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Children and virtual reality – Benefits and risks for emotional development

UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insuranceEli Lilly announces $15 billion buyback, dividend hike

Ministers warned of cuts as ‘every pound’ of spending to face reviewA chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Toyin Amuzu, has called for the immediate release of Gaffar Asaolu, political aide to Oladipupo Adebutu, the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections. The Ogun State Police Command arrested Asaolu over allegations of involvement in violence during last Saturday’s local government elections. In a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Amuzu condemned what he described as the “arbitrary arrest and detention” of Asaolu, demanding his unconditional release. “The continuous detention of the Director of Finance of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Committee in the 2023 general elections, on trumped-up charges, is unfair and unjust,” Amuzu stated. The PDP chieftain accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of orchestrating Asaolu’s arrest, describing it as a political witch-hunt aimed at silencing opposition voices. He urged the governor to prioritize addressing the state’s growing security concerns rather than targeting members of the opposition party. “Governor Abiodun should focus on the pressing security challenges in Ogun State instead of engaging in the political victimization of PDP members. The alleged killer squad tag and unfair treatment of Asaolu are unjustifiable,” Amuzu said. Amuzu also referenced Adebutu’s own run-ins with law enforcement, noting that the governorship candidate had been arrested twice by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police. He suggested that Asaolu’s detention is connected to his association with Adebutu. He said that Adebutu was later released when no evidence was found against him, while Asaolu remains in detention, pointing out that “this is a clear case of political persecution and an affront to democracy” “The government should focus on addressing the real security challenges facing our state, which include ritual killings, cult clashes and killings, robbery, kidnapping, and political violence especially from the ruling party rather than harassing innocent citizens,” Amuzu added in the statement. . He, therefore, called on the state government to respect the Rule of Law and ensure that all citizens are treated fairly and justly. “The illegal arrest and detention of citizens without sufficient evidence is a clear violation of their fundamental human rights. The people of Ogun State deserve better, and it’s time for the government to take action to address the growing security concerns and put an end to political witch-hunts”, the 2023 House of Representatives PDP candidate submitted.

Daily Post Nigeria I could have become a drug addict – Obasanjo Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News I could have become a drug addict – Obasanjo Published on November 24, 2024 By Gift Oba Former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he almost became a drug addict. He spoke in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second edition of ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network. Obasanjo stated that smoking during his youthful age led to chronic coughing and almost became an addiction. The former President, while lamenting the increase in drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young people to refrain from abusing psychoactive drugs, saying that they ruin life rather than enhance it. “If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out. “There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction. “We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said. He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help. Related Topics: obasanjo Don't Miss Okpebholo overturns Obaseki’s policies, restores Oba of Benin’s full powers You may like Stop making jest of presidents – Osinbajo’s ex-aide to Obasanjo 2027: Obasanjo’s knock on INEC reopens push for electoral reform Ohanaeze youths slam Obasanjo over comments against INEC boss You presided over Nigeria’s worst elections – Coalition knocks Obasanjo Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan cause Nigeria’s economic hardship — Onanuga You ruled on record as most corrupt, apologize to Nigerians – Presidency slams Obasanjo Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd

Pure Kitchen location in ByWard Market set to close

NPP General Secretary Confident of Election Victory, Calls for Vigilance as Polls CloseSyria’s besieged Assad makes overtures to US in bid to surviveAmong the many countries Michael Kim flew to in the 2024 PGA Tour season was Mexico for the World Wide Technology Championship. Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images The life of a PGA Tour pro can seem glamorous, darting across the globe and back all year long chasing giant purses. But to accomplish all that jetting around, pro golfers rely on, well, jets. And all that airline travel, plus the hotel stays once they arrive, comes at a shocking cost. We know that thanks to Tour pro Michael Kim . Kim has become one of the best follows on social media for golfers. He regularly dispenses valuable and interesting insight into the behind-the-scenes life of a PGA Tour pro , both the good and the bad. It’s the kind of transparency modern sports fans love to see, and Kim provided his latest dose this week to his followers on X. In a post on Friday morning, Kim shared a screenshot of a graph showing the total money he spent on flights and hotels for PGA Tour events in the 2024 season, revealing a staggering sum: $92,698.11 . That enormous cost accumulated while Kim played in 30 different PGA Tour events in 2024, including stops in Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda and points all across the continental U.S. Kim added that the $92K+ total he spent featured “zero dollars spent on private flights, and rarely business class.” Unlike some Tour stars, Kim always flies commercial, presumably making his travel costs far lower than others, as he noted in his post. “Can’t imagine some of the top guys’ costs,” Kim wrote. 😅 This is my spending on flights and hotels for 30 tournaments in 2024. Zero dollars spent on private flights, and rarely business class. Can’t imagine some of the top guys’ costs... At least I’m racking up some CC points! pic.twitter.com/tnqLHRl2fF Kim’s example is helpful to educate golf fans on how costly it can be to be a pro golfer outside of the elite ranks. You have to spend big to have any chance of making a living, and little money is guaranteed. Kim, who has one career Tour victory, still ended up in the green for the 2024 season. Despite missing 13 cuts and only capturing two top-10 finishes, Kim’s official money for the season came out to $1,484,233 . The lion’s share of those earnings, though, came from just five tournaments, further showing the financial insecurity many players on the lower rungs of the Tour face. Ironically, his biggest paycheck of the season was $310,800 for a T6-finish at the American Express, which was just his second start of the year and was played in California, the state where he grew up. Latest In News Golf.com Editor As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com humming outside the news-breaking stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech team in the development of new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience.b777-800 。

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Column: Money wasted on culturally divisive issues could be spent helping kids‘Miracle’ mother who survived traumatic birth meets crucial blood donor team

With technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic.

Phase 3 Study Results Demonstrated Three Year, Disease-Free Survival of 96% THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. , Dec. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced new data demonstrating that adding BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) to chemotherapy significantly improves disease-free survival (DFS) in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard risk (SR) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) of average or higher risk of relapse. The data are from a Phase 3 study (AALL1731) conducted by the Children's Oncology Group. The results were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine and will be presented during the plenary session on Sunday, Dec. 8 , at 2 p.m. PT at the 66 th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego . "Over the last decade, BLINCYTO has reshaped the treatment landscape for B-ALL, offering a critical lifeline for thousands of adult and pediatric patients," said Jay Bradner , M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development and chief scientific officer at Amgen. "These powerful new data leave us little doubt about the profound impact of this medicine for a large number of children affected by this disease. We are grateful to the Children's Oncology Group, along with the patients, families and clinical teams, for their dedication and partnership in advancing this critical study to improve the lives of children with cancer." Based on the results of the first pre-specified interim analysis for efficacy, the study met its primary endpoint of DFS and study randomization was terminated early based on the recommendation from the data and safety monitoring committee due to the benefit observed in the BLINCYTO arm compared to the chemotherapy-only arm. Overall, the 3-year DFS was 96.0% for patients treated with chemotherapy plus BLINCYTO compared to 87.9% for those treated with only chemotherapy. The hazard ratio (HR) was 0.39 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.64], indicating a 61% reduction in the risk of disease relapse, secondary malignant neoplasm or remission death with BLINCYTO. At 3 years, more patients remained alive and cancer free when treated with BLINCYTO plus chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone. "The AALL1731 study results are truly practice-changing, further solidifying blinatumomab's role as the standard of care for a large number of children with B-ALL," said Sumit Gupta , M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC, co-chair of the Children's Oncology Group AALL1731 study and oncologist and clinician investigator, Division of Haematology/Oncology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto . "These breakthrough data showing a significant improvement in disease-free survival are poised to bring substantial clinical value to children with newly diagnosed B-ALL." The addition of BLINCYTO to chemotherapy in standard risk patients resulted in outcomes similar to those previously achieved in only the most favorable pediatric risk subsets. Among SR-Average patients, 3-year DFS was 97.5% for patients treated with BLINCYTO compared to 90.2% for those treated with only chemotherapy (HR 0.33, CI 0.15-0.69). For SR-High patients, 3-year DFS was 94.1% for those treated with BLINCYTO compared to 84.8% for those treated with only chemotherapy (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.24-0.85). "Relapsed ALL remains a major cause of pediatric cancer mortality, with nearly half of the relapses occurring in children with standard-risk B-ALL," said Rachel E. Rau , M.D., co-chair of the Children's Oncology Group AALL1731 study, pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington . "These findings underscore the progress made with blinatumomab in preventing relapse and support its role as a critical addition to current therapeutic strategies." Safety results are consistent with the known safety profile of BLINCYTO. BLINCYTO has demonstrated a positive balance of benefits and risks, with only 0.3% of first courses associated with Grade 3+ cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and 0.7% with seizures. A higher risk of infections was observed in the BLINCYTO arm. These results provide the first evidence supporting BLINCYTO for use in the consolidation phase in newly diagnosed pediatric Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-) B-ALL patients. This groundbreaking first-in-class Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE ® ) therapy is now backed by additional evidence reinforcing its role in redefining a standard of care for both adult and pediatric patients, starting from one month old, regardless of measurable residual disease (MRD) status. The findings further establish BLINCYTO as a versatile first-line consolidation therapy across all ages and treatment backbones. The NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), which sponsored the study will share data with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of their ongoing communications relating to the trial. About The Children's Oncology Group The Children's Oncology Group (childrensoncologygroup.org), a member of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The Children's Oncology Group unites over 10,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities and cancer centers across North America , Australia , New Zealand and Saudi Arabia in the fight against childhood cancer. Today, more than 80% of the 15,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at Children's Oncology Group member institutions. Research performed by Children's Oncology Group institutions over the past 50 years has transformed childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease to one with a combined 5-year survival rate of 86%. The Children's Oncology Group's mission is to improve the cure rate and outcomes for all children with cancer. About AALL1731 (NCT03914625) The AALL1731 study was a Phase 3 randomized trial to determine if two non-sequential cycles of BLINCYTO added to chemotherapy improved disease-free survival (DFS) in children with newly diagnosed pediatric National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard risk (SR) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The study enrolled 4,264 newly diagnosed NCI SR B-ALL patients, of whom 2,334 were risk stratified at the end of induction therapy as either SR-Average or SR-High. At the first planned interim efficacy analysis (data cutoff June 30, 2024 ), 1,440 of the eligible and evaluable patients had been randomized. The AALL1731 study was designed and conducted independently from industry. The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) of the NCI sponsored the trial and provided funding to the Children's Oncology Group to conduct the study. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, Amgen provided BLINCYTO and support through an NCI Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) ALL, also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is a fast-growing type of blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen and central nervous system. ALL is a rare disease, with an estimated 6,550 new cases, affecting both children and adults, diagnosed in the U.S. in 2024. 1 B-ALL begins in immature cells that would normally develop into B-cell lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that grow in bone marrow. 2,3 B-ALL is the most common type of ALL, constituting approximately 75% of cases in adults and approximately 88% in children, the most common cancer in children. 4,5 About BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) BLINCYTO is the first globally approved Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE ® ) immuno-oncology therapy that targets CD19 surface antigens on B cells. BiTE ® molecules fight cancer by helping the body's immune system detect and target malignant cells by engaging T cells (a type of white blood cell capable of killing other cells perceived as threats) to cancer cells. By bringing T cells near cancer cells, the T cells can inject toxins and trigger cancer cell death (apoptosis). BiTE ® immuno-oncology therapies are currently being investigated for their potential to treat a wide variety of cancers. BLINCYTO was granted Breakthrough Therapy and Priority Review designations by the U.S. FDA and is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of: In the European Union (EU), BLINCYTO is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of: BLINCYTO ® IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME and NEUROLOGICAL TOXICITIES including IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELL-ASSOCIATED NEUROTOXICITY SYNDROME Contraindications BLINCYTO ® is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to blinatumomab or to any component of the product formulation. Warnings and Precautions Adverse Reactions Dosage and Administration Guidelines INDICATIONS BLINCYTO ® (blinatumomab) is indicated for the treatment of CD19-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adult and pediatric patients one month and older with: Please see BLINCYTO ® full Prescribing Information , including BOXED WARNINGS. About Bispecific T-Cell Engager (BiTE ® ) Technology BiTE technology is a targeted immuno-oncology platform that is designed to engage a patient's own T cells to any tumor-specific antigen, activating the cytotoxic potential of T cells to eliminate detectable cancer. The BiTE immuno-oncology platform has the potential to treat different cancer types through tumor-specific antigens. The BiTE platform has a goal of leading to off-the-shelf solutions, which have the potential to make innovative T-cell treatment available to all providers when their patients need it. For more than a decade, Amgen has been advancing this innovative technology, which has demonstrated strong efficacy in hematological malignancies and now a solid tumor with the approval of IMDELLTRA. Amgen remains committed to progressing multiple BiTE molecules across a broad range of hematologic and solid tumor malignancies, paving the way for additional applications in more tumor types. Amgen is further investigating BiTE technology with the goal of enhancing patient experience and therapeutic potential. To learn more about BiTE technology, visit BiTE ® Technology 101 . About Amgen Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative medicines to help millions of patients in their fight against some of the world's toughest diseases. More than 40 years ago, Amgen helped to establish the biotechnology industry and remains on the cutting-edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what's known today. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline that builds on its existing portfolio of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and rare diseases. In 2024, Amgen was named one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company and one of "America's Best Large Employers" by Forbes, among other external recognitions . Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average ® , and it is also part of the Nasdaq-100 Index ® , which includes the largest and most innovative non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. For more information, visit Amgen.com and follow Amgen on X , LinkedIn , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube and Threads . Amgen Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements on the outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential collaborations, with any other company (including BeiGene, Ltd. or Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.), the performance of Otezla ® (apremilast) (including anticipated Otezla sales growth and the timing of non-GAAP EPS accretion), Amgen's acquisitions of Teneobio, Inc., ChemoCentryx, Inc., or Horizon Therapeutics plc (including the prospective performance and outlook of Horizon's business, performance and opportunities, any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected as a result of such acquisition, and any projected impacts from the Horizon acquisition on Amgen's acquisition-related expenses going forward), as well as estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems on Amgen's business, outcomes, progress, and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed by Amgen, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen is providing this information as of the date of this news release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those Amgen projects. Discovery or identification of new product candidates or development of new indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a new indication for an existing product will be successful and become a commercial product. Further, preclinical results do not guarantee safe and effective performance of product candidates in humans. The complexity of the human body cannot be perfectly, or sometimes, even adequately modeled by computer or cell culture systems or animal models. The length of time that it takes for Amgen to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for product marketing has in the past varied and Amgen expects similar variability in the future. Even when clinical trials are successful, regulatory authorities may question the sufficiency for approval of the trial endpoints Amgen has selected. Amgen develops product candidates internally and through licensing collaborations, partnerships and joint ventures. Product candidates that are derived from relationships may be subject to disputes between the parties or may prove to be not as effective or as safe as Amgen may have believed at the time of entering into such relationship. Also, Amgen or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products, including its devices, after they are on the market. Amgen's results may be affected by its ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and regulatory developments involving current and future products, sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in manufacturing its products and global economic conditions. In addition, sales of Amgen's products are affected by pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny and reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment. Furthermore, Amgen's research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. Amgen's business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation and product liability claims. In addition, Amgen's business may be impacted by the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities. If Amgen fails to meet the compliance obligations in the corporate integrity agreement between Amgen and the U.S. government, Amgen could become subject to significant sanctions. Further, while Amgen routinely obtains patents for its products and technology, the protection offered by its patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by its competitors, or Amgen may fail to prevail in present and future intellectual property litigation. Amgen performs a substantial amount of its commercial manufacturing activities at a few key facilities, including in Puerto Rico, and also depends on third parties for a portion of its manufacturing activities, and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of its current products and product candidate development. An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as COVID-19, and the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the supply of materials for Amgen's manufacturing activities, the distribution of Amgen's products, the commercialization of Amgen's product candidates, and Amgen's clinical trial operations, and any such events may have a material adverse effect on Amgen's product development, product sales, business and results of operations. Amgen relies on collaborations with third parties for the development of some of its product candidates and for the commercialization and sales of some of its commercial products. In addition, Amgen competes with other companies with respect to many of its marketed products as well as for the discovery and development of new products. Further, some raw materials, medical devices and component parts for Amgen's products are supplied by sole third-party suppliers. Certain of Amgen's distributors, customers and payers have substantial purchasing leverage in their dealings with Amgen. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of Amgen's products that implicate an entire class of products could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected products and on its business and results of operations. Amgen's efforts to collaborate with or acquire other companies, products or technology, and to integrate the operations of companies or to support the products or technology Amgen has acquired, may not be successful. There can be no guarantee that Amgen will be able to realize any of the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities arising from the Horizon acquisition, and such benefits, synergies or opportunities may take longer to realize than expected. Amgen may not be able to successfully integrate Horizon, and such integration may take longer, be more difficult or cost more than expected. A breakdown, cyberattack or information security breach of Amgen's information technology systems could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of Amgen's systems and Amgen's data. Amgen's stock price may be volatile and may be affected by a number of events. Amgen's business and operations may be negatively affected by the failure, or perceived failure, of achieving its environmental, social and governance objectives. The effects of global climate change and related natural disasters could negatively affect Amgen's business and operations. Global economic conditions may magnify certain risks that affect Amgen's business. Amgen's business performance could affect or limit the ability of the Amgen Board of Directors to declare a dividend or its ability to pay a dividend or repurchase its common stock. Amgen may not be able to access the capital and credit markets on terms that are favorable to it, or at all. Any scientific information discussed in this news release relating to new indications for Amgen's products is preliminary and investigative and is not part of the labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the products. The products are not approved for the investigational use(s) discussed in this news release, and no conclusions can or should be drawn regarding the safety or effectiveness of the products for these uses. CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks Elissa Snook , 609-251-1407 (media) Justin Claeys , 805-313-9775 (investors) References View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blincyto-blinatumomab-added-to-chemotherapy-significantly-improves-survival-in-newly-diagnosed-pediatric-patients-with-b-cell-precursor-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-b-all-302325381.html SOURCE Amgen

Much was made about Michigan's attempted flag planting after its 13-10 win over Ohio State in Columbus in Week 14. Players from both teams met in an altercation at midfield, resulting in the use of pepper spray by the police, and the Big Ten fined each school $100,000 for their role in the incident. That seemed like the end of it, until Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore was shown on the jumbotron at the Michigan men's basketball game against Iowa on Saturday. Moore took one last opportunity to needle Ohio State. In the first half, the game ops team at Crisler Arena pointed the camera at Moore, and he did the rest. Moore fired up the crowd before pretending to plant a flag. Sherrone Moore hypes up the faithful Michigan crowd and emphatically plants an imaginary flag. The crowd liked it, to say the least. pic.twitter.com/xbakn2pxsn Moore addressed the flag-planting fracas immediately after the game last weekend, saying emotions got the best of both sides. He also admitted Michigan could have handled the situation differently. "Our guys, I did see they had the flag," Moore said. "Guys were waving it around, and their guys charged us. There was emotion on both sides, and it can't happen. Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. This is the biggest one in the country. We gotta handle that better." Clearly, Moore wasn't quite ready to put the win or the beef to bed just yet. That was probably a good thing for the Michigan basketball team, which needed every bit of energy the Crisler Center had to offer. The Wolverines pulled out an 85-83 win over the Hawkeyes thanks to Roddy Gayle Jr.'s game-winning bucket with just three seconds left.Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson kept the overall lead in fan voting numbers revealed Monday for the NFL Pro Bowl Games with Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley a close second. Jackson topped vote-getters with 82,402 and Barkley was next, only 320 votes behind. Barkley was 4,079 votes back of Jackson in last week's first voting results. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.J&K Got Rs 69.58 Lakh For Development Of Wildlife Habitats In 2023-24

