y777 slot Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets dealCowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issue

Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets deal

The effects of ‘brain rot’: How junk content is damaging our minds

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team said Thursday that additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team said surgery was not expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend's 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay . The decision on Lamb means the Cowboys will finish the regular season with at least five former Pro Bowlers on injured reserve. Among the others are quarterback Dak Prescott, who was limited to eight games before a season-ending hamstring tear, and right guard Zack Martin. The seven-time All-Pro made it through 10 games before deciding on season-ending ankle surgery. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence didn't playing after Week 4 because of a foot injury, and cornerback Trevon Diggs battled a variety of injuries while playing 11 games before a knee injury ended his season. Lamb initially injured his right shoulder when it hit the turf hard twice in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta on Nov. 3. He kept playing and had at least 100 yards in each of his last two games — both victories — before getting shut down. The 25-year-old Lamb sat out the entire offseason and preseason in a contract dispute after getting career highs in catches (an NFL-best 135), yards receiving (club-record 1,749) and touchdowns (12) in 2023. The holdout finally ended with a $136 million, four-year extension in late August, but neither the Cowboys nor their star receiver could get that production going again this season. Dallas (7-8) is missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Lamb's rookie year. Lamb finishes the season with 101 catches for 1,194 yards and six TDs. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL The Associated Press

How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 12/26/2024Wild first season in expanded Big 12 comes down to final weekend

More than one in five U.S. renters—22 percent—use all of their regular income to pay for rent, according to a recent survey commissioned by real estate brokerage firm Redfin. Fourteen percent of renters said they relied on cash gifts from family to pay rent. About 13 percent reported withdrawing money from retirement funds early to cover housing costs, while 12 percent said they had reduced contributions to their retirement savings, prioritizing immediate expenses over long-term financial security. Other measures taken to afford rent included receiving government assistance (18 percent); living with parents, family, or friends to save money (14 percent); receiving nonprofit assistance (7 percent); selling stock investments (7 percent); using an inheritance (5 percent); and selling cryptocurrency investments (5 percent). Rental prices have surged faster than wages, making it increasingly difficult for many Americans—particularly those with lower incomes—to afford housing. “Rents remain stable nationally, but could look very different depending on where you live in the country,” Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari said last month. “On the East Coast and in the Midwest, there hasn’t been as much building activity, so asking rents are rising. Meanwhile, if you’re in a Sun Belt city where construction boomed following the pandemic, rents are now falling pretty fast.” East Coast and Midwestern metros such as Washington—which posted the biggest rent increase at 12 percent year over year—and Cleveland, Ohio, saw significant rent hikes. In contrast, Sun Belt cities such as Jacksonville, Florida, experienced the largest decreases, with rents falling by 11.3 percent. Despite the challenges, renting remains a popular choice because the affordability crisis is even more pronounced in the home-buying market, the company found. The same Redfin analysis noted that the number of renter households is growing three times faster than homeowner households, largely because the cost of buying has increased faster than the cost of renting. Rental affordability may improve as more newly constructed apartments enter the market, Redfin said.

