litter genie Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa (left) and Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala (right) Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala has criticized the coalition government for “its poorly conceived plans to hold Local Government elections.” He said despite the fast-approaching timeline, there was “no visible preparation in place.” Bala said “the lack of action undermines the credibility of the proposed elections and signals yet another instance of the coalition government’s inability to deliver on its poorly thought-out promises effectively.” Concerned citizens on social media platforms, however, have raised the issue of the FijiFirst Government’s inability to hold Local Government elections in the eight years they were in power from 2014 to 2022. In the wake of the general election in 2014, Bala, the then newly appointed Local Government Minister, had said his immediate task was to see that municipal council elections would take place around the country. In January 2017, when probed by the media he said the legislation was being reviewed and the FijiFirst Government was progressing towards holding local government elections. In February2018, during the Local Government Forum in Suva, when asked once again, Bala said processes had to be followed and cited a review of the Local Government Act as the reason why municipal council elections had not been held. Speaking in Parliament in September this year, current Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa said conducting Local Government elections in Fiji was challenging because of its complex socio-political landscape, diverse ethnic makeup and historical contexts. He said the elections required substantial efforts to educate and mobilise voters while ensuring compliance with electoral laws and fostering political stability in a fragile democratic environment. Nalumisa said municipal elections would be held in the 2025-2026 financial year. He said the date would be confirmed upon consultation with the Fijian Elections Office and the Electoral Commission.

Harris has ‘no knowledge’ anyone tried to get RTE to take down viral clipPaycom Software Inc. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitors despite daily gains

Harris has ‘no knowledge’ anyone tried to get RTE to take down viral clipNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation . The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 123.19 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8% to set its own record. The quiet trading came after the latest jobs report came in mixed enough to strengthen traders’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again at its next meeting in two weeks. The report showed U.S. employers hired more workers than expected last month, but it also said the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%. “This print doesn’t kill the holiday spirit and the Fed remains on track to deliver a cut in December,” according to Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector investing within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to offer more help for the slowing job market, after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower interest rates can ease the brakes off the economy, but they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts from the Fed have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times so far this year. And the Fed is part of a global surge: 62 central banks have lowered rates in the past three months, the most since 2020, according to Michael Hartnett and other strategists at Bank of America. Still, the jobs report may have included some notes of caution for Fed officials underneath the surface. Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, pointed to average wages for workers last month, which were a touch stronger than economists expected. While that’s good news for workers who would always like to make more, it could keep upward pressure on inflation. “This report tells the Fed that they still need to be careful as sticky housing/shelter/wage data shows that it won’t be easy to engineer meaningfully lower inflation from here in the nearer term,” Wren said. So, while traders are betting on an 85% probability the Fed will ease its main rate in two weeks, they’re much less certain about how many more cuts it will deliver next year, according to data from CME Group. For now, the hope is that the job market can help U.S. shoppers continue to spend and keep the U.S. economy out of a recession that had earlier seemed inevitable after the Fed began hiking interest rates swiftly to crush inflation. Several retailers offered encouragement after delivering better-than-expected results for the latest quarter. Ulta Beauty rallied 9% after topping expectations for both profit and revenue. The opening of new stores helped boost its revenue, and it raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for sales over this full year. Lululemon stretched 15.9% higher following its own profit report. It said stronger sales outside the United States helped it in particular, and its earnings topped analysts’ expectations. Retailers overall have been offering mixed signals on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain amid the slowing job market and still-high prices. Target gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season, for example, while Walmart gave a much more encouraging outlook. A report on Friday suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers may be improving more than economists expected. The preliminary reading from the University of Michigan’s survey hit its highest level in seven months. The survey found a surge in buying for some products as consumers tried to get ahead of possible increases in price due to higher tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened. In tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise jumped 10.6% for one of the S&P 500’s larger gains after reporting stronger profit and revenue than expected. Tech stocks were some of the market’s strongest this week, as Salesforce and other big companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. All told, the S&P 500 rose 15.16 points to 6,090.27. The Dow dipped 123.19 to 44,642.52, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 159.05 to 19,859.77. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.15% from 4.18% late Thursday. In stock markets abroad, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.3% after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to stay in office until the end of his term and to name a new prime minister within days. Earlier this week, far-right and left-wing lawmakers approved a no-confidence motion due to budget disputes, forcing Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his cabinet to resign. In Asia, stock indexes were mixed. They rallied 1.6% in Hong Kong and 1% in Shanghai ahead of an annual economic policy meeting scheduled for next week. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.6% as South Korea’s ruling party chief showed support for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and then revoked that earlier this week. Yoon is facing calls to resign and may be impeached. Bitcoin was sitting near $101,500 after briefly bursting above $103,000 to a record the day before. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.

