO – Free Report ) by 41.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 38,903 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,472 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Twilio were worth $2,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of TWLO. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Twilio by 11.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,260,155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $128,396,000 after acquiring an additional 224,040 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Twilio by 70.0% during the first quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 1,849,513 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $113,098,000 after acquiring an additional 761,356 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Twilio by 30.4% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,334,500 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $75,813,000 after acquiring an additional 311,481 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Twilio by 736.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,142,967 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $63,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006,391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Twilio by 258.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 874,647 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $57,044,000 after acquiring an additional 630,627 shares during the last quarter. 84.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Dana Wagner sold 4,512 shares of Twilio stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $360,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 142,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,383,280. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Also, CFO Aidan Viggiano sold 6,682 shares of Twilio stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.54, for a total transaction of $437,938.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 171,187 shares in the company, valued at $11,219,595.98. This represents a 3.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,946 shares of company stock valued at $3,354,771. 4.50% of the stock is owned by insiders. Twilio Stock Performance Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Twilio in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Twilio from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Twilio from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Twilio from $74.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Twilio from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Twilio currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.70. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Twilio About Twilio ( Free Report ) Twilio Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides customer engagement platform solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Twilio Communications and Twilio Segment. The company provides various application programming interfaces and software solutions for communications between customers and end users, including messaging, voice, email, flex, marketing campaigns, and user identity and authentication. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TWLO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Twilio Inc. ( NYSE:TWLO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Twilio Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Twilio and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

American taxpayers tied to potential funding of $7.5B loan

It is characteristic of rugby fans to pay more attention to the future than the present. Sure, losses sting in the moment but the trick is not to allow the pain to persist. Change the topic. Who are the promising young players coming through? How good is the Lions tour going to be? How brilliant are the matches between the Australia and New Zealand women's sevens? South Africa is a notable exception. Like a demi-god global tech innovator, Rassie Erasmus works ahead of the chasing pack, probing for a new edge, figuring how to get around laws that haven't even been devised yet. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share This affords his countrymen the luxury of smelling the roses and living in the moment; and to be fair, they've had plenty of practice at it in recent years. Australia and New Zealand, not blessed with bomb squads and time zones that allow players and fans easy access to more lucrative competitions, instead make do with grizzling about what ails the game, alternating with bursts of optimism about what the future might hold. That's why the events and non-events of 2024 will ultimately be better viewed through a 2025 lens. Seeds have been sown. It is the passage of time that will allow for proper evaluation. The Blues dominated Super Rugby with a very un-Super Rugby style; in one match against the Rebels scoring the same try four times, irresistibly rumbling forward en-masse like a giant tunnel-boring machine. Was this method an aberration, or a template for coach Vern Cotter to build from? To crank up the power game even more in 2025? At the completion of the final, won 41-10 over the Chiefs, Cotter couldn't hide his game face. The borderline cruel, steely stare of an interrogator just settling in for an extended mental and physical battle. There will be no easing up. Let's not forget that rugby is at its best as a sport when there are contrasts and clashes of styles. More power to the Blues, and to the other sides hoping to neuter that... Geoff ParkesPhiladelphia takes on Vegas after overtime win