Amazon is selling a $130 portable space heater for just $49, and shoppers say it 'works great'With Syrian rebels edging ever-closer to the capital, President Bashar Assad is making a last-ditch attempt to remain in power, including indirect diplomatic overtures to the U.S. and President-elect Donald Trump, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. Assad is ordering his army to fall back to defend Damascus, essentially ceding much of the country to insurgents, who seized the major cities of Aleppo and Hama in a lightning offensive over the past week. They’re now on the outskirts of Homs, less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north. As his remaining troops dig in, Syria’s longtime ruler is signaling his willingness to reach a deal that would allow him to hold on to the rump territory his army controls, or guarantee his safe passage into exile if needed, said the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss secret meetings. One offer Assad made to the U.S. via the United Arab Emirates is for Syria to cut all involvement with Iran-backed militant groups, such as Hezbollah, if Western powers wield influence to stem the fighting, the people said. Another initiative saw Assad dispatch a senior Christian leader to meet Hungarian President Viktor Orban to relay what he sees as an existential threat to Syria’s Christian minority if Islamist rebels prevail, according to other people familiar with the plan. The intention was that Orban, a Trump ally, would convey this danger to the incoming U.S. president, they said. It’s a dramatic turn of events for a dynasty that’s ruled Syria with an iron fist for half a century, crushed peaceful protests in 2011 and clung to power through years of civil war that spurred one of the worst humanitarian crises of modern times. Iranian and Russian military support was crucial to the survival of the 59-year-old president, but both are now distracted and stretched thin by other conflicts. “Assad is in huge danger — it’s almost like in 2015 when the insurgents were at the gates of Damascus,” said Sergei Markov, a political consultant close to the Kremlin, referring to the year Russia intervened to save him. Western nations were equally surprised, including the U.S., which had largely relinquished much of its influence in Syria to Iran, Russia and Turkey but has reacted to protect its interests, according to senior officials. Multiple Western officials said it was difficult to see Assad remaining in power. The fall of Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, could cut the highway linking Damascus and the country’s west and Mediterranean coast — the stronghold of the Assads and loyalists from their Alawite sect. The president’s whereabouts are unclear, although he’s believed to be in Damascus or his hometown of Qardaha, close to Russia’s Khmeimim air base. It’s also possible he’s in the Iranian capital, Tehran, a person familiar with U.S. policy said Saturday. Assad’s office issued a statement condemning “rumors and fake news,” saying the the president remains in the capital. Assad has ordered the bulk of Syria’s remaining army — estimated at between 30,000 to 40,000 fighters — to rush to defend Damascus, according to two people familiar with the matter. An army spokesman said in a TV address on Saturday that it was strengthening its defenses around the city and in southern Syria. The main rebel offensive has been led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a former al-Qaida affiliate, and various armed groups backed by Turkey. Other fighters have joined in, including army defectors who’d fought the regime and laid down arms in previous ceasefires, said the people. As rebels converge on Damascus from the north and south, Iran had drawn back its presence in Syria, leaving its military advisers concentrated around the capital, according to the people. Some Tehran-backed Iraqi militia have also returned their country after the government ceded the eastern city of Deir Ezzor to U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, they said. Russian personnel now remain mainly around the capital and at the Khmeimim air base and Tartous naval base, they said. After a meeting with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Doha on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is “trying to do everything not to allow terrorists to prevail.” “We don’t want them to follow the fate of Iraqis, Libyans and other nations who were disturbed by the people desiring to keep their domination,” he said. Trump said Saturday a withdrawal from Syria might “be the best thing that can happen” to Russia and that troops shouldn’t get involved in the fighting. Back channels Russia has launched airstrikes around Homs to try and stall the rebel advance. But with signs the Kremlin’s help may not be enough, Assad is pressing on with back-channel negotiations. A key goal would be retaining control of a portion of the country and addressing Turkey’s demands for a political transition and the potential return of millions of Syrian refugees, a major issue for Ankara. Assad is also proposing a new constitution and talks with the mostly exiled political opposition, according to the people familiar with the outreach. It’s unclear if the efforts will bear fruit. Events on the battlefield have their own momentum, and even countries such as Turkey that have influence over the rebels may not be able to fully control events. “I don’t think any of these outside powers have the leverage over their proxies to change the course of what is happening on the ground,” said Andreas Krieg, director of London-based MENA Analytica Ltd. “At this moment most bets are that the Assad regime may not be able to hold out.” Patriarch visit It was against that backdrop that Assad sent Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II to Hungary on Monday to relay his fears. Syria’s Christian community makes up about 10% of the country’s 24 million population. The plan to have Orban relate this message to Trump was described by an aide to the patriarch and another person with knowledge of the encounter. People close to Trump couldn’t immediately comment, but said he had dispatched his in-law and Middle East adviser, Massad Boulos, to the UAE on Saturday to discuss the situation in the region. Assad has pursued similar tactics before. HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani and other rebels have in recent days attempted to allay the fears of Christians and Syria’s other minorities that they envision a form of Islamic rule. Assad’s own Alawite community, which has stuck by him since 2011 and paid a heavy price to defend the regime, also appears to sense the end may be near. Nariman, an Alawite woman reached by phone in Damascus on Friday said she, her husband who’s in the security forces and their 23-year-old son were fleeing to their ancestral village near Jableh in western Syria. She said there were many families like hers. Nobody is going to fight for Assad this time, she said, asking not to be identified by her last name for reasons of safety. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. 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December 9, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Vienna University of Technology About 100 years ago, humanity learned to see with the help of electrons. In 1924, Louis de Broglie posited that—like light particles—electrons have wave properties. In 1927, the U.S. physicists Davisson and Germer provided experimental proof of this. A few years later, the engineers Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll built the first electron microscope, which was more powerful than any light microscope . Given that electron waves are diffracted by much smaller objects than photons, the optical resolution limit of light was surmounted, heralding a new era of microscopy. Combining two worlds: Quantum electron microscopy "Electron microscopy is a crazy, cool technique," Philipp Haslinger, Associate Professor at the TU Wien, says. "In principle, we could use it to look at the spike proteins of a virus or its DNA—at the level of atoms, the pixels of reality." Haslinger, a quantum optics specialist, deliberately says "could," because there is a catch: The electrons are typically so high in energy that they destroy sensitive samples. For this reason, biological processes cannot be observed "live" with electron microscopes. According to Haslinger, there is one possible solution: "Gaining more information from fewer electrons." In pursuit of this goal, his 11 member team uses "quantum electron microscopy," which combines classic electron microscopy with the newer world of photon -based quantum optics. Spooky imaging One of their possible ideas is based on a method going by the evocative name of "quantum ghost imaging" or Zou-Wang-Mandel effect . In this method, an entangled electron–photon pair generates the image of the object. This is how it works: first, an electron races through a translucent medium and "overtakes" the light there, "a bit like an airplane going supersonic," explains Haslinger. This creates a photon, which is taken to be entangled with the electron. While the electron travels towards the sample, the photon enters a camera detector. As the two are entangled, the photon can be used to measure whether the electron has hit the sample. If the detected photons can be space-resolved successfully, the image of the object can be constructed. At least, this is the theory behind the approach published in Quantum Science and Technology . "Several research groups around the world are working on establishing the first proof of this entanglement—and we are up in the front line," says Haslinger. In practice, the innovative ideas are fraught with technical challenges. The team first had to adjust the existing microscope. "Normally, electron microscopes are built completely sealed from light—but we drill holes in them so that photons can escape so as to be measured," says the physicist. Promising outlook for biology and materials science What is needed now is proof of principle that the method can generate electron–photon pairs. "In fact, it could happen any day now," hopes Haslinger. "We have already recorded a ghost image. So we were able to see with electrons what the photon 'saw.' Now we are looking for evidence of interference phenomena between the two particles. Finding this evidence would give us clear smoking-gun proof of entanglement." An established variant of ghost imaging that uses entangled photon–photon pairs has proven its worth when observing particularly light-sensitive objects. If Haslinger's plan works out, this sparing treatment of the sample could for the first time be combined with the high optical resolution of electrons. Such a development would open up promising applications, for example, in battery research: The molecular and atomic changes on the surfaces of materials during charging and discharging could be better observed and this would help to identify optimized materials. There might also be spectacular new insights in biology, such as observing proteins as they fold without their being broken during irradiation. "Watching life as it happens, that would be a dream," beams Haslinger. A good 20 years ago, as a young physics student, he attended lectures by Anton Zeilinger, who got him interested in quantum optics. Now he and his colleagues could bring a new quality to electron microscopy, the history of which began a century ago. More information: Philipp Haslinger et al, Spin resonance spectroscopy with an electron microscope, Quantum Science and Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1088/2058-9565/ad52bc Journal information: Quantum Science and Technology Provided by Vienna University of Technology

When Katja Vogt considers a Jaguar, she pictures a British-made car purring confidently along the Italian coastline — a vision of familiarity that conveys "that dreaming, longing feeling we all love." She's not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding that featured loud colors and androgynous people — but no cars. Jaguar, the company says, will now be JaGUar. It will produce only electric vehicles beginning in 2026. Bad attention is good attention, Jaguar execs would appear to believe. The car brand has prompted mockery online for posting a glitzy ad without a single car in it. Jaguar Say goodbye to British racing green, Cotswold Blue and black. Its colors are henceforth electric pink, red and yellow, according to a video that sparked backlash online. Its mission statement: "Create exuberance. Live vivid. Delete ordinary. Break moulds." "Intrigued?" @Jaguar posted on social media. People are also reading... "Weird and unsettled" is more like it, Vogt wrote on Instagram. "Especially now, with the world feeling so dystopian," the Cyprus-based brand designer wrote, "a heritage brand like Jaguar should be conveying feelings of safety, stability, and maybe a hint of rebellion — the kind that shakes things up in a good way, not in a way that unsettles." After 155 years, the Campbell Soup company is changing its name Our brands, ourselves Jaguar was one of several iconic companies that announced significant rebrandings in recent weeks, upending a series of commercial — and cultural — landmarks by which many modern human beings sort one another, carve out identities and recognize the world around them. Campbell's, the 155-year-old American icon that artist Andy Warhol immortalized in pop culture decades ago, is ready for a new, soupless name. Comcast's corporate reorganization means there will soon be two television networks with "NBC" in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News, a U.S. legacy news outlet. CNBC Richard Drew, Associated Press One could even argue the United States itself is rebranding with the election of former President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Unlike Trump's first election in 2016, he won the popular vote in what many called a national referendum on American identity. Are we, then, the sum total of our consumer decisions — what we buy, where we travel and whom we elect? Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Certainly, it's a question for those privileged enough to be able to afford such choices. Volumes of research in the art and science of branding — from "brandr," an old Norse word for burning symbols into the hides of livestock — say those factors do contribute to the modern sense of identity. So rebranding, especially of heritage names, can be a deeply felt affront to consumers. "It can feel like the brand is turning its back on everything that it stood for — and therefore it feels like it's turning its back on us, the people who subscribe to that idea or ideology," said Ali Marmaduke, strategy director with the Amsterdam-based Brand Potential. He said cultural tension — polarization — is surging over politics, wars in Russia and the Mideast, the environment, public health and more, creating what Marmaduke said is known as a "polycrisis": the idea that there are several massive crises converging that feel scary and complex. Campbell's soups Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press "People are understandably freaked out by that," he said. "So we are looking for something that will help us navigate this changing, threatening world that we face." Trump's "Make America Great Again" qualifies. So did President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" slogan. Campbell's soup itself — "Mmm Mmm Good" — isn't going anywhere, CEO Mark Clouse said. The company's new name, Campbell's Co., will reflect "the full breadth of our portfolio," which includes brands like Prego pasta sauce and Goldfish crackers. What is Jaguar? None of the recent activity around heritage brands sparked a backlash as ferocious as Jaguar's. The company stood as a pillar of tradition-loving British identity since World War II. The famous "leaper" cat Jaguar logo is pictured in 2019 at the Auto show in Paris, France. Christophe Ena, Associated Press Jaguar said its approach to the rebrand was rooted in the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons, to "copy nothing." What it's calling "the new Jaguar" will overhaul everything from the font of its name to the positioning of it's famous "leaper" cat. "Exuberant modernism" will "define all aspects of the new Jaguar world," according to the news release. The approach is thought to be aimed at selling fewer cars at a six-figure price point to a more diverse customer base. The reaction ranged from bewilderment to hostility. Memes sprouted up likening the video to the Teletubbies, a Benetton ad and — perhaps predictably — a bow to "woke" culture as the blowback intersected with politics. Here’s what the Pizza Hut of the future looks like Tropicana fans are ditching the brand after a orange juice bottle redesign The business news you needJoin our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More With 77% of enterprises already victimized by adversarial AI attacks and eCrime actors achieving a record breakout time of just 2 minutes and 7 seconds , the question isn’t if your Security Operations Center (SOC) will be targeted — it’s when. As cloud intrusions soared by 75% in the past year , and two in five enterprises suffered AI-related security breaches , every SOC leader needs to confront a brutal truth: Your defenses must either evolve as fast as the attackers’ tradecraft or risk being overrun by relentless, resourceful adversaries who pivot in seconds to succeed with a breach. Combining generative AI (gen AI), social engineering, interactive intrusion campaigns and an all-out assault on cloud vulnerabilities and identities, attackers are executing a playbook that seeks to capitalize on every SOC weakness they can find. CrowdStrike’s 2024 Global Threat Report finds that nation-state attackers are taking identity-based and social engineering attacks to a new level of intensity. Nation-states have long used machine learning to craft phishing and social engineering campaigns. Now, the focus is on pirating authentication tools and systems including API keys and one-time passwords (OTPs). “What we’re seeing is that the threat actors have really been focused on...taking a legitimate identity. Logging in as a legitimate user. And then laying low, staying under the radar by living off the land by using legitimate tools,” Adam Meyers, senior vice president counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, told VentureBeat during a recent briefing. Cybercrime gangs and nation-state cyberwar teams continue sharpening their tradecraft to launch AI-based attacks aimed at undermining the foundation of identity and access management (IAM) trust. By exploiting fake identities generated through deepfake voice, image and video data, these attacks aim to breach IAM systems and create chaos in a targeted organization. The Gartner figure below shows why SOC teams need to be prepared now for adversarial AI attacks, which most often take the form of fake identity attacks. Source: Gartner 2025 Planning Guide for Identity and Access Management. Published on October 14, 2024. Document ID: G00815708. Scoping the adversarial AI threat landscape going into 2025 “As gen AI continues to evolve, so must the understanding of its implications for cybersecurity ,” Bob Grazioli, CIO and senior vice president of Ivanti , recently told VentureBeat. “Undoubtedly, gen AI equips cybersecurity professionals with powerful tools, but it also provides attackers with advanced capabilities. To counter this, new strategies are needed to prevent malicious AI from becoming a dominant threat. This report helps equip organizations with the insights needed to stay ahead of advanced threats and safeguard their digital assets effectively,” Grazioli said. A recent Gartner survey revealed that 73% of enterprises have hundreds or thousands of AI models deployed, while 41% reported AI-related security incidents. According to HiddenLayer , seven in 10 companies have experienced AI-related breaches, with 60% linked to insider threats and 27% involving external attacks targeting AI infrastructure. Nir Zuk, CTO of Palo Alto Networks , framed it starkly in an interview with VentureBeat earlier this year: Machine learning assumes adversaries are already inside, and this demands real-time responsiveness to stealthy attacks. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University recently published “ Current State of LLM Risks and AI Guardrails ,” a paper that explains the vulnerabilities of large language models (LLMs) in critical applications. It highlights risks such as bias, data poisoning and non-reproducibility. With security leaders and SOC teams increasingly collaborating on new model safety measures, the guidelines advocated by these researchers need to be part of SOC teams’ training and ongoing development. These guidelines include deploying layered protection models that integrate retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and situational awareness tools to counter adversarial exploitation. SOC teams also carry the support burden for new gen AI applications, including the rapidly growing use of agentic AI. Researchers from the University of California, Davis recently published “ Security of AI Agents ,” a study examining the security challenges SOC teams face as AI agents execute real-world tasks. Threats including data integrity breaches and model pollution, where adversarial inputs may compromise the agent’s decisions and actions, are deconstructed and analyzed. To counter these risks, the researchers propose defenses such as having SOC teams initiate and manage sandboxing — limiting the agent’s operational scope — and encrypted workflows that protect sensitive interactions, creating a controlled environment to contain potential exploits. Why SOCs are targets of adversarial AI Dealing with alert fatigue, turnover of key staff, incomplete and inconsistent data on threats, and systems designed to protect perimeters and not identities, SOC teams are at a disadvantage against attackers’ growing AI arsenals. SOC leaders in financial services, insurance and manufacturing tell VentureBeat, under the condition of anonymity, that their companies are under siege, with a high number of high-risk alerts coming in every day. The techniques below focus on ways AI models can be compromised such that, once breached, they provide sensitive data and can be used to pivot to other systems and assets within the enterprise. Attackers’ tactics focus on establishing a foothold that leads to deeper network penetration. Reinforcing SOC defenses through AI model hardening and supply chain security SOC teams need to think holistically about how a seemingly isolated breach of AL/ML models could quickly escalate into an enterprise-wide cyberattack. SOC leaders need to take the initiative and identify which security and risk management frameworks are the most complementary to their company’s business model. Great starting points are the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and Playbook . VentureBeat is seeing that the following steps are delivering results by reinforcing defenses while also enhancing model reliability — two critical steps to securing a company’s infrastructure against adversarial AI attacks: Commit to continually hardening model architectures. Deploy gatekeeper layers to filter out malicious prompts and tie models to verified data sources. Address potential weak points at the pretraining stage so your models withstand even the most advanced adversarial tactics. Never stop strengthing data integrity and provenance: Never assume all data is trustworthy. Validate its origins, quality and integrity through rigorous checks and adversarial input testing. By ensuring only clean, reliable data enters the pipeline, SOCs can do their part to maintain the accuracy and credibility of outputs. Integrate adversarial validation and red-teaming: Don’t wait for attackers to find your blind spots. Continually pressure-test models against known and emerging threats. Use red teams to uncover hidden vulnerabilities, challenge assumptions and drive immediate remediation — ensuring defenses evolve in lockstep with attacker strategies. Enhance threat intelligence integration: SOC leaders need to support devops teams and help keep models in sync with current risks. SOC leaders need to provide devops teams with a steady stream of updated threat intelligence and simulate real-world attacker tactics using red-teaming. Increase and keep enforcing supply chain transparency: Identify and neutralize threats before they take root in codebases or pipelines. Regularly audit repositories, dependencies and CI/CD workflows. Treat every component as a potential risk, and use red-teaming to expose hidden gaps — fostering a secure, transparent supply chain. Employ privacy-preserving techniques and secure collaboration: Leverage techniques like federated learning and homomorphic encryption to let stakeholders contribute without revealing confidential information. This approach broadens AI expertise without increasing exposure. Implement session management, sandboxing, and zero trust starting with microsegmentation: Lock down access and movement across your network by segmenting sessions, isolating risky operations in sandboxed environments and strictly enforcing zero-trust principles. Under zero trust, no user, device or process is inherently trusted without verification. These measures curb lateral movement, containing threats at their point of origin. They safeguard system integrity, availability and confidentiality. In general, they have proven effective in stopping advanced adversarial AI attacks. Conclusion “CISO and CIO alignment will be critical in 2025,” Grazioli told VentureBeat. “Executives need to consolidate resources — budgets, personnel, data and technology — to enhance an organization’s security posture. A lack of data accessibility and visibility undermines AI investments. To address this, data silos between departments such as the CIO and CISO must be eliminated.” “In the coming year, we will need to view AI as an employee rather than a tool,” Grazioli noted. “For instance, prompt engineers must now anticipate the types of questions that would typically be asked of AI, highlighting how ingrained AI has become in everyday business activities. To ensure accuracy, AI will need to be trained and evaluated just like any other employee.” Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily By subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service. Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here . An error occured.Tamil Demand For Justice – Stumbling Block For NPP

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“The era had come and gone, it’s time to go,” said Jameson Tavern owner Tom Hincks. The restaurant, located in a historic building at 115 Main St. in Freeport, will have its last day Saturday. The landmark restaurant was the continuation of a long tradition of taverns hosted in the space. But between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and an “expensive lease,” Hincks said it is time for change. “It was a wonderful thing, until COVID hit,” Hincks said. He noted that post-lockdown it was hard to find sufficient staff for the restaurant. On top of this, the owner said that the lease was up, giving the business the right opportunity to leave. Though Hincks said he had an option to re-sign, the cost of the monthly rent paired with other monthly fees needed to run the business in its current spot amounted to over $17,000 a month. The lease accounts for just under half of this total. Though the lease did not increase a significant amount this year — Hincks noted it only increases the standard 3% each year, a typical hike in the property rental industry — the restaurant said the rent had increased over 30% since it reopened in 2013. The cost alone was a signal to start over, he said. Now, the owner has his sights set on Windham for its next location, which is closer to his home. He also hinted that a spot in Windham could be better for business, as he expects to get more square footage and similar foot traffic. With the closing, however, Jameson Tavern — a name which Hincks’ owns the rights to and will take with him to the next location — breaks its tie with the historic Freeport building. Though some of the history is debated, the house at 115 Main St. was built in 1795 by Doctor John Angie’s Hyde and then sold to Capt. Samuel Jameson in 1801. Jameson converted the building into a tavern, according to an account by Maine Historian Earle Shettleworth, which is available on the Freeport Historical Society’s website. Shettleworth said Capt. Richard Codman bought the business in 1828, continuing tavern operations. Due to its location, this tavern relied on travelers as its customer base, Shettleworth said. But by 1844, the demand for lodging in town fell. The building eventually reverted back to a residential property. In 1988, new owners restored the building and revived the tradition of providing food and drinks to locals and tourists. It was long touted as the location where commissioners met in 1820 and signed the papers which separated Maine from Massachusetts — ergo, Freeport’s use of “the birthplace of Maine” tagline. Shettleworth, however, said that there is no evidence to support this claim and that Freeport actually voted against separation at least five times, though he did note that the pub was a location for several other political meetings. Hincks said it is unfortunate to lose the long — though complex and often misunderstood — history of the location on Main Street. The location has run as a tavern in some compacity for close to 80 years, spanning several centuries. “There’s a huge story line there — there’s so much history,” Hincks said. He hopes that the next tenant will at least continue the long-running tradition of prioritizing seafood, as Jameson Tavern has done. ”It’s what the people come here for.” Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousCan Palantir Stock Become the Next Nvidia?

