MINNEAPOLIS — Dawson Garcia posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds and went 5 of 6 at the free-throw line in the final minute to help Minnesota fend off Central Michigan for a 68-65 win on Monday night. Garcia hit a 3 with 3:17 left to put the Golden Gophers up by four, 59-55, but Jakobi Heady answered from deep to get the Chippewas within a point with three minutes left. Lu'Cye Patterson's 3 put Minnesota up by four but Heady halved it with a layup. Garcia hit four straight at the foul line for a six-point lead, but Kyler Vanderjagt hit a free throw and Drew Barbee hit a 3 with 18 seconds left to pull Central Michigan to within two, 66-64, but the Gophers converted 3-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final 17 seconds to close out the win. Garcia was 7 of 11 from the foul line and the Gophers (5-1) were just 10 of 27 for the game (58.8%). Patterson hit 4 of 9 from behind the arc to finish with 19 points and three assists. Ugnius Jarusevicius hit all three of his shots from behind the arc and finished with 17 points to lead Central Michigan (3-3) and Heady added a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards.In conclusion, the downfall of this individual highlights the dangers of PUA-style rhetoric and underscores the importance of promoting healthy and respectful relationships in our society. Let us learn from this incident and commit to fostering a culture of mutual respect, understanding, and compassion. Only then can we truly build a world where everyone feels valued and empowered.777 winner go 。

Just when he thought he had found a semblance of stability, tragedy struck again. At the age of 12, he was abducted for the second time, this time by a human trafficking ring that operated across borders. Forced into a life of servitude and exploitation, the boy's dreams of reuniting with his family seemed like a distant memory. Yet, his indomitable spirit never wavered, and after four years of captivity, he managed to escape once more, this time with the help of an underground network of activists dedicated to fighting human trafficking.For the residents in these provinces, the change from water fees to water taxes has not led to a substantial increase in their water bills. This has provided a sense of stability and predictability in terms of water expenses for households, which is crucial for budget planning. The minimal impact on residential water prices can be attributed to the government's efforts to balance the need for revenue generation with the goal of ensuring affordable access to water for all citizens.

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In the aftermath of the live stream, Xiaohua and Xiangzuo's new hairstyle quickly became a trending topic on social media, with fans replicating the look and sharing their own braiding creations online. The couple's playful experiment sparked a trend in hairstyling, inspiring others to embrace creativity and individuality in their personal grooming routines.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports, but they also provide opportunities for other players to step up and showcase their abilities. The Clippers will look to turn this setback into a positive by developing their young talent and building a stronger, more cohesive team in Beverly's absence.The "Spring Dawn Project" is a new economic observation platform that focuses on exploring innovative business models and promoting sustainable development in the digital age. With the continuous optimization of its business ecosystem, the platform has accumulated a large number of high-quality suppliers and merchants, providing a strong foundation for the implementation of the "Factory Direct Sales" initiative.

In 2024, private banks are facing a life-and-death struggle as they navigate through a landscape of increasing polarization and competition within the financial industry. The year has brought unprecedented challenges and opportunities for private banks, leading to a stark divide between those able to adapt and thrive, and those struggling to survive.

The lack of support on the left flank has been a major issue for Arsenal, with the team struggling to create chances and score goals from that area of the pitch. This has put extra pressure on Saka to do everything by himself, which has limited his impact on games and made it easier for opposition teams to nullify his threat.With the rapid development of the tourism industry, more and more entrepreneurs are eyeing the hotel industry as a lucrative business opportunity. However, the question remains: is it profitable to open a hotel in a county town? Many factors come into play when considering the profitability of such a venture, including location, target market, competition, and branding. In recent years, chain brands have been seizing the opportunity to expand into county towns, turning them into a new blue ocean for the hotel industry.