I began to panic when my car key wouldn’t come out of the ignition switch. I twisted it, yanked it, begged it and cursed it. Nothing worked. It was stuck. I had just pulled into the parking lot at my office in Munster and tried to turn off my car, a temperamental 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo with 314,000 miles. Her name is Betsy. Her engine kept running as my mind raced with what I should do next. I quickly sent a text to my mechanic for any suggestions. Then I sent a text to my boss, telling him I was stuck in our parking lot. I was at work, sort of, but not for long. I had to get to an interview, so I pulled out of the lot and headed in that direction while I figured out my next move. Should I leave my car running while doing that interview? Should I drive straight to the repair shop in Valparaiso? Should I pray to the car gods for mercy? The key ignition problem was just the latest in a series of minor but aggravating issues I’ve had with Betsy over the past few years. Passing an emissions test every two years has felt like acing a final exam in astrophysics. She’s slowly dying, and it feels like my driver seat is situated inside a casket. The SS decal on her side once stood for Super Sport. Now it stands for Super Sad. The dashboard lights blink like a Christmas tree. Her worn out brakes shake the car at fast stops. Exhaust fumes serve as an air freshener inside the car. My side mirror looks toward the sky, not at the road. The driver seat looks like it’s been mauled by a bear. The sunroof hasn’t worked in years. My seat hasn’t been heated since the first Obama administration. Betsy rattles, vibrates and smells like burnt oil. She is held together by rust, hope and stubbornness. On her rear bumper is a “26.2” sticker from the Chicago Marathon I ran back when Betsy and I were both in better condition. But she’s the one who’s still running a marathon, for vehicles anyway. Most modern cars can make it to 200,000 miles without any major issues if it’s well-maintained, according to J.D. Powers. The average owner drives 10,000 to 20,000 miles per year, accounting for roughly 15 years of service. Betsy has surpassed this by five years and 115,000 miles. She should be entombed at a junkyard by now, not leaking quarts of oil in my garage. But I just can’t part with her. She’s been my longest romantic relationship, and I love Betsy despite all of her rust, problems and potential dangers. She can die on me at any time. I’ve come to grips with this fact or fate. When she eventually makes that sad trip across the Rainbow Bridge, I will be forced to do something I haven’t done in 20 years: buy a new vehicle for myself. Black Friday and the weekend after Thanksgiving is a popular time for shoppers to look for a new or used vehicle, according to Kelley Blue Book. Auto manufacturers offer end-of-year deals, low interest rates and lower monthly payments. I was intrigued until I researched the average monthly car payment for U.S. drivers in 2024: $734 for new vehicles and $525 for used vehicles. What? Huh? Are you kidding me? My wife and I recently paid off her 2017 Buick Encore and its $400 monthly payments. We haven’t had a car payment in months. I asked my social media readers how much they’re paying each month for their vehicle, regardless if it was purchased new or used. Their responses gave me sticker shock: $1,384 a month for a 2024 BMW; $1,105 for a new Chevy Blazer; $920 for a 2022 Land Rover; $994 for a 2023 Dodge Ram Bighorn; $640 for a 2021 Chevy Trailblazer; and $438 for a used 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. Some readers said they were paying nearly as much for their car as their mortgage. “Wait until the tariffs hit the auto industry,” another reader wrote. Maybe I can keep old Betsy alive for another month or maybe another year? “Don’t you die on me,” I often tell her on the road. Every time I drive Betsy, I wonder if it will be the last time. I keep spare clothes and running shoes in the trunk, just in case. I’ve poured a few thousand dollars into her over the past 10 years. Not enough to scrap it, though. Last year, I had to finally scrap another family vehicle , a 2005 Hyundai Tucson, for $500. It was slowly dying from old age, parked at the curb for months, and in need of money we didn’t have to keep it alive. Before I scrap Betsy for a similar price, if that, I plan to keep her until death do us part. I figure I’m saving at least $500 a month, not to mention lower auto insurance premiums. If she makes it through winter, I’ll take a long cruise and play a love song we first heard together in 2004. Of course I’ll play it on a cassette or CD. Yep, they still work, sometimes. Davich writes for The Times of Northwest Indiana: Jerry.Davich@nwi.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A white ex-police detective in Kansas died Monday in an apparent suicide just before the start of his criminal trial over allegations that he sexually assaulted Black women and terrorized those who tried fight back. Local police found Roger Golubski dead of a gunshot wound on the back porch of his split-level home outside Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said “there are no indications of foul play" in the 71-year-old's death, discovered Monday morning after a neighbor heard a gunshot. Fifty miles (80 kilometers) to the west, prosecutors and Golubski's attorneys were inside the federal courthouse in Topeka, where Golubski faced six felony counts of violating women's civil rights. Prosecutors say that, for years, Golubski preyed on female residents in poor neighborhoods, demanding sexual favors and sometimes threatening to harm or jail their relatives if they refused. He had pleaded not guilty. His death led U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse to dismiss the charges at prosecutors' request, though a second criminal case involving three other co-defendants remains. U.S. Department of Justice officials said it's “difficult” when a case cannot “be fully and fairly heard in a public trial,” but advocates for the women who accused Golubski of abusing them were angry, feeling that they and the community were denied a reckoning. “There is no justice for the victims,” said Anita Randle-Stanley, who went to court to watch jury selection. Randle-Stanley, who is not a victim in this case, said Golubski began harassing her when she was a teenager decades ago, but she always refused him. The heart of this trial focused on two women: one who said Golubski began sexually abusing her when she was a young teen in middle school, and another who said he began abusing her after her twin sons were arrested. Prosecutors said seven other women were planning to testify that Golubski abused or harassed them as well. And advocates for the women believe there are other victims who have either died or have been afraid to come forward. The allegations that Golubski preyed on women over decades with seeming impunity outraged the community and deepened its historical distrust of law enforcement. The prosecution followed earlier reports of similar abuse allegations across the country where hundreds of officers have lost their badges after allegations of sexual assaults. Some of the women and their advocates were upset that Golubski was under house arrest while he underwent kidney dialysis treatments three times a week. Cheryl Pilate, an attorney