U.S. low-income voters fear Trump may slash benefits: report

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" -- wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month. At that time, Washington used its veto power on the Council -- as it has before -- to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. It has insisted on the idea of making a ceasefire conditional on the release of all hostages in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity. Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood repeated that position Wednesday, saying it would be "shameful and wrong" to adopt the text. Ahead of the vote, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said: "The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic. (...) The vote today is not a vote for compassion. It is a vote for complicity." The General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the Security Council, which has been largely paralyzed on hot-button issues such as Gaza and Ukraine due to internal politics, and this time is no different. The resolution, which is non-binding, demands "immediate access" to widespread humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, especially in the besieged north of the territory. Dozens of representatives of UN member states addressed the Assembly before the vote to offer their support to the Palestinians. "Gaza doesn't exist anymore. It is destroyed," said Slovenia's UN envoy Samuel Zbogar. "History is the harshest critic of inaction." That criticism was echoed by Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui, who said: "The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow." Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the United Nations. "Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the first day of debate in the Assembly's special session on the issue. "The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare," he said, calling for an end to the "impunity." The Gaza resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present "proposals on how the United Nations could help to advance accountability" by using existing mechanisms or creating new ones based on past experience. The Assembly, for example, created an international mechanism to gather evidence of crimes committed in Syria starting from the outbreak of civil war in 2011. A second resolution calling on Israel to respect the mandate of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and allow it to continue its operations was passed Wednesday by a vote of 159-9 with 11 abstentions. Israel has voted to ban the organization starting January 28, after accusing some UNRWA employees of taking part in Hamas's devastating attack. abd/sst/jgcNews junkies will find much to love in “September 5,” a fictionalized account of ABC’s live coverage of the hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics. There are spirited debates about reporting with only one source, use of words like “terrorism” and what to do if violence breaks out during a live shot. There are negotiations with rival networks over satellite usage, disguises and fake badges made to get reels of 16mm film in and out of the locked down Olympic village and plenty of confused men (and a few women) trying to keep up with an ever-escalating situation. The film is a moment by moment retelling of how a group of sports broadcasters brought this story to the world in real time, despite the technical limitations and their own inexperience across a confusing 22 hours. Everyone came to the studio that night ready for breaking sports news, scores and pre-packaged interviews. Even that was going to be a test for the man running the control room for the first time. Geoffrey Mason, portrayed by John Magaro, was a 28-year-old coordinating producer. Someone wonders about his experience and is assured that he’s covered minor league baseball games. But in the early hours of Sept. 5, 1972, eight members of a Palestinian group called Black September broke into the Olympic village and attacked the Israeli delegation killing wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg and weightlifter Yossi Romano. Some escaped, but nine others were taken hostage. While the tragedy of the Munich Olympics has certainly been told many times, writer and director Tim Fehlbaum saw an opportunity in the team behind the live broadcast. And he commits fully to staying in the newsroom, with all of its glorious old technologies, from the walkie-talkies they used to stay in touch and to taking time to show how they had to manually add text to the screens. He and his screenwriter were able to reconstruct the events almost minute-by-minute, which helped shape the screenplay. The players are many in this large ensemble. Peter Sarsgaard , who’s looked right in a newsroom since “Shattered Glass,” gives gravitas to Roone Arledge, then-president of ABC Sports, and Ben Chaplin is operations engineer Marvin Bader. Leonie Benesch is Marianne Gebhardt, a German-speaking interpreter who is the only person there able to understand the language of the country. She might be a bit of a composite who checks off a lot of boxes as both an entrepreneurial woman and a younger German offering perspective and insight into what this moment might mean for the country trying to put on a good front in the aftermath of World War II. An actor (Benjamin Walker) plays broadcaster Peter Jennings, and real archival footage of anchor Jim McKay from that day is used in the film. And while they all rise to the occasion, mistakes are made – including a rather big one at the end, following imperfect secondhand information from the Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield. They don’t call it the first draft of history for nothing, after all, and it may be illuminating for audiences to see how it’s handled. The film looks of its time, but it also feels fairly modern in its sensibilities which makes it always seem more like a re-telling than an in-the-moment experience. This may be to its detriment, yet it’s still an undeniably riveting and compelling watch. The word thrilling doesn’t seem appropriate, however. This is not “Apollo 13” after all. The end is not a happy one. But at time when trust in the media is in crisis, this film is a great humanizer, reminding audiences that the media is far from a monolith, but a group of individuals under immense pressure to get the story right, get the story out and go back and do it again the next day. “September 5,” a Paramount Pictures release in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language. Running time: 94. Three stars out of four.Visakhapatnam’s Andhra University-based start-up Geo Climate Risk Solutions (GCRS) says it has made notable advancements in environmental management and sustainability through employing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The start-up specialises in evaluating climate risks and predicting weather patterns, which are crucial for alleviating the effects of climate change on communities, ecosystems and economies. “The company's most ground-breaking innovations lie in its AI-powered early warning systems and agricultural decision-support tools. These enable precise predictions of extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, wildfires and urban heat islands,” said GCRS chief executive officer Prasad Babu. Talking to this correspondent in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, he said by providing critical predictive insights, GCRS empowers stakeholders to develop robust risk mitigation and adaptive strategies. Prasad Babu explained that his company employs sophisticated data engineering, AI and machine learning (ML) tools to analyse intricate datasets, facilitating precise forecasts of climate-related events. He said the company has earned recognition from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) under the union ministry of Jal Shakti for its proficiency in hydrogeological reporting and groundwater modelling. The company's technological offerings are impressive and include several innovative tools. The Lake Management System (LAMAS) provides diagnostic capabilities for assessing lake health, while Geosust enables real-time monitoring of geo-hazards. SaMM tracks sand mining activities and Geocoast focuses on monitoring coastal zone degradation and environmental impacts. The GCRS CEO said the company's extensive service portfolio encompasses water stewardship planning, groundwater impact analysis and net-zero transition planning. Their carbon exchange platform aids organisations in managing their carbon footprints, supporting them in achieving sustainability objectives. The company's diverse clients include governmental bodies, corporations, multilateral organisations and NGOs, all of whom benefit from GCRS' actionable environmental solutions.