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When Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, then Vice-President handed over copies of cheques to President Jomo Kenyatta at State Hoiuse Nairobi in 1965. [File, Standard] The strong bond of friendship between Kenya’s founding President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and independence Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga instilled a sense of confidence and hope among the citizens of the newly formed state. As has been recorded in the country’s political history, Odinga turned down a clever request by colonial power brokers to form a government and ascend to power as Prime Minister as Mzee Kenyatta languished in prison. In a move that shocked the British government, Odinga outrightly rejected the offer declaring that there would be no independence without Kenyatta who he described as the undisputed leader of the African people. Later responding to a question by a British journalist in early 1960 months before Kenyatta was released from prison, on why he refused that offer, Odinga said; “How can we be better than our father? Mzee Kenyatta is our teacher and we all stand solidly behind him. There is no independence without Mzee Kenyatta.” Odinga had in 1952 mobilised resources to hire lawyer Dennis Pritt, then a Queen’s Counsel, and a team of other lawyers to defend Kenyatta following his arrest and others by the British government on October 20. The charges were supporting the Mau Mau movement. Daytime meeting Odinga’s loyalty did not waver while Kenyatta served a sentence in Lokitaung and later Maralal. During the formation of Kanu on May 18, 1960, at a daytime meeting at the current Kirigiti stadium in Kiambu, the leaders elected were Kenya African Union’s (KAU) James Gichuri and Kenya Independence Movement’s Tom Mboya who had collapsed his party into Gichuru’s KAU to make Kanu, becoming secretary-general. Gichuru became chairman and Odinga vice-chairman. However, both Gichuru and Odinga considered Kenyatta the leader and Gichuru would give way after Kenyatta was finally set free from Maralal later that year. Upon changing the 1963 Constitution turning Kenya into a republic and Kenyatta becoming President in 1964, Odinga became the natural choice for the position of Vice-President. However as has happened with the Ruto-Gachagua ‘prayerful’ political union, the political bliss of the two founding fathers — Kenyatta and Jaramogi – lasted for only two years. The two political soul mates parted ways and ushered the country into a season of heightened ethnic rivalry, tensions, and intense mistrust. Odinga who had built a solid support base in his Nyanza backyard and across other parts of the country resigned from office in 1966 citing frustration within the government which had made it difficult for him to serve the people. Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter A year before he resigned tensions had already built between the two leaders whose tipping point was the assassination of Odinga’s loyalist, Pio Gama Pinto, in 1965 which triggered continued disagreements. Political commentators and historians have said the fallout between the two leaders sowed the seed of Kenya’s politics of betrayal between presidents and their deputies which has been the hallmark of politics in Kenya over the years. Veteran politician and long-serving Molo MP Njenga Mungai told The Sunday Standard that the Kenyatta-Odinga conflict re-configured the country’s political landscape as each of the two leaders solicited the support of their ethnic communities to fight their political battles. Mungai said the conflict which was based on political differences and conflicting ideological inclinations undermined the country’s spirit of nationalism, social integration, and cohesion. The retired lawmaker, currently serving as the chairperson of the Jubilee Party’s Council of Elders said; “The intrigues of the complex Cold War being perpetrated by influential forces from outside Kenya impacted negatively the relationship between Kenyatta and Odinga leading to their fallout. “The political challenges facing the country today owe their genesis to the seeds of disunity and ethnic rivalry that were sowed amongst members of the big ethnic communities over the struggle for political power and influence shortly after the country attained independence,” Mungai told The Sunday Standard during a recent interview at his Molo home. Former Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere, a key figure in the second liberation, attributed the fallout between the two leaders to what he described as; “the concentration of State power in the hands of a cabal of ethnic chauvinists.” Wamwere, once a celebrated political prisoner forced to flee and find refugee in Norway, said although there were invisible external forces that created a wedge between Kenyatta and Odinga the competition for control of State power and acquisition of material possession amongst the ruling elite caused fissures in the newly formed government. The former fiery politician and assistant minister, who was first hurled into detention without trial by Kenyatta said the fallout between the two leaders was a result of “political power having fallen in the hands of individuals who did not believe in the values of the liberation struggle and who were interested in serving their selfish ends.” “Bildad Kaggia, one of the freedom fighters who was jailed together with Mzee Kenyatta but later aligned himself with Odinga would always say the struggle for independence was a struggle for land and freedom, and without the two, it would mean that the struggle had been betrayed,” Wamwere recalled. During the struggle for independence, Kenyatta and Odinga championed the cause of a unitary state of Kenya as their counterparts in Kadu agitated for a federal system of government that would create independent regions fairly free from the centre in Nairobi. Kadu drew the bulk of its support from the minority ethnic communities which in the late 50s and early 60s were the Coastal communities, Luhya, Kalenjin, Maasai, while the Kenyatta-Odinga-led Kanu political party had the support of the Kikuyu and Luo which were Kenya’s largest communities at the time. The leaders of the Kadu party were elected members from the smaller communities; Ronald Ngala (party leader) from the Coast, Masinde Muliro (secretary-general) Luhya, Daniel Arap Moi (deputy party leader), Kalenjin. The fallout between the two leaders sparked off a wave of enmity that pitted Kenyatta’s populous Kikuyu community against Odinga’s Luo. The two communities had worked together to champion the cause of freedom with Central Kenya and Nyanza regions forming the independence party, Kanu, political bastion at the height of the freedom struggle. Political pundits and historians contend that Kenyatta and Odinga were trapped in a complex web of interests driven by both local and external forces. Analysts add that the different political backgrounds and personalities who formed the independent government shaped their perception of the exercise of power and acquisition of personal wealth hence triggering conflicts amongst themselves. At the local political scene, Kenyatta is said to have fallen hostage to a cabal of Kikuyu elites who wielded power and influence in the newly established State where they used their position to acquire power and wealth. Odinga on his part advocated for the redistribution of wealth including land previously owned by the departing white settlers, hence stepping on the toes of the influential Kikuyu political elite. On the external front, Kenyatta and Odinga had different ideological orientations that were defined by the Cold War era and the after-effects of World War II. Duncan Sanys (left), Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. [File, Standard] Following the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s fascism, the two emerging powers that had been allies and victors of the 1939-45 war, began competing on a myriad of things including ideological ones. The US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) engaged in a battle of wits through indirect conflict where smaller nations and freshly independent States such as Kenya found themselves right at the centre of the war. Capitalist system The US and its allies including the British government advocated for a capitalist system of government on Kenya against communism which was espoused by the Soviet Union and China. Kenyatta enjoyed the backing of the British and the US governments in their efforts to bolster their support in the region against the Soviet Union. READ: Exposed: Power struggles that set Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Jomo Kenyatta on warpath Odinga had been calling for closer ties with China and the Soviet Union where he had political networks. He was, however, not a communist at heart and never supported the communistic ideology. He was by all accounts a capitalist - owning huge tracts of land, had investments in transport, agriculture, retail. The tag of communism was therefore a label that hit its target at a politically bad time. The tag came from his pronouncements where he pushed for no full alignment with the East or West but borrow what works from either. “For me capitalism and communism is like food, you can today eat nyoyo and tomorrow you eat ugali.’’ The Western press working in Nairobi would report such statements with a tweak “Communism is like food, Odinga says”. In his autobiography, Not Yet Uhuru, published in 1967, Odinga states that the use of public offices for the accumulation of personal wealth and oppression of the opposition by the government meant the country was yet to attain real freedom. African leaders Historians argue that the US was wary of a crop of African leaders who had ushered their countries to freedom and were agitating for closer working relationships amongst the newly independent states. READ: How a powerful group frustrated Oginga Odinga's efforts to meet Jomo Kenyatta President Kwame Nkurumah (Ghana), Leopold Senghor (Senegal), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Patrice Lumumba (Congo) and Kenyatta (Kenya) whose countries had attained independence from colonialists in the late 50s and early 60s were calling for the emancipation of other African countries from the yoke of colonialism. The Soviet Union had rendered support to some of the countries in the liberation struggle and even supported liberation movements hence the need for the US and the Western block to woe independent African states to their side. “Though the two leaders were great friends at both political and personal levels they fell prey to intense manipulations and intrigues orchestrated by the US and British forces which sought to prevent the Soviet Union from establishing a sphere of influence in the region,” Wamwere added. Confidential documents from the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and those from the British government depicted Odinga as a power-hungry leader who was plotting to topple the Kenyatta administration. The two governments shared their intelligence briefs with the Kenyatta administration which enhanced its plot to isolate Odinga from the government. The love-hate relationship between the Kikuyu and the Luo communities came to define the trajectory of the country’s politics over the years. Candidates from the two communities have on numerous occasions found themselves key protagonists during presidential elections since the country reverted to multi-party politics. Occasional marriages of convenience between the two communities have also influenced the outcome of major political events in the country including the agitation for the second liberation and enactment of the new Constitution. ALSO READ: Jomo and Jaramogi: A tale of Kenya’s enduring political dynasties The Kenyatta administration used Tom Mboya to undermine and reduce the influence of Odinga in the Luo community —where he belonged. Mboya, who harboured presidential ambitions, was shot by an assassin in Nairobi in an incident linked to Kenyatta succession politics in 1969. The assassination of Mboya jostled the country’s political scene and provided an ethnic shift to Kenyatta-Odinga differences. Mboya’s assassination had been preceded by that of Pio Gama Pinto, a former freedom fighter of Goan descent who was perceived to have been the brain behind Odinga’s communist ideology and his lead political strategist. The killing of Pinto was interpreted as an attempt to politically weaken Odinga who was kicked out of the ruling party Kanu forcing his to seek a refugee in the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) which he founded to further his political cause. In 1969, barely months after the murder of Mboya, Kenyatta made a trip to Kisumu to open the New Nyanza General Hospital which had been constructed with the support of Russia through Odinga led to fracas that forced presidential guards to open fire on the crowd killing tens of people. The violence broke out when agitated supporters of Odinga’s KPU party clashed with Kanu youth wingers. As the showdown continued the mob threw stones at the presidential dias where Kenyatta was speaking from prompting action by security forces. The incident coupled with the killing of Mboya created bad blood between the Kikuyu and the Luo with the Luos solidly backing Odinga. The radical wing within Kanu had also coalesced around Odinga whose support threatened those in power. Odinga’s supporters, most of whom had decamped from Kanu and were subjected to an election on a KPU ticket were arrested and hurled into detention as he was placed under house arrest to weaken him politically. Personal ambition Former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando, told The Sunday Standard that the fallout between Kenyatta and Odinga “epitomises how political intrigues, personal ambition and clash of ideology between the president and his assistant have defined the practice of politics in the country right from independence time hence undermining the sense of nationhood and national stability.” Kabando observes that at the time of independence candidates from different ethnic backgrounds would contest political seats in constituencies where there were few members of their communities. “For instance, Mboya would be elected in Nairobi in a constituency where the Kikuyu community formed the bulk of voters while Achieng Oneko was elected in Nakuru. John Keen, who had a Maasai background stood for a political seat in Kitale. The voters elected candidates based on the political agenda championed by a political party rather than based on ethnicity,” Kabando said. He added that the fallout between the two leaders had a profound impact on the country’s political landscape as ethnicity and support for a leader became the basis of political and mobilisation.COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rodney Johnson Jr.'s 33 points led Tennessee Tech over NAIA-member Milligan 95-75 on Sunday. Johnson added five rebounds for the Golden Eagles (6-7). Kyle Layton scored 11 points and added five assists. Ray Glasgow had 10 points and went 4 of 7 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range). Handje Tamba finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffs. Sam Gold added nine points and six rebounds for Milligan. Jayme Peay also put up nine points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets will be without point guard LaMelo Ball for at least two weeks because of a strained left calf. Ball felt discomfort in his calf after Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat and did not play against the New York Knicks on Friday. The team said he will be reevaluated on Dec. 11, which is two weeks from the date of the original injury. Ball has been hot for the Hornets, averaging 40.3 points in his last four games. He is averaging a career-best 31.1 points and 4.7 3-pointers per game for the season, which ranks second in the NBA. He also is averaging 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 18 starts. Ball has had a history of injury problems, mostly to his ankles, since coming to the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The only Hornets player to ever receive a max contract extension, Ball has played in just 202 games with 182 starts in five seasons. The team also said guard Tre Mann’s lower back soreness has been diagnosed as a disk irritation. His absence from the lineup began on Nov. 23 against Milwaukee. He will continue his rehabilitation and be reevaluated in two weeks. The Hornets' next game is Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Sunday, Dec. 22 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 1 p.m. ESPN — Illinois vs. Missouri, St. Louis SECN — Kent St. at Alabama 2 p.m. ACCN — American U. at Virginia BTN — Detroit at Wisconsin 3 p.m. ESPN — Brown at Kansas ESPN2 — Diamond Head Classic: Oregon St. vs. Charleston, Quarterfinal, Honolulu 3:30 p.m. SECN — Charleston Southern at Georgia 4 p.m. ACCN — Rider at NC State BTN — Southern U. at Southern Cal 5:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Diamond Head Classic: Loyola of Chicago vs. Oakland, Quarterfinal, Honolulu 6 p.m. ACCN — LeMoyne at Notre Dame 7 p.m. FS1 — Georgetown vs. Seton Hall, Newark, N.J. 9 p.m. ESPN — Diamond Head Classic: Nebraska vs. Murray St., Quarterfinal, Honolulu 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Diamond Head Classic: Charlotte vs. Hawaii, Quarterfinal, Honolulu COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S) 3 p.m. ABC — NCAA Tournament: Louisville vs. Penn St., Championship, Louisville, Ky. GOLF 11:30 a.m. GOLF — PGA Tour: The PNC Championship, Day 2, Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Fla. 1:30 p.m. NBC — PGA Tour: The PNC Championship, Day 2, Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Fla. HORSE RACING 3 p.m. FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL 10:30 a.m. NBATV — Winter Showcase: Indiana vs. Texas, Orlando, Fla. 1 p.m. NBATV — Winter Showcase: College Park vs. Osceola, Orlando, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Winter Showcase: TBD, Championship, Orlando, Fla. NFL FOOTBALL 1 p.m. CBS — Regional Coverage: Tennessee at Indianapolis, L.A. Rams at N.Y. Jets, Cleveland at Cincinnati FOX — Regional Coverage: N.Y. Giants at Atlanta, Detroit at Chicago, Philadelphia at Washington, Arizona at Carolina 4:05 p.m. FOX — Minnesota at Seattle 4:25 p.m. CBS — Regional Coverage: New England at Buffalo, Jacksonville at Las Vegas, San Francisco at Miami 8:20 p.m. NBC — Tampa Bay at Dallas PEACOCK — Tampa Bay at Dallas NHL HOCKEY 12:30 p.m. NHLN — Carolina at N.Y. Rangers 8 p.m. NHLN — Seattle at Colorado SNOWBOARDING 4:30 p.m. NBC — FIS: World Cup, Copper Mountain, Colo. SOCCER (MEN’S) 8:35 a.m. FS2 — The French Cup: Olympique de Marseille at AS Saint-Étienne, Round of 64 9 a.m. USA — Premier League: Chelsea at Everton 11:30 a.m. USA — Premier League: Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Noon CBSSN — Serie A: Empoli at Atalanta 2:50 p.m. FS2 — The French Cup: Paris Saint-Germain at RC Lens, Round of 64 TENNIS 11 a.m. TENNIS — Next Gen ATP Finals: Final The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .

Hyderabad : As the Congress government in Telangana completed one year in office, a wave of discontent has emerged among its Muslim cadre and the larger Muslim community. Despite the party’s promises of inclusivity, the absence of Muslim representation in the state Cabinet has sparked frustration, leading to the formation of the Telangana Congress Muslim Forum (TCMF). This newly established body, headed by M.A. Basith is determined to press the Congress leadership for equitable representation and justice for the minority community. For the first time in Telangana’s history, the Muslim community finds itself entirely excluded from the state Cabinet and key administrative posts. Thirteen months into the Congress-led government, former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir remains the sole visible Muslim figure in the administration, serving as the Adviser to the Government on Minority Affairs. The glaring lack of representation has not only alienated the community but also cast doubts on the Congress party’s commitment to its minority voters. Speaking on the issue, Basith expressed the TCMF’s deep disappointment. “The absence of Muslim ministers or significant appointments in government departments is unacceptable. It goes against the principles of inclusivity and secularism that the Congress party claims to uphold,” he said. In response to this marginalization, a group of Muslim Congress leaders who were upset with the state of affairs convened to form the TCMF. Their objective is to represent the community’s demands and ensure that Muslims have a stake in governance. At a recent meeting at Gandhi Bhavan, the party’s headquarters, TCMF members resolved to escalate their demands to the party’s High Command and state leadership. “Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, himself stated that he admired a fighting spirit, and therefore, we believe there is nothing wrong in demanding our rightful share,” Basith said. Key among their demands is the inclusion of two Muslim leaders in the Cabinet, one of whom should hail from Hyderabad. “Hyderabad has always been a hub of Muslim leadership, and neglecting its representation is a betrayal of the community,” said Basith, who is also an AICC member. The TCMF has called for a package for minorities and proposed a series of measures to ensure fair representation. These include: 1. Three MLC seats: The Forum has demanded that two of these be reserved for Sunni leaders and one for the Shia community. 2. Minority chairperson: The vacant post of Minority Chairperson of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) should be filled immediately, with the appointee being an educated and capable individual. 3. Government Boards and Corporations: The TCMF seeks adequate representation for Muslims in various Boards and Corporations, emphasizing the need for appointments at higher levels, such as party heads of different zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). 4. Cabinet Rank for Hyderabad leader: The forum insists on granting a Cabinet rank to a Hyderabad-born Muslim leader, recognizing the city’s significance and its Muslim population. To further its cause, the TCMF plans to launch various initiatives aimed at strengthening the community and fostering inclusivity. Among these are the establishment of a Muslim Clerics Advisory Block, a Muslim Society Block, and a Research Block. These units will provide expert guidance on community issues and propose actionable policies to the government. “We aim to eliminate polarization between communities and build a spirit of togetherness,” Basith stated, emphasizing the forum’s broader vision of social harmony. The TCMF also sought a significant boost to the promotion of the Urdu language, emphasizing its cultural and historical importance. Additionally, it demanded that Muslim Congress leaders be given appropriate representation and prominence during all public events organized by the party. While the TCMF hopes to resolve the matter through dialogue and negotiations, it has not ruled out the possibility of resorting to Gandhian-style Satyagraha. This protest, if undertaken, would serve as a reminder of the Congress party’s historical roots in the freedom movement and its obligation to uphold justice and equality. The demands of the TCMF pose a challenge for the Congress government in Telangana. With the state’s Muslim community playing a crucial role in elections, ignoring their grievances could have long-term political repercussions. On the other hand, addressing the TCMF’s demands could help rebuild trust and reinforce the party’s secular credentials. As the TCMF prepares to intensify its efforts, the onus lies on the Congress leadership to demonstrate its commitment to diversity and fair representation. For the Muslim community in Telangana, the coming months will determine whether their voices are heard or if they remain sidelined in the political landscape.rsity and fair representation. For the Muslim community in Telangana, the coming months will determine whether their voices are heard or if they remain sidelined in the political landscape.

