panasonic ih電子鍋sr-fc188 New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh, the architect of transformative economic reforms, passed away in Delhi on Thursday after a prolonged illness. The 92-year-old economist was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on Thursday evening. Singh lost consciousness suddenly at his residence on Thursday evening and was immediately rushed to the emergency department of AIIMS Delhi at 8:06 pm. In an official statement, the hospital confirmed that Singh was being treated for age-related health concerns. Despite efforts to stabilize him, he was declared dead at 9:51 pm. Singh had been facing health challenges in recent months and had largely stayed out of the public eye. His last public appearance was in January 2024 at the book launch of his daughter. Tributes Pour In Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes and wrote, "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people's lives." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, "Manmohan Singh Ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Kaur and the family. I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride." Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes, "Few people in politics inspire the kind of respect that Sardar Manmohan Singh ji did. His honesty will always be an inspiration for us and he will forever stand tall among those who truly love this country as someone who remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents. He was genuinely egalitarian, wise, strongwilled and courageous until the end. A uniquely dignified and gentle man in the rough world of politics." Manmohan Singh, India’s 13th Prime Minister, was a pivotal figure in the country’s economic transformation. Serving from 2004 to 2014, he is best known for spearheading India’s economic liberalisation in the 1990s as the Finance Minister under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. His reforms, which included dismantling the License Raj, promoting foreign investment, and encouraging privatisation, were crucial in shifting India from a stagnant, state-controlled economy to a more open and competitive market. Singh's visionary leadership not only guided India through a critical period of economic crisis but also set the stage for its emergence as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. In recent years, Singh had distanced himself from politics due to health issues and had been unwell since the start of 2024. His last public appearance was in January 2024 at the launch of his daughter’s book. He retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024. Manmohan Singh served two consecutive terms as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, leading a coalition government under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). He was also the architect of India’s economic liberalisation in 1991, serving as Finance Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.

DALLAS (AP) — The Washington Nationals will have the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft next summer after winning the lottery in a drawing of ping-pong balls at the winter meetings Tuesday. Unlike last year, when the Nationals were ineligible after initially coming out with the top spot, they will get to make the first pick in July in Atlanta, the site of the All-Star Game. Washington was ineligible for a top-six pick last year because the collective bargaining agreement states a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan cannot have a lottery selection in back-to-back years. The Nationals chose outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 pick in 2023. The Los Angeles Angels have the second pick for next summer. Seattle, Colorado, St. Louis and Pittsburgh round out the top six. A weighted lottery among the 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs this season determined the order of picks for the third year in a row. The Nationals went in with a 10.2% chance, the fourth-best odds, for getting the No. 1 pick. Colorado and Miami, both 100-loss teams, had the best odds at 22.45%, ahead of the Angels at 17.96%. Miami instead ended up with the seventh pick. Seattle got the No. 3 overall pick after having a 0.53% chance to get the No. 1 pick, the second-worst odds among 16 eligible teams. The 121-loss Chicago White Sox, who had the most losses of any major league club since 1900, were not eligible for the draft lottery since they had one of the top six picks last year (No. 5) and is a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan. The CBA also doesn’t allow teams that receive money in revenue sharing to have lottery picks three years in a row. That made the Athletics (69-93) ineligible for the lottery — they picked fourth last year after having the No. 6 selection in 2023. Chicago instead got the 10th pick, one spot ahead of Oakland — the highest possible positions for those two teams because of their recent lottery picks. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB The Associated PressGov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced that he is asking the legislature for an additional $290 million to support school construction and modernization efforts across Virginia. This latest investment would bring the total funding for the current biennium to $700 million and raise the state’s overall contribution under Youngkin’s administration to nearly $2 billion. Youngkin’s funding request is included in his proposed budget amendments, which he plans to present next week at a joint meeting of the General Assembly’s money committees. According to the governor’s office, the state’s financial commitments have spurred an estimated $3.4 billion in total funding for school construction. The additional support would be made possible through a combination of local government contributions and federal matching funds. “Over the last three years, we have invested historic amounts in our education system, including our public school facilities,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Our record economic growth and the resulting surplus allows us to make this critical investment to ensure every Virginia student has access to high-quality school facilities that support academic success.” Youngkin plans to use the newly announced $290 million in non-general funds to expand competitive grant opportunities for school divisions, particularly in high-need areas. The money would also address critical infrastructure issues, supporting the construction and renovation of schools in urgent need of repair. State officials say the increased funding will provide K-12 students with safer, more conducive learning spaces, a move that has been welcomed by educators and community leaders alike. Local school divisions will be able to apply for grant support to fast-track modernization projects that may have been delayed due to funding shortfalls. The Youngkin administration has framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to support Virginia’s educational system and improve outcomes for students. As schools across the state face aging infrastructure and capacity challenges, this investment aims to reduce disparities in facility quality, especially in underserved areas. “One of our guiding principles since day one of the Youngkin Administration has been to provide safe, vibrant, and healthy learning environments for all of our students,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera. “This investment in supporting new and refurbished school buildings makes it possible for every community in the