Man Utd make history with major change to Old Trafford in ‘fantastic step forward’He is not yet in power but President-elect Donald Trump rattled much of the world with an off-hours warning of stiff tariffs on close allies and China -- a loud hint that Trump-style government by social media post is coming back. With word of these levies against goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China, Trump sent auto industry stocks plummeting, raised fears for global supply chains and unnerved the world's major economies. For Washington-watchers with memories of the Republican's first term, the impromptu policy volley on Monday evening foreshadowed a second term of startling announcements of all manner, fired off at all hours of the day from his smartphone. "Donald Trump is never going to change much of anything," said Larry Sabato, a leading US political scientist and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "You can expect in the second term pretty much what he showed us about himself and his methods in the first term. Social media announcements of policy, hirings and firings will continue." The first of Trump's tariff announcements -- a 25 percent levy on everything coming in from Mexico and Canada -- came amid an angry rebuke of lax border security at 6:45 pm on Truth Social, Trump's own platform. The United States is bound by agreements on the movement of goods and services brokered by Trump in a free trade treaty with both nations during his first term. But Trump warned that the new levy would "remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country" -- sowing panic from Ottawa to Mexico City. Seconds later, another message from the incoming commander-in-chief turned the focus on Chinese imports, which he said would be hit with "an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs." The consequences were immediate. Almost every major US automaker operates plants in Mexico, and shares in General Motors and Stellantis -- which produce pickup trucks in America's southern neighbor -- plummeted. Canada, China and Mexico protested, while Germany called on its European partners to prepare for Trump to impose hefty tariffs on their exports and stick together to combat such measures. The tumult recalls Trump's first term, when journalists, business leaders and politicians at home and abroad would scan their phones for the latest pronouncements, often long after they had left the office or over breakfast. During his first four years in the Oval Office, the tweet -- in those days his newsy posts were almost exclusively limited to Twitter, now known as X -- became the quasi-official gazette for administration policy. The public learned of the president-elect's 2020 Covid-19 diagnosis via an early-hours post, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Trump's order, the Republican confirmed the kill by tweeting a US flag. The public and media learned of numerous other decisions big and small by the same source, from the introduction of customs duties to the dismissal of cabinet secretaries. It is not a communication method that has been favored by any previous US administration and runs counter to the policies and practices of most governments around the world. Throughout his third White House campaign, and with every twist and turn in his various entanglements with the justice system, Trump has poured his heart out on Truth Social, an app he turned to during his 20-month ban from Twitter. In recent days, the mercurial Republican has even named his attorney general secretaries of justice and health via announcements on the network. "He sees social media as a tool to shape and direct the national conversation and will do so again," said political scientist Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor. cjc/ft/dw/bjt

