777 slots casino By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request. The airline said in an email that the problem was caused by trouble with vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. An American Airlines employee wearing looks toward quiet check-in counters Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Rebecca Blackwell, Associated Press Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the system known as FOS. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Flights were delayed across American's major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Out of the 3,901 domestic and international American Airlines flights scheduled for Tuesday, 19 were canceled. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights departed within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — arrived at their destinations as scheduled. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4,058 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights canceled. The site had not posted any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed. Cirium said Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Travelers wait in line for security checks Tuesday at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Jae C. Hong, Associated Press Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms developed in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. Any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have "interline agreements" that let them put stranded customers on another carrier's flights. An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks through the American terminal Tuesday at Miami International Airport in Miami. Rebecca Blackwell, Associated Press This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. Finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. American Airlines employees check in travelers Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Rebecca Blackwell, Associated Press Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. "Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation's highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. "It's not the destination, it's the journey," said American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph clearly was not among the travellers on one of more than 350 cancelled or 1,400 delayed flights after a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to Crowdstrike's "Falcon Sensor" software in July of 2023. U.S. airlines carried nearly 863 million travellers in 2023, with Canadian carriers accounting for another 150 million, many of whom experienced lost luggage, flight delays, cancellations, or were bumped off their flights. It's unclear how many of them were compensated for these inconveniences. Suffice it to say, posting a crabby rant on social media might temporarily soothe anger, but it won't put wasted money back in pockets. Money.ca shares what to know in order to be compensated for the three most common air travel headaches. Lost Luggage Bags elected to go on a vacay without you? Check off the following: Alert the airline, both in person and in writing, of any missing bags. Remember, the clock starts ticking immediately. After 21 days, the baggage is considered lost and the airline is liable for it and its contents. Contact the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) or Canadian Transportation Agency , who will query the airline on your behalf and give them a 30-day deadline to respond. Usually, the airline will resolve the issue, but if it doesn't, or if you're unsatisfied with the offer, the next level is mediation. Beyond that, the case could move to adjudication, a court-like process with a panel deciding on the outcome. On international flights, you have up to two years to file litigation. If you expect a large payout, think again. Tariffs (air carrier contracts) limit the compensation amounts for "loss of, damage to, or the delay in delivery of baggage or other personal property." In the case of Air Canada, the maximum payout is $1,500 per passenger in the currency of the country where the baggage was processed. To raise that limit, purchase a Declaration of Higher Value for each leg of the trip. The charge is $0.50 for each $100, in which case the payout limit is $2,500. For Delta Air Lines, passengers are entitled to up to $3,800 in baggage compensation, though how much you'll receive depends on your flight. Delta will pay up to $2,080 for delayed, lost, and damaged baggage for international travellers, almost half of what U.S. domestic passengers can claim. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. Delayed/Cancelled Flights Different air carriers and jurisdictions have their own compensation policies when flights are delayed or cancelled. For example, under European Union rules, passengers may receive up to 600 Euros, even when travelling on a non-EU carrier. Similarly, the DOT states that travellers are entitled to a refund "if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel." However, US rules regarding delays are complicated. Some air carriers, such as Air Canada, do not guarantee their flight schedules. They're also not liable for cancellations or changes due to "force majeure" such as weather conditions or labour disruptions. If the delay is overnight, only out-of-town passengers will be offered hotel accommodation. Nevertheless, many airlines do offer some compensation for the inconvenience. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. Flight Compensation in the U.S. In terms of cash compensation, what you'll get can differ significantly based on things like departure location, time, carrier, and ticket class. The DOT offers a helpful delay and cancellations dashboard designed to keep travellers informed about their compensation rights. The dashboard is particularly helpful because, as the DOT states on its website, "whether you are entitled to a refund depends on a lot of factors—such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances." Flight Compensation in Canada The Canadian Transportation Agency is proposing air passenger protection regulations that guarantee financial compensation to travellers experiencing flight delays and cancellations, with the level of compensation varying depending on the situation and how much control the air carrier had. The proposed regulations include the following: A plane must return to its gate after three hours on the tarmac. Minimum requirements will be set for procuring food, drink, lavatories, ventilation, and access to electronic communications during the delay. For larger airlines, payouts will range from $400 for a 3-6 hour delay, to $700 for 6-9 hours, and $1,000 for more than nine hours. For smaller carriers, the compensation would be $125, $250, and $500, respectively. Here's the loophole: If the delay is related to the air carrier's maintenance problems, no compensation is required. The airline is obligated to complete the passenger's itinerary. If the new ticket is for a lower class of service, the air carrier would have to refund the cost difference; if the booking is in a higher class of service, passengers cannot be charged extra. If the passenger declines the ticket, the airline must give a full refund, in addition to the prescribed compensation. For overnight delays, the air carrier needs to provide hotel accommodation and transportation free-of-charge. Again, if you are unsatisfied, the Canadian Transportation Agency or Department of Transportation may advocate on your behalf. Bumped Off the Flight Passengers get bumped because airlines overbook. When this happens, the air carrier must compensate you. For international flights in the US, the rate is 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $675 maximum. If the airline does not make travel arrangements for you, the payout is 400% of your one-way fare to a maximum of $1,350. To qualify, you must check-in by the stated deadline, which on international flights can be up to 3 hours ahead. Keep in mind that if you accept the cash, you are no longer entitled to any further compensation, nor are you guaranteed to be rebooked on a direct flight or similar type of seat. Don't be too quick to give up your boarding pass. Negotiate for the best compensation deal that would include cash, food and hotel vouchers, flight upgrade, lounge passes, as well as mileage points. But avoid being too greedy—if the gate attendant is requesting volunteers and you wait too long, you'll miss the offer. According to Air Canada's tariff, if a passenger is involuntarily bumped, they'll receive $200, in cash or bank draft, for up to a two-hour delay; $400 for a 2-6 hours delay; and $800 if the delay is over six hours. (Air Canada was forced to raise its payouts in 2013 due to passenger complaints.) The new rules would raise the payout significantly: $900 for up to six hours; $1,800 for 6-9; and $2,400 for more than nine hours, all to be paid within 48 hours. Statistically speaking, Delta Airlines is the carrier most likely to bump. A few years ago, Delta raised its payout maximum to $9,950, while United Airlines tops out at $10,000. This story was produced by Money.ca and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

Satellite images show that Russia has begun to withdraw its troops from Syria. Source: CNN ; Russian news outlet Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) Details: Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs’ satellite imagery of military bases in Syria show that An-124 cargo planes (the world's largest cargo planes, capable of carrying up to 150 tonnes of cargo), three Il-76 transport planes, as well as smaller cargo planes – three An-32 and one An-72 – have arrived at the Khmeimim airbase. The aircraft prepare to load cargo, as indicated by their lifted nose cones. In addition, the images show the Russian military disassembling a Ka-52 attack helicopter. Maxar analysts assume that it is being prepared for loading. Experts also identified parts of an S-400 air defence system, which is apparently also being prepared for shipment to Russia. Maxar Technologies also published photographs of Russian ships sailing in the Mediterranean Sea from the coast of Syria. Russian propaganda agency TASS reported that Russia was still negotiating with the new Syrian government to maintain its military bases in the country. At the same time, Russian propagandists published videos of Russian military convoys moving towards the Khmeimim airbase. Support UP or become our patron !Trump's withdrawn attorney general pick will not return to Congress

Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal at critical moment of truthThe man accused of firing a revolver at a car Sunday in Rock Island told police he did so in self-defense. Police officers heard shooting at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Ninth Avenue, according to a news release from the Rock Island Police Department. No one was reported injured. Johnny D. Matthews Jr. Johnny D. Matthews Jr., 23, of Rock Island, faces a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm in relation to the shooting, records show. Prosecutors allege he fired a .357-caliber handgun at a vehicle he reasonably should have known was occupied. After his arrest and police read him his Miranda rights, Matthews told investigators he fired the revolver at the car to protect himself because gunfire came from the car first, court records state. Rock Island officers also arrested two other men during the investigation. They have been identified as Isaiah Trueblood, 19; and Deshawn M. L. Mapp, 47. People are also reading... The initial police response Court records state that authorities also received calls from several people who reported five or six shots in the area. When officers reached the scene, they saw a Chevrolet Suburban coming out of the alleyway between Ninth and 10th avenues and 14th and 15th streets, records state. Police saw three people inside. The driver made several quick turns before going to an address in the 900 block of 15th Street, records state. Police stopped it in the back yard. One person ran away, while another went into the residence, records state. When police entered the residence to conduct what documents described as a protective sweep, they found Matthews and Mapp. The shooting Authorities think Matthews was in the backyard of the residence when the gunfire occurred. Police collected several statements from people besides Matthews about how the shooting unfolded, records state. There are differences in the details of those accounts. One account placed Matthews in the backyard when a dark-colored sedan drove up in the alley, records state. An argument began between Matthews and the three occupants of the vehicle. After the argument began, Matthews drew a pistol and fired twice, according to this account. The front passenger of the car got out and shot back before running away. The car then left. Trueblood, who was also read his Miranda rights before speaking with police, told officers that a sedan with three people inside pulled up behind the residence. Trueblood said he gave the revolver to Matthews and Matthews fired it. At one point, Trueblood told police the occupants of the sedan shot first, but at another, he said he heard too many shots and was unsure if anyone else was shooting. It was unclear in the court documents in what sequence Trueblood gave these statements. When Matthews spoke to investigators, he told them he had an encounter with people in the sedan but said at least one person in that vehicle shot first, court records state. He also told police Trueblood gave him the handgun and that he fired it at the sedan. The allegations against Trueblood and Mapp Isaiah Trueblood Prosecutors filed a single count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon against Trueblood, who is from Milan, records state. Underlying the charge are allegations that Trueblood had the handgun without having a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card. Deshawn M. L. Mapp The state’s attorney’s office charged Mapp, of Douglasville, Georgia, with one count of possession of a controlled substance, records state. Prosecutors allege Mapp had less than 200 grams of a substance containing psilocybin. The court cases Online court documents state Matthews’ detention hearing occurred on Monday afternoon, but the records did not provide clear detail of what occurred.The Rock Island County Jail website listed Matthews as still in custody as of Tuesday morning. Another court date has been set for Dec. 31, records state. The Rock Island County Jail did not have Trueblood or Mapp listed as in custody as of Tuesday. Court information for them was not available. Working from home often means relying on your own technology which may not have the same security as the tech from your office. Luckily there are a few things you can do to keep hackers at bay. Buzz60’s Johana Restrepo has more. An off-grid getaway in Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands This photograph taken July 8, 2021, shows a Cold War-era bunker, one of many that dot hillsides across Adak Island, Alaska. Visitors to the remote island can explore the decaying relics along with dozens of military facilities left behind by the U.S Navy, who decommissioned Adak’s base in 1997. (Nicole Evatt via AP) An off-grid getaway in Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands The roar of our rusty pickup truck rumbling down a dirt road on Alaska’s Adak Island is the only sound for miles besides the constant howling wind. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Paris, 27 November 2024 Capitalised terms used herein shall have the meaning specified for such terms in the Caisse Française de Financement Local base prospectus to the €75,000,000,000 Euro Medium Term Note Programme dated 8 July 2024 (the “ Base Prospectus ”). Caisse Française de Financement Local has decided to issue on 29 November 2024 – Euro 1,000,000,000 Fixed Rate Obligations Foncières due 29 November 2029. A Stabilisation Manager has been named in the applicable Final Terms. The Base Prospectus dated 8 July 2024 and the supplements to the Base Prospectus dated 13 September 2024 and 30 September 2024 approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers are available on the website of the Issuer (https://www.caissefrancaisedefinancementlocal.fr/), at the registered office of the Issuer: 112-114, avenue Emile Zola, 75015 Paris, France, and at the office of the Paying Agent indicated in the Base Prospectus. The Final Terms relating to the issue will be available on the website of the AMF ( www.amf-france.org ) and of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (www.bourse.lu), at the office of the issuer and at the office of the paying agent. Attachment CAFFIL EMTN 2024-8_Communiqué