Jim Montgomery was hired as coach of the NHL's St. Louis Blues on Sunday, five days after being fired as coach of the Boston Bruins. The 55-year-old Canadian, who guided Boston to an NHL record for wins and points in a season but never got past the second round of the playoffs, replaced Drew Bannister, who was fired after a 9-12-1 start by the Blues this season. An 8-9-3 start this season by the Bruins led to Montgomery's firing, but he signed a five-year contract with the Blues. "This was more an opportunity to get someone of Jim's caliber more than anything else," Blues president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong said. "We've had to deal with our situations off the ice with injuries and everyone deals with that, but this decision was based 100% on having someone of Jim's caliber becoming available when I didn't know that was going to happen." Montgomery is 180-84-33 as an NHL coach, having guided Dallas for two seasons and Boston for just over two campaigns, going 120-41-23 with the Bruins. In the 2022-23 season, the Bruins won an NHL record 65 games and compiled a record 135 points under Montgomery, who was named the NHL's Coach of the Year, but were upset by Florida in the first round of the playoffs. Boston also lost to the eventual 2024 Stanley Cup champions in last year's playoffs. Montgomery was dropped by the Bruins last Tuesday and replaced by Joe Sacco. "He certainly has a very positive demeanour, works well with the top players in the organizations that he's been with," Armstrong said. "He has a wealth of experience and he's at the prime of his coaching career." The Blues, who won the 2019 Stanley Cup, have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Bannister went 39-31-6 as the Blues coach after replacing Craig Berube last December. Montgomery gets his first test with the Blues on Monday when they visit the New York Rangers. js/sevFEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, MAKURDI (FUAM) NOW KNOWN AS JOSEPH SARWUAN TARKA UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI (JOSTUM) CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN PROCUREMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL STANDARDS (CIPESS) CALL FOR APPLICATIONS INTO NEW REGULAR AND EXECUTIVE SHORT COURSES (TRACK A) Applications are invited from interested candidates for admission into Regular and Executive short courses in the fields of Procurement Standards, Environmental Standards and Social Standards (PES) at the Center for Innovation in Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards (CIPESS), Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) now known as Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM). About us: Centre for Innovation in Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards (CIPESS) is a World Bank sponsored Center of excellence established at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), Benue State. CIPESS is funded by the World Bank for a 5-year period in the first instance under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The SPESSE project is aimed at enhancing sustainable human capacity development in Procurement, Environmental and Social standards in public and private sectors in Nigeria and the sub-region in order to support good governance, increase transparency, competition, equal opportunity and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery as well as improve value for money in public expenditure. This will be done through training, professionalization and research in procurement, environmental and social standards. Leveraging on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Center will collaborate with national and international partners to train students in short executive short courses, advanced certificate courses, post-graduate diplomas, bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees. VISION To be a dynamic regional hub for expert training and research in public procurement, environmental and social standards based on global best practices. MISSION To produce a critical mass of highly skilled and fit-for-purpose professionals in the areas of Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards for sustainable development. WHO CAN APPLY Applications are open to the Unemployed, Professionals, Civil Servants, Public Servants, Experts, Graduates, Entrepreneurs, and other interested individuals seeking to advance knowledge and skills in procurement, environmental and social standards. NEW COURSES AVAILABLE HOW TO APPLY Candidates are kindly advised to visit CIPESS website; www.cipessfuam.edu.ng and fill the online application form to register for their preferred courses. WHEN TO APPLY Application is continuous. Interested candidates can apply for the Center’s short courses in Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards at any time as candidates will be routinely shortlisted and trained in batches. MODE OF DELIVERY LOCATIONS DURATION The duration of the short courses is 5 working days per course for the onsite mode. PARTICIPANTS’ CHARGES Candidates for the regular short courses in Nigeria would be required to pay the highly subsidized charges of One Hundred and Eighty thousand naira (N180,000) only per course. Charges