Tether, a prominent issuer of stablecoins, has initiated its first venture capital fund investment by committing $2 million to Arcanum Capital’s Emerging Technologies Fund II. This fund specializes in tokenized investments focused on decentralized Web3 projects. James McDowall, managing partner at Arcanum Capital, emphasized that their investment targets blockchain technologies that significantly improve remittances, cross-border payments, privacy, and banking access for the unbanked. Tether’s involvement represents a strategic move towards diversification, as voiced by its CEO Paolo Ardoino. Ardoino articulated that Tether is committed to fostering technologies that resist censorship and support open communication. He highlighted the increasing importance of balancing financial system integrity with individual freedoms under tightening regulations and geopolitical tensions. The investment aligns with Tether’s broader strategy to diversify its portfolio. In 2024, Tether embarked on several initiatives, including proposing a boron-backed token to Turkey, facilitating an energy financing deal involving a $45 million oil transaction, and introducing the Hadron tokenization platform to enable the tokenization of real-world assets like government securities and stocks. Tether’s recent $775 million investment in the Rumble video platform further underscores its focus on supporting free speech. These moves reflect Tether’s ongoing dedication to expanding beyond its core stablecoin offerings, aiming to leverage innovative financial solutions that address global economic challenges.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and witnesses in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial. The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday., saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the “Uvda” investigative program into Sara Netanyahu. The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aid to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial. The announcement did not mention Mrs. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Ministry declined further comment. But earlier Thursday, Netanyahu blasted the Uvda report as “lies.”

The entire top leadership of the PPP, including President Asif Zardari and party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, reached Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto on Thursday evening for the 17th death anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, being observed on Friday (today).' Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event, where the central and provincial leaders of the PPP would pay their respects to the first female prime minister of the Muslim world. They would also address a meeting. President Zardari and Chairman Bilawal, in their separate messages, paid rich tributes to the late Benazir Bhutto and eulogised her political legacy and courage as unmatched and eternal vision and a guiding light for the nation. "On this day, we honour a leader who embodied the very spirit of hope, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of democracy and justice," Zardari said in his message issued by the President's Office. Referring to the famous quote of the late Benazir Bhutto that 'democracy is the best revenge', the president said that these words were not just a defiant response to tyranny and dictatorship but reflected her profound belief in the transformative power of the people. "She envisioned a Pakistan, where every child could access education, where women could progress as equals, and where justice was not a privilege but a right. Throughout her life, she raised her voice and worked for the uplift of the downtrodden segments of society and women's empowerment," he added. In a press release issued by the Media Cell of the Bilawal House, the PPP chief said: "Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was not just a political figure but a beacon of hope for the marginalised, the oppressed, and the forgotten." Bilawal reaffirmed his resolve to carry forward her legacy. "Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto envisioned a Pakistan where every citizen would have equal opportunities and access to resources, irrespective of their background. "We are determined to follow her philosophy of human liberty and democratic norms, continuing our fight against terrorism, extremism, and any forces that threaten Pakistan's stability," he stated. He reiterated his commitment to addressing the unresolved matters of Palestine and Kashmir. (WITH INPUT FROM APP) COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our