The insurance industry, meanwhile, is reeling from the impact of the murder of one of its most prominent leaders. The void left by the CEO's death will not be easily filled, and his legacy of innovation and integrity will be sorely missed. The company has vowed to carry on in his memory and honor, and to continue providing top-notch service to its clients in his absence.

b777 jogo New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online. It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human. State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government.Furious I’m a Celeb fans slam show for ‘breaking the rules’ after Maura Higgins and Rev Richard Coles fail secret taskRevolutionising STEM Education With Innovative Digital Tools And Gamification

Foreign nationals are told to use expired documents to prove their right to live and work in Britain amid another Home Office IT fiascoHow to watch Florida State vs. Charleston Southern: TV channel, streaming info

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Innovative gadgets have become integral to our daily lives, especially in today's fast-paced, tech-driven world. From simplifying mundane tasks to enhancing our overall well-being, smart technology has transformed how we live, work, and play. With the vast array of cutting-edge devices available, determining which ones are essential can be overwhelming. Here, we've curated a list of the top 5 game-changing gadgets that can significantly improve your quality of life. Smartphones are now considered essential, with 6.92 billion users globally in 2023. Current smartphones are so much more than calling and texting devices. Ranging from scheduling appointments to taking professional-quality photographs, their uses are similar. Think of a regular phone like an iPhone 15 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra . It includes work tools, high-resolution displays, and best-in-class cameras. Smartphones are the two most essential gadgets nobody wants to leave home without. Mobile accessories like smartwatches, such as Apple Watch Series 9 or Garmin Venu 2, have become necessities for people in a hurry. They provide real-time data about health, such as heart rates and sleep tracking, and remind the individual about notifications even if the phone is not nearby. According to market data, the future of the smartwatch market is promising; it will be worth over $100 billion a year before 2028, revealing its necessity in people’s lives. Gone are the days of untangling earphone cables! Wireless earbuds like AirPods Pro or Sony WF-1000XM5 combine portability, crisp sound quality, and advanced noise-cancelling capabilities. They’re perfect for music lovers or frequent callers, giving complete freedom wherever the person goes. To sum up, battery-driven gadgets, staples of modern life, can turn into nightmares when they run out of power. Portable power banks, like the Anker PowerCore or Mi 3i, ensure individuals are always connected. Look for models that support fast charging and multiple device compatibility to meet today’s fast-paced demands. Devices such as the Amazon Echo Dot or Google Nest Mini qualify as some of the conveniences that enhance home living. Users can set reminders, control smart lights, or even ask for recipe suggestions while cooking using simple voice commands. Research highlights that over 57.4 million homes globally already have smart assistants, making them an integral addition to modern households. Devices like the MacBook Air M2 or Dell XPS 13 are perfect for anyone juggling work and leisure. With their sleek designs, powerful performance, and long battery life, compact laptops are as reliable as they are stylish. Tech gadgets simplify life, but choosing the right one depends on individual needs. Whether someone seeks health insights, entertainment, or ways to enhance productivity, there’s a perfect gadget available for everyone!

go 4 by 4 South Carolina license plate reader led to arrest of Sioux Falls murder suspectPublished 4:48 pm Tuesday, December 10, 2024 By Data Skrive There are six games on the college basketball schedule on Wednesday that feature a ranked team. That includes the Iowa State Cyclones versus the Iowa Hawkeyes. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.

Concurrent Gainers: 10 midcap stocks that rose for 5 days in a row - The Economic TimesItron Marks Significant Milestone of 50th Temetra Deployment in AustraliaJenkins throws for 3 TDs to carry FIU to 35-24 win over Middle TennesseeCaitlin Clark was announced on Tuesday as TIME's Athlete of the Year . While she spoke about her initial success in the WNBA and her transition from college to the pros during an in-depth interview with the magazine, Clark also spoke about her Taylor Swift fandom. The Indiana Fever star admitted to attending consecutive concerts on the heralded "Eras tour" at Lucas Oil Stadium and was bombarded with friendship bracelets from other "Swifties." Swift left Clark with four separate bags of tour merchandise that the 14-time Grammy-award-winning artist indicated were from " Trav and I." The singer also expressed that she's excited to attend a Fever game sometime next year. Caitlin Clark reveals truth about Angel Reese relationship and her response to WNBA gesture Chennedy Carter lets her game do the talking with WNBA contract decision looming “People are just going crazy that I’m there,” Clark said of her experience at the concert. “I thought people would be so in their own world, ready to see Taylor. And it was just completely the opposite.” Swift has had more crossover into the sports world in recent years, in part thanks to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce . This season, she attended the first six Chiefs home games at Arrowhead Stadium. Swift had to miss Kansas City's most recent home game , a nervy 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, as she wrapped up the Eras Tour in Vancouver. She's also attended the US Open and the opening game of the ALCS Playoffs between the Cleveland Guardians - Kelce's alleged favorite team - and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs return home in two weeks when they take on the Houston Texans on December 21, the team's last contest at Arrowhead Stadium this season. With the Eras Tour over, Swift would be able to attend. The Fever start their 2025 season with a home meeting against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on May 17th of next year. Clark will line up for new coach Stephanie White next season. She led the Connecticut Sun the last two seasons after a stint at Vanderbilt University. The Fever may look to strengthen their team this offseason even though star Kelsey Mitchell is a free agent. Indiana owns the eight eight pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