MOLLY-MAE Hague has shared a brand new update about her fashion brand Maebe. The social media star faced major backlash recently after fans were left disappointed at failing to get their hands on the pieces amid with Molly herself admitting stock issues were "frustrating". It caused her to tell her fans that she would be working hard to improve the brand's stock levels in the New Year but it appears as though the mum-of-one has managed to sort it earlier. In a new update on the Maebe Instagram account, it was revealed that the brand had THREE brand new T-shirts available for sale. The Power Tee comes in three different colours - Black, White and Wine , a deep red colour. The T-shirts are already available to purchase with Molly's fans likely desperate to get their hands on the garments amid the recent issues. The Love Island alum, 25, launched Maebe - her quality range of staples including boxy jackets, adjustable-waist jeans and short-sleeve knit tops - earlier this year. Huge fan demand saw the garments sell-out completely in 24 minutes - while others took aim at the price point and quality. Molly recently took to her Instagram comments section as fans talked of their struggles to get their hands on the garments , which combine comfort with style. One potential buyer put: "I've never been interested quite frankly. "It's very over-priced for what it is, but I genuinely just liked the set! "It's a rubbish experience, it's just a game of whoever can type the fastest or who has their details saved, most shops allow you a bit of time to check out." The YouTube star - who already owns fake tan brand Filter - then directly commented underneath. In a candid reply she wrote: "I couldn't agree with you more on the stock front, it's really frustrating. "Unfortunately I just didn't back myself enough when we planned these quantities a very long time ago. "I promise you this is something I am in total agreement with you on and it's something that in the New Year we will improve upon now that we have an understanding of the demand. "I'm really sorry you feel let down - I'm learning as I go and will make this a better buying experience for you as soon as we can." EVER since Molly-Mae Hague, 25, walked into the Love Island villa back in 2019, I’ve always been a mega fan. After hearing the news that she was coming out with a fashion brand, of course I was excited. But as much as I hate to admit it, I’m disappointed. I understand that she’s launched Maebe as a more high class brand. I know it’s not going to be Shein quality. But with prices varying from £35 to £140, I’m definitely not impressed. Maebe’s “ultimate blazer” is priced at an eye-watering £140, whilst a very simple, plain white tee is a whopping £35. Not only this, but the “contour popper top” is £50, and a seemingly boring white shirt will set you back a whopping £65. And if that wasn’t bad enough, £90 for a pair of jeans? I understand paying £50 for a pair of good quality denims, but £90?! That’s incredibly steep considering you can get Levi’s, a well-established brand that’s been going for donkey years, for just a tenner more. So, will I be buying anything from Maebe? The only thing I can say to that is Maebe (definitely) not. by Abigail Wilson, Senior Digital WriterWEST FARGO — When Happy, a sweet but oblivious-to-danger 9-year-old mare scraped up her back leg once again, owner Alicia Severson was able to call on Casselton Veterinary Service to visit her Gandin, N.D., farm and patch up Happy. But when it comes to a recurring ligament injury Happy sustained while competing in a barrel competition, Severson and many other horse and farm animal owners are finding it more difficult every year to find big animal veterinarians, and especially ones that specialize in certain care. ADVERTISEMENT "There is absolutely a shortage," Severson said. For decades, ranchers have been sounding the alarm about a shortage of rural veterinarians and new big animal vets, and especially those who specialize in caring for horses, cows, pigs and sheep. The problem persists despite land grant universities such as North Dakota State University, who often send undergraduates interested in the profession to far-away schools for continuing education. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , 500 counties across 46 states reported critical shortages of big animal vets. And while large animal veterinarians have long been a challenge to find in rural areas, where they are most needed, veterinarians who specialize in horses are also waning. That's despite the increasing popularity and availability in North Dakota and Minnesota for younger generations to compete in equine activities. According to an online database, about 43,200 horses call North Dakota home, which is about one horse per 18 people in the state. Leon Glasser, president of the North Dakota Quarter Horse Racing Association, has been breeding, raising and racing horses for more than 40 years, working to improve the quality of racehorses born in North Dakota. Over the years, he's watched the number of veterinarians willing to work with horses dwindle quickly. "Are we short of equine vets in this area? Absolutely, we are," Glasser said. He said a veterinary clinic in New Salem, N.D., will now only provide simple paperwork needed for owners to transport horses across state lines for care and Missouri Valley Vet Clinic in Bismarck has also limited equine services in the same way. Most newer veterinarians prefer to work on dogs and cats exclusively, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Severson agreed, noting it is also difficult to find a veterinarian who has experience treating goats, as the Seversons have two goats at their farm along with the horses and a cat. For Happy's ligament issue, of which she's had recurring surgeries and needs sporadic treatment, Severson worked with an equine sports medicine specialist based in the Twin Cities but would travel into western Minnesota. However, that veterinarian recently retired, leaving Severson on the hunt to find another specialist within a few hundred miles of the Red River Valley. "Nothing takes the place of a seasoned veterinarian," Severson said. "Thankfully, Casselton [Veterinary Service] is fabulous when it comes to when my horse is injured. But when it comes to long-term stuff that she's dealing with, it's difficult." Dr. Alexa Weyer at Casselton Veterinary grew up in Snohomish, Wash., a farm town north of Seattle, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Dakota before finishing her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in Alabama. Following graduation, she began working at Casselton Veterinary in early 2021. "There is definitely a shortage of people interested in large animal practice, and we would love to see more interest," Weyer said. To be a veterinarian requires a doctorate degree from a veterinary school or program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and passing the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam, which is an extensive 360-question exam on all species (dogs, cats, horses, cows, goats, pigs, birds, reptiles, rabbits, fish and more) and all aspects of veterinary medicine. ADVERTISEMENT Veterinarians can choose to either go straight into general practice after graduation or they can seek further education to become a specialist. To be a veterinarian technician requires a two- or four-year veterinary technology degree, depending on the program. Derine Winning, a veterinarian at Valley Veterinary Hospital in Fargo and public policy adviser for the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, said the vast majority — about 70% — of new graduate veterinarians became companion animal practitioners in 2023. Almost 10% became mixed animal practitioners and only 6% became equine practitioners. The data comes from the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2024 Economic State of the Profession Report. "There are a lot of different areas in which veterinarians can become board certified through advanced education and training," Winning said. Animal specialists of any kind can be difficult to find locally, although Winning said the Red River Animal and Emergency Hospital and Referral Center in Fargo does have some specialists in oncology, surgery, internal medicine and emergency and critical care. Casselton Veterinary provides many large animal services from emergency on-call care to posting a doctor and technician for nights and weekends. In addition to their vets traveling to farms, the clinic has a large treatment area with two stocks and stalls for hospitalization and breeding care. The clinic also has several portable imaging tools. Weyer said the trend of vets moving away from rural areas can be seen in the growing need for referrals. "Unfortunately, most referral facilities across the country for large and small animals are in areas of high population density. For large animals, there are even fewer facilities and they tend to be at universities with veterinary schools or in areas of high equine concentration," she said. ADVERTISEMENT While the Casselton doctors work with a variety of places for specialty referrals, Sturgis Equine in western South Dakota and the University of Minnesota are probably most used by the clinic. Still, the closest drive is about four hours. Weyer said referrals are typically needed for colic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, advanced imaging or advanced hospitalizations. "In general practice like we are, there are always times to refer. For our clients, it would be nice to have a closer option, but a lot of areas in the country are even farther from referral than we are," Weyer said. Beth Carlson, deputy veterinarian with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, said rural areas most in need of large animal veterinarians may not attract college graduates with those abilities. "The ratio of large animal veterinarians has shifted quite a bit," Carlson said. "Certainly there are areas of the state where it is difficult to hire veterinarians for a variety of reasons. In some cases it's challenging to hire veterinarians even in urban areas as well." One challenge is the cost of becoming a veterinarian. The USDA offers a program that provides up to $75,000 in veterinary school loan repayment to graduates who agree to work in underserved rural communities a minimum of three years. While some in Congress have recently proposed increasing that amount, it can still be daunting as new veterinarians, on average, face about $190,000 in school debt over the eight years needed to become a veterinarian. ADVERTISEMENT According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the mean starting salary for a veterinarian working predominantly in the treatment of food animals is about $85,000, but it was more than $100,000 for those who specialize in pet care. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture does work with residents interested in attending veterinary school. Carlson said her office assists with applications for veterinary loan repayment programs. "There are a few different ways that the state and federal government has approached that issue," Carlson said. While NDSU has a veterinarian technician program, there are currently no veterinary schools in North Dakota. In fact, there are only about 30 veterinary schools nationwide. The closest to North Dakota and some of the most renowned veterinary medicine schools are the University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Kansas State. "NDSU is a great agricultural school and has a great veterinary technician program," Weyer said. "It might be nice to have a veterinary doctorate program at NDSU, but I am not sure that the population is there yet to support one."Camara 8-13 0-0 21, Jones 2-3 0-0 4, Kelly 10-18 0-0 20, Berry 1-7 4-4 7, R.Johnson 8-14 4-6 23, Gibson 1-2 0-1 2, Oden 2-6 0-0 6. Totals 32-63 8-11 83. B.Johnson 7-13 3-5 23, Kidd 4-8 1-1 9, Bethea 3-8 0-0 6, Blackmon 4-11 0-0 9, Staton-McCray 4-8 3-4 13, Swartz 4-6 4-4 15, Cleveland 1-2 0-0 2, Djobet 1-2 0-0 2, Ugochukwu 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 11-14 79. Halftime_Charleston Southern 45-37. 3-Point Goals_Charleston Southern 11-24 (Camara 5-10, R.Johnson 3-6, Oden 2-4, Berry 1-3, Kelly 0-1), Miami 12-33 (B.Johnson 6-12, Swartz 3-4, Staton-McCray 2-4, Blackmon 1-8, Cleveland 0-1, Djobet 0-1, Ugochukwu 0-1, Bethea 0-2). Rebounds_Charleston Southern 31 (Kelly 11), Miami 27 (B.Johnson 8). Assists_Charleston Southern 15 (Kelly 6), Miami 16 (Kidd, Djobet 4). Total Fouls_Charleston Southern 14, Miami 13.

TORONTO (AP) — Two Canadian Cabinet ministers met with President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for commerce secretary at Mar-a-Lago on Friday as Canada tries to avoid sweeping tariffs when Trump takes office. Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department. Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States — even though far fewer of each cross into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened. “Minister LeBlanc and Minister Joly had a positive, productive meeting at Mar-a-Lago with Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum, as a follow-up to the dinner between the Prime Minister and President Trump last month,” said Jean-Sébastien Comeau, a spokesman for LeBlanc. Comeau said both ministers outlined the measures in Canada's billion-dollar plan to increase security at the border and reiterated “the shared commitment to strengthen border security as well as combat the harm caused by fentanyl to save Canadian and American lives.” Comeau said Lutnick and Burgum agreed to relay the information to Trump. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Further discussions are expected in the coming weeks. Joly will also have dinner with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on Friday. Trump has been trolling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media in recent weeks by calling him the Governor of the 51st state. Trudeau has not directly responded, but did post a link Thursday to a six-minute video on YouTube from 2010 in which American NBC journalist Tom Brokaw “explains Canada to Americans.” “Some information about Canada for Americans” Trudeau wrote in the post on X. The video, which originally aired during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, explains similarities between the two countries, the massive trading relationship and the actions of the Canadian military in World War 2 and Afghanistan. “In our darkest hours Canada has been with us,” Brokaw says in the video. “In the long history of sovereign neighbors there has never been a relationship as close, productive and peaceful as the U.S. and Canada.” Trudeau has told Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products . About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Alberta alone sends 4.3 million barrel s of oil per day to the U.S which tends to consume about 20 million barrels a day. Trump has also made an issue of the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, erroneously calling it a subsidy. Canada’s ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman, has said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year. But she noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. are energy exports and said there is a deficit when oil prices are high. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs are vastly different at the U.S.’s two land borders. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time.Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets deal DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract that was finalized Wednesday. Ronald Blum, The Associated Press Dec 11, 2024 3:06 PM Dec 11, 2024 3:20 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - New York Yankees' Juan Soto speaks during media day for the baseball World Series, Oct. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract that was finalized Wednesday. The Mets also agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. Major League Baseball teams usually provide security for player families in seating areas at ballparks. New York also agreed to assist Soto's family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed Soto will have uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses. Soto's suite will be valued at the Mets' prevailing prices, presumably for tax purposes, and after 2025 he can by each Jan. 15 modify or give up his suite selection for the upcoming season. He can request the premium tickets, to be used by family members, no later than 72 hours before the scheduled game time. The Yankees had refused to offer Soto a free suite. “Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites they buy them ... whether it's CC (Sabathia), whether it’s (Aaron) Judge, whether it’s (Gerrit) Cole, whether it’s any of these guys," general manager Brian Cashman said. "We've gone through a process on previous negotiations where asks might have happened and this is what we did and we’re going to honor those, so no regrets there." Cashman said the Yankees have a shared suite for player families and a family room with babysitting. Soto gets a $75 million signing bonus, payable within 60 days of the agreement’s approval by the commissioner’s office. The deal for the 26-year-old, which tops Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, was reached Sunday pending a physical that took place Tuesday. Soto receives salaries of $46,875,000 each in 2025 and 2026, $42.5 million in 2027, $46,875,000 apiece in 2028 and 2029 and $46 million in each of the final 10 seasons. Soto has a contingent right to opt out of the agreement within three days of the end of the 2029 World Series to become a free agent again, but the Mets have the an option to negate the opt-out provision by increasing the yearly salaries for 2030-39 by $4 million annually to $50 million and raising the total value to $805 million. If the club exercises its option to negate the opt-out provision, Soto can make his opt-out decision by the fifth day after the World Series. He has a full no-trade provision and gets a hotel suite on road trips. Soto would receive a $500,000 bonus for winning his first Most Valuable Player award and $1 million for each MVP award. He would get $350,000 for finishing second in the voting and $150,000 for finishing third through fifth. Soto was third in the AL voting this year. He would earn $100,000 for each All-Star selection and Gold Glove, $350,000 for World Series MVP and $150,000 for League Championship Series MVP. Soto would get $100,000 for selection to the All-MLB first or second team, $150,000 for Silver Slugger and $100,000 for the Hank Aaron Award. Award bonuses are to be paid by the Jan. 31 after the season in which the bonus is earned. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb Ronald Blum, 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 Baseball Shane Bieber says bonds led to re-signing with Guardians after he missed '24 following elbow surgery Dec 11, 2024 3:19 PM MLB Remaining Free Agents List Dec 11, 2024 3:07 PM MLB Free Agent Signings List Dec 11, 2024 3:07 PMdiamond game 777 。

Port Vale kit man, 54, ‘blackmailed club’s millionaire owner for £15k’

For “Hysteria!” actresses Anna Camp and Julie Bowen, horror is harder than comedy. “Horror is really hard actually because there is a fine line you have to walk; you have to make it feel grounded and you’re put in these extreme circumstances: You’re being possessed or pulled through the air, there’s nothing you can do to relate to that,” explained Camp of “Pitch Perfect” fame. “With comedy, you can have a relatable situation and go, ‘I’ve been in situations like that.’ There’s nothing you can compare (horror) to, so you have to use your imagination. I find it harder. Your imagination goes home with you at the end of the day. You’re still thinking crazy thoughts.” Bowen, best known for playing Claire Dunphy on “Modern Family,” agreed. “Comedy’s pretty binary because it’s like either you can make people laugh or you don’t. I can’t watch horror. I’m terrified, terrified! I am the easiest scare in the world, so as far as doing (horror), I want to make it as real as possible. It was hard because I had to be really, really crazy. There were times when I’d get back to my hotel room at 3 a.m., I didn’t want to be alone in my head,” said Bowen, laughing. Camp, Bowen, Royal Oak native Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”), showrunner David A. Goodman (“Futurama”), and Ypsilanti native/creator Matthew Scott Kane (“American Horror Story”) were promoting “Hysteria!” at the New York Comic Con in October. The horror series is streaming on Peacock. Set in the fictional Michigan town of Happy Hollow, the first episode of “Hysteria” begins with a popular quarterback’s disappearance and a pentagram is discovered on a garage door. As a result, rumors of the occult and satanic influence run rampant through the town. A trio of outcasts in a heavy metal band called Dethkrunch exploit this by rebranding themselves as a satanic metal band, which leads to them becoming the targets of the town’s witch hunt. “Something on my mind a lot in 2019 was we’re living in this post-factual age with social media. It seemed like decades and decades ago, you could trust the news. Now everything is in question. When lies end up getting disseminated as truth, that starts to warp people’s version of reality. Suddenly, they’re living in a world other people are not. That was going on in the world I was living in and I very quickly connected it to the 1980s satanic panic. It’s not really that different because people were saying Ozzy Osbourne, Jason Voorhees (of ‘Friday the 13th’), and the Smurfs were going to turn your kids into satanists and kill you in your sleep. That didn’t happen. It wasn’t true, but so many people got worked up into such a fervor over it, bad things happened. ... It was smoke without fire,” Kane said. “Disinformation is not new,” Campbell said. “Disinformation will tear a town apart.” Campbell portrays Happy Hollow Police Chief Ben Dandridge. “This guy’s a reasonable cop; he’s a rational person who doesn’t treat the teenagers like they’re idiots. It’s all very refreshing,” he said. “I want to play that guy again. I want cops to be that guy. I’m playing the cop (that) cops need to be. That’s my whole motivation for playing this guy: How would you like cops to be, especially the guy in charge, the chief of police? They’re lucky to have Chief Dandridge.” “It was truly an exciting moment when Bruce signed on,” Goodman said. By the end of the first episode, a supernatural phenomenon happens to Linda Campbell, played by Bowen. “Linda seems like one thing, then you realize she’s bananas. She’s either bananas or she’s possessed. Either way, it’s a complicated thing to play,” Bowen said. “With Julie, you can have your cake and eat it too,” Kane said. “She’s this fun, quirky mom. ... As the episode goes on, she’s pulled deeper into this thing and crazy stuff starts happening. That final act of the first episode was my favorite moment with her because this announced that this is not Claire Dunphy. We’re not doing that again; we’re pushing her as a performer. “Julie was so excited about doing stunts. She told us on many occasions she’s very sturdy and can take it. The same goes for Bruce and for Anna. We didn’t ask anyone to give us a flavor of the thing they did before. We cast people we loved so much (in their famous projects) that we wanted to give them the opportunity to do the exact opposite.” Added Bowen: “I got this script and was like, ‘Oh great. She’s a mom. How fun.’ I love moms. I’m a mom, but I felt this was not worth flying out of town to Georgia and being away from my kids. Then I got to the end of the pilot and was like, ‘She’s crazy!’ Is she possessed? There’s a lot more questions. It’s fun to just stretch again and do things I haven’t done in a while, which I found really exciting.” Kane said he felt lucky Bowen signed on at the beginning. “She was the first adult actor to sign on. That gave us such credibility to have a two-time Emmy-winning actor leading this show. Suddenly, it goes from this script from a relatively unknown writer into the new Julie Bowen show,” he said. It was the quality of the writing that attracted Camp, Bowen and Campbell to “Hysteria!” “I loved the script; it was incredibly well-written. It was immersed in the time period. It was such a good coming-of-age story, too — the feeling of being in high school again, being in the 1980s,” Camp said. “I talked to Matt who said my character (Tracy) was incredibly pivotal to the series and we’ll learn about why she is the way she is. So I was like, ‘I’d love to do this!’” For Campbell, the writing is everything. “A lot of times, I’ll get a script that could make the words interchangeable with every other character because the writing is very bland and just doesn’t have the detail you need. This was different. Every character was pretty distinct and pretty well-drawn,” he said. “It’s quality. It’s not a (expletive) show. It’s a real show that’s playing around with interesting themes. A lot of it is still relevant to this day.” “Hysteria!” has other Michigan connections, including University of Michigan alumnus Jonathan Goldstein (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”) and Dondero High School alumnus Jordan Vogt-Roberts (“Kong: Skull Island”), who both serve as executive producers. Kane explained why he set “Hysteria!” in Michigan. “You write what you know. I grew up in Ypsilanti, so that had a lot to do with it. More importantly, when you’re in a small town in the Midwest — somewhere like Michigan — these things don’t ever happen and word spreads fast and paranoia spreads quickly and (everything’s) blown out of proportion and takes up a lot of people’s minds,” he said. “Whether or not something is real doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if there are people willing to believe it does and willing it into the world. What does it matter if it’s objectively real or living rent-free in someone’s head?”Recapitalisation: Sterling HoldCo Bolsters Capital Raising with Full Regulatory Approval

Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated again as the President of the United States on January 20, having defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. Key dates in this transition period include December 17, when the Electoral College will meet, and January 6, when the results will be certified. On December 17, electors from each state and the District of Columbia will assemble to formally select the president and vice president. The returns must be received by December 25 by the president of the Senate, currently Kamala Harris, and then submitted to the archivist. January 6 will see Harris preside over the vote count in Congress, announcing the results. This process recalls the 2021 incident when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn Joe Biden's victory. Since then, Congress has passed new laws increasing the threshold for challenging election results. The inauguration ceremony will commence at 12 p.m. ET on January 20. (With inputs from agencies.)Whatever 2025 holds for world markets, talk of an end to business cycle investing eerily reflects past periods of hubris and makes all the persistent bullishness seem slightly reckless. The years since 2020 have been extraordinary, with pandemic-distorted supply and demand patterns that are still playing out. Serial geopolitical shocks and mega trends in technology and green energy have followed. Amidst all that, inflation in Western economies recorded its biggest spike in 40 years, and central banks scrambled to snuff it out with the most brutal credit tightening in decades. But setting aside the deep but brief pandemic-induced economic contraction in early 2020, the United States has managed to avoid a recession. And few if any forecasters see one unfolding next year. For BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, it is simply different this time. "We've argued since 2020 that we are not in a business cycle," it said in its 2025 outlook. "Historical trends are being permanently broken in real time as mega forces, like the rise of artificial intelligence, transform economies." Ignoring the business cycle is a big call and certainly a brave one at this stage. Yet, looking at the United States over the past few years, it's hard to argue against it. Previously near foolproof bellwethers of cyclical downturns, such as the inverted yield curve or the 'Sahm Rule' on when rising joblessness presages a downturn -- have flashed bright red, but to no avail. US real GDP has expanded continuously since a one-quarter contraction in the first three months of 2022 and as 2024 comes to a close, growth rates are still well above trend at more than 3%. If anything, that looks set to be underscored by both lower interest rates and tax cuts next year. Even the most dogged bears on Wall Street have thrown in the towel, seemingly assured that the services-dominated US economy can sail on unfettered. Most of the big brokers expect further punchy gains for Wall Street stocks in 2025. The already expensive S&P 500, still led mostly by a narrow group of mega-cap tech giants, is set to record its second consecutive year of 25%-plus gains for the first time since 1998. RESONATING MILESTONES All the same, comparisons to the late 1990s should ring some alarm bells. The final years on the last century were certainly different to today but there are also uncanny parallels with the present, including mounting euphoria about a US-dominated technology, a turbulent world economy and seemingly Teflon US growth. The end of the Cold War had given rise to many hubristic books, most famously Francis Fukuyama's bestseller The End of History and the Last Man on the durable triumph of liberal democracy. By the end of the decade, the internet bubble gave vent to endless talk about business cycle being transcended in the face of transformative technology and US exceptionalism. What's more, there were also a few hesitant Federal Reserve interest rate cuts that kept the expansion going before eventually being reversed as the economy dodged turbulence abroad and the domestic bubble grew bigger. The upshot? A tech-led bubble burst in 2000, ushering in three years of consecutive S&P 500 losses -- the longest series of annual downturns since World War II. It took seven years to recover the peaks of 2000, just before the banking crash hit. To be sure, anyone who stuck with durable tech names that survived the dot.com bust made a fortune over the past 20 years. But the business and investment cycle was far from ending. TEFLON ECONOMY So what could go wrong now? Even if there is a cogent argument for continued US economic and market outperformance next year, it's hard to see how America remains entirely insulated if there is significant economic weakness overseas. Asset managers' 2025 outlooks all dwell heavily on the uncertainties surrounding the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump. And they all acknowledge that some type of trade war is in the offing, with China, Europe and even US neighbours Canada and Mexico all in the crosshairs. A global economic hit from tit-for-tat tariff salvos and investment curbs could come back to haunt the United States if it stymies world demand or lifts US prices, causing the Fed to halt or reverse its policy easing. BlackRock's view, for the record, is that the US and global economies may well experience bouts of turbulence in the coming year. But their conclusion is that such moves would only impact tactical trades and that major investment decisions should stay focused on multi-year big themes, such as artificial intelligence and green energy. But even if the United States can remain an "oasis of prosperity", in the words of another famed phrase from the late 1990s, financial distortions could eventually sow the seeds of an eventual fall. Monetary easing around the world has already accelerated, potentially in response to trade fears. This is buoying the dollar and holding down US Treasury yields, too, as investors rotate into what's now become a high-yielding "safe asset". Some argue that inappropriately low US long-term borrowing rates could, by themselves, catalyse a downfall by overheating the economy and further inflating asset bubbles. That scenario suggests that any downturn likely wouldn't come next year. But the rumoured death of the business cycle may yet prove to be greatly exaggerated. Reuters Mike Dolan is Reuters editor-at-large for finance & markets.Meet Jenny, Buddy and Theodora, this week’s Pets of the Week in the San Gabriel Valley