representing some of the women, said she has questions about how well the government was monitoring Golubski. “The community had an enormous interest in seeing this trial go forward,” she added. “Now, the victims, the community and justice itself have been cheated.” After Golubski failed to appear in court Monday, his lead attorney, Christopher Joseph, said his client “was despondent about the media coverage.” Joseph said he had talked to Golubski regularly, including Monday morning, and he was shocked to hear that his client had apparently killed himself. As for Golubski’s death, he said, “I don’t know the details.” This case against Golubski was part of a string of lawsuits and criminal allegations that led the county prosecutor’s office to begin a $1.7 million effort to reexamine cases Golubski worked on during his 35 years on the force. One double murder case Golubski investigated already has resulted in an exoneration , and an organization run by rapper Jay-Z is suing to obtain police records. Joseph had said lawsuits over the allegations were an “inspiration for fabrication” by his accusers. “We have to keep fighting,” said Starr Cooper, who was in the courthouse Monday to watch jury selection and said Golubski victimized her mother before her death in 1983. About 50 people had a short rally Monday morning in sub-freezing temperatures outside the federal courthouse in Topeka to show their support for the women accusing Golubski. They held signs with slogans such as, “Justice Now!” Lora McDonald, executive director of MORE2, a Kansas City-area social justice group, said participants learned that Golubski didn’t show up in court just as the rally began. They dispersed before prosecutors announced his death. They later joined Pilate in calling for an independent, outside investigation into Golubski's death. “Golubski terrorized an entire community and co-conspired with dangerous people,” McDonald said. “Our rally today was not just about Roger Golubski. Rather, it was about the department in which his criminal activity flourished." Pilate lamented that without a trial for Golubski, "In the eyes of the law he died an innocent man.” Max Seifert, a former Kansas City police officer who graduated from the police academy with Golubski in 1975, said Golubski's supporters will treat him as a martyred victim of unfair pretrial publicity. He contends the department condoned misconduct. “I feel that there is always going to be a cloud of mystery about this,” he added. Stories about Golubski remained just whispers in the neighborhoods near Kansas City’s former cattle stockyards partly because of the extreme poverty of a place where crime was abundant and some homes are boarded up. One neighborhood where Golubski worked is part of Kansas’ second-poorest zip code. Fellow officers once revered Golubski for his ability to clear cases, and he rose to the rank of captain in Kansas City before retiring there in 2010 and then working on a suburban police force for six more years. His former partner served a stint as police chief. The inquiry into Golubski stems from the case of Lamonte McIntyre, who started writing to McCloskey’s nonprofit nearly two decades ago. McIntyre was just 17 in 1994 when he was arrested and charged in connection with a double homicide, within hours of the crimes. He had an alibi; no physical evidence linked him to the killings; and an eyewitness believed the killer was an underling of a local drug dealer. In the other federal criminal case involving Golubski, that drug dealer also was charged with him, accused of running a violent sex trafficking operation. McIntyre's mother said in a 2014 affidavit that she wonders whether her refusal to grant regular sexual favors to Golubski prompted him to retaliate against her son. In 2022, the local government agreed to pay $12.5 million to McIntyre and his mother to settle a lawsuit after a deposition in which Golubski invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent 555 times. The state also paid McIntyre $1.5 million. The last name of a woman who says the ex-detective harassed her for years has been corrected. She is Anita Randle-Stanley, not Randel-Stanley. Hollingsworth and Ingram reported from Edwardsville, Kansas.

GREG JOHNSON: Saints game proves Giants assembled historically bad quarterback roomPARIS (AP) — Notre Dame Cathedral , its air thick with the smell of incense, hosted its first Mass on Sunday since the catastrophic fire of 2019, a moment that transcended religious significance to become a powerful symbol of Paris’ resilience. Beneath the glow of traditional chandeliers and modern spotlights, which illuminated its intricately carved stonework , the cathedral emerged reborn, its grandeur restored after five years of reconstruction. For Catholics, it marks the revival of the city’s spiritual heart, a place where faith has been nurtured for centuries. For the world, it signals the rebirth of one of global heritage's most famous landmarks. The event was both solemn and historic. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich presided over the morning Mass, including the consecration of a new bronze altar. The liturgy was attended by 2,500 people, including French President Emmanuel Macron — enjoying a brief respite from France's political tumult and economic troubles — clergy, dignitaries and a few lucky members of the general public who stood in long lines to enter. Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world took part, along with one priest from each of the 113 parishes in the Paris diocese, accompanied by worshippers from these communities. Macron, in line with France’s strict division of state and church, did not take communion. Notre Dame’s journey from ruin to resurrection was defined by extraordinary craftsmanship, nearly $1 billion in global donations and a collective, unyielding determination to rebuild. After the Mass, faithful attendees, priests, nuns, and other guests lingered in the cathedral, their awe evident. Many took pictures and selfies in front of the altar, the baptistery, and vibrant rose windows, their joy mingling with reverence. Others knelt to pray at chapels dedicated to saints, savoring a spiritual intimacy many had not experienced since the fire. Later Sunday, the cathedral opened its doors to members of the public who secured reservations last week for the first fully public Mass. The Associated Press learned that tickets for this service were claimed within 25 minutes, underscoring Notre Dame’s enduring