commonwealth to have the means to provide a best-in-class education that prepares every student for success in our increasingly demanding knowledge- and skills-based economy.” In 2022, Youngkin’s first year in office, the General Assembly in a bipartisan effort approved a historic $1.2 billion investment in school construction, aiming to modernize aging facilities and reduce funding disparities among school divisions. The sweeping plan combined grants and loans to support renovations, new construction, and capacity expansion for K-12 schools across the commonwealth. Of the $1.2 billion, about $850 million was allocated for grants. This included $400 million in formula-based grants, which provided each of Virginia’s 134 school divisions with a $1 million base allocation. The remaining $266 million was distributed based on the Local Composite Index (LCI) — a state funding formula that considers factors like property values, taxable sales and population data to assess a locality’s financial ability to support its schools. Another $450 million was funneled into the newly created School Construction Fund and Program, a competitive grant program designed to assist divisions with the most critical infrastructure needs. School systems with poor building conditions and limited financial capacity could apply for these funds to support construction, renovation, or expansion projects. This program is primarily funded by 98% of gaming revenue from Virginia’s four new casinos in Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Norfolk. The fund is administered by the Virginia Board of Education. Virginia faces a mounting crisis with school infrastructure. Data released by the Virginia Department of Education in 2022 revealed that nearly 1,000 school buildings across the state are at least 50 years old. Replacing these facilities would cost more than $25 billion — a figure far beyond the capacity of most localities. Traditionally, local governments have shouldered the financial burden of school construction, relying on local tax revenue. But for economically distressed areas, particularly in Southwest Virginia and Southside, this has become an increasingly difficult challenge due to population decline and economic hardship. But in April, Youngkin vetoed a bill lawmakers sent to his desk that would have allowed localities to implement a 1% sales tax to help cover the costs of school construction and modernization. The proposal required voter approval through a referendum before the tax could be enacted by local governments. Youngkin acknowledged that school construction is a “worthy cause” but argued that Virginia has already taken substantial steps to address those costs. He contended that citizens should not face additional taxes, particularly the $1.5 billion annually that would have been raised by the 1% sales tax. Prior to 2022, state assistance for school construction was limited, with much of it coming from the Literary Fund, a state-managed pool of money established in Virginia’s Constitution. Funded by sources such as unclaimed lottery winnings, criminal fines, and unclaimed property, the Literary Fund historically provided low-interest loans to support school construction and debt service for technology. However, in recent years, much of the fund’s revenue was redirected to cover teacher retirement costs, leaving fewer resources for school building projects. The 2022 legislative session retooled the Literary Fund’s loan program, significantly increasing its impact. Lawmakers raised the maximum loan amount from $7.5 million to $25 million and capped the interest rate at 2%. These changes made it more feasible for school divisions to finance major construction projects at a lower cost. With the state’s total contribution now approaching $2 billion, education advocates are hopeful the increased funding will lead to long-term improvements in school facilities and better learning conditions for students throughout the commonwealth. Virginia Board of Education President Grace Creasey said Tuesday that the panel will prioritize “those school divisions in greatest need that have missed out on prior grant opportunities,” especially rural divisions.After last week’s chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final exit at Tottenham was compounded by an Old Trafford humbling at the hands of Bournemouth, things went further awry as they fell to a third straight loss. United captain Bruno Fernandes’s red card for a second booking changed the dynamics of the match shortly after half-time, with Matheus Cunha scoring direct from a corner at a rocking Molineux. Wolves’ star man teed up substitute Hwang Hee-chan to wrap up a 2-0 win deep in stoppage time as Amorim’s 10th match in charge ended in a fifth defeat, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table. “The idea needs time,” United’s head coach said. “I said it before to you guys that this will be a tough moment and we are far from the end of this moment and that’s it. “We have to continue and focus on the next game.” Asked how long he thinks it will take to make his mark, Amorim said: “I have no idea. No idea. Instead of me trying to understand how much time it will take, just day by day. “Improving, trying to see the videos, using every minute of training and try to win some points because it’s really important in this moment.” United are closer in points to the drop zone than the Champions League places heading into their final match of a topsy-turvy 2024 at home to in-form Newcastle. “In this moment, we just have to survive and to win some time to work on the team,” Amorim said. “We already knew it. I start this job and you start with the team, a new idea, without any time to train, with a lot of games, tough games. “We already knew it, so it’s a long journey, like I said in the first day. We have to continue, and we have to fight these bad moments because this is part of football.” Put to Amorim that he cannot think of European qualification right now, he said: “No, no, no, no. “We have to work on a lot of things in our club – inside the pitch, outside the pitch – so let’s focus on each game, each time and use every minute of training and game to improve the team.” As United nurse their wounds, Wolves head to Tottenham on Sunday looking to continue their perfect start to life under Pereira as Gary O’Neil’s successor followed up an impressive 3-0 win at Leicester in style. "We need his quality!" Wolves boss Vítor Pereira is determined to keep Matheus Cunha at the club 🔒👀 #PLonPrime #WOLMUN pic.twitter.com/3KyZSQ1V9x — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 26, 2024 “Fantastic feeling,” the Portuguese said after his first home match in charge. “Special because of the spirit of the team. “Now I think we can see that the players are ready to suffer together. They are ready to run, to fight, to compete for each ball. “I feel that they have confidence to play and to win the duels to and this is most the most important for me.” Pereira’s name echoed around Molineux after a win in which Cunha was the star man, with the forward’s goal direct from a corner a key moment in the triumph. United also conceded in that manner at Spurs last Thursday, when back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir rather than Andre Onana was between the sticks. Asked if he looked at the video of that, Pereira said: “Of course we analyse every match. “We try to, I think all the staffs, try to understand the movements or the spaces that we can explore, and we try to not allow them to do it against us. This is football. Sometimes happens, other times not.”

Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina KhanThe Swiss-Peruvian-Spain co-production Queens , co-written and directed by Klaudia Reynicke , is set amidst the grueling reign of Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship in the 1990s. During the social and political unrest, the story centers on the goings-on of an unconventional family living in Lima. Elena (Jimena Lindo) is a mother of two young daughters (Abril Gjurinovic and Luana Vega) who has chosen to accept a job offer in Minnesota to escape the country’s turmoil. However, she needs the legal signature of her estranged husband, Carlos (Gonzalo Molina), in order to take her children with her. When Carlos comes back into the picture, the girls, who don’t particularly enjoy his company, soon grow fond of him, complicating any chance of safety Elena has in store. After premiering at Sundance, the film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature in the Generation Kplus strand of Berlin. In Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, it won the Audience Award and won Best Screenplay at the Festival de Lima in Peru. Here, Queens EPs Jessica Alba and Tracey Nyberg and Reynicke talk to Deadline about the joys of embracing complex familial storylines and the importance of reconnecting with your roots. DEADLINE: What was your reaction to Switzerland choosing Queens for the Oscars? KLAUDIA REYNICKE: Back in September, we found out we were on the shortlist for Switzerland. They had a short list of two films. It was mine and another one. The other film I’ve seen is a great film. It was shot in French in France and Lausanne in Switzerland. So, we were like, “There’s no way they’re picking ours,” which is in Spanish and takes place in Peru. The thing is that I’m Peruvian, but I’m also Swiss. And for a country to pick a film that will represent them, because there’s a lot of public money, you have to add “points.” This means that for this film to be Swiss, it couldn’t be picked by Peru even though the actors I chose were Peruvian; everything behind the camera had to be something else because we have two other countries of production and its public money. So, we had to pick heads of the department from Switzerland because that’s where most of the funding was, and some from Spain. So, when you add all these things together, the film has more points in Switzerland. So, when we made it to the shortlist, I was already so honored to be on the shortlist. Suddenly, they call us and say, “It’s you.” And we’re like, “What?! Are you sure?” Since then, I’ve been excited and so thankful that it shows me the open-mindedness of Switzerland because they’re actually picking something that talks more about immigration and family somewhere else. They were like, “We believe in this film and these values. We believe in the story of all these women who believe in this other woman who made that film.” And I’m like, “Wow, this is insane.” Since then, it’s been crazy because I’ve never done any Oscars campaign before [laughs]. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: DEADLINE: Talk about the need to film in Peru. What was that experience like? REYNICKE: We did everything in Peru because it didn’t make sense for us not to. It’s a small film. It’s a small-budget film. So, we didn’t get any studio saying things like, “Oh, we are going to reproduce all this somewhere else.” No. It was like, “We have to do it in Peru. And that’s it.” Peru had to be the place to film everything for the story, actors, actresses and to have the entire vibe from that country in the’90s. DEADLINE: That house that the family of women lives in is so gorgeous in a very retro way. Talk more about the atmosphere and aesthetics you wanted to capture with the film. REYNICKE: The house is from the ’50s. I was trying to find a house where I used to live, which is my grandma’s house. My mom and I used to live at my grandma’s house. She was a divorcee and then remarried to my stepdad, who is Swiss, so we moved out. But that’s my childhood. So, reconnecting with the country was also a way to reconnect with my youth and what I remember, the ’80s and ’90s. It wasn’t conscious, but I was pretty obsessed when I was looking for the house for the grandmother in the movie [laughs]. When my family saw the film, my cousins were [incredulously] like, “How did you find Grandma’s house again?” We changed some colors and other minor things. But the house is a character as well because it’s part of this family, and there are so many intense things with all the blackouts and everything that I needed to be able to tell the context of where this family is living. DEADLINE: How did your background as an immigrant and your co-writer Diego Vega’s background help inform the story of Queens ? REYNICKE: I thought of many moments from my life when I started creating this project. It was a need to tell the story in Peru, in a country where I haven’t lived as an adult, a country that I left when I was 10, a country that I’ve been telling people I’m Peruvian. Now I’m in my 40s, and I don’t know how Peruvian I actually am. I had this identity thing where I had done other films but was always away from everything related to my homeland. For my co-writer Diego, we had many talks, and he wanted to hear all the stuff I remembered. I did the same thing with him because we had very similar lives. He is also from Peru. He left when he was young, but then he went back as an adult and now he lives in Barcelona. It was interesting for us to just play with both of our lives, being like, “OK, we are Peruvian, but what do we remember?” So, some of his memories made it in. For example, the father makes the “atomic eggs,” right? He would tell me, “Oh, my dad used to always say, ‘I’m making atomic this and atomic that.'” I guess because back then, ’80s or ’90s, it was such a thing to be atomic. I don’t know what that was about. For me, it’s the car that goes in the desert. That’s something from my childhood, in Ica, a city that is desert and the ocean. That’s one of the