Kroger and Albertsons' plan for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history crumbled Wednesday, with Albertsons pulling out of the $24.6 billion deal and the two companies accusing each other of not doing enough to push their proposed alliance through. Albertsons said it had filed a lawsuit against Kroger, seeking a $600 million termination fee as well as billions of dollars in legal fees and lost shareholder value. Kroger said the claims were “baseless” and that Albertsons was not entitled to the fee. “After reviewing options, the company determined it is no longer in its best interests to pursue the merger,” Kroger said in a statement Wednesday. The bitter breakup came the day after two judges halted the proposed merger in separate court cases. U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson in Oregon issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking the merger until an in-house judge at the Federal Trade Commission could consider the matter. An hour later, Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson in Seattle issued a permanent injunction barring the merger . Ferguson ruled that combining Albertsons and Kroger would lessen competition and violate consumer-protection laws. The companies could have appealed the rulings or proceeded to the in-house FTC hearings. Albertsons' decision to pull out of deal instead surprised some industry experts. “I’m in a state of professional and commercial shock that they would take this scorched earth approach,” said Burt Flickinger, a longtime analyst and owner of retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. “The logical thing would have been for Albertsons to let the decision sink in for a day and then meet and see what could be done. But the lawsuit seems to make that a moot issue.” Albertsons is unlikely to find another merger partner because it has significant debt and underperforming stores in most of its markets., Flickinger said. Consumers will feel the most immediate impact of the deal's demise, he said, since Albertsons charges 12% to 14% more than Kroger and other grocery rivals. “They had so much debt they had to pay it off it's reflected in their pricing and promotional structure,” Flickinger said. Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran testified during the federal hearing in September that his company might consider “structural options” like laying off employees, closing stores and exiting certain markets if the merger with Kroger didn’t go through. “I would have to consider that,” he said. “It’s a dramatically different picture with the merger than without it.” But in a statement Wednesday, Sankaran said Albertsons would “start this next chapter in strong financial condition with a track record of positive business performance." In the company's most recent quarter, Albertsons' revenue rose 1% to $18.5 billion and it reported $7.9 billion in debt. Story continues below video Kroger said it would also move forward in a strong financial position, with revenue down slightly to $33.6 billion in its most recent quarter. The company announced a $7.5 billion share buyback program Wednesday after a two-year pause. Kroger and Albertsons first proposed the merger in 2022 . They argued that combining would help them better compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, which are gaining an increasing share of U.S. grocery sales. Together, Kroger and Albertsons would control around 13% of the U.S. grocery market. Walmart controls around 22%. Under the merger agreement, Kroger and Albertsons — who compete in 22 states — agreed to sell 579 stores in places where their locations overlap to C&S Wholesale Grocers , a New Hampshire-based supplier to independent supermarkets that also owns the Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly store brands. But the Federal Trade Commission and two states — Washington and Colorado — sued to block the merger earlier this year, saying it would raise prices and lower workers' wages by eliminating competition. It also said the divestiture plan was inadequate and that C&S was ill-equipped to take on so many stores. On Wednesday, Albertsons said that Kroger failed to exercise “best efforts” and to take “any and all actions” to secure regulatory approval of the companies’ agreed merger transaction. Albertsons said Kroger refused to divest the assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignored regulators' feedback and rejected divestiture buyers that would have been stronger than C&S. “Kroger’s self-serving conduct, taken at the expense of Albertsons and the agreed transaction, has harmed Albertsons’ shareholders, associates and consumers,” said Tom Moriarty, Albertsons’ general counsel, in a statement. Kroger said that it disagrees with Albertsons “in the strongest possible terms.” It said early Wednesday that Albertsons was responsible for “repeated intentional material breaches and interference throughout the merger process.” Kroger , based in Cincinnati, Ohio, operates 2,800 stores in 35 states, including brands like Ralphs, Smith’s and Harris Teeter. Albertsons , based in Boise, Idaho, operates 2,273 stores in 34 states, including brands like Safeway, Jewel Osco and Shaw’s. Together, the companies employ around 710,000 people. Kroger sued the FTC in August in federal court in Ohio, claiming that the federal agency’s in-house administrative hearings were unlawful because the FTC was also able to challenge the merger in federal court in Oregon. In paperwork filed Wednesday, the FTC said it expected to update the court on its next steps in that case by Dec. 17. In Colorado, which also sued to block the merger, Attorney General Phil Weiser said Tuesday that he still was awaiting a decision from a state judge. In that case, Colorado also was challenging an allegedly illegal no-poach agreement Kroger and Albertsons made during a 2022 strike. Shares of Albertsons fell 1.5% Wednesday, while Kroger's stock was up 1%.

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MoL announces MOL360 initiative to advance labour market in collaboration with MicrosoftI was excited to go to the Christmas markets for first date with dream man – then I discovered cruel truth

Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78Your Art: 'Lady of the Fountain' has a storied pastAnt McPartlin 's ex Lisa Armstrong has shared sweet baby news with her loyal Instagram following, uploading adorable photos of the latest arrival to her family. The makeup artist wrote: "Introducing baby Bowers... Congratulations @morgan.brookex and @bowerz17 He’s just perfect!!.... Jude John-Noel born 26/12/24 5lb 5oz. Great Aunty Cise can't wait to meet you baby boy," alongside three photos of the precious newborn wearing an elephant baby grow and white hat. Fans were quick to congratulate Lisa on the new baby with one writing: "Congratulations on the new addition to your family," and another adding: "Congratulations to you all, Jude is gorgeous." A third left the comment: "Look at his perfect little features xx Congratulations." Ant and Lisa split in 2018 after they were together for 23 years, having met as teenagers and got engaged in 2005. The pair tied the knot in 2006 but sadly the marriage wasn't to last. They currently share custody of their pet pooch, called Hurley. According to The Sun , Lisa wants full custody of their dog, which has reportedly been a point of contention between the pair in the past. At the time of their split, Ant released a statement through his spokesperson which read: "Ant is very sad to announce that after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin. Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made." Beyonce's mom defends her daughter's Christmas halftime performance Stacey Dooley's daughter Minnie is her double with fiery red hair Who is Ant McPartlin married to now? The Britain's Got Talent presenter remarried in 2021 to Anne-Marie Corbett. They welcomed their first child together – a son called Wilder – on 14 May 2024. Ant is also a stepfather to Anne-Marie's two children, Daisy and Poppy from Anne-Marie's previous marriage to businessman, Scott Corbett. While Ant prefers to keep his personal life out of the media, he did make a rare comment about his stepdaughters. He spoke about his blended family to The Telegraph in 2021: "I've got two stepdaughters, 13 and 15, and they are more socially aware at that age than I was in my mid-20s - than I still am." Ant and Anne Marie currently live in Wimbledon together and occasionally Ant's house features online. He used to reside near to his fellow presenter Declan Donnelly in Chiswick, but gave that house up when he split from Lisa. Lisa has had a relationship since Ant, but she split from her partner James Green in 2023.

777 fortune gems 'Fox & Friends' co-hosts discuss Harris County DA Kim OGG's call for the death penalty for the migrants accused of murdering 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and the incoming administration's plan to crack down on the border. Washington, D.C.-area restaurants once again will not be free from politics as the Trump team prepares to settle into the nation's capital for a second term. Food workers inside the Beltway are prepared to refuse service and cause other inconveniences for members of the incoming Trump administration, but this is not the first time the administration and allies will have to deal with harassment while sitting down to dinner. In September 2018, Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, and his wife were harassed at Fiola, an upscale Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C. Protesters confronted them over Cruz’s support for then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his contentious confirmation hearings. Videos circulated online showing demonstrators shouting at the couple, chanting, "We believe survivors." Cruz and his wife eventually left the restaurant due to the altercation. WASHINGTON, D.C., POLITICAL BAR TAKES DOWN REPUBLICAN SYMBOL AFTER FIERCE BACKLASH Ted Cruz was heckled out of a Washington D.C. restaurant by a group of protesters opposing the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018. (Smash Racism DC) This incident was part of a broader wave of confrontations involving Trump administration officials and allies over the summer that year. As such, in June 2018, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen was confronted by protesters at MXDC Cocina Mexicana, a Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C., over the Trump administration's family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border. Protesters chanted, "Shame!" and called her a "villain," forcing her to leave. Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, known for his role in shaping immigration policy, recounted an incident when he went to pick up an $80 sushi order from a restaurant near his apartment that same month. As he left, the bartender followed him outside, called out his name and, when Miller turned around, gave him a double middle finger. He threw away the sushi out of fear someone in the restaurant had tampered with the food, the New York Post reported at the time. DC FOOD WORKERS VOW TRUMP OFFICIALS WON'T FEEL WELCOMED WHEN DINING OUT IN NATION'S CAPITAL President-elect Donald Trump. (Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty Images) Also in June 2018, the owner of The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, asked then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave, citing opposition to the Trump administration's tough immigration policies . Industry veterans, bartenders and servers in the nation's capital told the Washingtonian this week that resistance to the Republican figures in the progressive city was inevitable and a matter of conscience. BIDEN ADMIN SETS NEW TARGET TO TRIPLE US NUCLEAR CAPACITY FROM 2020 LEVELS Protesters march in reaction to the upset election of Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race for President of the United States on Nov. 12, 2016 in Los Angeles. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) "You expect the masses to just ignore RFK eating at Le Diplomate on a Sunday morning after a few mimosas and not to throw a drink in his face?," said Zac Hoffman, a Washington, D.C., restaurant veteran who is now a manager at the National Democratic Club. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Not every liberal hospitality sector worker in the report planned to protest the incoming administration while doing their job, however. A bartender named Joseph said while he was disappointed by the election results, he was looking forward to higher tips with more Republicans in Washington. Fox News Digital's Kristine Parks contributed to this report. Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.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. 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. 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 . 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Fatal crash reported in Huron CountySrinagar, Nov 22: The second edition of the Mulfaq winter T-12 Cosco Cup Cricket tournament began Friday at Chandpora Sports Stadium. Organised by the Mulfaq Sports Club, the tournament features 12 teams from the Phaag area. Hashim Makhdoomi, Chief Organizer, highlighted the tournament’s significance, stating, “Such tournaments inspire youth to showcase their talent. Kashmir is full of sporting potential, and we are grateful to the players for this opportunity.” Peer Bilal, a socio-political activist and chief guest, praised the sporting talent in the Phaag area and encouraged players to give their best in every sport. The inaugural match, played between Shoperbag Lions and Burzhama Sports Club, was witnessed by notable local figures including Shabir Gulshion, G M Bhat (Gulam Kak), Gh Mohidin (Nik Maam), and hundreds of sports enthusiasts.

Ituka scores 18 off the bench, Jacksonville State downs East Carolina 86-78Trump trolls Canada after telling Trudeau it should be the 51st state... as onlooker reveals what they discussed at Mar-a-Lago dinner

The United States presents a paradox: Though the media and public opinion suggest it is a nation deeply divided along partisan lines, surveys reveal that Americans share significant common ground on many core values and political issues. As a political philosopher, I am deeply concerned about the perceived contrast between the public’s shared political concerns and the high level of polarization that is dividing the electorate. Sharing common ground on key issues Despite the prevailing narrative of polarization, Americans frequently agree on essential issues. For instance, there is widespread support for high-quality health care that is accessible to all and for stronger gun-control regulations. Remarkably, many Americans advocate for both the right to bear arms and additional restrictions on firearms. There is strong support for fundamental democratic principles, including equal protection under the law, voting rights, religious freedoms, freedom of assembly and speech, and a free press. On critical issues such as climate change, a majority of citizens acknowledge the reality of human-caused climate change and endorse the development of renewable energy. Similarly, support for women’s reproductive rights, including the right to an abortion, is widespread. Though Republicans tend to be more concerned about the economy when they vote, both Republicans and Democrats rank it highly as a top political priority. Despite a currently strong economy by many standards, however, supporters of both parties believe the economy is performing poorly. This fact is likely the result of a combination of pandemic-related factors, from reduced spending and increased saving during the height of the pandemic to lingering inflation, partly triggered by the pandemic. Whatever the reason for this shared pessimism over the economy, it clearly helped Donald Trump win the 2024 election. Overall, Americans have a positive view of immigration. That sentiment has declined in recent years, however, as most Americans now want to see rates of immigration reduced – Republicans more so than Democrats. Part of the tension in the nation’s thinking about immigration is likely the result of a political culture that favors sensational stories and disinformation over more sober consideration of related issues and challenges. For instance, much of this election’s discourse over immigration was marred by fictional and bigoted accounts of immigrants eating pets and inaccurate portrayals of most immigrants as criminals. It should be evident that even shared political perceptions aren’t always based on good evidence or reasons. Despite the existence of so much common ground, Americans see the nation as polarized. Shared values and concerns matter little if constant exposure to disinformation makes it nearly impossible for half the population to sort fact from fiction. The effect of perception The perception of division itself can fuel distrust where common ground might otherwise be found among citizens. Even with substantial consensus on many issues, the perception of polarization often drives public discourse. This misalignment can be exacerbated by partisans with something to gain. Research shows that when people are told that experts are divided on an issue, such as climate change, it can lead to increased polarization. Conversely, emphasizing the fact of scientific consensus tends to unify public concern and action. The perception among U.S. voters that they disagree more than they agree can precede and perpetuate discord. Differing political camps begin to perceive each other as foes rather than fellow citizens. This continued perception that Americans are more divided on issues than we actually are poses an enormous threat to democracy. The biggest threat is that people begin to see even neighbors and family members who vote differently as enemies. Stress about holiday interactions with relatives who voted differently is reportedly leading some people to cancel family gatherings rather than spend time together. Yet, Americans are still potential allies in a larger fight to realize similar political aspirations. If people are too busy attacking each other, they will miss opportunities to unite in defense of shared goals when threats emerge. In fact, they will fail to recognize the real threats to their shared values while busily stoking divisions that make them increasingly vulnerable to disinformation. Bridging the gap Recognizing the public’s shared values is an important step in healing political divides. Philosopher Robert B. Talisse has argued that one way to get started might be refocusing attention on community projects that are nonpolitical but bring together people who don’t normally think of each other as political allies. This might include, for example, participating in civic or sports clubs, or volunteering to help with local community events. These actions are not overtly politically charged. Rather, they are collaborative in a way that supports community identity rather than partisan identity. It is an exercise in rebuilding civic trust and recognizing each other as fellow citizens, and perhaps even friends, without the tension of partisan politics. Once this trust in each other’s civic identity is healed, it can open a door for meaningful political discussion and understanding of each other’s shared concerns. If we Americans don’t find ways to recognize our shared values, and even our shared humanity, we won’t be able to defend those values when they are challenged. Lawrence Torcello is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Any Texas or Texas A&M player has heard the lore of the rivalry between the two schools, a grudge match that dates to 1894. But for more than a decade — two generations of college football players — that's all it has been: Ghostly memories of great games and great plays made by heroes of the distant past. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Models Attempt To 'Streak' in Risqué Santa-Themed Outfits At 49ers GameTORONTO — Canada's main stock index fell more than 100 points Friday, led by losses in base metal and telecom stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed ahead of next week's interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve. This week, the Bank of Canada announced another outsized interest rate cut of half a percentage point while also signalling it plans to slow the pace of cuts going forward. Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth, said the central bank is juggling a lot of balls heading into the new year, including a faltering economy, a housing market that’s poised to heat up, and a U.S. Fed likely to cut much slower next year. “If (the Bank of Canada) continues to cut when the U.S. doesn’t, where does that leave our dollar?” asked Small. “They’re flying by the seat of their pants.” The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 136.41 points at 25,274.30. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 86.06 points at 43,828.06. The S&P 500 index was down 0.16 points at 6,051.09, while the Nasdaq composite was up 23.88 points at 19,926.72. The Fed has done a better job of tamping down inflation while not harming the economy too much, said Small. The Fed is expected to cut by a quarter-percentage point next week, and its path is clearer than the Bank of Canada’s, said Small. “I don’t think they have much room to cut more,” he said, noting this week saw U.S. inflation data tick up from the month before. “Most people think they’ll go 25 (basis points) and pause for a little while,” said Small. “Would I be surprised to see them not cut at all? No, but I think the market would take that negatively.” Heading into the last few weeks of the year, Small said if there’s a so-called Santa Claus rally, it may be more muted than usual. “It's quite possible we've taken some gains that we normally would have had in December, brought them forward into November, and now December might not be as strong as we normally see,” he said. On Wall St., the Nasdaq did a little better than its U.S. peers as semiconductor company Broadcom saw its stock gain more than 24 per cent after reporting earnings. “I think the commentary on the conference call really caused the stock to shoot up," said Small. The company gave a bright forecast for investors on the back of expected growth in artificial intelligence. This week, Broadcom and Apple also announced a deal to develop a chip for AI. The Canadian dollar traded for 70.27 cents US compared with 70.48 cents US on Thursday. The January crude oil contract was up US$1.27 at US$71.29 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 18 cents at US$3.28 per mmBTU. The February gold contract was down US$33.60 at US$2,675.80 an ounce and the March copper contract was down five cents at US$4.15 a pound. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press