for Executive Short Courses would be fixed based on prevailing conditions. CONTACT US Address: CIPESS building, Engineering Complex, Middle Core, JOSTUM Website: www.cipessfuam.edu.ng Email: [email protected] Call: 08066321522, 08024562933, 08038288040, 080339260253 Follow us: (Facebook) @cipessuam (X) @cipess_fuam (Instagram) @cipessfuam123 (YouTube) @cipess_fuam Signed Professor L.A. Nnamonu Center Leader & Director, Center for Innovation in Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi.LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taylor Swift once raved about the sweet potato casserole served at a New York City restaurant and now that recipe pops up every now and again at Thanksgiving. The holidays encourage many of us to try new recipes. Social media right now is flooded with recipes for appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Anyone making that cornbread casserole from TikTok? While we might not get to share a Thanksgiving feast with Swift — is your name Blake Lively? — or other celebrities beloved by Kansas City, we can eat like them. So here’s the recipe for that casserole Swift loved so much, and favorite family side dish recipes from Donna Kelce and Eric Stonestreet. Enjoy. Travis Kelce's mother, Donna Kelce, seen here last year at her son's music festival, dined on a cheesesteak made by actor Bradley Cooper at QVC festivities in Las Vegas this week. (Emily Curiel/Kansas City Star/TNS) If we tried to guess how many holiday dinner rolls Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, have scarfed over the years, would it be in the hundreds? Thousands? Their mom has spoken often about the batches of holiday crescent rolls she has baked over the years. Based on the recipe that won the 1969 Pillsbury Bake-Off, Pillsbury’s Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs , they’re now known as Mama Kelce’s Dinner Rolls. They blend the crescent roll pastry with marshmallows, cinnamon and sugar. Dinner roll or dessert? We bet they didn’t last long enough in front of Travis and Jason for that debate. Ingredients Rolls •1/4 cup granulated sugar •2 tablespoons Pillsbury Best all-purpose flour •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon •2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (8 Count) •16 large marshmallows •1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted Glaze •1/2 cup powdered sugar •1/2 teaspoon vanilla •2-3 teaspoons milk •1/4 cup chopped nuts Directions Make the rolls 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 16 medium muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. 2. In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon. 3. Separate the dough into 16 triangles. For each roll, dip 1 marshmallow into melted butter; roll in the sugar mixture. Place marshmallow on the shortest side of a triangle. Roll up, starting at shortest side and rolling to opposite point. Completely cover the marshmallow with the dough; firmly pinch edges to seal. Dip 1 end in remaining butter; place butter side down in muffin cup. 4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 5. When done, remove from the oven and let the puffs cool in the pan for 1 minute. Remove rolls from muffin cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper. Make the glaze and assemble In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve warm. Eric Stonestreet attends 'Eric Stonestreet visits The SiriusXM Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles' at SiriusXM Studios on Oct. 8, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM/TNS) Thanksgiving is one of the “Modern Family” star’s favorite holidays. Three years ago, as part of a campaign honoring hometown heroes , he shared one of his favorite recipe with McCormick Spices: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Butternut Squash . This recipe serves eight. Ingredients •1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved •1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes •1 tablespoon olive oil •1/2 teaspoon garlic powder •1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves •1/2 teaspoon salt •1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper •5 slices bacon, chopped •1 shallot, finely chopped •1/2 cup dried cranberries •1/4 cup balsamic vinegar •1 teaspoon whole grain mustard •1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional) •1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, (optional) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Spray large shallow baking pan with no stick cooking spray; set aside. Place Brussels sprouts and squash in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Spread in single layer on prepared pan. 2. Roast 16 to 18 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring halfway through cooking. 3. Meanwhile, cook bacon in medium skillet on medium heat about 6 minutes or until crispy. Remove using slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Add shallot to same skillet; cook and stir 2 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Stir in cranberries, vinegar and mustard until well blended. Transfer mixture to small bowl; set aside. 