strongest memories I have. So, I needed to recreate that moment. Also, there’s the ghost. We have many ghosts in our culture, so we both agreed on, we could not live without ghosts in the story. The house, the family, they needed their ghost. It’s a good ghost that’s going to protect them. It’s not exactly like the scary ghost from the Western world. It’s something else. And all the parties, my family was like that [laughs]. I do remember this with a lot of warmth in my heart. Recreating those scenes was very important to me. DEADLINE: There are many layers to Queens . Originally reading the synopsis during its film festival run, I thought the story would be mostly about him. But outside of the brief taxi rides, we don’t see his life outside of interacting with the girls. It’s very much about womanhood and sisterhood. Why did this work better for your narrative? REYNICKE: This is primarily a story of a family that is not a family anymore and that somehow will become a family before they separate forever. By saying this, I want to underline the fact that they’re not a family anymore because Carlos is just out of the picture. We have all these women though, and I wanted it to be a theme of family. The important part is why do they re-become a family? It’s because there is a union that is created by this upcoming departure, by the fact that the father learns to be a father, by the fact that the kids learn what it is to have a father, and by the fact that there is a mother who accepts and listens to her daughters. It was important to tell the story not from one point of view but from different generations as well. We have all these women, and we have the two kids who are very different because when you’re 10 years old and when you’re 14, you’re really different. The mom has her own agenda, the grandma has something else. And to have this man making this a bit messier was the idea because that’s what a family is about. I love my family, but my family is a bit crazy, I think [laughs]. When nothing is perfect, but love is there, you work it out. DEADLINE: For what he lacks in being reliable, Carlos is a sympathetic character. You don’t let him off the hook for the lies or the distress he causes. He’s just trying to do the best he can with what he has. How did you approach that character working with Gonzalo Molina? REYNICKE: Having a character with these imperfections was very important because I know a lot of Carlos’ [laughs]. But it was also about making him likable because we get attached to him, and he’s a reflection of the country. He’s the mirror of a society that’s falling apart. Yes, he lies, and he does a bunch of things we can criticize him for. But at the same time, I think this man is underwater. And it was important for me to talk about this group of women. This mother is doing everything on her own, and she’s the pilot of the whole thing. She’s also in a society where it’s not easy to be a single mom. But this man is also in a society where it’s not easy to be a father who can’t give money to his ex-wife or can’t be there because he’s so ashamed of himself that he prefers not to see his daughters and disappear. Originally, in the script, Carlos was a lot darker, and then I would make people read the script and 50% liked him and the other 50% hated him. I had to be very careful with the casting because, at the beginning, because it was such a dark character, I had someone a bit darker in mind. And when I met Gonzalo Molina, he was this actor who was talking too loud and kind of clumsy [laughs]. At the beginning, I was like, “Wow, I don’t think this is going to work.” But then I’m like, “Wow, he’s exactly the opposite of the character we’d written.” I thought it was going to bring an entire balance to this character. A script is a dead thing for me. It has no emotions, nothing. Life comes from the person who’s going to do the role, so we found Carlos this way. DEADLINE: Jessica and Tracey, what led you to add this project to your Lady Metalmark Entertainment brand? JESSICA ALBA: Tracey brought it to me. She had been talking about this film for a while. TRACEY NYBERG: I saw it at Sundance. Immediately, I fell in love and reached out to Klaudia, who was just so enamored by what she did as a filmmaker and the performances she got. Then I reached out to Jessica and said she had to watch this. We were just starting the company, maybe three weeks in [laughs]. JESSICA ALBA: What was so beautiful about the film and the performances is the humanity that gets pulled through. You see many stereotypes flipped on their head, and you have compassion for the man who could be considered the villain in other stories. But the father’s role is much more complicated and human. I think there’s a lot of pressure on men to be the breadwinners of a family and to be able to care of everyone. Now, I think we are realizing more that the reality is that women are also capable. There’s a lot of men who are trying to find their place in society, in the world, even if they are grown or if they are fathers. And we need to allow space for that, for men not to have to have it all together and not always to be the king of the castle. This film does a great job at that, and it’s also good to see he’s a decent man, not just some one-note guy. I thought that was beautiful. I also thought it was so relatable as a mother and as a parent to want something for your kids, as your kids are just completely in their own world. As a parent, you want them to do one thing, but they just want to do their thing, and their reality is just as important to them as the adults. It’s so beautiful the way Klaudia made space for the girls, and that they had their own different personalities and that they’re fully realized young people. I just really loved how all the characters are very dynamic and complex, they all have a beautiful journey in the film. DEADLINE: What kinds of projects are you both looking for in general? Anything specifically made by women, or is everything open? NYBERG: We are very interested in things that