The world of non-fungible tokens has revolutionized the way digital assets are owned and traded. With NFTs continuing to dominate the digital landscape, the ease of creating and minting NFTs without knowing extensive coding is a game-changer. Today, so many platforms make it easy for creators, whether digital artists or entrepreneurs, to mint NFTs with ease. Here's a look at the top platforms that make NFT creation a breeze for non-coders. Purpose: All-in-one NFT marketplace OpenSea is one of the most popular platforms for creating, buying, and selling NFTs. Its lazy minting feature allows creators to mint NFTs without paying upfront gas fees. OpenSea supports multiple file types, including images, audio, and videos, making it ideal for creators from diverse fields. Purpose: Decentralized NFT marketplace Rarible is an intuitive platform that caters to creators without coding expertise. With its easy-to-use interface, you can mint NFTs on Ethereum , Tezos, or Polygon networks. Rarible also offers customizable royalty options, ensuring that creators earn from every future sale of their work. Purpose: NFT creation with user-friendly tools Mintable is notable for its user-friendly interface that is friendly to beginners. The platform has a gasless minting feature, allowing you to mint NFTs without paying blockchain transaction fees. Mintable also avails comprehensive tutorials for first-time creators to make the process smooth. Purpose: Premium NFT creation and sales Foundation focuses on high-quality NFTs, providing exclusive environments for artists and collectors. Although invite-only, its streamlined tools make creating NFT easy for those without coding experience. Foundation focuses on art and creative works, offering a premium experience for serious creators. Purpose: It is a creator-first NFT platform. Zora is known for its decentralized approach, allowing creators to control their NFTs fully. Its no-code tools let users mint NFTs, set royalties, and sell directly to buyers without intermediaries. Zora is a favorite among creators looking to tokenize unique art and cultural assets. Function: Simple and inexpensive NFT creation AirNFTs is built on the Binance Smart Chain, offering creators affordable NFT minting. It has low transaction fees and a simple interface for newbies. The platform also allows for multi-chain minting, providing the flexibility to select from any blockchain network. Purpose : Sustainable and accessible NFT platform Voice caters to creators seeking an eco-friendly NFT solution. The platform uses a carbon-neutral blockchain, making it a great choice for environmentally conscious users. Voice's interface simplifies the NFT creation process, enabling creators to focus on their art rather than technical details. Purpose: Multi-functional NFT marketplace NFT minting is integrated with all DeFi functionalities. Its user-friendly platform allows fast NFT creation at minimal fees. BakerySwap is part of the Binance Smart Chain ecosystem. Therefore, it would guarantee fast and affordable transactions. Purpose: Curated NFT drops and collections Nifty Gateway hosts exclusive NFT drops from top artists and brands. For creators, the platform offers an easy-to-use minting process that doesn't require coding knowledge. Nifty Gateway's integration with fiat payment systems makes it accessible to a wider audience. Purpose: Programmable and interactive NFTs Async Art innovates NFT creation by offering the possibility of programmable art pieces that designers may create. A given NFT can have many layers, with the layer providing various forms or states. This platform would be ideal for creators who explore dynamic and interactive art concepts. The rise of no-code NFT platforms democratizes access to blockchain technology. Creators can mint digital assets without the technical barrier of learning to code or hiring developers. These platforms also have customizable royalties, eco-friendly options, and multi-chain minting, which are versatile and sustainable. First, select a platform that best fits your needs and goals. Generate your digital art or product, upload it to your chosen platform, and go through the easy process of minting an NFT. Most of them ask for a crypto wallet set up, like MetaMask, to handle your NFTs as well as your earnings. The era of coding -free NFT creation has finally dawned, opening doors for creators worldwide. With leaders like OpenSea, Rarible, and Mintable, everyone can convert their digital assets into NFTs and join the booming digital economy. It doesn't matter whether you are an artist, a musician, or an entrepreneur; all these platforms make it effortless to monetize your creativity.AP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:09 p.m. ESTUS to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves office WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States is expected to announce it will send another $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. It's part of a push by the Biden administration to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. Officials say the large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds. The officials say they expect the announcement will be made on Monday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. Israeli troops burn northern Gaza hospital after forcibly removing staff and patients, officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's Health Ministry says Israeli troops have stormed one of the last hospitals operating in the territory's north on Friday and forced many of the staff and patients outside. Then they had to remove their clothes in winter weather. It was the latest assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital. Parts of it were set on fire. Staff say it has been hit multiple times in the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods. Israel's military says Hamas uses the hospital as a base. It did not provide evidence, and hospital officials have denied it. Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suggest plane that crashed may have been hit by weapons fire U.S. and Azerbaijani officials have said weapons fire may have brought down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed on Wednesday, killing 38 people. The statements from Rashad Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Friday raised pressure on Russia. Officials in Moscow have said a drone attack was underway in the region that the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was destined for but have not addressed statements from aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defenses responding to a Ukrainian attack. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Chechnya on Wednesday when it crashed, killing 38 people and leaving all 29 survivors injured. Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ruled that the Georgia state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. It's part of a inquiry into whether Willis has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump. But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram is giving Willis the chance to contest whether lawmakers’ demands are overly broad before Willis responds. A Republican-led committee was formed earlier this year and sent subpoenas to Willis in August seeking to compel her to testify during its September meeting and to produce scores of documents. Willis argued that the committee didn’t have the power to subpoena her. US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that federally required tallies taken across the country in January found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless. That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness. In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has a nearly total abortion ban and a porous safety net for mothers and young children. GOP state leaders in Tennessee and other states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 argue that they are bolstering services for families. Recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press has found that from the time a Tennessee woman gets pregnant, she faces greater obstacles to a healthy pregnancy, a healthy child and a financially stable family life than the average American mom. What Snoop wants: Arizona Bowl gives NIL opportunities to players for Colorado State, Miami (Ohio) TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — When Snoop Dogg agreed to become the sponsor of the Arizona Bowl, he had a demand: It must have a NIL component. Other bowls have provided NIL chances for single players the past few years, but the Arizona Bowl is believed to be the first to offer NIL compensation to every player on both Colorado State and Miami (Ohio). The players participated in youth clinics before Saturday's game and will be compensated for their time. Alex Ovechkin is on track to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is chasing the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin entered the season 42 goals short of breaking a record that long seemed unapproachable. He is set to play again Saturday at the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing more than a month with a broken left fibula. Ovechkin was on pace to get to 895 sometime in February before getting injured. At 868, he his 27 goals away from passing Gretzky.

Canada didn’t live up to its values on immigration in recent years, Carney saysToday's Curious Question takes a look at one of the nation's favourite parlour games. At its simplest, tiddlywinks is a game for up to four people, played on a flat felt mat. The object is to shoot a wink — a coloured disc — into a pot using a squidger — a larger disc — but there is also a defensive element to the game. This involves ‘squopping’, landing your disc over an opponent’s so effectively barring them from ‘squidging’ their disc. Among aficionados it can be fiercely competitive, with regular tournaments held in Britain and the US and even a world title. The rules governing the modern version of the game were established on January 16, 1955 by a group of undergraduates who met at Christ’s College, Cambridge, determined to invent a game at which they could represent the Varsity. Their success attracted the attention of the then Duke of Edinburgh, who, in 1960, commissioned the ‘Silver Wink’ trophy. Standing 151⁄2 inches tall, topped with a ring inside of which is a silver rotating wink, it was presented in January 1961 to the English Tiddlywinks Association to be awarded to the winner of the all-British universities series of competitions. As many as 37 universities competed for the trophy in the 1960s. However, the antecedents of the modern game of tiddlywinks can be traced back to the late 19 th century, the heyday of the British parlour game. A provisional patent application for ‘a new and improved game’ was delivered to Her Majesty’s Stationery Office on November 8, 1888, by the 25-year-old, Hampshire-born, Joseph Assheton Fincher, by then living at 9, Berners Street in London and describing himself as a ‘gentleman’. The game, which Fincher called Tiddledy-Winks, was played with ‘counters or flippers made of