76ers' star Paul George sidelined the next 2 games with bone bruise in left kneeOverhauls of 'heritage brands' raise the question: How important are our products to our identities?MIAMI, Fla. and BANGKOK, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. ("Arogo Capital”) (OTC: AOGO) today announced that it has signed a binding letter of intent ("LOI”) with Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd ("Bangkok Tellink”), an emerging leader in advanced telecommunications, mobile network technology, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. The LOI sets forth the preliminary terms and conditions for a potential business combination that would be expected to result in Bangkok Tellink becoming a publicly traded company in the United States. Bangkok Tellink at a Glance Established on January 24, 2019, Bangkok Tellink specializes in comprehensive mobile phone signal systems across multiple frequencies (700MHz, 850MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, and 26GHz). Operating under its 'INFINITE' brand, the company provides a range of services including Smart Solutions, IoT Sim Cards, E-sim, SMPP (virtual SMS), SIP trunk (voice virtual number), and software development. Through its offerings, Bangkok Tellink seeks to deliver integrated telecommunications solutions with a goal of enhancing both professional and personal lives of its customers. Bangkok Tellink's commitment to innovation, efficient operations, and strategic growth positions it as a versatile technology provider, poised to meet evolving connectivity demands and contribute to sustainable development. Strategic Rationale The material terms of a definitive business combination agreement are subject to ongoing negotiations, but if agreement is reached and the proposed business combination is completed, it is anticipated to grant Bangkok Tellink enhanced access to U.S. capital markets. Bangkok Tellink believes that this proposed business combination could accelerate the rollout of its next-generation telecommunication technologies, foster broader geographic expansion, and provide increased financial flexibility to advance research and development efforts. Management Commentary "We believe that Bangkok Tellink has demonstrated an impressive ability to innovate and deliver exceptional telecommunications and IoT solutions,” said Suradech Taweesaengsakulthai, Chief Executive Officer of Arogo Capital. "The signing of this binding LOI marks an important first step in exploring a potential business combination, and we look forward to conducting further due diligence and negotiating definitive terms. We believe that Bangkok Tellink's vision, coupled with Arogo's strategic support, could create substantial long-term value for the proposed combined company's shareholders and customers worldwide.” "We are excited to work with Arogo Capital and move forward with negotiation of a potential business combination,” said Nusttanakit Sasianon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bangkok Tellink. "Our mission is to uplift lives through cutting-edge connectivity and innovative solutions. We believe that partnering with Arogo could provide us with an opportunity to broaden our horizons, enhance our product and service offerings, and accelerate growth. We are committed to making this potential milestone a reality and continuing to build on our progress.” Next Steps There is no assurance that the parties will enter into a definitive agreement or ultimately consummate the proposed transaction. If and when a definitive business combination agreement is executed, further details will be provided. About Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company. Arogo aims to acquire one and more businesses and assets, via a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, and reorganization. For more information, visit www.arogocapital.com . About Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd Bangkok Tellink Co., Ltd, established in 2019, is at the forefront of Thailand's telecommunications industry. By offering mobile network infrastructure, IoT devices, E-sim services, and software development, Bangkok Tellink provides integrated solutions that foster connectivity and productivity. Bangkok Tellink invests in innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability to position itself as a prominent telecommunications and technology leader. Additional Information and Where to Find It For additional information regarding the LOI and the proposed business combination, see Arogo Capital's Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC”) concurrently with the issuance of this press release. In connection with the proposed business combination, Arogo Capital intends to file with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K if and when the business combination agreement is executed, and subsequently to prepare and file a registration statement on Form S-4 (or Form F-4, as applicable, the "Registration Statement”), and after the Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC, Arogo Capital intends to mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed transaction to its stockholders. This press release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the proposed business combination. Arogo Capital's stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed in connection with the proposed business combination with the SEC by Arogo Capital, as these materials will contain important information about Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink, and the proposed business combination. When available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the proposed business combination will be mailed to stockholders of Arogo Capital as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. Such stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, once available, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Arogo Capital Acquisition Corporation, 848 Brickell Ave, Penthouse 5, Miami, FL 33131. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act”), that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "may,” "will,” "could,” "would,” "should,” "expect,” "intend,” "plan,” "anticipate,” "believe,” "estimate,” "predict,” "project,” "potential,” "continue,” "ongoing,” "target,” "seek” or the negative or plural of these words, or other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events or prospects, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including that the parties will enter into a definitive business combination agreement or will subsequently consummate the proposed business combination, projections of market opportunity and market share, the capability of Bangkok Tellink's business plans including its plans to expand, the sources and uses of cash from the proposed business combination, the anticipated enterprise value of the combined company following the consummation of the business combination, any perceived benefits of Bangkok Tellink's partnerships, strategies or plans as they relate to the proposed business combination, anticipated benefits of the business combination, and expectations related to the terms and timing of the business combination are also forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although the management team of each of Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink believes that it has a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, each of Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink cautions you that these statements are based on assumptions made as of the date hereof and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: the ability to complete the proposed business combination due to the failure to obtain approval from Arogo Capital's stockholders or satisfy other closing conditions in any future business combination agreement, the receipt of regulatory approvals, the occurrence of any event that could give rise to the termination of a future business combination agreement, the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, the amount of redemption requests made by Arogo Capital's public stockholders, costs related to the proposed business combination, the risk that the business combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the proposed business combination, the outcome of any potential litigation, government or regulatory proceedings and other risks and uncertainties, including those included under the heading "Risk Factors” and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Arogo Capital's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent Forms 10-Q, in the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed business combination to be filed with the SEC, and in any subsequent filings with the SEC, including the definitive proxy statement relating to the proposed business combination and other filings made by Arogo Capital with the SEC from time to time. There may be additional risks that neither Arogo Capital or Bangkok Tellink presently know or that Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing contained herein should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Neither Arogo Capital nor Bangkok Tellink undertakes any duty, and each of Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink express disclaim any obligations, to update or alter any projections or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No Offer or Solicitation This press release shall not constitute a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Arogo Capital or Bangkok Tellink, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act. Participants in Solicitation Arogo Capital and Bangkok Tellink, and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Arogo Capital's stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Arogo Capital's stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination will be set forth in the Registration Statement, of which the proxy statement/prospectus forms a part, when it is filed with the SEC. Contacts: For Arogo Capital Acquisition Corp.: Nisachon Rattanamee [email protected] For Bangkok Tellink Company Limited: Daniel Fong [email protected]