have strong female representation, whether that’s in front of or behind the camera, but also just stories about women that are complex, interesting and compelling characters– things that are ultimately accessible to audiences. The driving thing for us, too, is diversity. And again, in front of and behind the camera, however that looks. And just having a supportive, creative framework for filmmakers much like Klaudia to hopefully do something interesting. It feels like there is that blank space. DEADLINE: How did you find the two lead girls, Abril Gjurinovic and Luana Vega? REYNICKE: We started casting before COVID. I was in Switzerland doing casting. I was sent videos, and then COVID hit, and Peru was one of the countries that suffered the most in Latin America. The country closed completely for two years. When the country opened up again, we started casting again. There is no cinema industry in Peru, especially the type of cinema I do. They have commercials. They have series and soap operas. So, the kids they would send me had another type of language for other things that wouldn’t be as realistic as the films I do. So, I asked the casting directors to go on the streets and find kids. We call it Yeah. What we call “casting salvaje,” which is “wild casting” in English. So they found Abril in a shopping mall with her dad. Out of 200 kids, I believed everything that she was doing. So, I mentioned to them that I was coming to Lima soon and wanted to make sure she was available to be seen. They called me three days later and said, “We can’t find her anymore.” And I was like, “What?” Two weeks later, right before I arrived in Peru, they said, “We found her, but she doesn’t live in Peru.” It turns out she lived in Belgium, which is next to Switzerland. So, I flew her to Switzerland with her mom, and she auditioned in my house [laughs]. She’s super talented, but the plus was that her story was pretty much Lucia’s story. She had to leave her father because her parents were separated; her mom told me that they left when there was the horrible COVID situation happening. So, when the casting directors saw her in the shopping mall, she was visiting her dad. When she read the story of Lucia, I think she knew exactly what Lucia was going to live through, so she could give all [her energy to that]. With Luana, it was different because this is pretty much a month before shooting, and I still don’t have the bigger sister, and I’m desperate. I’m Zooming with all the producers. I’m like, “What do we do?” And they kept sending me girls, but nothing that stood out. My Peruvian co-producer, Daniel Vega, also my co-writer’s brother, is on Zoom. I see his daughter walking in the background, and I’m like, “Who’s that?” He’s like, “My daughter, Luana.” I found out she was 14, and I was like, “Daniel, why haven’t I seen no pictures, nothing?” [laughs]. And he lowered his voice to say that because he was a filmmaker and a writer, and his wife is a producer, she [jokingly] hates this world. She wants [our daughter] to do something real like a doctor or lawyer. So, he sends me pictures and left some dialogues of the script around her room. I also cast her best friend, to help her maybe sign on to the project. Eventually, she agreed to send a tape but said, “I’m not going to be an actress, but OK, I’m going to try.” So, she tried and did it perfectly, and I said, “She’s the one.” DEADLINE: What would you like audiences to take away from this film? REYNICKE: I want audiences to feel the hope and the light. This project talks about womanhood, migration, complexity, and complicated families. But out of all this, I want people to actually feel the hope that everything can be OK if you put the right feelings towards it. I think for all films and artistic projects, it’s very important to me to have an audience that is open so that they can love these art house films. They can dislike the film too. I prefer to have that than to have someone who doesn’t care at all about the film. I’ve had both reactions, which has been very interesting for me because a lot of people love the film. But from time to time, there’s that person who says something, and I’m like, “That’s good.” It means that the film is actually getting somewhere in particular that moves everyone, and that’s what I want. Now, it’s not my film anymore; it’s people’s film because when it’s out there, it’s not mine anymore. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

No. 13 seed Tarleton State wins inaugural FCS playoff game, beats Drake 43-29By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.“Feed The Hungry” Goes From Ethical Injunction To Bottom-Line Benefit

Alec Baldwin’s Western “Rust” had its world premiere at a film festival in Poland Wednesday, but the actor wasn’t present because he wasn’t invited. Baldwin’s presence would have been too “distracting,” said Kazimierz Suwała, the director of the international EnergaCamerimage film festival in the city of Torun. “We didn’t invite Alec Baldwin, and we never considered doing so,” Suwała told The Hollywood Reporter. “That would be too distracting. What this is about is honoring Halyna’s dreams for her work.” Suwała is referring to Halyna Hutchins, the Ukrainian-born cinematographer for “Rust.” Hutchins, an up-and-coming talent in the industry, was killed in October 2021, after Baldwin pointed a gun at her during a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. The gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired. Though the veteran film and TV star called Hutchins’ death a tragic accident, he was charged with manslaughter. However, the case was ultimately dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to turn over evidence. It’s not known whether Baldwin would have gone to the festival if he were invited, said TMZ, which reported that he was spotted in New York City Monday, pushing a stroller. While Baldwin didn’t travel to Poland to walk the red carpet or to promote “Rust” at the screening, organizers held a moment of silence for Hutchins, the Associated