appeal. What’s more extraordinary is that this is taking place in a country with a strong emphasis on secularism and a low rate of church attendance. Public viewing areas along the Seine on Sunday morning drew hundreds of people who wished to witness the historic moment from afar, although their numbers were likely subdued by rainy and miserably cold weather conditions. Retired engineer Claude Lancrenon, watching from a viewing area, expressed both awe and disappointment. “There is so much security,” he said, gesturing toward the barriers. “Yesterday, that seemed appropriate. But today, I had hoped it would be more open so we could approach the cathedral. I still hope we’ll be able to get closer.” Tight security — akin to that of the Paris Olympic Games — reflected the importance of the occasion, ensuring the safety of dignitaries and the public alike. Nathalie Martino, a retired event organizer visiting Paris, recalled the anguish of watching the cathedral burn. “I cried so much that day,” she said. “And now, here I am. I had to come. It was something I needed to do.” Sunday’s Masses follow Saturday evening’s ceremonies in which Ulrich symbolically reopened the cathedral’s massive wooden doors by striking them three times with a crosier crafted from charred beams salvaged from the fire. As the doors swung open, choirs filled the air with song and the cathedral’s great organ — silent since the fire — resounded with majestic melodies. Inside, the restoration reveals a cathedral transformed with now-gleaming limestone walls cleaned of centuries of grime. The restored stained-glass windows project dazzling patterns of color across the nave. “No one alive has seen the cathedral like this,” said the Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, Notre Dame’s rector. "It is more than restored — it is reborn.” The consecration of the new altar was a pivotal moment in Notre Dame’s return to full liturgical life. The altar houses relics of five saints tied to Paris, including St. Catherine Labouré and St. Charles de Foucauld, continuing a centuries-old tradition of embedding sacred artifacts at the heart of worship spaces. The consecration, involving holy water, chrism oil, incense and prayer, transforms the altar into a sacred centerpiece of the cathedral. That was the most moving moment of the day for Marie Capucine, 37, a consecrated virgin representing her Parisian parish of Saint Germain des Prés at the reopening. She recalled the day the fire raged, and the ‘’communion in prayer all over the world'' for the cathedral to be saved. “That shows that the Church gathers, no matter whether people are believers or not, it says something to the world, something beautiful,” she concluded. The reopening of Notre Dame is also a moment of cultural and national unity. Macron, who vowed to restore the cathedral within five years after the fire, called the project “a jolt of hope” for France, a nation often divided by political crises. The Sunday Masses underscore Notre Dame’s dual role as a place of worship and a symbol of communal resilience. They also ensure that members of the broader Catholic community can partake in the cathedral’s spiritual revival. The path to restoration was fraught with challenges. Lead contamination forced work to pause, and the COVID-19 pandemic added delays. Yet the project, overseen by architect Philippe Villeneuve, has been hailed as a triumph of human ingenuity and collective resolve. Cutting-edge fire prevention systems, including thermal cameras and a misting system, have been installed to safeguard the cathedral’s future. Villeneuve described the effort as “restoring not just a building but the soul of a nation,” emphasizing the personal and national significance of the work. With its spire once again piercing the Parisian sky, Notre Dame is poised to reclaim its role as a global beacon of faith and art. The cathedral, which previously welcomed 12 million annual visitors, is expected to draw 15 million in its new chapter. This monumental revival is not confined to a single day. Ulrich has announced an “octave” of celebrations — eight days of special religious services, each with its own theme, running through Dec. 15. These daily liturgies, open to diverse groups from local parishioners to international pilgrims, emphasize Notre Dame’s role as a unifying spiritual hub. John Leicester, Yesica Brumec and Bela Szandelszky in Paris contributed. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through The AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:23 p.m. ESTTailwind CSS v4 Beta, New React Framework, BEST JavaScript Animations, and More - This Week in JSVancouver, BC, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ROCK ) (OTCQB: RRRLF ) (Frankfurt: RR0 ) ("Rockridge”) (the "Company”) is pleased to announce that it has filed and has commenced the delivery of the joint management information circular of the Company, Eros Resources Corp. (" Eros ”) and MAS Gold Corp. (" MAS Gold ”) dated November 26, 2024 (the " Circular ”) and related materials for the annual general and special meeting of shareholders of the Company (the " Meeting ”) to approve, among other things, the previously announced three-way merger transaction (the " Transaction ”), pursuant to which, Eros will acquire (i) all of the issued and outstanding shares of Rockridge by way of plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the " Rockridge Arrangement ”) and (ii) all of the issued and outstanding shares of MAS Gold that it does not already own by way of plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the " MAS Arrangement ”). Pursuant to the Transaction, shareholders of Rockridge will receive 0.375 common shares of Eros (each full share, an " Eros Share ”) for each Rockridge common share (a " Rockridge Share ”) held and shareholders of MAS Gold will receive 0.25 Eros Shares for each MAS Gold common share (a " MAS Gold Share ”) held. Upon closing of the Transaction, existing Eros shareholders will own approximately 42.37% of the combined company, existing MAS Gold shareholders will own approximately 37.33% of the combined company, and existing Rockridge shareholders will own approximately 20.30% (based on the current issued and outstanding shares of each of the companies). Benefits of the Transaction: The board of directors of the Company unanimously recommends that shareholders vote FOR the Transaction and related matters, for the reasons above, among other reasons discussed more fully under the heading "The Transaction - Reasons for the Transaction" in the Circular. The Circular provides important information on the Transaction and related matters, including the background to the Transaction, the rationale for the recommendations made by the board of directors of the Company, voting procedures and how to attend the Meeting. Shareholders are urged to read the Circular and its schedules carefully and in their entirety. The Circular and meeting materials can also be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ ( www.sedarplus.ca ) as well as on the Company's website at: https://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/investors/agm/. Rockridge is aware that, as a result of the national strike commenced by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on November 15, 2024 (the " Strike ”), Canada Post's operations have shut down. In order to facilitate the delivery of the Circular and related materials for the Meeting to non-registered shareholders in the event that the Strike, lockout or similar or related events prevent, delay or otherwise interrupt delivery of Circular and related materials for the Meeting to non-registered shareholders in Canada in the ordinary course by the applicable intermediaries, Rockridge will provide the Circular and meeting materials by electronic mail or by courier upon request by a shareholder to the Company at 604-558-5847 or by email at [email protected] . The Meeting will be held at 1111 W Hasting Street 15 th Floor, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 2J3 on January 6, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time). Shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 8, 2024 are entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Meeting. Shareholders are encouraged to vote well in advance of the Meeting in accordance with the instructions the form of proxy or voting instruction form delivered to shareholders. The deadline for shareholders to return their completed proxies or voting instruction forms is January 2, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time). Note that Shareholders who hold their shares with a broker, bank or other intermediary may be required to return their voting instruction form in advance of January 2, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) to be included in the vote. Non-registered shareholders are also encouraged to contact the proxy department at their broker or other intermediary (where their common shares are held) who can assist them with the voting process. Non-registered shareholders must follow the voting instructions provided by their broker or other intermediary and will need their specific 16-digit control number to vote. To vote using your smartphone, please scan this QR code below: (403) 668-8307 Olympia Trust PO Box 128 Station M Calgary, AB T2P 2H6 Attention: Proxy Department To vote using your smartphone, please scan this QR code below: 1-800-474-7493 (English) 1-800-474-7501 (French) Data Processing Centre PO Box 3700 Stn Industrial Park Markham, ON L3R 5S5 Receipt of Interim Orders The Company is also announcing that the Supreme Court of British Columbia has granted the interim orders in respect of the Rockridge Arrangement and the MAS Arrangement (together, the " Interim Orders ”). The Interim Orders authorize various matters related to the Rockridge Arrangement and the MAS Arrangement, including the holding of meetings of shareholders of Rockridge and MAS Gold and the mailing and delivery of the Circular to shareholders of Rockridge and MAS Gold. ‎ Additional Information Full details of the Transaction are set out in the Business Combination Agreement, which is filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca . On behalf of the Board, Jonathan Weisblatt ‎CEO About Rockridge Resources Ltd. Rockridge Resources Ltd. is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, specifically copper and gold. Rockridge's 100% owned Knife Lake Project is located in Saskatchewan which is ranked as a top mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake Deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface Cu-Co-Au-Ag-Zn deposit open along strike and at depth. There is strong discovery potential in and around the deposit area as well as at regional targets on the large property package. Rockridge's gold asset is its 100% owned Raney Gold Project, which is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. Additional information about Rockridge and its project portfolio can be found on the Company's website at www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com . Rockridge Resources Ltd. Jonathan Wiesblatt, CEO Nicholas Coltura, Corporate Communications ‎ ‎Email: [email protected] [email protected] NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Transaction have been, nor will be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act”) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information” and "forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the beliefs of the Company regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such "could”, "intend”, "expect”, "believe”, "will”, "projected”, "planned”, "estimated”, "soon”, "potential”, "anticipate” or variations of such words. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and/or the combined company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: the inability of the Company, Eros and MAS Gold to integrate successfully such that the anticipated benefits of the Transaction are realized; the inability to realize synergies and cost savings at the times, and to the extent, anticipated; the inability of the Company, Eros or MAS Gold to obtain the necessary regulatory, stock exchange, shareholder and other approvals which may be required for the Transaction; the inability of the Company to close the Transaction on the terms and timing described herein, or at all; the inability of the Company to work effectively with strategic partners and any changes to key personnel; inability of the combined company to successfully complete a private placement or other financing upon completion of the Transaction; and material adverse changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets. These risks are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company and/or the combined company; however, these factors should be considered carefully. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. The impact of any one assumption, risk, uncertainty, or other factor on a particular forward-looking statement cannot be determined with certainty because they are interdependent and the combined company's future decisions and actions will depend on management's assessment of all information at the relevant time. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and forward-looking statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Atria Investments Inc Buys 80 Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)Delaware judge rejects request to restore Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla compensation

