super ace online casino Percentages: FG .444, FT .708. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Scott Bessent a credible, safe pick for Treasury: expertsBy Chris Ogden , University of Auckland associate professor in Global Studies* Comment - The election of Donald Trump for his second presidential term has led to widespread fears of an imminent authoritarian descent in the United States. Quite how that might play out remains speculative, for now at least. But evidence from Trump's first term, as well as his campaign policies and cabinet nominations since the election, suggest those fears are not without foundation. Another way of looking at this, however, is that Trump's return simply echoes realities within the international system's other great powers - China, Russia and India have all displayed similar political pathologies for some time now. Due to their collective power and influence in determining the nature of the world order, Trump's victory thus marks the amplification of a deeply autocratic era in global politics. The hallmarks of what we might call this nascent "Pax Autocratica" can be seen in a variety of ways, as these four horsemen of authoritarianism charge ahead with their policies and plans. Strongman politics Donald Trump and his counterparts - China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and India's Narendra Modi - are all bombastic, divisive and confrontational leaders. They embody the archetype of strongman politics whereby power is focused on a single, would-be omnipotent individual. As well as sharing similar alpha-male psychological characteristics and developing cults of personality around themselves , they seek to rule for long periods. In 2018, Xi removed the presidential term limit from China's constitution . In 2020, Putin amended the Russian constitution , allowing him to rule until 2036, leading to what's been described as a "politics of eternity". In power since 2014, Modi has won the past three elections in India . Accused of having a god complex, his success has rested on mainstreaming Hindu-first nationalism, capturing the legal system and rewriting Indian history. Trump, too, has flirted with ideas of a third term (impossible under current constitutional rules), saying, "We just have to figure that out." Constraining human rights Each of these leaders has overseen governments that have sought to narrow and constrain human rights. This includes limiting freedoms of speech and expression within Russian media , attacking journalists and protesters in India , and purging opponents in China . In all three countries, this involves using legal mechanisms to stifle dissent. Reports after Trump's victory suggest he also wants to punish or suppress protest and dissent . The growing politicisation of the US Supreme Court matches similar trends in the other three countries. This has been likened to a shift away from the rule of law (which underpins a free and open society) towards "rule by law" (whereby the law becomes a tool of control). Globally, there have been warnings that reduced freedoms of speech, association and expression threaten the fundamental structures of civil society. The 2024 State of Civil Society Report by watchdog group Civicus estimates 72 percent of the world's population now lives under authoritarian regimes. Attacking minorities The first Trump administration actively discriminated against minority ethnic groups, LGBTQ people, those with disabilities, and immigrants. Trump's 2017 travel ban closed the US border to Muslims , while the planned deportation of up to 13 million illegal migrants was a mainstay of his 2024 campaign. In Russia, attacks against minorities and foreigners are commonplace, with racism in the country described as "out of control" by Amnesty International . Since 2014, violence and discrimination against India's 200 million Muslims has significantly increased under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Modi government's actions actively discriminate against Muslim employment, education, justice and housing, especially in Kashmir and Assam. These chime with China's actions in Xinjiang and Tibet where ethnic minorities are experiencing fundamental human rights violations . Beijing is also building a national social credit system designed to enhance public trust in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and create a society of "compliant subjects". Weakened electoral systems While ostensibly democratic, there are glaring weaknesses in the US, Indian and Russian political and electoral systems, which undercut claims of electoral equality, fairness and plurality. While not as blatantly authoritarian as China (under the one-party rule of the CCP since 1949, and which consistently silences its opponents), elections in Russia are essentially non-competitive and only a façade of democracy. In the US, the gerrymandering of electoral regions, voter suppression, and vast corporate donations tilt the political landscape towards particular interests. Much the same is true of India, which has shifted towards a form of "electoral autocracy", and is described now as only a "partially free democracy" by monitoring group Freedom House . These trends are exacerbated by India's persistent intergenerational political dynasties and powerful political donors. Surveillance and security All of these authoritarian trends are underpinned by modern surveillance structures , directed inward towards a country's own citizens as much as outwards, and