He is not yet in power but President-elect Donald Trump rattled much of the world with an off-hours warning of stiff tariffs on close allies and China -- a loud hint that Trump-style government by social media post is coming back. With word of these levies against goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China, Trump sent auto industry stocks plummeting, raised fears for global supply chains and unnerved the world's major economies. For Washington-watchers with memories of the Republican's first term, the impromptu policy volley on Monday evening foreshadowed a second term of startling announcements of all manner, fired off at all hours of the day from his smartphone. "Donald Trump is never going to change much of anything," said Larry Sabato, a leading US political scientist and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "You can expect in the second term pretty much what he showed us about himself and his methods in the first term. Social media announcements of policy, hirings and firings will continue." The first of Trump's tariff announcements -- a 25 percent levy on everything coming in from Mexico and Canada -- came amid an angry rebuke of lax border security at 6:45 pm on Truth Social, Trump's own platform. The United States is bound by agreements on the movement of goods and services brokered by Trump in a free trade treaty with both nations during his first term. But Trump warned that the new levy would "remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country" -- sowing panic from Ottawa to Mexico City. Seconds later, another message from the incoming commander-in-chief turned the focus on Chinese imports, which he said would be hit with "an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs." The consequences were immediate. Almost every major US automaker operates plants in Mexico, and shares in General Motors and Stellantis -- which produce pickup trucks in America's southern neighbor -- plummeted. Canada, China and Mexico protested, while Germany called on its European partners to prepare for Trump to impose hefty tariffs on their exports and stick together to combat such measures. The tumult recalls Trump's first term, when journalists, business leaders and politicians at home and abroad would scan their phones for the latest pronouncements, often long after they had left the office or over breakfast. During his first four years in the Oval Office, the tweet -- in those days his newsy posts were almost exclusively limited to Twitter, now known as X -- became the quasi-official gazette for administration policy. The public learned of the president-elect's 2020 Covid-19 diagnosis via an early-hours post, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Trump's order, the Republican confirmed the kill by tweeting a US flag. The public and media learned of numerous other decisions big and small by the same source, from the introduction of customs duties to the dismissal of cabinet secretaries. It is not a communication method that has been favored by any previous US administration and runs counter to the policies and practices of most governments around the world. Throughout his third White House campaign, and with every twist and turn in his various entanglements with the justice system, Trump has poured his heart out on Truth Social, an app he turned to during his 20-month ban from Twitter. In recent days, the mercurial Republican has even named his attorney general secretaries of justice and health via announcements on the network. "He sees social media as a tool to shape and direct the national conversation and will do so again," said political scientist Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor. cjc/ft/dw/bjtSofia Vergara’s Christmas Look Is All About a Cozy Set of Pajamas

A second half brace from Sam Field ensured the home side collected all three points, but it was a tame attacking performance from United, who managed just one shot on target throughout the game. The U’s have now won just one of their last 14 Sky Bet Championship matches, and dropped to 20th in the table ahead of Saturday’s home clash against 12th-placed Sheffield Wednesday. Buckingham said after the Loftus Road defeat: “We played some really good football and got into the final third several times, and just lacked that cutting edge in the final third, which comes back to haunt you, whether it’s a mistake for the goal or otherwise. “You make it a bit more difficult for yourselves, but there were some really good moments, certainly in the first half when we got into the areas we wanted to get into. “There just wasn’t that crispness that we’ve seen in previous games. “When their first goal goes in, especially when we had what we felt was good control in the game, certainly in that first half until the 53rd minute when their goal went in. “It changes the momentum of the game and changes what the game looks like, and you almost feel like you’ve been hard done by. “It’s about making sure you keep doing what you’re good at, and what’s got you to that. “We concede a very sloppy second goal and then change a few things to try and get ourselves back in the game. “It becomes scrappy and it’s not the result that we wanted. What we do need to do is make sure that good build-up play that we had, we have to add that final third to it, and there’s an opportunity to do that on Saturday. “We don’t want to lose any game. We’ve come to a team that have picked up in the last four games and have picked up some good results. “We came here on Saturday and watched them play, they beat Norwich 3-0 and saw what they can do. “But we’ve got a long way to go this season. What we can’t do is sit and feel sorry for ourselves, and beat ourselves up. “We have to stick together and this is what this group is very good at. We need to make sure we add the final bits in. “From a performance point of view, the most important is the goalscoring element to it.”First dog-friendly cruise scheduled for 2025. Organizers hope it turns into a recurring event.Wild first season in expanded Big 12 comes down to final weekend