Press reported . The festival is a popular industry event that is devoted to cinematography. Souza, a Palo Alto-based filmmaker and Fremont native, then introduced the film. Souza told the audience that he initially couldn’t imagine trying to finish the film after Hutchins’ death. “It just hurt too much,” he said. But Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, wanted the film to be finished, and came on board as executive producer. Baldwin also wanted to finish the film and returned to the set, which had moved to Montana. But like Baldwin, Matthew Hutchins didn’t attend the premiere. Moreover, Hutchins’ other family members also boycotted the event. “It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” Olga Solovey, Hutchins’ mother, who lives in Ukraine, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital . “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.” “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” the statement from Solovey continued. “Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of ‘Rust,’ especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.” It’s questionable whether anyone involved in the making of “Rust” will see much profit from it. It could be released sometime in the United States, but it’s not clear when or if it will been screened in movie theaters or go direct to streaming. NBC News reported that the audience response at the premiere was “polite.” “Rust” follows the story of a 13-year-old boy who is sentenced to be hanged after he fatally shoots a rancher by accident. He goes on the run with his estranged grandfather, played by Baldwin. The audience clapped through the film’s closing credits, strengthening their applause when a dedication to Hutchins appeared, NBC News reported. But a fair number of moviegoers left the theater before the credits ended and prior to a Q&A with Souza and with cinematographer Bianca Cline, who completed the movie on Hutchins’ behalf. New York-based film industry expert Rob Rosenberg said “Rust” could get “butts in seats” because of the public’s curiosity. “It’ll be interesting to see if there is a group of people who choose to stay away from the film entirely due to Halyna Hutchin’s death,” Rosenberg, founder of Telluride Legal Strategies, said in an email statement. “People may also choose to see the movie because they might be curious about how they finished the film after the tragic shooting.” Meanwhile, organizers of the EnergaCamerimage festival defended giving the film its world premiere. “Yes, I know it has become divisive,” Suwala told The Hollywood Reporter. “Some felt we were doing it for promotional reasons and that it was inappropriate to screen a film that resulted in a death. But for us, the motivation was very simple. Halyna had a strong connection to this festival. She attended several times. And we were contacted by her friends, who told us that before shooting even began on ‘Rust,’ she told them that the film was very important to her and it was her dream to screen it at Camerimage.” One of those friends, cinematographer Rachel Mason, made an emotional speech at the premiere to defend the film. “I feel strongly that I need to make a statement about a very misunderstood film and the people who made it, who I believe are heroic people,” said Mason, who worked on a documentary about completing the film after Hutchins’ death. Mason said that everyone involved wanted to help Hutchins’ family by completing the film. “When they learned that this film ‘Rust’ might help Halyna’s family, they thought of one thing: the fact that she has a son, and that son doesn’t get to have a mother anymore,” Mason said. “And if they could do something for that little boy, then why would they not be there?”Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to be ambassador to France

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — Victor Gabalis and Kayvon Britten each accounted for two touchdowns, Darius Cooper had 190 yards receiving with a score and No. 13 seed Tarleton State won its inaugural FCS playoff game with a 43-29 victory over unseeded Drake on Saturday in a first-round matchup. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — Victor Gabalis and Kayvon Britten each accounted for two touchdowns, Darius Cooper had 190 yards receiving with a score and No. 13 seed Tarleton State won its inaugural FCS playoff game with a 43-29 victory over unseeded Drake on Saturday in a first-round matchup. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — Victor Gabalis and Kayvon Britten each accounted for two touchdowns, Darius Cooper had 190 yards receiving with a score and No. 13 seed Tarleton State won its inaugural FCS playoff game with a 43-29 victory over unseeded Drake on Saturday in a first-round matchup. Tarleton State (10-3) will travel to No. 4 seed South Dakota (9-2) in a second-round game on Dec. 7. Drake jumped out to a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter behind Blake Ellingson’s 2-yard touchdown run and Luke Bailey’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Taj Hughes. Britten answered with a 6-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and his 1-yard TD run stretched the Texans’ lead to 29-14 late in the third. Gabalis’ 49-yard touchdown pass to Cooper made it 36-21 with 10:49 remaining. Gabalis was 26-of-36 passing for 337 yards with two touchdowns. Cooper finished with 11 catches and Britten added 146 yards rushing on 29 carries. Kyle Weber also scored on a pair of short-yardage touchdown runs for the Texans. Bailey and Hailey connected again with a 10-yard score late in the third quarter that pulled the Bulldogs to 29-21. Bailey completed 31 of 49 passes with three touchdown passes and two interceptions. Hughes made 11 catches for 63 yards for Drake (8-3). __ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball AdvertisementNone

Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history with a 3-1 victory over fellow Brazilians Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. Botafogo played almost the entire match with ten men after Gregore was sent off in the first minute but they showed impressive spirit and resilience to secure victory at River Plate's Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. It is the sixth straight season that a Brazilian club has won the Libertadores, the top competition for South American clubs. The 120-year-old Botafogo, the Rio club who have twice won the Brazilian championship, have a rich history, including producing greats such as World Cup winners Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos and Mario Zagallo. But they have long suffered taunts from their rivals about their failure to win the continental title -- a jibe that can be made no more. Midfielder Gregore was shown a red card after a wild, high challenge on Fauto Vera, forcing Botafogo to adjust their game plan, but Atletico failed to press home their numerical advantage. Veteran forward Hulk had an effort from outside the box saved by John but the team from Belo Horizonte created little pressure. Sensing the game might not be the rearguard action they might have expected, Botafogo began to show more attacking intent and they were rewarded in the 35th minute. Marlon Freitas's shot from the edge of the box ricocheted around a crowded box before the ball fell to Luiz Henrique, who fired home from close range. To their credit, Botafogo didn't retreat to defend their slim advantage and they were able to double their lead in the 44th minute. Atletico defender Guilherme Arana attempted to shepherd the ball back to goalkeeper Everson, but Luiz Henrique snuck between the pair and went down under challenge from the keeper. After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded and Alex Telles confidently smashed home the spot kick to give Botafogo an unlikely 2-0 lead at the break. Atletico, who won the Libertadores in 2013, made a triple substitution at the interval and it paid off swiftly with Eduardo Vargas heading in from a corner. Inevitably, there was late pressure from Atletico, but Botafogo made sure of the victory when Junior Santos finished off a counter-attack deep in stoppage time. With the win, Botafogo earns the final of 32 places in next year's FIFA Club World Cup to be held in the United States. The club, owned by American businessman John Textor, also has a chance to complete a double by winning what would be their third Brazilian league title -- they currently lead Serie A by three points with two games remaining. Luis Henrique, whose fine form this season has seen him break into the Brazil squad, said the win was an emotional one for him and the team. "Many people tried to stop me, but I know that God is with me, my family is with me, and I have to keep my feet on the ground because there is still more to come," the 23-year-old striker said. "I want to thank Botafogo a lot, Botafogo needs to be at the top, because it's a club that has been working hard, that has been doing a lot on a daily basis." sev/js

Geo Fact Check looks into claims of PTI supporters deaths during Islamabad protest Tarar repeats claim on November 30 asking for any proof of dead bodies Senior government ministers have denied any deaths of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters during the November 26 security forces raid in Islamabad. Public hospitals in the federal capital also claimed they received no bodies after the law enforcement operation. However, documentary evidence proves the claim is false. Claim In a press conference on November 28, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal denied that law enforcement used live ammunition or that any PTI protesters were killed. “The [government’s] health department has issued two statements one from Poly Clinic Hospital and another from PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital stating that they have not received any dead bodies,” Tarar claims while answering a question from Al Jazeera, “There was a fake list circulating on social media, they have even declared that list to be fake. No bodies have been received by these [hospitals].”Both the Federal Government Poly Clinic Hospital and the PIMS are two of the largest public hospitals in the federal capital. Later Tarar repeated his claim in response to another question from the correspondent of BBC: “Both Polyclinic and PIMS have denied receiving any bodies or any with gunshot wounds. Also there was no live ammunition used. Let me confirm that.” Tarar repeated the claim on November 30 asking for any proof of dead bodies. Both hospitals have also reiterated this in their own statements on November 27, labelling reports of deaths “baseless” and denying they treated gunshot victims or received bodies. In its statement, PIMS hospital asserted that 66 law enforcement personnel and 36 civilians were brought to PIMS emergency and majority of them were discharged after first aid treatment having minor injuries, while few of them are admitted for further treatment. “News circulating on social media is baseless regarding the death toll/ nature of injuries of protestors,” it added. Similarly, on the same day the Federal Government Poly Clinic also released a rebuttal. “FGPC administration denies news being circulated on social media regarding dead bodies in the hospitals due to gunshot wounds/bullet/grenade,” it stated, “Such unverified news pertaining to this hospital circulating on media may be considered as fake.” Fact Documentary evidence and testimonies from families of the victims show these claims by authorities are false. One of the victims was 31-year-old Sadar Ali from Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His treatment slip as well as his death certificate issued by the PIMS Hospital have both been seen by Geo Fact Check. Ali was admitted to the hospital at 8:17pm on November 26 and pronounced dead at 8:30pm, as per his death certificate, seen below. Both the treatment slip and the death certificate identify Ali’s injury to have been a result of a firearm. His family identifies him as a supporter of PTI. Another dead