A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsNoneWATCH: Michigan's Sherrone Moore jabs Ohio State again by planting imaginary flag during basketball game

Mission to SyriaNoneWhen Katja Vogt considers a Jaguar, she pictures a British-made car purring confidently along the Italian coastline — a vision of familiarity that conveys "that dreaming, longing feeling we all love." She's not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding that featured loud colors and androgynous people — but no cars. Jaguar, the company says, will now be JaGUar. It will produce only electric vehicles beginning in 2026. Bad attention is good attention, Jaguar execs would appear to believe. The car brand has prompted mockery online for posting a glitzy ad without a single car in it. Say goodbye to British racing green, Cotswold Blue and black. Its colors are henceforth electric pink, red and yellow, according to a video that sparked backlash online. Its mission statement: "Create exuberance. Live vivid. Delete ordinary. Break moulds." "Intrigued?" @Jaguar posted on social media. "Weird and unsettled" is more like it, Vogt wrote on Instagram. "Especially now, with the world feeling so dystopian," the Cyprus-based brand designer wrote, "a heritage brand like Jaguar should be conveying feelings of safety, stability, and maybe a hint of rebellion — the kind that shakes things up in a good way, not in a way that unsettles." Our brands, ourselves Jaguar was one of several iconic companies that announced significant rebrandings in recent weeks, upending a series of commercial — and cultural — landmarks by which many modern human beings sort one another, carve out identities and recognize the world around them. Campbell's, the 155-year-old American icon that artist Andy Warhol immortalized in pop culture decades ago, is ready for a new, soupless name. Comcast's corporate reorganization means there will soon be two television networks with "NBC" in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News, a U.S. legacy news outlet. CNBC One could even argue the United States itself is rebranding with the election of former President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Unlike Trump's first election in 2016, he won the popular vote in what many called a national referendum on American identity. Are we, then, the sum total of our consumer decisions — what we buy, where we travel and whom we elect? Certainly, it's a question for those privileged enough to be able to afford such choices. Volumes of research in the art and science of branding — from "brandr," an old Norse word for burning symbols into the hides of livestock — say those factors do contribute to the modern sense of identity. So rebranding, especially of heritage names, can be a deeply felt affront to consumers. "It can feel like the brand is turning its back on everything that it stood for — and therefore it feels like it's turning its back on us, the people who subscribe to that idea or ideology," said Ali Marmaduke, strategy director with the Amsterdam-based Brand Potential. He said cultural tension — polarization — is surging over politics, wars in Russia and the Mideast, the environment, public health and more, creating what Marmaduke said is known as a "polycrisis": the idea that there are several massive crises converging that feel scary and complex. Campbell's soups "People are understandably freaked out by that," he said. "So we are looking for something that will help us navigate this changing, threatening world that we face." Trump's "Make America Great Again" qualifies. So did President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" slogan. Campbell's soup itself — "Mmm Mmm Good" — isn't going anywhere, CEO Mark Clouse said. The company's new name, Campbell's Co., will reflect "the full breadth of our portfolio," which includes brands like Prego pasta sauce and Goldfish crackers. What is Jaguar? None of the recent activity around heritage brands sparked a backlash as ferocious as Jaguar's. The company stood as a pillar of tradition-loving British identity since World War II. The famous "leaper" cat Jaguar logo is pictured in 2019 at the Auto show in Paris, France. Jaguar said its approach to the rebrand was rooted in the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons, to "copy nothing." What it's calling "the new Jaguar" will overhaul everything from the font of its name to the positioning of it's famous "leaper" cat. "Exuberant modernism" will "define all aspects of the new Jaguar world," according to the news release. The approach is thought to be aimed at selling fewer cars at a six-figure price point to a more diverse customer base. The reaction ranged from bewilderment to hostility. Memes sprouted up likening the video to the Teletubbies, a Benetton ad and — perhaps predictably — a bow to "woke" culture as the blowback intersected with politics. Be the first to know

BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR) StockMen’s basketball: CU Buffs get back to work confident in recent improvement

The Big Ten Conference released its 2025 football schedule on Wednesday afternoon, handing UCLA some new Big Ten opponents as well as some familiar competition from the Pac-12. The Bruins will close out the season on Nov. 29 with a rivalry game against USC at the Coliseum with hopes of taking back the Victory Bell. UCLA lost, 19-13, at the Rose Bowl in this season’s edition of the rivalry. The second Big Ten Conference schedule for the Bruins includes away games against Northwestern, Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State and USC. Home conference games will come against Penn State, Maryland, Nebraska and former Pac-12 foe Washington. UCLA has played Northwestern only once since 1970 and hasn’t squared up with Maryland since 1955. The Bruins will alternate home and away games on a weekly basis, as opposed to a 2024 slate that featured back-to-back road games on two different occasions. Although head coach DeShaun Foster said the team had gotten the hang of Big Ten travel, the 2025 schedule could alleviate some travel fatigue. The nonconference schedule includes a season opener at home against Pac-12-turned-Big-12 opponent Utah, followed by a game at UNLV and another home game against New Mexico before a bye week. The timing of the bye week could be another benefit for UCLA and allow the Bruins to prepare and rest ahead of its Big Ten schedule. UCLA had a bye immediately after its first game this season and resumed its schedule with five straight losses. 2025 UCLA football schedule (*indicates Big Ten game) Aug. 30 vs. Utah Sept. 6 at UNLV Sept. 13 vs. New Mexico Sept. 27 at Northwestern* Oct. 4 vs. Penn State* Oct. 11 at Michigan State* Oct. 18 vs. Maryland* Oct. 25 at Indiana* Nov. 8 vs. Nebraska* Nov. 15 at Ohio State* Nov. 22 vs. Washington* Nov. 29 at USC*Public Sector Pension Investment Board Sells 13,100 Shares of Shenandoah Telecommunications (NASDAQ:SHEN)