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Streetside justice; brutal hit-and-run; victim busts gang lairWhen the Hero World Challenge takes place Dec. 5-8 in the Bahamas, tournament host Tiger Woods will not be part of the field. Still recovering from his latest surgery, on his back last September, Woods had the option of joining the 20-player field in the exhibition event but announced Monday he would not do so. "I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge," Woods wrote on social media, going on to announce Justin Thomas, Jason Day of Australia and Nick Dunlap as exemptions into the field. The 15-time major champion played in the tournament at Albany Golf Club last year and finished 18th of 20. Woods' sixth back surgery was done to repair a nerve impingement in his lower back, about two months after his last competitive start at The Open. "The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season," Woods said in a statement at the time. "I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf." It is unclear when Woods will compete again. He has played the PNC Championship, a family team event, with his son Charlie each December for the last four years. --Field Level MediaArticle content In her latest report, Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor has issued two recommendations to SaskPower related to the Crown’s goal of reducing emissions. Volume 2 of Tara Clemett’s 2024 report was released Tuesday and notes her office audited the Crown electricity provider’s “planning processes, for the period ended August 31, 2024, to transition to low and non-emitting energy sources to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction and renewable energy generation targets.” “We found overall SaskPower generally had effective processes,” the report states. However, there were areas where Clemett’s report suggests SaskPower should make further efforts. The report recommends the Crown electricity provider clarify its plans to take action when incremental emissions targets are not met. It states that in 2023-2024, SaskPower planned to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by eight per cent compared to 2005 levels. But, during that period, GHG emissions only decreased by half that, according to the report. SaskPower’s own analysis found it “did not always meet its key targets relating to the low and non-emitting energy transition,” according to the auditor’s report. The report states SaskPower pointed to “external factors” such as construction delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, funding delays and “unfavourable market conditions” as contributing to its falling short of annual targets in recent years. “However, we found reports did not outline the actions SaskPower planned to get back on track to meeting its targets,” the report states. “Outlining clear action plans to address missed incremental targets demonstrates SaskPower’s intent to act so long-term targets (50% reduction by 2030) are not missed, and cost impacts are minimized.” Further, the report recommends that SaskPower “analyze further expansion of distributed energy resources to help it transition to low and non-emitting energy alternatives.” Describing distributed energy resources, it states these are “smaller generation units located on the consumer’s side of the meter,” and it provides the example of rooftop solar panels. “Distributed energy resources could be a greater component to SaskPower’s long-term supply plan,” the report states, noting provinces like Alberta and Ontario are planning for increased capacity from such sources of electricity. According to the report, the province ranked fourth highest among provinces and territories for GHG emissions in Canada in 2022 (first in per capita emissions), which includes emissions emitted from electricity generation. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important to help mitigate the effects of climate change,” the report states. The report discusses how SaskPower analyzed four different “supply pathways” as part of its long-term power supply planning and settled on a plan that gets SaskPower to net-zero emissions by 2050. However, the auditor’s report states that under this plan, SaskPower would not be compliant with the draft federal regulations which aim to achieve a “net zero” electricity grid by 2035. “SaskPower may need to adjust its pathway once the Clean Electricity Regulations are finalized,” the report states. Clemett notes that Saskatchewan is “well positioned” for “non-emitting” energy technology, such as wind or solar. However, it acknowledges that these technologies provide electricity generation that is “intermittent or variable” and backup sources, such as natural gas, are required to ensure reliability. The report makes it clear that “more needs to be done to ensure SaskPower has adequate plans in place to grow our power generation capacity and reduce emissions,” said NDP shadow minister for SaskPower Aleana Young in an email response provided Tuesday afternoon. “Saskatchewan New Democrats support an all-of-the-above approach to power generation to ensure that Saskatchewan people have access to reliable, affordable, sustainable electricity.” bharder@postmedia.com The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe. Share this Story : SaskPower lacks clear plan to address missed net-zero targets: Auditor Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. With just one game left until the playoffs begin, the AFC South champions know they’ll have to get much better to be competitive in the postseason. “That’s not who we are. That’s not what we represent,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “What we put out there on the field, that’s not Texans football. For anybody to come back and bounce back from it you’ve got to check yourself and make sure you’re playing with elite execution and elite energy.” The 29-point loss to the Ravens was Houston’s most lopsided defeat this season. The defense gave up a season-high 251 yards rushing and the offense was shut out, with the team’s only points coming on a second-quarter safety. Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw an interception and missed several throws in a performance he called “one of the worst games of my whole career.” He was asked how he and the team can move on from such a tough loss. “That’s the only thing we can do,” he said. “There is nothing in life you can go ... back and re-do, so it’s all about how you respond. You hit rock bottom; the only way is up. So, we still have a lot of hope. At the end of the day, we clinched our division. We still have an opportunity in the playoffs.” The Texans (9-7) went 0 for 2 in the red zone Wednesday to lower their red zone efficiency to 50.94% this season, which ranks 26th in the NFL. After their safety Wednesday, they had a chance to cut the lead or potentially tie the game when they had a first down at the 10-yard line. Joe Mixon ran for 7 yards on first down before the drive stalled. He was dropped for a 1-yard loss on second down before an incompletion by Stroud brought up fourth-and-4. Stroud threw a short pass to Mixon and he was stopped at the 1-yard line to give the Ravens the ball back. Lamar Jackson then led a 99-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-2. What’s working Not much was working in this debacle. About the only good thing that happened for the Texans on Wednesday was a 45-yard kickoff return by Dameon Pierce in the second quarter to start the drive that ended with Mixon being stopped on fourth down. The second-year player is averaging 38.1 yards per return. What needs help The Texans managed just 58 yards rushing against the Ravens with Mixon gaining 26 yards on nine carries. Houston hasn’t reached 100 yards rushing in three straight games and four of its past five. The Texans must get their running game going to take some pressure off Stroud, who is working with a thin receiving group with Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs out for the season with knee injuries. Stock up WR John Metchie led the team with five receptions for 48 yards as he took on a bigger role in the offense in the first game without Dell. It’s the second-most yards Metchie has had in a three-year career where he missed his entire rookie season undergoing cancer treatments. Stock down Wednesday was the second time in three games where Mixon was held to fewer than 30 yards rushing. He started the season strong, running for at least 100 yards in six of his first eight games. But he’s struggled since then, reaching 100 yards just once in five games. Injuries G Shaq Mason missed Wednesday’s game after injuring his knee against the Chiefs and it’s unclear if he can return for the next game. ... C/G Juice Scruggs missed a fourth straight game with foot injury. Key number 59.2 — Stroud had a 59.2 passer rating in the loss, which is tied for the third-worst rating of his career. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Next steps After playing three games in 11 days, the Texans now have an extended break before wrapping up the regular season next weekend at Tennessee. Stroud will try and use this setback to get better. “There’s not sunny days if there is not days with rain,” he said. “It’s a rainy day but at the end of the day the sun will rise up tomorrow. We have another crack at this thing next week to keep rolling.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement AdvertisementMaura Higgins’ mum ‘in shock after daughter makes raunchy sex confession on I’m A Celebrity’( MENAFN - Live Mint) Pushpa 2 box office Collection Worldwide Day 24: Allu Arjun's movie witnessed a sharp jump in its collection in India on December 28, which was the fourth Saturday for the movie after its debut in theatres. The movie has earned ₹1141.35 crore in India (Net) and worldwide collection stands at ₹1597 core so far, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. However, according to Pushpa 2 makers, the movie has already surpassed ₹1700 crore worldwide on Day 22. While the final earning data may be confirmed after some time, the key question remains: will the movie dethrone Baahubali 2 to become the second-world grosser? Pushpa The Rule has earned ₹1597 crore worldwide until day 24, December 28. If the movie makers are to be believed, the earnings on December 28 would be close to Baahubali 2's worldwide record earning. In its social media post, Mythri Movie Makers said that Pushpa The Rule has earned ₹1719 crore in 22 days. “There is no stopping #Pushpa2TheRule at the box office. Becomes the fastest Indian film to cross 1719.5 CRORES WORLDWIDE in 22 days,” read the post by Mythri Movie Makers on December 27. MENAFN28122024007365015876ID1109038184 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. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Memphis fights off No. 2 UConn in OT in Maui Invitational thrillerSMU is accustomed to road-like environment it’ll face in ACC championship game vs. Clemson

Kentucky will aim to improve upon its best start in seven seasons when it hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday night in Lexington, Ky., in the final game of the BBN Invitational. The Wildcats (5-0) are ranked No. 8 in the latest Associated Press poll and are setting impressive offensive milestones even for a program as tradition-rich as Kentucky, which includes eight national championships. The Wildcats have scored 97 or more points in their first four home games for the first time in program history and eclipsed the 100-point mark in three of those games. Their lone trip out of state was a solid 77-72 victory over Duke in a matchup of top-10 teams in Atlanta. Kentucky has also made at least 10 three-pointers in each of its first five games of a season for the first time ever. "I think Kentucky attracts good people," Kentucky coach Mark Pope said after the Wildcats' 108-59 win over Jackson State on Friday. "It's the one place in all college basketball where you represent just a fanbase in a different, unique way." Otega Oweh and Koby Brea have led the Wildcats' early scoring outburst. Oweh, who is averaging 16.2 points per game, had 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting against Jackson State. "He gets us off to unbelievable starts every night," Pope told reporters after that game. "He's probably been our most consistent guy in games." Brea, who scored 22 points against Jackson State and is averaging 16.0 points per