wood, ivory, bone or other substance, and a bowl or vessel of any shape, made of wood, china, glass, ivory or other substance, the object of the said counters or flippers being to press the edge of a smaller set of counters provided for the purpose and so cause them to jump into the bowl or vessel placed in the centre of the table’. The application helpfully included illustrations of the technique required to flip the counters. What was new about the game, Fincher claimed, was the use of a bowl and counters, the act of flipping the counter, and the use of one counter to flip another. It is not clear how or why he devised the game, but he did have an inventive streak, patenting in 1890 ‘improvements in Sleeve Links’ as cufflinks were known at the time, although later had an application rejected in 1897 for improvements to a candlestick. Sadly, he died aged 36 on a platform of Waterloo Station on July 14, 1900, having suffered ‘convulsions from congestion of the brain’. Fincher engaged the distinguished London games manufacturer, Jaques and Son of Hatton Gardens, to publish the sets, which featured wooden winks cups hand-turned on a lathe by the company’s craftsmen. An early advertisement for the ‘splendid new game’ called Tiddledy Winks appeared in The Evening Standard on March 1, 1889, with sets available for one shilling. With Fincher’s patent accepted on October 19, 1889, and the trademark approved on March 6, 1890, Tiddledy Winks quickly became an established parlour game. It livened up many an evening, judging from an entry in the 17-year-old Lady Emily Lutyens’ diary for April 24, 1892: ‘After dinner we all played the most exciting game that ever was invented, called Tiddleywinks...to begin with, everyone begins to scream at the top of their voices and to accuse everyone else of cheating. Even I forgot my shyness and howled with excitement... I assure you no words can picture either the intense excitement or the noise. I almost scream in describing it.’ Commercial and societal success came with perils. First there were counterfeiters; Jaques and Son had to resort to affixing a notice on the inside of the box warning of cheap imitations. Then there were competitors, with a surge in games launched on to the market that were based on counters and flippers. One such was Flitterkins devised by Harold Wilson and Alice Margary and also published by Jaques and Sons, described as ‘A Modification of Lawn Tennis Forming and Indoor Game’, played with a counter rather than a ball. It was granted a patent (GB 1888/18789A) on March 16, 1889, seven months before Fincher received his, making it the first tiddlywinks-based patent to be issued in the world. However, Fincher’s provisional submission was made a month and a half before the Flitterkins submission. Another variant was Spoof, produced by F H Ayres of 111, Aldergate Street in London, copyrighted on November 6, 1888 and first published six days earlier, a week before Fincher’s initial provisional submission. Described as ‘a new and interesting game’, players had six counters (Men) of the same colour which they tried to flip with a larger counter (the Spoof) into a Spoof cup. Each player would take it in turns to shoot all their men, the winner being the player who shot the most in an agreed time into the cup. Sporting variants such as Spoof Golf, Cricket, Tennis, Croquet, and Quoits were marketed until the turn of the century. The third patent granted in England for a tiddlywinks-style game was for George Scott’s Golfette or Table Golf, awarded on March 22, 1890, shortly after Fincher’s. It consisted of a course made from felt or other elastic material, a series of hazards to be placed across the course and some ‘springers’ or clubs used to propel counters around the field of play. The object, as in golf, was to sink the counter in the hole in the fewest shots. Scott also secured the first US patent for a tiddlywinks game. Another notable games manufacturer, J W Spear & Sons, published variations around the tiddlywinks theme including Sweet Wedding Bells, where winks were shot to ring a bell in a bell tower, North Pole, where players fired their counters on to a map with the aim of getting to the pole, and Over the Garden Wall, where counters were propelled over a wall with players scoring a point if they landed on the grass, two in the flower beds, three on the path, and five in the pond. Chronowinks added some jeopardy in 1891, with each game limited to the time it took all of the sand to drop from the top of an hourglass. From tiddledywinks and then tidley winks, the spelling soon settled down as tiddlywinks. Perhaps there was an initial reluctance to use tiddlywinks as it was a slang term for an unlicensed public house selling beer and hard cider, a ‘wayside mart’, observed Bailey’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes in October 1863, ‘where poachers congregated and flash men came to make inquiries about the architectural contrivances of the neighbouring mansions’. On the B4039 near the village of Yatton Keynell, about three miles northwest of Chippenham lies the hamlet of Tiddlywink, so called, apparently, because beer was sold from one of its cottages to passing cattle drovers. Having had their bid for recognition ‘squopped’ by the Bartholomew Gazeteer of Places in Britain and its successor, Collins British Atlas and Gazeteer , the residents finally ‘squidged’ their wink when they were granted permission to erect two road signs in February 2003. There is more to tiddlywinks than meets the eye. Martin Fone is the author of ‘Fifty Curious Questions: Pabulum for the Enquiring Mind’