4. Arrange roasted Brussels sprouts and squash on serving platter. Drizzle with cranberry balsamic glaze and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and crumbled blue cheese, if desired. Serve immediately. Donna Kelce, left, mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce watched the game with pop superstar Taylor Swift, center, during the first-half on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS) Swift gushed about the sweet potato casserole served at Del Frisco’s Grille in New York City, a dish crowned with a crunchy candied pecan and oatmeal crumble. “I’ve never enjoyed anything with the word casserole in it ever before, but it’s basically sweet potatoes with this brown sugary crust,” she told InStyle. ”Oh my God, it’s amazing.” The media rushed to find the recipe, which Parade has published this Thanksgiving season . “Similar to T. Swift herself, we think this recipe is a mastermind, especially if you’ve been asked to bring the sweet potato side dish to this year’s Thanksgiving feast. It seriously begs the question: who needs pumpkin pie?” the magazine writes. Ingredients •4 lbs sweet potatoes •1⁄3 cup oats •12 oz unsalted butter, divided •1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar •1⁄2 cup toasted pecans •1⁄2 cup granulated sugar •1 tsp kosher salt •2 tsp vanilla extract •4 large eggs, beaten Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. 1. Scrub sweet potatoes. Pierce each several times with a fork and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a sheet pan. Bake 90 minutes or until tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 2. Meanwhile, place oats in a food processor; process 1 minute. Add 4 oz butter, brown sugar and pecans; pulse five times to combine. Spread mixture on a baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, crumble. Bake 5 minutes or until golden brown. 3. Melt remaining 8 oz butter. Remove skin from cooled sweet potatoes. In a large bowl, whisk sweet potatoes, melted butter, granulated sugar and remaining ingredients until slightly lumpy. Transfer to a greased baking dish, smoothing surface evenly. Top with oat mixture. Bake 12 minutes or until heated through. Make-ahead tips •Sweet potato filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Prepare the sweet potato filling, cool, place in a casserole dish and keep refrigerated. •Oat-pecan crust can also be made up to 2 days ahead. Make the crust according to recipe directions, cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Sprinkle over the sweet potato filling just before baking. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Defense, has close ties to an Idaho-based Christian nationalist church that aims to turn America into a theocracy. Hegseth is a member of a Tennessee congregation affiliated with Christ Church, a controversial congregation in Moscow, Idaho, that has become a leader in the movement to get more Christianity in the public sphere. In an appearance last year on the Christ Church-connected streaming show “Crosspolitic,” Hegseth talked about how building up fundamentalist Christian education systems is important in what he sees as a “spiritual battle” with the secular world. He sees Christian students as foot soldiers in that war and refers to Christian schools as “boot camp.” “We’re in middle phase one right now, which is effectively a tactical retreat where you regroup, consolidate and reorganize and as you do so, you build your army underground with the opportunity later on of taking offensive operations – and obviously all of this is metaphorical and all that good stuff,” he said on the show. Hegseth did not immediately respond to requests for an interview. Hegseth has spoken positively about Christ Church Pastor Doug Wilson’s writings Christ Church is led by Pastor Doug Wilson, who founded the Calvinist group of churches called the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC. CREC has congregations in nearly all 50 states and several foreign countries. Hegseth’s church is a member of CREC, and Hegseth has spoken positively of Wilson’s writings. Wilson and his allies have a rigid patriarchal belief system and don’t believe in the separation of church and state. They support taking away the right to vote from most women, barring non-Christians from holding office and criminalizing the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, Wilson has increased his influence nationally as he’s built a religious, educational and media empire. His Association of Classical Christian Schools has hundreds of fundamentalist schools around the country, and his publishing outfit Canon Press churns out dozens of titles a year as well as popular streaming shows that highlight unyielding socially conservative ideals. In the recently released podcast, “Extremely American” (created by this reporter), Wilson says one of his goals is to get like-minded people into positions of influence. In an emailed response for this story, he said he’s closer to that post-election and that he supports Hegseth’s nomination, though he downplayed any influence he has on him. “I was grateful for Trump’s win, and believe that it is much more likely that Christians with views similar to mine will receive positions in the new administration,” he said. Hegseth nomination could