ICC Labs Inc. ( CVE:ICC – Get Free Report ) was down 5.8% on Friday . The company traded as low as C$1.61 and last traded at C$1.62. Approximately 646,156 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 799,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$1.72. ICC Labs Stock Down 5.8 % The firm has a market capitalization of C$223.63 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$1.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$1.62. ICC Labs Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) ICC Labs Inc, through its subsidiaries, produces and sells cannabis in Uruguay. It offers recreational cannabis, medicinal cannabis, cannabinoid extracts, and by-products for medicinal, recreational, and industrial use, as well as industrial hemp. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for ICC Labs Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ICC Labs and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .To subscribe, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To pitch a ‘My Turn’ guest column, email jdalessio@news-gazette.com . Want to purchase today’s print edition? Here’s a map of single-copy locations. Sign up for our daily newsletter here It’s what’s not in any of the nearly 300 pieces of legislation about to become law in the Land of Lincoln that irks Mahomet Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose to no end. “What should have become law is (Champaign Democratic) Senator ( Paul ) Faraci 's and my bill to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration,” Rose said Friday for the umpteenth time since a plan to ban the practice fell flat in Springfield last month, putting the sole source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of central Illinoisans at risk. Plenty of other bills, on topics ranging from corporal punishment to catalytic converters, cleared both the House and Senate and will soon take effect statewide. Here’s an overview, winners and losers, style from Editor JEFF D'ALESSIO . The ‘Fight for $15’ is over — starting Wednesday, legislation signed six years ago by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will take full effect, with Illinois’ minimum wage increasing by $1 an hour. WINNER: Minimum-wage workers Come Wednesday, only Washington state ($16.66), California ($16.50), Connecticut ($16.35) and New York ($15.50 to $16.50) will guarantee workers a higher hourly rate than Illinois’ $15. It’s the seventh (and final scheduled) raise in six years in Illinois, part of a staggered scale put in motion in 2019 by then-new Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who raised the state’s minimum wage from $8.25 to $9.25 in 2020, by 75 cents six months later and by a buck on every New Year’s Day since. To help small businesses with 50 or fewer employees get by, the state provides a tax credit through 2027 for wages paid to minimum-paid workers. For too long, insurance companies asked Illinoisans to fail first — denying or delaying necessary treatment for profit. No longer is that the case. Today, I'm proud to sign into law the Healthcare Protection Act that puts power back into the hands of patients and their doctors. pic.twitter.com/cx9Njcvwtu LOSER: Health-insurance providers No industry received as many mentions on the laundry list of new laws in the Land of Lincoln than health insurers. Among the new must-covers for insurance companies doing business in Illinois: medically prescribed hearing aids for all (not just those under 18); medically necessary prosthetics or custom orthotic devices; at-home pregnancy tests; genetic cancer screenings for high-risk patients; annual prostate-cancer screenings, cervical smears and Pap smears; and mental-health care for first responders. The state also put limits on the total price of medically necessary epinephrine injectors ($60 or less for a two-pack) and life-saving inhalers ($25 for a 30-day supply). WINNER: Stressed-out students Senate Bill 2872 gives schools the option of dedicating 20 minutes a week to activities aimed at reducing students’ anxiety and prioritizing their mental and physical health. Like yoga, for one. Stretching. Meditation. Quiet time. There’s just one catch, area superintendents say. “One of the main issues will be where to find the time in the day for an extra 20 minutes,” Villa Grove’s Carol Munson says. Carol Munson “We know that brain breaks, or what this law calls relaxation time, is important,” acknowledges Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Jeremy Darnell , adding that his district already carves out time daily for P.E. and recess for all K-8 students. “The amount of time and structure of activity is variable according to development needs by age, but we do believe that play and relaxation are important. Jeremy Darnell "To many people, carving out 20 minutes of time seems simple but spanning 14 years of age difference with anything mandated is actually quite difficult. Legislation like this is well-intended, along with the countless other mandates that come out of the General Assembly, but the school day is still only seven hours and every mandate carves time away from something else.” Cute little bottles of shampoo and other toiletries are being phased out by hotels across the country, including Illinois. LOSER: Travelers who don’t pack toiletries Here’s one less thing the staff at Urbana's Hotel Royer will have to deal with when it opens on who-knows-what-date: SB 2960 prohibits establishments from providing those mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash and other personal-care products often found in guests’ bathrooms. The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association backed the bill, which is designed to cut down on waste from single-use plastic products. It takes effect on July 1, 2025 for hotels with 50 or more rooms and on Jan. 1, 2026 for hotels with less than 50. WINNER: Those who chose “lose 25 pounds” for a New Year’s resolution, only to lose steam by February The good news: That one-year gym membership you signed up for will be easier to get out of at this time next year, thanks to House Bill 4911. It mandates that all gyms and fitness centers must allow customers to cancel their memberships by email or online. Another consumer-friendly change that kicks in on New Year’s: Businesses that lure in customers via free trials or promotional periods must notify them at least three days before their subscription is automatically renewed at the paid rate. A pile of stolen catalytic converters. LOSER: Catalytic converter thieves Best of luck finding a recycler to buy your stolen loot after Tuesday. In an effort to curb a trend that was already on the decline, sellers will be required to provide a vehicle title that proves ownership and dealers must keep records of every vehicle title and identification number from which the part was taken. This 80-foot majestic green ash at 604 W. Pennsylvania Ave. is among the trees that earned "legacy" status in Urbana. WINNER: Trees Taking a cue from Urbana — a proud Tree City USA designee every year since the mid-‘70s — the state signed off on its own Legacy Tree Program, which includes a task force that “shall establish recommendations to promote the identification, awareness, commemoration and preservation of significant trees within the state.” LOSER: Paddle-wielding private school principals Believe it or not, corporal punishment is still permissible in private schools in all but a handful of states. The exceptions: Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and now Illinois, courtesy an edit to HB 4175. It amends Illinois School Code to expressly prohibit employees at nonpublic schools from engaging in "slapping or paddling a student, the prolonged maintenance of a student in a physically painful position or the intentional infliction of bodily harm on a student." WINNER: Child actors No more 12-hour shoots for 12-year-olds with two lines in a network pilot. Illinois' Child Labor Law of 2024 puts limits on how many hours in a 24-hour day a child is permitted to work and be on set of a TV, movie or related entertainment production. The on-set limits, broken down by age: two hours for babies between 15 days and six months; four hours for seven months to 2 years; five hours for ages 3-5; seven hours for ages 6-8 if it’s a school day (eight hours if not); and nine hours for ages 9-15. Kam Cox LOSER: Fans who long for the old days of college athletics For an explanation of HB 307 — the latest twist in name, images and likeness and a win for student-athletes — we turned to the area’s foremost authority on the topic: Kam Cox , assistant athletic director for strategic initiatives at the University of Illinois. The bill’s main purpose, he says, “was to realign Illinois law with the most immediate and important changes to the NCAA's NIL rules. Since our state law amendments in summer 2022, there have been several key areas where injunctions, lawsuits or otherwise have encouraged the NCAA to adjust its NIL policies, but our state law remained stable during that time.” In response, the state legislature made three key adjustments, which Cox took time to outline for us on Friday: 1. “Prohibitions against third-party use of NIL opportunities as a recruiting inducement were removed from the state law. Following the injunction against enforcing this NCAA rule in a case involving the collective supporting the University of Tennessee, the NCAA announced that it would not enforce the third-party recruiting inducement prohibitions nationwide. The new state law removes the old provisions to mirror the new NCAA policy and also to anticipate similar changes that will come next year after the settlement of a major lawsuit, as explained below. 2. “Additional language was provided to allow Illinois student-athletes to earn NIL compensation directly from their institutions. In anticipation of next year's final certification of the House class-action settlement, the legislature wanted to make sure that Illinois law was not an inadvertent barrier to institutions that choose to provide increased benefits for student-athletes. 3. “Old law was amended to make clear that Illinois institutions may help facilitate student-athlete NIL activities. NCAA legislation regarding the permitted level of institutional support in NIL activities has repeatedly changed, but a new NCAA bylaw allows greater institutional support under certain conditions. The new law merely aligns with this approach.” Said Cox: “At DIA, we are looking forward to seeing the law become effective in January.” 🚨🚨 BIG NEWS! Legislation enabling Illinois residents to start using mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs was signed into law today by @GovPritzker . New technology will ensure privacy and safety for Illinois residents. #HB4592 pic.twitter.com/jECizGqhuT WINNER: Illinois motorists It could be a year or two before SB 0275 is put into action but no later than on July 1, 2027, you’ll have the option of purchasing a driver’s license that’s good for eight years — twice as long as is currently allowed — at a one-time cost of $60. LOSER: Word watchers Those who believe law enforcement lingo is fine as is won’t like an amendment to the Illinois Crime Reduction Act. It outlaws the term “offender” and replaces it with “justice-impacted individual” when describing those in the Adult Redeploy Illinois program, which is aimed at keeping non-violent offenders from going to prison. Posters like this one, from DCFS, will soon be required at a variety of establishments statewide. WINNER: Child abuse victim advocates Per the terms of the Child Abuse Notice Act, all hotels, motels, bus stations, hospital emergency rooms, tattoo and body piercing establishments and indoor entertainment or sporting facilities with a capacity of at least 5,000 will be required to post — “in a conspicuous place” — a DCFS notice with information on what constitutes physical and sexual abuse and how to report such abuse. It must be at least 8.5 inches by 11 inches in size and written in a 16-point font. Heads up #Illinois landlords: New law kicks in Jan 1. LL can't take 'retaliatory action' vs tenant-- can't evict, increase rent, decrease service, or even file lawsuit in many situations. Read attached law--it's not long. #CRE #RRE #RealEstate @vjeannek https://t.co/A3ocKwy6VL pic.twitter.com/aJ8gqivlN3 LOSER: Retaliatory landlords Effective Wednesday, landlords will be strictly prohibited from "knowingly terminating a tenancy, increasing rent, decreasing services, (or) bringing or threatening to bring a lawsuit against a tenant for possessing or refusing to renew a lease or tenancy" if the tenant has “filed a government complaint about code violations, complained of specific code violations to media or local organizations or complained or asked for repairs related to health ordinances, building code, the renter’s lease or other regulations.” WINNER: Journalism Coming as soon as the 2025-26 school year: Illinois Student Assistance Commission-awarded scholarships for students who commit to working for a local news organization in the state for a period of no less than two years. LOSER: Employers that advertise salary as being “commensurate with experience” From here on out, businesses with 15 or more employees must include a pay scale and benefits information in every job posting. WINNER: Crime victims With the exception of some coroner or medical examiner investigations, DNA collected from victims of crimes to aid in investigations cannot be entered into any DNA database. E-cigarettes are now by far the most commonly used tobacco product among middle- and high-school students. The electronic devices, which can appear harmless, are not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. LOSER: Deceptive vaping businesses Now against the law in Illinois, per a change to the Preventing Youth Vaping Act: advertising, marketing or promoting electronic cigarettes “in a manner that is likely to cause a (young) person to mistake the electronic cigarette for a product that is not a tobacco product.” WINNER: Those who conduct training for a living They’ll do big business in Illinois, with new laws requiring law enforcement and correctional officers to be trained on the best procedures and techniques when engaging with individuals with autism, and teachers, administrators and other school personnel to be schooled on emergency procedures, including the Heimlich maneuver, hands-only CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. The Teamsters took to social media to try to convince Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign the Worker Freedom of Speech Act. LOSER: Bosses who cross the First Amendment line Under the Illinois AFL-CIO-backed Worker Freedom of Speech Act, no employee can be made to attend work meetings where politics or religion are the topics of discussion if neither is part of their job. Nor can a boss discipline them for opting out or reporting a violation of the act. Exempted: non-profit and advocacy organizations where politics or religion may be in the job description. WINNER: Electric scooter riders On any road, sidewalk or trail where bicycles are allowed, low-speed electric scooters can now be, too — provided a municipality or park district approves of it. NEWS: IL is the 5th state to require climate change education in public schools!🤓 Thanks to @GovPritzker & bill champs Rep @jyangrohr , @StateRepKim & @SenALJohnson , students will learn about the environmental impacts of climate change as well as the solutions that mitigate it. pic.twitter.com/3Ex7QISKuw LOSER: Climate change deniers This ought to go over well in some of the redder sections of Illinois: A law that kicks in during the 2026-27 school year will require public schools to provide “learning opportunities on the impacts of climate change and solutions for addressing the crisis.” According to the Illinois Environmental Council, ours is the fifth state to embrace climate change education, joining California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.TCU's TD barrage breaks open tight game vs. Arizona

Savion Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Josh Hoover threw for 252 yards as TCU pulled away from Arizona in the second half, winning 49-28 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, starting late in the first half after the Wildcats (4-7, 2-6) pulled within 14-13. Williams carried nine times for 80 yards, scoring on runs of 1 and 20 yards in the first half. Hoover completed 19 of 26 passes, with one touchdown and one interception, before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter when the Frogs were up by 21. TCU took control after leading 21-13 at halftime, going up 35-13 on a 38-yard reception to JP Richardson midway through the third. Arizona kept its hopes alive, ending a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hunter on fourth down on the first play of the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion made it 35-21. But the Horned Frogs responded with another TD drive, capped by a 6-yard run by Cam Cook for a 42-21 advantage. Arizona added a 70-yard fumble return touchdown with one minute to go for the game's final score. Tetairoa McMillan caught nine passes for 115 yards to become the Arizona career leader in receiving yardage with 3,355. He surpassed his receivers coach, Bobby Wade (3,351), at the top spot. The Wildcats' Noah Fifita completed 29 of 44 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, which happened on the game's first snap. TCU promptly scored on a 4-yard run by Trent Battle, and Williams added a 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. But the Wildcats fought back, getting a 17-yard touchdown reception by Hunter and field goals of 53 and 43 yards from Tyler Loop to climb within 14-13 with 1:55 go before halftime. That's almost how the half ended, but the Horned Frogs converted third-and-18 on the ensuing drive and then gained 24 yards on third-and-25 to the Arizona 20. That set up a 20-yard run by Williams on fourth-and-1 with 13 seconds left for a 21-13 lead. --Field Level Media

USDA Seeks Top Minds to Revolutionize Food Safety—Step Up to Protect America’s Families

From Challenges to Champions: Craig Shults Shares His Journey of Resilience and Reinvention in an Exclusive Interview 11-22-2024 11:34 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Erase Technologies, LLC Image: https://www.getnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1732304774.jpg Craig Shults, Orange County, CA, USA Craig Shults, an accomplished entrepreneur and finance expert, has been featured in an exclusive interview, shedding light on his transformative journey from the scenic Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York to becoming a respected leader and CFO at JSL Construction in Southern California. Craig Shults, an accomplished entrepreneur and finance expert, has been featured in an exclusive interview, shedding light on his transformative journey from the scenic Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York to becoming a respected leader and CFO at JSL Construction in Southern California. Known for his unyielding drive, Craig's story is one of resilience, continuous learning, and an unwavering commitment to making a positive impact. In this engaging interview, Craig delves into how his diverse experiences and setbacks have shaped his views on success and failure. "Success, to me, isn't just about wealth or status. It's about the number of people who benefit from what I do," he shared, emphasizing his belief in the value of adaptability and the lessons learned through adversity. He explains how setbacks have only strengthened his resolve, teaching him the importance of staying grounded in his core values of honesty, integrity, discipline, and resilience. A lifelong learner, Craig's impressive academic background reflects his dedication to self-improvement. With multiple Associate's degrees, including General Business, Sociology, and American Studies, and a high-honors Paralegal Certificate from Blackstone Career Institute, he has developed a holistic approach to solving problems. This well-rounded education allows him to make thoughtful, community-conscious decisions in his role at JSL Construction. When asked how he maintains focus under pressure, Craig credits meditation. "It gives me the clarity to dissect any situation, leaving emotions aside so I can focus purely on strategy," he noted. He emphasizes the importance of self-evaluation, strategic thinking, and the discipline to execute solutions effectively. His methodical approach to identifying marketplace gaps-observing, strategizing, executing, and refining-highlights his ability to turn ideas into actionable, impactful solutions. Despite facing significant financial and personal hurdles, Craig remains driven by a desire to leave a positive mark. His commitment to helping others is exemplified through his active support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Giving back is not just an act of charity for Craig; it is an essential part of his identity and a source of purpose beyond business. Craig also opens up about his secret to achieving work-life balance, stressing the importance of activities that bring him joy and centering himself through family and fitness. Whether he is cooking, working out, or meditating, he believes in nurturing both his professional and personal spheres to remain productive and fulfilled. For those seeking to rebuild their lives after setbacks, Craig offers practical advice: take responsibility, embrace reinvention, and surround yourself with supporters who believe in your vision. "The comeback is always stronger than the setback if you remain committed and disciplined," he said, inspiring others to pursue their dreams despite obstacles. About Craig Shults Craig Shults is an entrepreneur and finance professional from the Mohawk Valley in Upstate New York, currently residing in Orange County, California. With a career spanning from insurance and home improvement sales to his current role as Controller and CFO at JSL Construction, Craig embodies the values of resilience and continuous learning. He is an advocate for philanthropy, supporting organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is passionate about fitness, cooking, and travel. To read the full interview, click here [ https://ceoworld.biz/ ]. Media Contact Contact Person: Craig Shults Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=from-challenges-to-champions-craig-shults-shares-his-journey-of-resilience-and-reinvention-in-an-exclusive-interview ] City: Orange County State: California Country: United States Website: https://craigshults.com/ This release was published on openPR.JAMAICA, N.Y. , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) today announced that Turkish Airlines will begin operations at the new terminal when it opens in 2026. Turkish Airlines will also unveil a brand new, state-of-the-art lounge for its premium customers, launching the next phase of the award-winning airline's growth at its top U.S. gateway. The New Terminal One, set to be the largest international terminal in the United States , will offer best-in-class amenities and innovative technology for a transformational and efficient travel experience. The New Terminal One is a key component of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport into a world-class gateway, which will include two new terminals, the modernization and expansion of two existing terminals, a new ground transportation center, and an entirely new, simplified roadway network. Turkish Airlines, which currently flies 19 times weekly from JFK Airport to its hub at Istanbul , providing seamless connections to its extensive global network, will continue to offer top-tier service from the new terminal. As part of its expansion in the JFK market, Turkish Airlines will open an 11,000-square-foot lounge in the New Terminal One – twice the size of the airline's lounge at the existing Terminal 1. The new lounge will feature premium amenities, expansive views of JFK Airport's airfield and provide direct boarding access to aircraft, offering unmatched convenience for Turkish Airlines' business class customers and top-tier frequent flyers. Recognized for its exceptional in-flight service, Turkish Airlines recently received the World Class Award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) for the fourth consecutive year, placing it among just 10 airlines in the world to have received this prestigious recognition. Turkish Airlines was also chosen as the Best Airline in Europe nine times by Skytrax. Over the years Turkish Airlines also received accolades from Skytrax and other prestigious organizations numerous times for its Business and Economy Class offerings and Lounges. Turkish Airlines offers service to 351 destinations, including 25 in the Americas. Turkish is a member of the Star Alliance and will join other alliance members at the New Terminal One: LOT Polish Airlines, EVA Air and Air China. "We are thrilled to welcome Turkish Airlines to the New Terminal One at JFK, where their commitment to world-class customer service aligns perfectly with our mission to provide an unparalleled customer experience," said The New Terminal One Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Aument . "We look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Turkish Airlines to elevate the travel experience for customers from 2026 and beyond." Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat stated: "We are excited to bring Turkish Airlines' world-class service to the New Terminal One at JFK, further enhancing our passengers' travel experience with a state-of-the-art-lounge. This move underlines our commitment to continue our growth in the U.S market." In addition to Turkish Airlines, the New Terminal One has partnered with several other global carriers, including Air France, KLM, Etihad, LOT Polish Airlines, Korean Air, EVA Air, Air Serbia, SAS, Neos and Philippine Airlines. Air China is also partnering with the terminal on elevating the travel experience for Chinese customers visiting New York . The New Terminal One is focused on improving the customer experience by collaborating with potential airline partners. This includes working with airline teams across all customer journey touchpoints. Set to be JFK Airport's largest terminal when complete, the New Terminal One will offer a world-class customer experience and additional widebody aircraft gate capacity – providing international airlines a unique opportunity to grow their service at JFK, the top global gateway to the U.S. About The New Terminal One The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport is a bold and exciting project to develop a world-class international terminal that will serve as an anchor terminal in the Port Authority's $19 billion transformation of JFK into a global gateway to the New York metropolitan area and the United States . The New Terminal One will set a new standard for design and service, aspiring to obtain a Top 5 Skytrax ranking and be considered one of the finest airport terminals in the world. The New Terminal One is being built on sites now occupied by Terminal 1 and the former Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, where it will anchor JFK's south side. Construction is taking place in phases. The first phase, including the new arrivals and departures halls and first set of 14 new gates, is expected to open in 2026. At completion, anticipated in 2030, the New Terminal One will be 2.6 million square feet, making it the largest terminal at JFK and nearly the same size as LaGuardia Airport's two new terminals combined. The New Terminal One will be a 23-gate, state-of-the-art, international-only terminal. Sustainably designed and future-focused, the terminal will feature expansive, naturally lit public spaces, cutting-edge technology, and an array of amenities, all designed to enhance the customer experience and compete with some of the highest-rated airport terminals in the world. The New Terminal One consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners is led by Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico, and Carlyle. The New Terminal One is being built by union labor and is committed to local inclusion and labor participation, focusing on diversity and capacity-building opportunities, including ambitious participation goals of 30% for minority and women-owned enterprises, 10% for local business enterprises and 3% for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. To learn more about the New Terminal One at JFK International Airport, visit https://www.anewjfk.com/projects/the-new-terminal-one/ About Turkish Airlines Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 491 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 351 worldwide destinations in 130 countries (298 international destinations and 53 domestic destinations within Turkiye). More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on its official website www.turkishairlines.com or its social media accounts on Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/turkish-airlines-to-begin-operations-at-the-new-terminal-one-at-jfk-and-unveil-world-class-lounge-302331710.html SOURCE The New Terminal One at JFK

Mumbai: Counting for 6.4 crore votes polled in the 288 state assembly constituencies will be held on Saturday which is being seen as one of the most intensely fought electoral battles by the two major political alliances - the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that the high volume of postal ballots has led to the establishment of 1,732 tables for postal ballot counting and 592 tables for electronically transmitted postal ballot system (ETPBS) to ensure a smooth counting process across all assembly constituencies, the official said. Election Commission officials giving training to Election Commission counting agents for tomorrow's vote counting at Da Silva High School, Dadar in Mumbai | File Photo The Mumbai Police has issued an order prohibiting the assembly of people within a 300-meter radius of all 36 counting centres in the city. No person, other than officials involved in the election process or public servants on duty, is allowed to loiter or form any assembly within the restricted 300-meter radius of any counting centre, a police official stated. The order is effective from 6.00 am on November 21 until midnight on November 24. Of the 288 assembly seats, the BJP, the alliance partner in Mahayuti, has contested 149 seats with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena contesting 81 and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP 59. From the MVA, the Congress has fielded 101 candidates followed by Shiv Sena(UBT) 95 and Sharad Pawar-led NCP 86. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded the highest number of candidates, 237. In total 4,136 candidates are in the fray. There are 2,086 independents in fray, of whom many are the party rebels. A women police officer keep watch on a screen which was connected with CCTV installed in counting centre at Da Silva High School in Mumbai | File Photo The term of the state assembly ends by midnight on November 26, which gives just two days to the political parties to stake a claim to form the government. Along with the assembly constituencies, the counting of votes will also be held for the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll, which saw 67.81% voter turnout. Compared to all the 36 districts, Kolhapur has registered the highest percentage of voting with 76.63%. The district of Gadchiroli, known for the presence of Naxals, from Vidarbha stood second with 75.26%. Interestingly, the district of Jalna has seen 72.67%, the third highest turnout of the voters which also includes the village Antarwali Sarati where Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange has undertaken several agitations. The dubious distinction of the lowest turnout has gone in favour of Mumbai island city again with 52.07%. The suburban district has registered 55.95% polling.

SAUNDERS: Not all in the family. Biden hands out pardons

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With Easter Sunday falling on April 20 next year, customers shared their confusion on social media after finding chocolate eggs and hot cross buns already for sale in shops including Morrisons, Tesco and Asda. One user, @Jingle1991, shared an image of Malteser Bunnies in Sainsbury’s on Christmas Eve and pointed out: “Jesus hasn’t even been born yet.” Meanwhile, Gary Evans from Margate shared a shot of Creme Eggs on display in Morrisons in Margate on Boxing Day. “I just think its crazy that everything is so superficial and meaninglessly commercial... (there’s) something quite frantic about it,” the 66-year-old told the PA news agency. No Shame.Morrisons.Easter eggs.Boxing Day. December 26th.Peace on Earth pic.twitter.com/slGoIjOpRq — Gary Evans (@GaryEva04679693) December 26, 2024 Joseph Robinson found Easter confectionary including Cadbury Mini Eggs, and themed Kit-Kat and Kinder Surprise products at his local Morrisons in Stoke-on-Trent on Friday evening. “It’s funny, as they’ve not even managed to shift the Christmas chocolates off the shelves yet and they’re already stocking for Easter,” the 35-year-old admin support worker told PA. “I wish that Supermarkets weren’t so blatantly consumerist-driven and would actually allow customers and staff a time to decompress during the Christmas period.” @Morrisons It's not even a full 2025 and you're already stocking for easter.Kindly get in the bin pic.twitter.com/kLS7DGSRXt — Joseph (@stokegoblin) December 27, 2024 Asked if he was tempted to make a purchase, Mr Robinson added: “As a vegan it holds no appeal to me!” Mike Chalmers, a devout Christian from Chippenham, Wiltshire, was slightly less critical after spotting a display entitled: “Celebrate this Easter with Cadbury.” Easter is for life, not just for Christmas(Photo today in Morrisons!) pic.twitter.com/VmdJ31La9r — Mike Chalmers (@realMChalmers) December 27, 2024 “Christmas and Easter are the two centrepoints of the Christian good news story so it’s no bad thing to see the connections,” the 44-year-old said. “It’s about more than shapes of chocolate though!” Marketing consultant Andrew Wallis admitted he was surprised to see Easter eggs in the Co-op in Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, but added it also illustrates “forward-thinking” from big businesses. Christmas isn’t even over, and Easter eggs are already on the shelves. Say what you want about it—but big brands don’t wait. They plan ahead and act fast. Are you doing the same? Your future self will thank you pic.twitter.com/Sl9qd7sOGS — andrewwallis (@andrewwallis) December 27, 2024 “It made me reflect on how big brands are always thinking ahead and planning early,” the 54-year-old from the Isle of Man, who provides marketing advice to the fitness industry, told PA. “My message to retailers would be: while planning ahead is important, it’s also essential to be mindful of consumer sentiment. “Some might feel it’s too early for seasonal products like this but others might see it as a sign of forward-thinking. “Striking the right balance is key to keeping customers happy.”