enabled by Big Tech and now AI. What has been described as "algorithmic authoritarianism" takes different forms. The Chinese social credit system uses such technology to instil social control mainly through financial levers. India's Central Monitoring System allows government agencies to monitor all mobile phone, landline and internet communications with minimal legal restraints. The pervasive reach of Russia's capabilities has resulted in a "cyber gulag" of "total digital surveillance". In the US, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the mass surveillance of telephone records in 2013 , which was found to be illegal in 2020. Now, Trump's alliance with Elon Musk has potential implications for his administration's approach to AI and national security - including Musk continuing to use his social media platform to boost Trump's political support. Trump's return has normalised and supercharged authoritarianism internationally, making it the rule rather than the exception. America's autocratic drift is now part of a broader global pattern, one that threatens democratic forces everywhere. * Chris Ogden is affiliated with the Foreign Policy Centre (London) as a senior research fellow

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The City boss is enduring the worst run of his glittering managerial career after a six-game winless streak featuring five successive defeats and a calamitous 3-3 draw in a match his side had led 3-0. The 53-year-old, who has won 18 trophies since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, signed a contract extension through to the summer of 2027 just over a week ago. Yet, despite his remarkable successes, he still considers himself vulnerable to the sack and has pleaded with the club to keep faith. “I don’t want to stay in the place if I feel like I’m a problem,” said the Spaniard, who watched in obvious frustration as City conceded three times in the last 15 minutes in a dramatic capitulation against Feyenoord in midweek. “I don’t want to stay here just because the contract is there. “My chairman knows it. I said to him, ‘Give me the chance to try come back’, and especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and see what happens. “After, if I’m not able to do it, we have to change because, of course, (the past) nine years are dead. “More than ever I ask to my hierarchy, give me the chance. “Will it be easy for me now? No. I have the feeling that still I have a job to do and I want to do it.” City have been hampered by a raft of injuries this term, most pertinently to midfield talisman and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. The Euro 2024 winner is expected to miss the remainder of the season and his absence has been keenly felt over the past two months. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has also not started a match since September. The pressure continues to build with champions City facing a crucial trip to title rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Defeat would leave City trailing Arne Slot’s side by 11 points. “I don’t enjoy it at all, I don’t like it,” said Guardiola of his side’s current situation. “I sleep not as good as I slept when I won every game. “The sound, the smell, the perfume is not good enough right now. “But I’m the same person who won the four Premier Leagues in a row. I was happier because I ate better, lived better, but I was not thinking differently from who I am.” Guardiola is confident his side will not stop battling as they bid to get back on track. He said: “The people say, ‘Yeah, it’s the end of that’. Maybe, but we are in November. We will see what happens until the end. “What can you do? Cry for that? You don’t stay long – many, many years without fighting. That is what you try to look for, this is the best (way). “Why should we not believe? Why should it not happen with us?”

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NoneThe Houston Astros have had the upper hand on the Seattle Mariners for as long as both teams can remember, but perhaps this winter, the tides can begin to turn. After losing in the first round of the playoffs, the Astros appear more vulnerable now than they have been since the early 2010s. Meanwhile, the Mariners have been the most frustrating team in baseball the last two seasons, failing to hit well enough to support their excellent pitching staff. The Astros are up against a wall in terms of the budget, having ballooned the payroll to an all-time high of $244 million in 2024. With one of their longest-tenured stars heading to free agency, Houston faces a tough decision regarding whether or not to keep spending big. That could be the opportunity Seattle needs to finally land a big bat. Two-time All-Star and Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman is headed for a big payday this winter. Ben Wrixon of The Score recently predicted that Bregman would head to Seattle, sparking a new chapter in this American League West rivalry. "The Mariners finally land the impact infield bat they desperately need by poaching third baseman Alex Bregman away from their AL West rival. His all-around skill set and championship pedigree won't come cheap, but Seattle has shown a past willingness to spend on the right player," Wrixon said. "Bregman joins Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, and Cal Raleigh in a revamped Mariners' lineup that finally has enough punch to support MLB's best starting rotation." Bregman, 30, slashed .260/.315/.463 in what was something of a down year by his lofty career standards. T-Mobile Park in Seattle is also a notoriously difficult place to hit, especially in comparison to the righty-friendly environment of Minute Maid Park. It would be a gutsy decision by Bregman to switch teams within the division, but Seattle could be more willing than Houston to show him the money. The star was recently predicted to land a seven-year, $189 million contract by Tim Britton of The Athletic. Will Seattle land their new marquee third baseman this winter? That answer could be revealed in a few short weeks. More MLB: Mets beloved 4-time All-Star predicted to depart for Astros in free agency