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Lawmakers edge closer to deal on government fundingWelcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening... -Trump border czar fires back after House Dem promises ‘resistance’ to deportations -New mission for House Republican military veterans: Support Trump defense secretary nominee Hegseth -Red state AG slams Biden admin's attempt to 'rewrite' immigration law : 'Alice in Wonderland stuff' Wray makes way as Trump choice Patel awaits confirmation FBI Director Christopher Wray announced plans to step down from his post at the end of the Biden administration. Fox News learned just moments before the announcement that Wray would make the announcement during an FBI town hall in Washington, D.C., during which thousands of FBI employees are expected to join virtually across the country. "After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then step down," Wray said during the town hall. "My goal is to keep the focus on our mission – the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work."... Read more WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. Wray is expected to lobby for the renewal of a key part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expires December 31. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) White House PARTING GIFTS: Biden admin extends $10B Iran sanctions waiver 2 days after Trump election win... Read more WIDESPREAD DISAPPROVAL: Biden flip-flop on pardoning son Hunter is wildly unpopular with Americans, poll finds... Read more BIG REPORT DROPS: House small business panel releases year-end report on 'partisan' Biden agency electioneering allegations... Read more 'SORRY': Outgoing Treasury Sec. Yellen 'sorry that we haven't made more progress,' believes deficit must be decreased... Read more U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks alongside Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House on June 6, 2023 in Washington, DC. Biden spoke on the U.S. economy and the bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit. ( Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) BENCHED: Biden, Democrats back away from bill that would give Trump more federal judges to appoint... Read more FINAL GOODBYES: Biden could pardon these Trump antagonists amid Dem fears that 'revengeful first year' is looming... Read more 'TENS OF BILLIONS': Mast blasts Blinken over 'tens of billions' of US taxpayer dollars sent to Taliban post-Afghanistan withdrawal... Read more Trump Transition MONEY MOVES : Trump Treasury pick reveals whether Fed Chair Powell will finish term... Read more POST-PRESIDECNY SENTENCING?: Bragg pitches post-presidency Trump sentencing in renewed push urging Judge Merchan to keep conviction alive... Read more 'FUELING OBESITY': GOP governor calls on incoming Trump officials to ban junk food in food stamps: 'Make America Healthy Again'... Read more Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders is calling for an end of junk food as part of the SNAP program (Getty Images) Capitol Hill CHIPS DEPLOYED: Top DOGE senator demands answers on plan to exhaust CHIPs Act funds before Trump arrives... Read more COMING BACK?: Former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, convicted of illicit contact with minor, files to run for NYC Council... Read more TIME IS MONEY: House GOP fiscal hawks warn Trump tax cuts in danger of expiring under new Senate-backed plan... Read more The dome of the U.S. Capitol building is seen from a perch in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital) HANDICAPPING TRUMP: Manchin, Sinema tank Schumer lame-duck effort to secure Dem majority on top labor board... Read more 'GOING CRAZY': Outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman issues 'Dear White People' thread following Daniel Penny acquittal... Read more ROOTING OUT WOKE: Democrats in a bind over defense bill that bans transgender surgeries for minors but boosts enlisted pay... Read more 'COMMON GROUND': Hakeem Jeffries says he's 'prepared to find common ground' with Trump next year... Read more Across America WORKING REMOTE: Nation's largest labor union for federal employees rebukes GOP's efforts to end telework... Read more 'REWARD': ' DeSanta Claus' strikes again: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces extra days off for state workers... Read more D.A. DOUBLES DOWN: Fani Willis declines to share Jack Smith, Jan. 6 records, citing legal exemptions... Read more Fulton County DA Fani Willis testified in a hearing last month regarding allegations that she engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a prosecutor she had hired to work on her case against former President Trump. (Getty Images) FIGHTING BACK: Federal judge who refuses mental evaluation at age 97 fights suspension... Read more E STREET SHUFFLE: Dem NJ gubernatorial candidate cops to faking playlist to feature Bruce Springsteen... Read more 'WASTING TAXPAYERS' MONEY': New Yorkers protest removal of 400 migrants from Albany hotels... Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com . This article was written by Fox News staff.CONAKRY, Guinea -- Chaos erupted at a soccer game in Guinea after fans protested a referee's call and thousands of panicked spectators tried to flee the stadium, leaving at least 56 people dead in the West African nation, officials and witnesses said Monday. Amid the confusion, security forces used tear gas, local news website Media Guinea reported. Many of the dead were crushed as they tried to escape through the stadium gates, a journalist covering the game for a local sports website told The Associated Press. "The gates, that's where the stampede happened," said Cissé Lancine, who got away by climbing over one of the stadium walls. "I was saved because I did not rush towards the exit." The world's latest sports crowd disaster unfurled Sunday in the second-largest city in a military-run nation where information is sparse and government-controlled at the best of times. It was not immediately clear how much the death toll could grow. Lancine said between 20,000 and 30,000 people were present at the Third of April stadium to watch the local Labe and Nzerekore teams compete in the final of the first national tournament honoring military leader Mamadi Doumbouya. Checkpoints were set up Monday throughout Nzerekore, a city of about 200,000 that was at a standstill as soldiers guarded the hospital where victims were being treated. Most shops were closed. Video, apparently from the scene, showed shouting fans protesting the refereeing. People ran as they tried to escape the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence. "Supporters threw stones. This is why the security services used tear gas," reported Media Guinea, which also wrote that several of the dead were children and some of the injured were in critical condition. The footage showed people lying on the floor of a hospital as members of a crowd helped the wounded. Enock Loua, a resident of Nzerekore, learned over the phone that his niece Aline Olivier had been killed. "We have a hard time realizing what happened to us, it is as if the sky has fallen on our heads," Loua told The Associated Press. Authorities are trying to establish who was responsible, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on national television. The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition said the tournament was organized to drum up support for Doumbouya's "illegal and inappropriate" political ambitions. Doumbouya, who ousted then-President Alpha Conde in 2021, has been eyeing a possible run for the presidential election, for which the date has not been set. The transition charter put in place by his own regime does not allow him to run. Guinea is one of a number of West African countries - including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso - where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Doumbouya said he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised. Guinea's leader announced three days of national mourning starting on Tuesday, in a presidential decree read on national television.NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. “I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today,” Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. “I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it,” Thomas said of his longer driver. “I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I’m still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that’s golf and we're always going to say that.” Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. “Feel like I’ve been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that’s all I can do,” Thomas said. “I can’t control everybody else or what’s going on, I’ve just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it’s enough come Sunday.” AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