Giants will try to snap a 7-game losing streak when they host the SaintsStock market today: S&P 500 closes lower ahead of Thanksgiving

NoneThe New York Yankees have met in person at the Winter Meetings with free agent reliever Chris Martin according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN. He spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox and is entering his age-39 season, as he posted a 3.45 ERA with a 27.8% strikeout rate last season with an extremely low 1.7% walk rate. His ability to miss bats, generate soft contact, and fill up the zone make him an attractive high-leverage option, and the Yankees could use some bullpen depth after losing Clay Holmes to the New York Mets alongside having Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill on the free agent market. Chris Martin and Yankees Meet in Person At Winter Meetings While Chris Martin is entering the final stages of his career, he’s remained one of the best relievers in the sport over the last two seasons. Over his two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, which he signed after the 2022 season, he posted a 2.16 ERA in 100 appearances with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 48.9% GB%, as he served as a high-leverage set-up man who could occasionally close out games depending on the situation. Only George Kirby has a lower walk rate among pitchers with at least 90 innings pitched over the last two seasons, and his ability to miss bats alongside limiting damage contact could make him a great fit for the Yankees. He throws three different fastballs with a cutter, four-seamer, and sinker to go with his splitter, with all four of his pitches providing various movement profiles for hitters to deal with. The Yankees are reportedly interested in a reunion with both Tim Hill and Tommy Kahnle, but they are expected to explore various options on the market as they try and upgrade their roster. After losing Clay Holmes to the New York Mets the Yankees need bullpen help to round out a roster that is expected to have a lot of new faces in 2025. Losing Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals doesn’t help matters, and they’re bidding aggressively to try and land some talent to boost their pitching staff and roster. After landing Max Fried on a massive eight-year deal, the Yankees have improved their rotation and can move pitching talent to improve other areas of their roster. It was also reported that the Texas Rangers met with Chris Martin, who are also looking for bullpen upgrades as the pitching market has begun to heat up at the Winter Meetings. This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.Yankees could trade a starting pitcher after $218 million investment

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In a significant development, Bank of America's co-head of investment banking in India, along with two other bankers, has departed from the company. This follows an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct, as per a report from the Financial Times. The probe, initiated earlier this year, is examining whether Bank of America and its Asian investment banking division shared confidential information with select investors before the announcement of secondary stock offerings. The company has not provided any comments in response to inquiries from Reuters. (With inputs from agencies.)

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Stock market today: S&P 500 closes lower ahead of ThanksgivingChandigarh: The Bhagavad Gita is a legacy of India’s cultural history and a scripture for the welfare of all humanity, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said on Thursday. He was addressing the 9th International Gita Conference on the theme ‘Balanced Nature-Pure Environment Based on Srimad Bhagavad Gita’. The event was organised in Kurukshetra University, Haryana as part of the International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra. “It reflects the unity and integrity of India,” Khan said. According to an official statement, the Kerala governor said the Gita plays an important role in environmental conservation, and it is essential to spread its environmental protection message worldwide. It encapsulates the essence of the ‘Upanishads’ and vedic texts, he added. Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya said the Gita conveys a message of environmental protection to the world. It is a sacred text for the welfare of all humanity, offering solutions to all the challenges related to human life, Dattatreya said. Before the address at the Kurukshetra University, Dattatreya, who is also the Chancellor of the university, and other dignitaries formally inaugurated the conference by lighting a lamp and unveiling the conference’s souvenir. In his address, the Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (retd), emphasized that the Gita represents the essence of the philosophy of life for all humanity. He noted that coming to Kurukshetra brings a sense of completeness. The 18-day International Gita Mahotsav, organized by the Haryana government, will help the world understand the teachings of the Gita, he said. “The knowledge in the Gita guides us to the right path in life, helping us overcome confusion, dilemmas, and doubts,” Singh said. The Gita is a religious and moral text that provides strength, clarity, and the ability to make the right decisions in times of crisis, he said. Swami Gyananand Maharaj, a scholar of the Gita, said that the Bhagavad Gita contains a global message of environmental protection. Kurukshetra, the sacred land of the Gita, is the birthplace of these teachings. Balance is essential in every area of life, and the Gita provides solutions to all problems, he said. At the conference, Tanzania’s Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Tabia Maulid Mwita, stated that there is a deep connection between India and Tanzania in the fields of education and agriculture. “The sacred land of Kurukshetra is where Lord Krishna delivered the message of the Gita to Arjuna. Such events will strengthen the relationship between Tanzania and India, benefiting areas like culture, agriculture, health, trade, education, and research,” the minister said. Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini formally inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav (IGM), organised on the banks of the Brahmasarovar in Kurukshetra. Tanzania is the partner country while Odisha is the partner state for this year’s IGM, which is being held from November 28 to December 15. The main events of the festival will be held from December 5 to December 11. Meanwhile, Haryana Governor Dattatreya inaugurated the Haryana Pavilion on Thursday at Purushottampura Bagh, located on the sacred banks of Brahmasarovar. The pavilion, established under the joint aegis of the Kurukshetra University and the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB), was lauded by the governor as a “mirror of Haryanvi culture”, showcasing the state’s vibrant folk art and heritage. Dattatreya praised the Kurukshetra University for its commendable efforts in promoting and preserving Haryanvi culture. He remarked that as part of the International Gita Mahotsav celebrations, the university and KDB have successfully brought the essence of Haryana’s folk traditions to a global audience. Kerala Governor Khan highlighted the pavilion’s role in educating the younger generation about Haryana’s ancient culture and heritage, emphasizing its global recognition. Uttarakhand Governor Singh expressed pride in the preservation of cultural values and commended the pavilion for celebrating the richness of Haryanvi traditions.

777 vs Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! viewers were left seething after they felt hosts Ant and Dec crossed a line during the latest trial. On Friday 22 November, fans watched as McFly's Danny Jones and radio presenter Dean McCullough took on the most recent challenge. They were joined by Love Island's Maura Higgins and musician-turned-priest Reverend Richard Coles for a task named The High Street of Horrors. Maura and Richard, who arrived first at the trial, received a quick briefing from Ant and Dec . As regular viewers will know, Maura and Richard have been tasked with deceiving their fellow campmates this week. The main camp believes that the pair are enduring harsh conditions in a Junk Yard, sleeping on the floor, oblivious to the fact that they actually have access to a fold-down bed, hot running water, and various other comforts. When participating in trials, they must convince the others that they're having a terrible time, despite not really taking part in the task, reports the Mirror . In Friday night's highlights, Ant and Dec revealed to Maura and Richard that they had tricked Danny and Dean into believing they had already participated in The Deadly Department Store challenge for a chance to win 2 stars for their dinner, but were unsuccessful. Maura confessed she was "loving" the deception, while Richard admitted he felt "consumed with guilt" over the constant lying. When Dean and Danny arrived, Ant and Dec informed them they needed to visit three shops to find stars - which would secure luxury meals for their camp. During the challenge, the boys managed to find eight stars while dealing with fish guts and pigeons. A final twist revealed that one of them would have to move to the junkyard, and it was up to Richard and Maura to decide who. They chose Dean - leaving the radio star deflated, unaware that the junk yard was actually filled with luxuries rather than hardship. However, during the trial, viewers speculated that hosts Ant and Dec were giving Dean hints on where to find stars. They seemed to repeatedly mention the items that should be searched to increase the chances of finding a meal-worthy reward. They kept referencing the fish guts in one part of the trial - only for Dean to fail to search the area properly. Viewers took to social media to suggest that hosts Ant and Dec were showing favouritism. One fan tweeted: "Could @antanddec be giving Dean anymore hints ... this guyyyyyy #ImACeleb." Another added: "Ant and Dec are dropping a few hints there #ImACeleb #ImACelebrity." However, not all fans were impressed with Dean's performance, as one viewer commented: "Danny is amazing.. dean is rubbish #ImACeleb."Title: Multiplayer Version of Highly Acclaimed Post-Apocalyptic Survival Game "Eternal Skies" Officially Launched on Steam!

Despite a resounding defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the Democrat forged a new path promoting causes such as electoral probity abroad, social justice and drives to rid the world of medical conditions. His first foreign visit as president was to the UK where then prime minister James Callaghan, as well as the usual visits in London, took his guest to the North East with a visit to Newcastle, Sunderland and Washington – the village bearing the name of the first ever president. Mr Carter delighted crowds in the North East by saying “Howay the lads” during a speech to the assembled throng. He also received a miner’s lamp from 12-year-old Ian McEree in Washington. The 39th US president also carried out more traditional presidential duties, including meetings with western European leaders during his time in London while the Cold War was still ongoing. The practising Baptist continued his globetrotting ways after leaving power, even without Air Force One as his vehicle. He was also part of the Elders, a group of experienced statesmen and women drawn from all corners of the world.

Democrats stick with Schumer as leader. Their strategy for countering Trump is far less certain

As the attendees streamed into the state-of-the-art venue, a sense of anticipation hung in the air. Renji's reputation as a powerhouse of AI research and development preceded it, and everyone present knew they were in for a treat. The stage was set, the lights dimmed, and the first speaker took to the podium.

As the sun set on the horizon, casting long shadows over the hospital room, a sense of peace and gratitude descended like a benediction upon father and daughter, a reminder of the precious gift of love and life that binds us all together in a fragile web of humanity.Guo Ailun, the captain of the Liaoning Flying Leopards, once again proved why he is considered one of the top point guards in the CBA. With his exceptional court vision and ball-handling skills, Guo orchestrated his team's offense with precision in the 15th round. His leadership and ability to control the tempo of the game make him a key player for the Flying Leopards."Four Seas Brothers" follows the intertwined lives of four brothers - Jack, Michael, Tony, and Alex - as they navigate the treacherous waters of the criminal underworld in a bustling metropolis. The film opens with a gripping prologue that sets the stage for the brothers' destinies, establishing the central conflicts and motivations that will drive the narrative forward.Nigeria and South Africa have reaffirmed their resolve to enhance regional security through the development of a critical Early Warning Mechanism aimed at addressing mutual security challenges. The agreement is expected to be finalised by March 2025, coinciding with the visit of South Africa’s minister of International Relations and Cooperation to Nigeria for political consultations. This announcement was made at the 11th Session of the South Africa-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Cape Town. The meeting, co-chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, underscored the shared commitment to fostering peace and stability across Africa while deepening bilateral ties. In their joint communiqué, the leaders reaffirmed the historic bond between the two nations and emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships to address security, economic, and development challenges. They urged their respective agencies to intensify collaboration in these areas for mutual benefit. The also acknowledged the significant investments by South African companies in Nigeria and encouraged reciprocal Nigerian investments in South Africa. Both countries agreed to foster a business-friendly environment to boost trade and investment. They further committed to leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to achieve balanced trade growth. Key sectors identified for collaboration include mining, rail, road, and port infrastructure, with Nigeria inviting South African development finance institutions to co-finance major projects. Recognising shared challenges, the leaders unveiled plans to collaborate on initiatives addressing food security, digital connectivity, and artificial intelligence. These initiatives aim to expand digital literacy, enhance data protection, and ensure online safety for citizens. Both nations expressed deep concern over the Sudan crisis and reaffirmed their commitment to the African Union’s goal of “Silencing the Guns.” On the global stage, the leaders condemned ongoing violence in Gaza, advocating for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid. They reiterated support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Similarly, they reinforced their backing for Western Sahara’s right to self-determination. Both nations further pledged to collaborate closely in international organizations, with Nigeria backing South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities, including inclusive economic growth and artificial intelligence governance. As South Africa assumes the G20 presidency, Tinubu congratulated Ramaphosa on his nation’s focus on addressing inequality, industrialization, and food security. Both leaders vowed to champion Africa’s Agenda 2063 on the global stage.

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In Pictures: Jimmy Carter continued campaigning long after leaving powerASHEBORO — Uwharrie Ridge Six-Twelve has announced the evolution of its vision statement, reinforcing its commitment to providing students with a comprehensive, career-focused education. The updated vision reflects the school’s dedication to preparing students for success not only for grades 6-12 but also in their future careers and post-secondary pathways. With this new direction, all students will be immersed in an extensive career-focused, seven-year program, coupled with post-secondary placement opportunities, to ensure that students are well prepared for the next step in their journey after successfully graduating from high school. This initiative reflects the school’s belief that every student deserves an education that prepares him/her for future success, whether that be in the workforce, higher education or a specialized training program. To accomplish this vision, the staff at Uwharrie Ridge will partner with the Career and Technical Education department of the Randolph County School System and Randolph Community College to offer students career-focused opportunities that will best prepare them for high-skill and high-wage careers. Currently, Uwharrie Ridge offers several CTE pathways, which include: To enhance the career exploration opportunities in grades 6-8, Uwharrie Ridge will offer students multiple field trip experiences that align to their career development plans and the three schools of choice (Design and Technology, Public Service and Leadership and Communication). For grades 9-12, Uwharrie Ridge has partnered with Communities in Schools to offer targeted employability skill training with specific activities and experiences taking place in each of the four grade levels. The employability skill training will include financial literacy, resume writing, soft skill development, job shadowing and mock interviews. RCSS also announced that, in an effort to round out the career awareness and employability skill training of students, Uwharrie Ridge will offer three new post-secondary programs that will be held on the campus of RCC during regular school hours: Students enrolled at Uwharrie Ridge will be transported by RCSS to and from RCC each day for these new post-secondary programs. Other required courses associated with these new post-secondary programs will be completed on the campus of Uwharrie Ridge. RCC has committed to reserve seats for these programs for students enrolled in Uwharrie Ridge. To take advantage of the free transportation to RCC, students must be enrolled in Uwharrie Ridge. Students who complete these programs will have the opportunity to participate in RCC’s graduation ceremony and earn an industry-aligned certificate or credential that will make them eligible for further advancement in their program of study or employment. For more information about the programs offered at Uwharrie Ridge, contact Lori Miller at 336-628-8360 or l2miller@randolph.k12.nc.us . For more information about the programs offered at RCC, call 336-318-4913 or email highschoolhub@randolph.edu .

4. Jonah Bolden - Shanghai SharksUnlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Tracy McGrady's legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history is secure, but it is his 35-point 13-second masterpiece that truly immortalizes him in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere. It is a moment that will forever be remembered, celebrated, and revered as a shining example of the magic that can unfold on the basketball court.NYS Division Division of Consumer Protection provides tips to for shopping returnsDespite the challenges posed by the overwhelming demand, the successful launch of the platform served as a testament to the power of anticipation and excitement in today's interconnected world. As users around the globe finally gained access to the long-awaited release and began to engage with its content, the initial server struggles were quickly overshadowed by the thrill of new possibilities and experiences.

8-777 American and European stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday after inflation data cemented expectations that the US Federal Reserve will trim interest rates next month. While the Dow fell slightly, the other two major US indices advanced, led by the tech-rich Nasdaq, which piled on almost two percent to close above 20,000 points for the first time. The consumer price index (CPI) rose to 2.7 percent last month from a year ago, up slightly from 2.6 percent in October. "With the CPI numbers broadly in line, it is likely that the Fed will not be derailed and will cut rates again next week," Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. "The data is not a showstopper for the current bull run on Wall Street," he added. Ahead of the data, investors priced in an 86 percent chance the Fed will cut interest rates next week by a quarter percentage point. That rose to more than 98 percent after the CPI data was published. Stocks in Paris and Frankfurt rose ahead of the European Central Bank's own interest rate announcement on Thursday, with analysts expecting another cut as it seeks to boost eurozone growth. Investors are also eyeing political developments in France, where officials said President Emmanuel Macron aims to name a new prime minister "within 48 hours" as he seeks to end political deadlock following the ouster of Michel Barnier. In company news, shares in German retail giant Zalando shed more than four percent on Frankfurt's DAX index, after it acquired domestic rival About You in a deal worth around 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion). Shares in Zara owner Inditex slid more than six percent after a record quarterly profit for the group fell short of market estimates. Among US companies, Google parent Alphabet earned 5.5 percent as it announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, its most advanced artificial intelligence model to date. That added to gains after Google also announced Tuesday details of a breakthrough quantum chip. Shares in Shanghai rose but Hong Kong gave up an early rally to end in the red. Traders were keeping tabs on China to see if it will announce further measures to support its struggling economy as leaders were to gather Wednesday for a conference to hammer out next year's agenda. President Xi Jinping and other top leaders on Monday announced their first major shift in policy for more than a decade, saying they would "implement a more active fiscal policy and an appropriately relaxed" strategy. Those remarks sparked hopes for more interest rate cuts and the freeing up of more cash for lending. More from this section New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 44,148.56 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.8 percent at 6,084.19 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.8 percent at 20,034.89 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,301.62 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,423.40 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 20,399.16 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 39,372.23 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 20,155.05 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,432.49 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0498 from $1.0527 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2752 from $1.2771 Dollar/yen: UP at 152.40 yen from 151.95 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.31 from 82.42 pence Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.8 percent at $73.52 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.4 percent at $70.29 per barrel burs-jmb/mlmAce Green Recycling, a Global Leader in Battery Recycling Technology, to Become a Public CompanyNEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let him leave jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing that he will release his decision on Combs' latest request for bail after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters addressing outstanding issues. Those letters are due at noon on Monday, Subramanian said. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their plan essentially amounts to putting Combs on house arrest, with strict limits on who he has contact with. But prosecutors argue that Combs has routinely flouted jail rules and can't be trusted not to interfere with witnesses or the judicial process. “The argument that he’s a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions isn’t factually accurate,” Combs lawyer Anthony Ricco argued. “The idea that he’s an out-of-control individual who has to be detained isn’t factually accurate.” Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. His trial is slated to begin May 5. The Bad Boy Records founder remains locked up at a Brooklyn federal jail, where he spent his Nov. 4 birthday. Two other judges previously concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released and an appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. Friday's hearing was the second time Combs was in court this week. On Tuesday, a judge blocked prosecutors from using as evidence papers that were seized from his cell during jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. As he entered through a side door, Combs waved to relatives including his mother and several of his children in the courtroom gallery, tapping his hand to his heart and blowing kisses at them. He then hugged his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, before taking a seat at the defense table. He was not handcuffed or shackled and wore a beige jail uniform, occasionally pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket as he peered at papers in front of him. Prosecutors maintain that no bail conditions will mitigate the “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others” of releasing Combs from jail. Prosecutors contend that while locked up the “I'll Be Missing You” artist has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool. They allege that he has also attempted to publicly leak materials he thinks would be helpful to his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued. Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos countered that, given the strict release conditions proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules.”