body, whose records Geo Fact Check obtained, is of 24-year-old Mobeen Aurengzeb from Abbottabad who was pronounced dead by the Federal Government Poly Clinic hospital at 5:12pm on November 26. Aurengzeb’s cause of death has been listed as gunshot injury, as per the death certificate produced below. His family also identifies him as a PTI supporter. The third victim is 20-year-old Anees Shahzad from Murree whose death certificate was also issued by the Federal Government Poly Clinic hospital on November 26. Shahzad was pronounced dead at 5pm. His injury has been identified as a result of gunshot. Shahzed was a PTI supporter, as per his family. All three names appear on PTI’s list of 12 alleged fatalities. These names also align with burial details reported by local media outlets as well as pictures and videos of the burials shared by family members with Geo Fact Check. Separately, five casualties have also been confirmed by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on November 28, while talking to a local TV channel. Sanaullah acknowledged the deaths of at least five PTI workers. “Officially, there’s confirmation of four or five deaths. Reports indicate funerals in at least three locations, with the possibility of two more,” he said during the show. Geo Fact Check also reached out to over a dozen doctors, nurses as well as the administration at both hospitals who either denied the deaths or refused to talk claiming pressure from government authorities.Stock Radar: Wipro hits a fresh record high in December; will the party continue in 2025?Michigan Takes Final Shot at Ohio State Following Rivalry Game

Americans spent a staggering $10bn online shopping on Black Friday while in-store purchases continued to dip, according to analysts. This year, consumers took advantage of deals from Amazon and Walmart to purchase desktops, laptops and phones, while sales at Best Buy and Target were stagnant. Overall, online sales rose only slightly from $10.2bn in 2023 to $10.8bn in 2024, according to an analysis from Adobe Inc. However, Salesforce , which tracks a separate selection of spending categories, reported that US online sales rose 7 percent on Friday to $17.5bn. “Crossing the $10bn mark is a big e-commerce milestone for Black Friday, for a day that in the past was more anchored towards in-store shopping,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement. “And with consumers getting more comfortable with everything from mobile shopping to chatbots, we have tailwinds that can prop up online growth for Black Friday moving forward.” Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., shoppers spent $11.3m every minute with consumers purchasing more home appliances and furniture online, the company announced. Salesforce said it analyzed the activity of more than 1.5 billion global shoppers. Some top-selling products included makeup, skincare and hair care products. Bluetooth speakers and espresso machines were also highly sought-after products. Online-only retailers like Shein and Temu saw a growth in sales in the seven days through Friday compared to a year earlier, Reuters reported. In-store purchases have only grown 0.7 percent year-over-year, according to Mastercard. Facteus reported that sales this year declined. Shoppers were more likely to visit stores to search for merchandise and deals than to spend their money in them. Despite inflation, Michelle Meyer, chief economist at Mastercard Economics Institute, told Reuters that popular holiday purchases, like clothing, appliances, sporting goods, personal care products and jewelry are increasing modestly or declining in price over the last year. It’s predicted that big department stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s might see “muted” sales this year, the outlet reported.

NoneDemocrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wished Michiganders a “happy Kwanzaa,” releasing a video message celebrating the Marxist-rooted holiday. “Happy Kwanzaa, Michigan, ” she began. “Today, we celebrate African American culture and history and unite around values we all share: Freedom and opportunity,” she said, making no mention of the fact that the made-up holiday is rooted in Marxist ideology, created by black nationalists. “As governor, I’m focused on working with anyone to get things done and deliver on the kitchen table issues that make a real difference in people’s lives,” the Democrat claimed. “Together, I know that we will keep driving toward a brighter future where every family can succeed during the holiday season. I hope you get a chance to rest and recover after a busy year, spend some time with your family and friends, as we all look ahead to 2025. Thank you, and Happy Kwanzaa,” she added. Whitmer did not mention the roots of Kwanzaa, created by Maulana Karenga, founder of United Slaves, which opposed the Black Panthers. Further, the FBI backed the rivalry, as conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter described : Celebrated exclusively by white liberals, Kwanzaa is a fake holiday invented in 1966 by black radical/FBI stooge Ron Karenga — aka Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of United Slaves, the violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers. Liberals have become so mesmerized by multicultural gibberish that they have forgotten the real history of Kwanzaa and Karenga’s United Slaves. In what was ultimately a foolish gambit, during the madness of the ’60s, the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the group, the better. (It’s the same function #BlackLivesMatter serves today.) Whitmer is far from the only politician to celebrate Kwanzaa. President Joe Biden opted to say a few words about it, also ignoring the reality of the holiday. “This week, millions will gather with their families to light the seven candles of the Mishumaa Saba and commit themselves to the Seven Principles – from unity and self-determination to faith,” he said. “Jill and I hope that your Kwanzaa is blessed with peace and light this season,” Biden added.