threaten cohesion, diversity of U.S. military, experts say That’s what worries Air Force veteran Mikey Weinstein, who is the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Weinstein says Hegseth, if confirmed as secretary of Defense, would threaten the cohesion of a religiously and racially diverse U.S. military. “Pete Hegseth is a poster child for literally everything that would be the opposite of what you would want to have for someone who’s controlling the technologically most lethal organization in the history of this country,” he said. Weinstein sees Hegseth’s nomination as an example of the dangers of Project 2025, a 900-page policy paper written by far-right political activists. It lays out a plan to gut the federal government and install Christian nationalist ideals. “Christian nationalism is an absolute fatal cancer metastasizing at light speed (for) the national security of this country,” he said. “It is a Christian version of the Taliban.” Matthew D. Taylor, senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, said Hegseth is “one of the most extreme far right figures ever nominated to a cabinet post, at least in modern memory.” Taylor said he’s broadly concerned about Christian nationalists, who tend to take a dim view of democracy, potentially having a lot of sway in this administration. “I think we should expect a profound degradation of our democratic norms of the rule of law, and I think we are edging closer to a de facto Anglo Protestant establishment, of the kind where Anglo Protestant Christianity as the de facto official religion in the United States,” he said. Hegseth faces some headwinds in his nomination process due to multiple marital sex scandals and the recent revelation that he paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in exchange for her not speaking about it. He denies he assaulted her but admits he paid her. He’s also gotten criticism for tattoos that are symbols of the Crusades and wrote a book titled “American Crusade,” where he derides Muslims. Before becoming a TV personality, Hegseth led the conservative veterans group Concerned Veterans for America, which advocated for increased privatization of veterans’ health care. He has also said that women should not be allowed to serve in combat roles in the military, and has complained about what he terms “woke” policies in the military.

No nation can prosper without investment in youths – VP ShettimaWell, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. It's "America's Got Talent" meets "American Idol," with the stage being the field and the grand prize a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it's never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut. Know this, though — it's not an easy team to make. The men's and women's national team rosters are at "Dream Team" status given the men's side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport's national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent to cultivate. USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far, ranging from Dallas (Sunday) to Chicago (Dec. 14) to Tampa (March 29) to Los Angeles (TBD) and the Boston area (April 27), where it will be held at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The numbers have been through the roof, with engagement on social media platforms increasing by 86% since flag football was announced as an Olympic invitational sport in October 2023. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football research. "We pride ourselves on elevating the gold standard across the sport," said Eric Mayes, the managing director of the high performance and national teams for USA Football. "We want to be the best in the world — and stay the best in the world." Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program. The already soaring profile of American football only figures to be enhanced by an Olympic appearance. Imagine, say, a few familiar faces take the field, too. Perhaps even NFL stars such as Tyreek Hill or Patrick Mahomes, maybe even past pro football greats donning a flag belt for a country to which they may have ties. Soon after flag football's inclusion, there was chatter of NFL players possibly joining in on the fun. Of course, there are logistical issues to tackle before their inclusion at the LA Olympics, which open July 14, 2028. Among them, training camp, because the Olympics will be right in the middle of it. The big question is this: Will owners permit high-priced players to duck out for a gold-medal pursuit? No decisions have yet been made on the status of NFL players for the Olympics. For now, it's simply about growing the game. There are currently 13 states that sanction girls flag football as a high school varsity sport. Just recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles helped pave the way to get it adopted in Pennsylvania. Around the world, it's catching on, too. The women's team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores. "Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That's something to aspire to," said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL's vice president of flag football. This type of flag football though, isn't your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There's a learning curve. And given the small roster sizes, versatility is essential. Most national team members need to be a version of Colorado's two-way standout and Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter. Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there's no contact. None. That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017. "If a receiver is running around, I'm thinking, 'OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,'" Daniels explained. "They're like, 'No, you can't.' I'm just like, 'So I'm supposed to let this guy just run?!' I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn." The competition for an Olympic roster spot is going to be fierce because only 10 players are expected to make a squad. The best 10 will earn it, too, as credentials such as college All-American or NFL All-Pro take a backseat. "I would actually love" seeing NFL players try out, said Daniels, who's also a personal trainer in Miami. "I'm not going to let you just waltz in here, thinking, 'I played NFL football for five years. I'm popular. I have a huge name.' I'm still better than you and I'm going to prove it — until you prove otherwise." Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries to reach for a hug. It's his way of working on avoiding a "defender" trying to snare the flag. That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles. "You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the 'Redeem Team' led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you're always thinking, 'That's insane.' Obviously, you couldn't do it in your sport, because I played football," said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area. "With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on." It's a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now. "Everybody thinks, 'Yeah, the U.S. just wins,'" Daniels said. "But we work hard all the time. We don't just walk in. We don't just get off the bus thinking, 'We're going to beat people.'"

Washington Capitals (13-6-1, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Florida Panthers (12-8-1, in the Atlantic Division) Sunrise, Florida; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers take on the Washington Capitals as losers of three straight games. Florida is 12-8-1 overall and 6-4-1 at home. The Panthers are fourth in league play serving 10.2 penalty minutes per game. Washington has a 13-6-1 record overall and a 6-2-0 record on the road. The Capitals have a +26 scoring differential, with 81 total goals scored and 55 allowed. Monday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Aleksander Barkov Jr. has four goals and 15 assists for the Panthers. Uvis Balinskis has over the last 10 games. Connor McMichael has 13 goals and seven assists for the Capitals. Ivan Miroshnichenko has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 5-5-0, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.7 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game. Capitals: 5-4-1, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game. INJURIES: Panthers: None listed. Capitals: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Liverpool were denied their victory right at the death by Newcastle's Fabian Schar as Arsenal inflicted a first league loss on Ruben Amorim since December 2023. New Delhi: Premier League game week 14 started with Crystal Palace securing a win against Ipswich Town while Leicester City outclassed West Ham in every corner of the game. Continuing the action, the big game for Wednesday was Arsenal hosting Manchester United as the two teams are regaining their hold in the season. In addition to this game, table-toppers Liverpool played against Newcastle United, while their Merseyside opponent Everton hosted Wolverhampton Wanders. Manchester City, having lost their last four Premier League games, hosted Nottingham Forest, with Southampton playing third-placed Chelsea. Newcastle United 3-3 Liverpool The points are shared at St. James’ Park. #NEWLIV pic.twitter.com/WFueJwnnlV — Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 4, 2024 After playing a boring stalemate with Crystal Palace, Newcastle looked more determined as they kept threatening the Liverpool box. Alexander Isak kept breaching the Liverpool defence before scoring in the 35th minute as he beat Virgil van Dijk from a Bruno Guimaraes through ball. Liverpool kept losing possession throughout the first half in front of their unstoppable hosts. With a goal deficit from the first half, Liverpool needed their best player of the season to step up in order to retain their lead at the top of the Premier League table. Curtis Jones opened the scoring for the Reds with Mohamed Salah’s eighth assist of the season and made a perfect finish. Not conceding their lead, Newcastle took back the lead in just 12 minutes, with Anthony Gordon scoring from Isak’s assist. Salah then scored a brace in 15 minutes, breaking the record for most matches with goals and assists and briefly gave the Reds a lead in the game. However, Fabian Schar’s goal from Guimaraes’s second assist of the game in the added time meant the game ended in a draw. Everton 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers FT. Four goals under the lights and our biggest home win since April 2019!! Thank you for your incredible support tonight, Blues! 