game, is leading the nation in 3-point accuracy at 74.1 percent. As a team, the Wildcats are shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. And the few times they miss, Amari Williams has been doing the dirty work on the glass, averaging 10.8 boards in addition to 9.6 points per game. Kentucky faces a different challenge than it's had to contend with so far in the Hilltoppers (3-2), who have won three in a row after losing their first two games to Wichita State and Grand Canyon. Their up-tempo play hasn't exactly resulted in great offensive output, but in the Hilltoppers' 79-62 win over Jackson State on Wednesday, they shot 45.2 percent from 3-point range (14 for 31). "I was happy to see a lot of different guys contribute tonight and, hopefully, get their feet under them a little bit and get some confidence," said Western Kentucky coach Hank Plona, who is in his first season as head coach. "Obviously, Tuesday will be quite a test and challenge for us and we'll need them to be at their absolute best." Western Kentucky has an experienced group, which returned mostly intact from last season. The team is led by Conference USA first-team selection Don McHenry, who is leading the team with 17.2 points and 2.2 steals per game. McHenry is one of four Hilltoppers with scoring averages in double figures. Julius Thedford (11.4 points per game) and Babacar Faye (15.0) are each shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range. Western Kentucky also figures to challenge the Wildcats on the boards as it enters the game ranked in the top 25 in defensive rebounding (30.4 per game). Faye leads the Hilltoppers in that department, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game and figures to battle Williams inside. "We're not the biggest team in the world, but our depth and our quickness are our strengths," Plona said. --Field Level MediaTexans look to get on track before playoffs after lopsided loss to Ravens HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press Dec 26, 2024 12:55 PM Dec 26, 2024 1:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tre'Davious White (25) on a fourth down run during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. With just one game left until the playoffs begin, the AFC South champions know they’ll have to get much better to be competitive in the postseason. “That’s not who we are. That’s not what we represent,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “What we put out there on the field, that’s not Texans football. For anybody to come back and bounce back from it you’ve got to check yourself and make sure you’re playing with elite execution and elite energy.” The 29-point loss to the Ravens was Houston’s most lopsided defeat this season. The defense gave up a season-high 251 yards rushing and the offense was shut out, with the team’s only points coming on a second-quarter safety. Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw an interception and missed several throws in a performance he called “one of the worst games of my whole career.” He was asked how he and the team can move on from such a tough loss. “That’s the only thing we can do,” he said. “There is nothing in life you can go ... back and re-do, so it’s all about how you respond. You hit rock bottom; the only way is up. So, we still have a lot of hope. At the end of the day, we clinched our division. We still have an opportunity in the playoffs.” The Texans (9-7) went 0 for 2 in the red zone Wednesday to lower their red zone efficiency to 50.94% this season, which ranks 26th in the NFL. After their safety Wednesday, they had a chance to cut the lead or potentially tie the game when they had a first down at the 10-yard line. Joe Mixon ran for 7 yards on first down before the drive stalled. He was dropped for a 1-yard loss on second down before an incompletion by Stroud brought up fourth-and-4. Stroud threw a short pass to Mixon and he was stopped at the 1-yard line to give the Ravens the ball back. Lamar Jackson then led a 99-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-2. What's working Not much was working in this debacle. About the only good thing that happened for the Texans on Wednesday was a 45-yard kickoff return by Dameon Pierce in the second quarter to start the drive that ended with Mixon being stopped on fourth down. The second-year player is averaging 38.1 yards per return. What needs help The Texans managed just 58 yards rushing against the Ravens with Mixon gaining 26 yards on nine carries. Houston hasn’t reached 100 yards rushing in three straight games and four of its past five. The Texans must get their running game going to take some pressure off Stroud, who is working with a thin receiving group with Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs out for the season with knee injuries. Stock up WR John Metchie led the team with five receptions for 48 yards as he took on a bigger role in the offense in the first game without Dell. It’s the second-most yards Metchie has had in a three-year career where he missed his entire rookie season undergoing cancer treatments. Stock down Wednesday was the second time in three games where Mixon was held to fewer than 30 yards rushing. He started the season strong, running for at least 100 yards in six of his first eight games. But he’s struggled since then, reaching 100 yards just once in five games. Injuries G Shaq Mason missed Wednesday’s game after injuring his knee against the Chiefs and it’s unclear if he can return for the next game. ... C/G Juice Scruggs missed a fourth straight game with foot injury. Key number 59.2 — Stroud had a 59.2 passer rating in the loss, which is tied for the third-worst rating of his career. Next steps After playing three games in 11 days, the Texans now have an extended break before wrapping up the regular season next weekend at Tennessee. Stroud will try and use this setback to get better. “There’s not sunny days if there is not days with rain,” he said. “It’s a rainy day but at the end of the day the sun will rise up tomorrow. We have another crack at this thing next week to keep rolling.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Football (NFL) Titans and Jags meet for 2nd time in 4 weeks, but with QB Mason Rudolph starting for Tennessee Dec 26, 2024 12:26 PM Bucs RB Bucky Irving looks for repeat performance against Panthers struggling run defense Dec 26, 2024 12:12 PM Dolphins clinging to thin playoff hopes, hit the road to face Browns, who have lost four straight Dec 26, 2024 11:53 AM