JERUSALEM — The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah appeared on the verge of collapse this week — something that is not a surprise to many Israelis. Both sides accused each other of violating last week’s ceasefire arrangement. On Monday night, Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese villages killed at least 10 people, the nation’s Health Ministry said. That was a response to an earlier Hezbollah attack on Israeli military positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms, which itself was in retaliation for what the militant group said were multiple ceasefire violations. While Israel says it has achieved its military goals of weakening Hezbollah, the ceasefire that went into effect Nov. 27 did not resolve, from its perspective, a major systemic issue: How to make sure that Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy group, does not threaten Israel with an incursion like Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack in southern Israel, which killed 1,200 and saw 251 kidnapped. Limor Ben-Avi, 47, fled her home in the border city of Kiryat Shimona 14 months ago and has been living in hotels in Eilat and Tiberias ever since. The mother of twin 6-year-olds, says she had adjusted to the threat from the missiles that had streaked across the sky from Lebanon even prior to this war. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack changed her calculation. “A shelter won’t help, nothing will help you. The thought that they had a plan to conquer Kiryat Shimon is what scares us more than the missiles,” she said, referring to the fear that Hezbollah will send fighters across the border the same way Hamas did. “It’s the idea that on one fine bright day, they could come into our home and do what they did to the people in the south” “I can’t depend on the Lebanese army to protect us from Hezbollah,” Ben-Avi added, given that the ceasefire relies partly on Lebanon’s beleaguered and weak military to monitor compliance. While Hezbollah doesn’t release the number of fighters who have died in hostilities, at least 4,047 Lebanese civilians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to the Health Ministry. More than 1.3 million people are believed to have been displaced. Hezbollah strikes have displaced 46,559 residents, killed 48 civilians and 77 military personnel, according to Israeli officials. Israel and other members of the international community have for decades struggled with what to do about Hezbollah, which was founded in 1982 after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Since then, it has grown in power both domestically and regionally as a political and paramilitary force. To the Litani The Lebanese Shia group, a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause, officially doesn’t recognize Israel’s existence. It last began exchanging fire with Israel on Oct. 8, 2023. The group was further weakened by Israel’s assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah , and some 13 of its top commanders as well as the rigging of thousands of Hezbollah pagers . Under the ceasefire agreement, which followed intense Israeli airstrikes and an invasion in October, Lebanon agreed that its army would help ensure that Hezbollah would not operate in the 18-mile stretch between Israel’s border and the Litani River, and that Hezbollah would not attack Israel from Lebanon. This demarcation echoes a 2006 agreement at the end of the last Israel-Hezbollah war that was codified in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which mandated that no armed nonstate actors would be present in the area between the Litani and the border with Israel . The Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were tasked with compliance. This formula is widely acknowledged to have failed. A widely reported sidebar U.S. letter to Israel guarantees that Israel’s army has the right to strike at Hezbollah should Hezbollah attempt to rebuild its forces in the south. Officials have not shared that private letter. A new U.S.-French monitoring mechanism led by U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who is in Beirut this week working out the monitoring details, is expected to help prevent Hezbollah from rearming. Neither the agreement nor the sidebar later have been ratified by the U.N. Security Council, which held closed-door consultations on the matter Wednesday. France this week had already warned that breaches of the ceasefire could lead to a breaking point within the first 60 days of the deal, a period in which the Israeli army is gradually withdrawing from southern Lebanon in favor of UNIFIL and the Lebanese security forces, who are intended to be the only legally designated forces in the area. How this will actually work is in question, given how weak and underfunded the army is,. “The more Hezbollah multiplies movements of troops, fighters or weapons, the less tempered the Israeli side will be, and vice versa,” said a French diplomatic source who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “The more Israel flies drones over Beirut , which has been the case in the last days, at low altitude, or conducts strikes that are presented as defensive but are seen by the other side as ceasefire violations, the harder it becomes to prevent the other side from escalating. “We want to break this current minor escalation cycle which remains at this stage below the threshold of breaking the ceasefire but is nonetheless concerning,” the source added. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told NBC News that “this cessation of hostilities is still very fragile, so commitment from everyone is paramount.” “We have to be very cautious on how to move forward,” he said, adding that the Lebanese armed forces have a particularly important role to play in preventing Hezbollah’s return south of the Litani. The full deployment of the Lebanese army, together with the reported U.S.-French mechanism and a full implementation of 1701 would make it more likely that the ceasefire would succeed, Tenenti added. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz placed responsibility for enforcement on the Lebanese government, stating it needed to authorize its army to act against Hezbollah or face a broader war than before. “If up until now we have distinguished between Lebanon and Hezbollah — this will no longer be the case” in the future, he said. ‘Never eradicated them’ Retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion, a former military liaison to UNIFIL and the Lebanese army from 2006-2015, is among those who’ve been skeptical from the start about the ceasefire’s lasting power. “Hezbollah was resolved to go ahead and to weaponize the south. We never eradicated them in 2006 and they built on that — maybe tenfold,” he said, referring to the end of the 2006 Lebanon War and Hezbollah’s burgeoning strength then. So it is difficult to trust an agreement that places enforcement in the hands of the Lebanese security forces, which already failed the first time around, said Orion, who is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute. Among the difficulties, both he and Tenenti said, were legal restrictions that prevented the Lebanese army from searching private homes. Hezbollah tunnels crossing into Israel were discovered in 2018 and 2019 in southern Lebanon, After entering southern Lebanon in October during the current conflict, the Israel Defense Forces said it found additional Hezbollah tunnels in the border area and confiscated some 25,000 explosive devices, drones, anti-tank launchers and missiles, rockets and anti-aircraft missiles. Multiple U.N. reports described the buildup but did not quantify it. Hezbollah itself boasted of its arms and tunnels large enough to house fighters and arms, even publishing a video of such an underground arms and military facility. The Lebanese army declined to comment on this story, and referred NBC News to government officials. Retired Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser from 2011-2013, told NBC that ultimately he believed that the effective enforcement would be the IDF’s ability to continue to strike at Hezbollah to prevent an arms buildup. “This is the only way it can work,” said Amidror, who is a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared more confident that the truce would last. “The ceasefire is holding,” he told reporters Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of an effective U.S.-French process to deal with violations, the absence of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon and an empowered Lebanese army. “Fundamentally, both parties, that is to say, Israel and Hezbollah, through the Lebanese government, wanted and continue to want the ceasefire.”Former President Jimmy Carter, a onetime naval officer and peanut farmer who became the 39th president of the United States after promising citizens he would never lie to them, has died at the age of 100. Carter's death marked the end of the longest life of any former U.S. president. George H.W. Bush, who previously held the record, died in 2018 at 94. Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who died on Nov. 19, 2023 , were married for 77 years, which is also the record for the longest marriage of a presidential couple. Carter entered hospice care in Georgia to "spend his remaining time at home with his family" instead of additional medical intervention, the Carter Center announced on Feb. 18, 2023. A one-term president from 1977 to 1981 who presided over a stagnant economy and a series of foreign policy setbacks, Carter enjoyed substantial popularity and goodwill in the decades after leaving office. He was particularly well-known for his work with the housing nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity and was regularly photographed helping build homes in his later years. JIMMY CARTER LOOKS HEROIC COMPARED TO JOE BIDEN A Naval Academy graduate, Carter served from his graduation in 1946 until 1953, when he left active duty after the death of his father to take over his family's farm. He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946. He began his political career in 1963 as a Georgia state senator, running on the platform of racial inclusion and integration. Four years later, he ran for the state's governorship for the first time, losing in the Democratic primary and returning to agriculture and private life. In 1970, Carter won the crucial Democratic primary and the Georgia governorship. His four-year stint in the statehouse included signing civil rights legislation and expanding social services. Carter next turned his eye to the White House . Starting out as an asterisk in the polls, through sheer force of will and by shaking hands with hundreds of thousands of people, he defeated a large Democratic field — including California Gov. Jerry Brown and Alabama Gov. George Wallace — in the race to take on incumbent President Gerald Ford , a Republican. Carter and his running mate, Sen. Walter Mondale (D-MN), defeated Ford in a competitive race with 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote. Ford's popularity took a hit after he pardoned former President Richard Nixon . An unelected president who ascended due to the resignations of Nixon and former Vice President Spiro Agnew, Ford governed in the shadow of the Watergate scandal. He also faced criticism over the controversial end to the Vietnam War, while Carter vowed to bring honesty and ethics back to government. The Carter-Mondale ticket took office in 1977, with the economy in near-recession and suffering from high inflation. That toxic combination came to be known as "stagflation" and Carter struggled with it throughout his presidency, compounded. The energy crisis, driven by a combination of Carter's domestic policies and panic over the falling global oil supply following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, would again lead the country into an economic downturn in 1980. Other major domestic initiatives included the establishment of the Department of Education , which his 1980 presidential rival Ronald Reagan pledged to dismantle. Internationally, Carter positioned himself as a champion of human rights, in opposition to the Soviet Union and other regimes. But Carter's term was seen as a period in which the United States lost ground in the Cold War, with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and inroads in the developing world. He led negotiations of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, negotiating the previous year's Camp David agreement. He also helped establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China , a process begun under Nixon seven years earlier. The seizure of 66 U.S. Embassy staff in Iran following that country's revolution dominated headlines over the last 14 months of Carter’s presidency. A failed U.S. rescue attempt, which led to the deaths of eight troops after diplomatic efforts failed, largely contributed to his landslide defeat by Reagan in 1980. Carter was also weakened by a Democratic primary challenge from Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a liberal icon. He carried only six states and the District of Columbia while running 10 points behind Reagan in the popular vote as Republicans also won control of the Senate for the first time since the 1950s. Following Carter's landslide defeat, the Democrats became associated with inflation, economic mismanagement, and foreign policy weakness. While he did begin deregulation and modest boosts to the defense budget, these perceptions became further entrenched with the Reagan economic boom and a defense build-up that won the Cold War, eventually leading to the disintegration of the Soviet Union itself under Republican rule. Democrats endured a 12-year exile from the White House after Carter. Carter devoted much of his post-presidency to charitable efforts. His establishment of the Carter Center and its work fighting diseases, such as Guinea worm and river blindness, and promotion of peace earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He regained much of his popularity in retirement. Then President Bill Clinton dispatched him to Haiti to negotiate peace after a coup, leading a delegation that included Colin Powell and Sen. Sam Nunn . That year, Carter also traveled to North Korea in an attempt to resolve international concerns about the communist regime's nuclear program. The trip momentarily defused tensions and paved the way for the 1994 Agreed Framework, but Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions remained and Carter was criticized for freelance diplomacy without adequately consulting the Clinton administration about his negotiations. The former president also continued to teach Sunday school at his local Baptist church. A born-again Christian, his faith drove much of his humanitarian work, as well as his human rights advocacy and support for racial equality. Yet under Carter's watch, evangelicals shifted their political allegiance to the Republicans. Carter was uncomfortable by the Democratic Party's leftward lurch on abortion after he left office, but the parties increasingly sorted on social issues in the 1980s and '90s. "I have never believed that Jesus would be in favor of abortion, unless it was the result of rape or incest, or the mother's life was in danger. That's been the only conflict I've had in my career between political duties and Christian faith," Carter said in an interview in 2012. "Of course, the Supreme Court ruled differently. Within the ruling, I tried to minimize abortion as best I could. On the issue of abortion, my beliefs are contradictory to what the Supreme Court ruled." The Carter Center nevertheless pronounced itself "deeply disappointed" that Roe v. Wade was overturned last year, in a statement that did not come directly from the former president himself. Rosalynn Carter played an active role in her husband’s political career as his closest adviser. In addition to her work as first lady, such as advocating for mental health issues, and her busy campaign schedule, Mrs. Carter frequently attended Cabinet meetings, and met with foreign leaders. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Carter suffered a number of medical episodes in recent years, having multiple surgeries. Carter was unable to attend President Joe Biden 's inauguration, but the current president and his wife Jill visited the Carters at their home during a trip to Georgia. Carter also made a rare public appearance at his wife's funeral service, despite having been in hospice care for ten months by that time. The former president did not address mourners, however. He is survived by his four children: Amy, John, Donnel, and James Carter III.

Fischang-Cicchetti road race celebrating 50th run

KILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — American skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she suffered an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of a World Cup giant slalom race Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just can’t move,” she said later in a video posted on social media . “I have a pretty good abrasion and something stabbed me. ... I’m so sorry to scare everybody. It looks like all scans so far are clear.” She plans to skip the slalom race Sunday, writing on Instagram she will be “cheering from the sideline.” The 29-year-old was leading after the first run of the GS and charging for her 100th World Cup win. She was within sight of the finish line, five gates onto Killington’s steep finish pitch, when she an outside edge. She hit a gate and did a somersault before sliding into another gate. The fencing slowed her momentum as she came to an abrupt stop. Reigning Olympic GS champion Sara Hector of Sweden won in a combined time of 1 minute, 53.08 seconds. Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia was second and Swiss racer Camille Rast took third. The Americans saw Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien finish fifth and sixth. “It’s just so sad, of course, to see Mikaela crash like that and skiing so well,” Hector said on the broadcast after her win. “It breaks my heart and everybody else here.” The crash was a surprise for everyone. Shiffrin rarely DNFs — ski racing parlance for “did not finish.” In 274 World Cup starts, she DNF'd only 18 times. The last time she DNF'd in GS was January 2018. Shiffrin also has not suffered any devastating injuries. In her 14-year career, she has rehabbed only two on-hill injuries: a torn medial collateral ligament and bone bruising in her right knee in December 2015 and a sprained MCL and tibiofibular ligament in her left knee after a downhill crash in January 2024. Neither knee injury required surgery, and both times, Shiffrin was back to racing within two months. Saturday was shaping up to be a banner day for Shiffrin, who skied flawlessly in the first run and held a 0.32-second lead as she chased after her 100th World Cup win. Shiffrin, who grew up in both New Hampshire and Colorado and sharpened her skills at nearby Burke Mountain Academy, has long been a fan favorite. Shiffrin is driven not so much by wins but by arcing the perfect run. She has shattered so many records along the way. She passed Lindsey Vonn’s women’s mark of 82 World Cup victories on Jan. 24, 2023, during a giant slalom in Kronplatz, Italy. That March, Shiffrin broke Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark’s Alpine mark for most World Cup wins when she captured her 87th career race. To date, she has earned five overall World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals — along with a silver — and seven world championships. In other FIS Alpine World Cup news, the Tremblant World Cup — two women’s giant slaloms at Quebec’s Mont-Tremblant scheduled for next weekend — were canceled. Killington got 21 inches of snow on Thanksgiving Day, but Tremblant — five hours north of Killington — had to cancel its races because of a lack of snow. AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report. More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiingDatalogz Hosts "Future Frontiers" Fireside Chat: Using Data to Improve the Federal Government and Tackle America’s Biggest Challenges

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McConnell to head subcommittee overseeing defense spending as he prepares to step down as GOP leaderAs we look ahead to 2025, Apple is poised to deliver a groundbreaking year filled with innovations that will reshape the technology landscape. From iPhones and Apple Watches to Macs and smart home devices, the company is set to introduce advancements that prioritize performance, design, and seamless connectivity across its entire product ecosystem. These developments will not only enhance the user experience but also solidify Apple’s position as a leader in the tech industry. The video below from ZONEofTECH gives us more has planned for 2025. Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup is expected to feature five models, each designed to cater to different user needs and preferences. The will undergo a significant transformation, adopting a design inspired by the iPhone 14 and featuring an OLED display, the powerful A18 chip, and Apple’s first in-house 5G modem. This shift towards in-house components will reduce Apple’s reliance on . The iPhone 17 series will introduce the , which is set to become Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet. With a focus on sleekness and simplicity, the iPhone 17 Air will feature a single-camera module, appealing to users who prioritize design over advanced camera capabilities. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro models will cater to power users, boasting a redesigned back, upgraded 48MP cameras, the innovative A19 chip, and an impressive 12GB of RAM. These enhancements will deliver exceptional performance and photography capabilities, further solidifying the iPhone’s position as a top-tier smartphone. In 2025, Apple will continue to prioritize health and wellness with the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 11. This new model will feature groundbreaking blood pressure monitoring capabilities, underscoring Apple’s commitment to developing health-centric technology. Additionally, the Series 11 will incorporate 5G connectivity, allowing faster data transfer and enhanced functionality for users on the go. For adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts, the Apple Watch Ultra will introduce satellite connectivity, ensuring reliable communication even in remote areas. The Ultra model will also feature a thinner design, improving comfort and wearability without compromising on durability. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch SE will target active users with a rugged plastic body, a larger display, and a range of vibrant color options, making it an attractive choice for those seeking a balance between functionality and affordability. Apple Watch Series 11: Blood pressure monitoring and 5G connectivity Apple Watch Ultra: Satellite connectivity and thinner design Apple Watch SE: Rugged plastic body, larger display, and vibrant colors Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 will introduce a fresh design and the advanced H3 chip, offering enhanced noise cancellation and superior audio quality. These improvements will further solidify AirPods’ dominance in the wireless audio market. In line with Apple’s broader wellness initiatives, the AirPods Pro 3 may also integrate health sensors, allowing users to monitor various aspects of their well-being. Apple’s iPad lineup will undergo significant upgrades in 2025, catering to a wide range of users. The base iPad will feature the powerful A18 Pro chip, delivering enhanced performance for everyday tasks and making it an ideal choice for students and casual users. The iPad Air will adopt the M3 chip, providing a balance between performance and affordability for professionals and creative enthusiasts. Later in the year, the will launch with the innovative M5 chip, offering unparalleled power and performance for demanding creative workflows. To further enhance the iPad’s versatility, Apple will introduce an updated Magic Keyboard, positioning the iPad as a viable alternative to traditional laptops for productivity and content creation. Apple’s Mac lineup will undergo a significant transition in 2025, with the introduction of the M5 chip across various models. This new chip will deliver unmatched performance and energy efficiency, setting a new standard for computing. The MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro will also receive updates to the M4 chip, including dual monitor support and the M4 Ultra chip for high-performance workflows. These advancements will cater to both casual users and professionals seeking innovative computing solutions. : Unmatched performance and energy efficiency M4 updates: Dual monitor support and chip for high-performance workflows In addition to its core product lines, Apple will introduce new offerings in 2025. The company will launch a new HomePod featuring a 6-7 inch display and running on the newly developed “homeOS.” This system will enhance integration with other Apple devices, creating a seamless and intuitive smart home experience. The HomePod mini will also receive updates, while a new Apple TV with an upgraded chip will improve streaming and gaming capabilities. The second-generation Apple Vision Pro will feature the M5 chip, offering improved battery life and potential external display enhancements. This update will strengthen Apple’s position in the augmented reality space, catering to both consumers and professionals seeking innovative ways to interact with digital content. Apple will also introduce the second-generation AirTag, which will include an upgraded ultra-wideband chip, extending its range and accuracy. This improvement will make it even easier to locate lost items, further integrating Apple’s ecosystem into users’ daily lives. Apple’s 2025 product lineup represents a bold leap forward in innovation, performance, and ecosystem integration. With advancements like the in-house 5G modem, A18 and M5 chips, health-focused features, and smart home enhancements, Apple is setting a new benchmark for technology. As the company continues to prioritize user experience and seamless connectivity, 2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year that will redefine the way we interact with technology in our daily lives. Source & Image Credit:A U.S. Supreme Court case challenging a Tennessee ban on gender affirming care for teens will likely have major implications for transgender rights nationwide, but Montana’s unique state Constitution could safeguard protections nevertheless, an ACLU attorney says. In question at the nation’s highest court is a 2023 Tennessee state law that prohibits trans youth from receiving medical treatments prescribed to help them transition such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. It’s very similar to Montana’s Senate Bill 99 from the last legislative session, which banned a slew of procedures and treatments used for gender dysphoria, the psychiatric condition that creates distress for a person whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. SB 99, titled "Montana’s Youth Protection Act," was temporarily blocked by a Missoula district court judge last year, days before it was set to go into effect. Senators debate SB99 on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 in the state Capitol. United States v. Skrmetti asks whether the Tennessee transgender health care ban is tantamount to discrimination under the federal Constitution’s equal protection clause. President Joe Biden’s administration brought the legal challenge, arguing Tennessee’s law should be overturned on these grounds. Lawyers representing the state of Tennessee contend that though the law applies specifically to trans teens, it should not trigger the greater legal standard required to protect against sex-based discrimination. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments on Tuesday. A decision is not expected until July, though it appears likely that the conservative majority will rule in favor of Tennessee. Trans rights advocates worry such a ruling could open the door to all kinds of targeted restrictions. Alex Rate, legal director for ACLU of Montana, said the outcome of the Skrmetti case should not directly impact ongoing efforts to overturn SB 99 because of the unique protections in the Montana Constitution that go beyond federal law. Alex Rate, legal director for ACLU of Montana The federal Constitution sets the floor, “below which we cannot go,” Rate explains, but states have the power to determine the ceiling, which means they can grant individuals greater protections that expand on federal liberties. Abortion rights are an illustrative example of how these differences between state and federal law can play out. When Roe v. Wade overturned federal abortion protections, Montana’s constitutional right to privacy continued to ensure access to reproductive health care. Chase Scheuer, press secretary for Attorney General Austin Knudsen, urged the United States Supreme Court to uphold the Tennessee law. When Gov. Greg Gianforte signed SB 99 into law in April 2023, the ACLU promptly filed a lawsuit against it representing three families with transgender youth and two medical providers who work with transgender youth. The case, Van Garderen v. Montana, then resulted in a preliminary injunction against SB 99 from a Montana state district court judge, who said the law “is unlikely to survive any level of constitutional review” and “barring access to gender affirming care would negatively impact gender dysphoric minors’ mental and physical health.” According to Rate, Montana’s equal protection clause is more specific than its federal counterpart and has been interpreted by state courts to provide greater protections. Additionally, he argues the state’s robust right to privacy encompasses decisions made between parents, transgender teens and their health care providers. Scheuer had a different take. "The Supreme Court’s decision could undercut the ACLU’s similar attack on SB99 in Montana as well," he said in a statement to the Montana State News Bureau. Should a new U.S. Congress pass federal legislation banning gender affirming care for transgender youth, for example, that could negate the ability of Montana health providers to offer the care, despite the state Constitution. There’s not a lot of law on transgender rights in Montana, which means there isn’t a great amount of legal precedent at the state level. It’s possible Montana courts could defer to federal decisions at the Supreme Court or elsewhere when thinking about a legal framework for analyzing the constitutionality of SB 99 or other future laws. “One would hope that a faithful interpretation of our state Constitution would lead to a potentially different result than what’s happening at the federal end,” Rate said. Gianforte continues to support SB 99 and other restrictions on health care for transgender youth like the one in Tennessee. He filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in October urging justices to uphold the Tennessee law on the basis that it allows youth to “have the freedom to grow up unhampered by improper interests and agendas and with access to appropriate tools and resources to promote both their development and ultimate success in society.” The governor’s administration applied many of the same arguments in the amicus brief as it has when supporting SB 99. It argues that medical treatments for gender dysphoria are “permanent, invasive, and life-altering” and that the state doesn’t seek to limit them for adults, only minor children. As of Aug., 26 states, including Montana, had passed some kind of ban against gender dysphoria health care for high school-aged youth. A majority are either currently tied up in litigation or temporarily blocked by the courts. Gender affirming care is considered safe, effective and medically necessary by major professional health associations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society. Oral arguments for Van Garderen v. Montana are scheduled for June. Carly Graf is the State Bureau health care reporter for Lee Montana. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. State Bureau Health Care Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.