🔵 #EVEWOL pic.twitter.com/LLXBe1u6qJ — Everton (@Everton) December 4, 2024 After suffering a 4-0 loss to Manchester United in the previous gameweek, Everton were determined against Wolves from the start of the game as Ashley Young became the oldest player in the Premier League to score a free-kick as he curled the ball around the wall and into the bottom corner. Orel Mangala doubled the lead after Dwight McNeil’s cross into the box was headed off to Vitalii Mykolenko, from whose rebound the Belgian scored. While Everton had a slight advantage over the Wolves, the visitors simply crumbled under pressure. Four minutes into the second half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin tried to win a corner from McNeil with Sa coming out of the box. However, the goal came from Craig Dawson’s foot, making it his first own goal of the evening. In the 72nd, another Calvert-Lewin attempt comes from Dawson. Wolves never gave themselves the chance to win the game at all. Manchester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest FULL-TIME | Victory! 🤩 🩵 3-0 🌳 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/RSTIgt65w4 — Manchester City (@ManCity) December 4, 2024 Manchester City broke their losing streak jinx with a 3-0 win win against Nottingham Forest and took home their first points since the end of October. It was Bernardo Silva who opened the scoring for Manchester City at the eight-minute mark with a simple tap from Kevin de Bruyne’s second assist for the season, following Ilkay Gundogan and Josko Gvardiol’s brilliant. De Bruyne then got on the scoresheet himself after shooting from 15 yards from Jeremy Doku’s pass from the left. Going into the break with a lead, City clearly had an advantage which they didn’t give away in the second half of the game. City had more possession and shots on target than visitors. Just before the hour mark, Doku scored his second goal of the season with Erling Haaland, the highest goal scorer of the season, making his first assist of the season. Southampton 1-5 Chelsea ANOTHER WIN AWAY. 🙌 #CFC | #SOUCHE pic.twitter.com/7LNzqGAjQ4 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 4, 2024 It was yet another runaway performance from Chelsea as they took the field in St Mary’s Stadium. Coming from a 3-0 win over Aston Villa, the Blues scored early, with Axel Disasi heading Enzo Fernandez’s corner into the front post in the seventh minute. Though scored four minutes later, Joe Aribo scored the equalizer, Southampton soon fell. Noni Madueke intercepted Joe Lumley’s pass into the midfield and passed the ball to Christopher Nkunku, who simply rolled the ball into the empty post. The Frenchman had the easiest finish on the night and the balloon was out once again in the Premier League. Madueke was then in the scoresheet when Joao Felix exploited the open space and found the English international in the penalty box, who ensured Chelsea’s lead increased with a precise finish. The Saints then had a major task of play with just a ten-man unit after Jack Stephens was shown the red card. Cole Palmer scored Chelsea’s fourth after Nkunku was denied a brace. However, the ball rolled in front of Palmer, who made no mistake. The final goal came from Jadon Sancho’s boot after Malo Gusto’s brilliant run and pin-point pass to Sancho, who scored his first goal for the club to wrap up the win. The win means they are now second in the table, just seven points behind Liverpool. Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United BIG WIN IN N5 ✊ pic.twitter.com/tS7QJkbGbu — Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 4, 2024 This was Ruben Amorim’s first big test as Manchester United manager and it seems like it came a little too early for the Portuguese as the Gunners’ set piece prowess on full display. Mikel Arteta’s men have been showing that nobody is more dangerous from set pieces than them it was once again evident as both of his side’s goals came from corners, inflicting the first league defeat on Ruben Amorim since December 2023, breaking a run of 34 games unbeaten for the Portuguese manager. After the game had remained level till halftime despite the ball finding the back of the net via an offside Kai Havertz, the tempo of the game changed after the break. Arsenal broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, when Declan Rice whipped a ball in and it was met by the head of Jurrien Timber who found the net at his near post. The hosts doubled their lead 20 minutes later when another corner was delivered into the box by Bukayo Saka. It was met by Thomas Partey whose header across the goal rebounded off William Saliba to make it 2-0 for the hosts. United tried to get back into the game but were tharwted by Raya at every chance they got, succumbing them to the first defeat since Erik Ten Hag’s dismissal. Aston Villa 3-1 Brentford Three goals. Three points. UTV! 