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Traccom Inc. (Pink Open Market Symbol: TRCC) is pleased to announce that on November 13, 2024 , it acquired all of the capital stock of Vulcain, Inc. ("Vulcain"). As a result of the acquisition, Vulcain has become a wholly owned and main operating subsidiary of Traccom effective immediately. Upon completion of the transaction on November 13, 2024 , Vulcain shareholders were issued 117,813,680 shares of common stock of Traccom in exchange for the acquisition of 100% of the capital stock of Vulcain. This represents 95% of the fully diluted shares of Traccom after the issuance thereof. With the transaction, Vulcain added three members to the Traccom board of directors, with Greg Duffell as CEO, President and CFO, Peter Stockmann as President of the Americas, and replaced Traccom's management. This marks a significant milestone for Vulcain. The company will broaden its market presence in the growing opportunity for Artificial Intelligence (AI) based data solutions. "Trading as a public entity on the Pink Open Market is an important step for Vulcain as we continue to evolve and expand our reach within the Causal AI and Knowledge Management sector," said Greg Duffell , CEO of Traccom. "This transaction will provide us with greater access to capital, enhance our visibility in the marketplace, and allow more investors to participate in our growth story." Becoming a publicly traded company will allow Vulcain to enhance their visibility. This reflects the company's commitment to increasing shareholder value and advancing its corporate growth strategy in Causal AI and Knowledge Management space. Former Traccom CEO and continuing Board member, Harry Steck stated, "For Traccom's shareholders, this transaction provides the opportunity to be invested in one of today's most exciting industries with an impressive technology and management team." Vulcain has commercialized casual AI solutions across various industries including leading US brands in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) sector to generate annual recurring revenues (ARR) for the company. Vulcain is planning a next phase of expansion into Insurance, Healthcare, Financial Services and other industries. Vulcain uses causal machine learning algorithms and human domain experts to provide high quality causal features necessary for an accurate AI solution. Vulcain's Causal AI Platform includes causal reasoning models to provide predictive outcomes that identify and explain event risks and opportunities for businesses. Vulcain will continue to focus on bringing human domain knowledge into AI solutions and driving value for organizations seeking to unleash the knowledge from their vast amounts of data, content and domain expertise. Key Highlights: About Traccom, Inc. The company is at the intersection of human and artificial intelligence, leading the charge to AI 3.0 with high value feature solutions for business. Vulcain's Causal AI platform is used for harmonizing, testing, and validating data for extracting and commercializing knowledge. The Vulcain platform combines hundreds of millions of AI ready data sets and human domain knowledge to provide a ready to use solution that can be customized, scaled and adapted for customer use-cases and human intervention. With a commitment to human-AI, excellence, sustainability, and customer-centric solutions, the company believes that it is poised for long-term growth and success in the global AI marketplace. For more information about the company and its wholly owned subsidiary Vulcain, Inc., visit www.vulcain.ai . Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include ''forward-looking statements.'' All statements pertaining to our future financial and/or operating results, future events, or future developments may constitute forward-looking statements. The statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "look forward to," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "will," "project," or words of similar meaning. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of our management, of which many are beyond our control. These are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying expectations not occur or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance, or our achievements may (negatively or positively) vary materially from those described explicitly or implicitly in the relevant forward-looking statement. We neither intend, nor assume any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and the Company's other disclosures filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are contained. Contact: shareholders@vulcain.ai View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/traccom-inc-pink-open-market-symbol-trcc-completes-acquisition-of-vulcain-inc-302315225.html SOURCE Traccom Inc