👊 pic.twitter.com/ju962C6c8A — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 4, 2024 Aston Villa finally put an end to their eight-game winless and did so run in style by securing a dominant 3-1 victory over Brentford at Villa Park. Despite a slow start to the affair, Villa capitalized on their first real opportunity when Morgan Rogers fired a stunning strike into the top right corner from just outside the box, opening the scoring the hosts. Ollie Watkins doubled the lead shortly after, calmly converting a penalty after being brought down by Ethan Pinnock. Brentford’s defensive woes deepened when Matty Cash volleyed in a third goal following excellent work from Rogers, putting Villa firmly in control by halftime. Brentford showed signs of life early in the second half when Mikkel Damsgaard found the net nine minutes after the break, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope. However, they struggled to build on that momentum, and their poor away form persisted. Villa’s defense held firm, ensuring they claimed a much-needed three points. The victory not only lifted spirits at Villa Park but also provided a crucial boost in confidence as the team looks to regain form moving forward. This was a much needed win for Unai Emery’s men who looked to be on a free-fall since a comeback win against Wolves in September. Click for more latest Football news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Faiz Ahmed is a passionate and budding sports journalist with a keen interest particularly in football. 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Texans foiled by mistake after mistake in 32-27 loss to Titans HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans made mistakes in every facet of the game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to lose for the third time in four games. C.J. Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press Nov 24, 2024 3:44 PM Nov 24, 2024 4:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) stands on the field after the team's loss against the Tennessee Titans in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans made mistakes in every facet of the game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to lose for the third time in four games. C.J. Stroud threw two interceptions, the defense gave up multiple big passing plays and Ka′imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied it late in a 32-27 loss . “Just a disappointing loss for us,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We didn’t do anything well enough to win this game. Out of all the positives that we did have, there were way too many negatives, too many negative plays.” Jimmie Ward had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter and the Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks. Danielle Hunter led the group with a season-high three sacks and Will Anderson Jr. added two in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury. But the offense sputtered for most of the game as Joe Mixon was held to 22 yards on 14 carries. But Ryans refused to blame the offense for the loss. “Our offense did plenty," Ryans said. "They gave us enough points. On defense, we have to be able to stop them.” Chig Okonkwo grabbed a short pass and rumbled 70 yards for a touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that would have stopped him near midfield. It was the last of three big passing plays the Titans had Sunday. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine got in front of the defense and was wide open for a 38-yard TD catch that made it 10-7 late in the first quarter. Calvin Ridley had a 63-yard reception that set up their next touchdown in the second. “It was just way too many negative plays,” Ryans said. “Defensively, unexplainable explosives for touchdowns. We didn’t play good across the board and that starts with me.” Despite this, the Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Fairbairn’s short field-goal attempt sailed wide left. He fell to the ground after the miss before getting up and slamming his helmet on the field. “The most frustrating part about it is out of all the bad things that happened, we still had a chance to finish the game,” Ryans said. “Everything that could go wrong, it went wrong. We still had a chance there to tie it up and finish the game, and we didn’t.” The Texans forced a three-and-out, but couldn’t move the ball after that and Harold Landry sacked Stroud in the end zone for a safety to make it 32-27 and allow Tennessee to snap a two-game skid. Stroud threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions Sunday give him five combined in the past three games. He now has more interceptions in 12 games this season (nine) than he had in 15 games as a rookie last season (five). “It’s no secret that I haven’t been playing well ... I’ve got to be harder on myself,” he said. “I’m not going to hold my head down. I know I can be a great player, but I’ve got to make better plays.” ___ 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) Richardson's rocky start proves costly in 2nd straight home loss as Colts fall to Lions 24-6 Nov 24, 2024 4:03 PM Special teams miscues prove costly for Bears in overtime loss to Vikings Nov 24, 2024 3:57 PM Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs leaves game because of concussion Nov 24, 2024 3:51 PMTandy Leather Factory Announces Agreement to Sell Headquarters Facilities