NEW YORK (AP) — Matías Tarnopolsky will become president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic on Jan. 1 after six years heading the Philadelphia Orchestra, a hiring boosted by his long friendship with incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel . Tarnopolsky's appointment was announced Monday. The 54-year-old, who has American, British and Argentine citizenship, fills a void created when Gary Ginstling quit in July just one season into the job. “He’s done a really wonderful job with Philadelphia, and one of the most important issues was that he has a very close relationship with Gustavo Dudamel,” philharmonic co-chairman Peter W. May said. “That was really the most important factor for us.” Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tarnopolsky played clarinet and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and musicology from King's College, London. A performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony by Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic at the 1987 BBC Proms had an especially memorable impact. He was the New York Philharmonic's vice president of artistic planning from December 2005 until August 2009, then spent nine years as executive director of Cal Performances at Berkeley until moving to Philadelphia in 2018. Cal hosted Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in several residencies. He called his return to the New York Philharmonic along with Dudamel a “full circle moment,” recalling hitting it off with the conductor during a work visit to Caracas. “I watched him work with the kids of the Simón Bolivar and was just blown away, and so we invited him to conduct the New York Philharmonic. So this is a story almost two decades in the making,” Tarnopolsky said in an interview. Ginstling joined the New York Philharmonic as executive director from Washington's National Symphony Orchestra. “Frankly, it just wasn’t a good fit from both Gary's perspective and our perspective," May told The Associated Press. "Matías clearly had significantly more experience than Gary has had in terms of leading one of the top orchestras in the country and we're quite confident that this is the right guy for the job.” Philharmonic co-chairman Oscar L. Tang said Tarnopolsky is aligned with the vision held by Dudamel and the board. “Gustavo says that he feels classical music is a human right and he wants to view classical music as a force for social development, social good,” Tang said. “These are some of the aspirations that Peter and I have for the New York Phil in terms of extending its role in the cultural and civic life of New York City and really the country and the world.” The New York Philharmonic returned to a renovated Geffen Hall in October 2022, announced Dudamel’s hiring four months later . Borda said guest conductors have been engaged and a tour has been arranged for Dudamel's first season, with his approval, but much of the 2026-27 programming remains open. “Here’s a chance that comes along maybe once in a lifetime to author a completely new chapter for a great musical institution,” Tarnopolsky said. “The commitment here is to rededicate ourselves to ensuring the philharmonic’s place in the civic, cultural, musical, educational life of contemporary New York.” Ryan Fleur, the Philadelphia Orchestra's executive director, will become its interim president on Jan. 1, a role he held for eight months in 2018 between Allison Vulgamore's departure and Tarnopolsky's arrival. This story corrects that Matías Tarnopolsky headed Philadelphia Orchestra six years.Q&A: Former Gov. Jerry Brown weighs in on Kamala Harris’ loss, top issues facing CaliforniaTesla ( TSLA 6.14% ) stock has seemingly gone straight up since the U.S. election. That more than 80% rise has brought it to new all-time highs. Shares jumped another 5.6% today as of 3:25 p.m. ET. And one Wall Street analyst thinks there are good reasons for the recent parabolic move. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives just released a report in which he raised his price target on the stock by $115 per share. His new target is $515, the highest price targe t for Tesla on Wall Street. Ives sees the recent run in the stock as being logical based on new circumstances brought by the election of Donald Trump. All about self-driving tech Tesla CEO Elon Musk supported Trump monetarily and vociferously before the election. He's now become one of Trump's advisors with a place in the incoming administration. Ives wrote that Musk's new position is a "total game changer for the autonomous and AI [artificial intelligence] story for Tesla and Musk over the coming years." Many Tesla observers, including Elon Musk, believe that Tesla should be valued more on the potential future income from its self-driving technology than its existing car sales. Ives believes that a new Trump administration will open the door for that technology to quickly gain traction. Ives doesn't think Tesla stock will stop at $515 per share, either. He believes the self-driving technology -- known as full self-driving, or FSD -- can drive Tesla's valuation to over $2 trillion in the next 12 to 18 months. That would imply a stock price of about $625 per share by the middle of 2026. That's another 35% gain from recent prices. Musk has said that investors shouldn't own Tesla stock if they don't feel it will solve issues associated with autonomous driving. The company has made strides sending out new updates that still require driver supervision. The timing could be right for Tesla's technology to hit the streets with the advanced versions and a friendly administration in the White House. That has investors buying into what Ives published today.

TikTok asks Supreme Court to block ban as Jan. 19 deadline nearsTopline Longtime Wall Street favorite Nvidia extended a rare down stretch, as shares of the artificial intelligence colossus slipped into correction territory, a ding that comes as Nvidia’s trillion-dollar peers enjoy a robust period of gains. Key Facts Big Number 5.7%. That’s how much shares of Nvidia are down since Election Day, far underperforming the S&P 500 index’s 5% gain during the period. Notably, the six-week stretch has been a strong one for Nvidia’s big tech peers, as each of the other Magnificent Seven stocks advanced at least 9.9%. There has been no singular catalyst for the Nvidia selloff – its earnings report last month exceeded analyst estimates across the board – though the stock has previously slumped due to geopolitical fears from Nvidia’s reliance on Taiwanese manufacturers. Contra The recent dip for Nvidia shares may be hard to digest for investors, especially in an otherwise rosy market, but the stock’s longer-term returns are still eye popping. Nvidia’s 170% year-to-date return is the best of any company valued at more than $200 billion, according to FactSet data, with shares up a whopping 700% over the last two years. Key Background Nvidia rose to prominence over the last two years as the unquestioned market leader in designing the semiconductor technology powering generative AI, causing its market capitalization to grow from below $300 billion in late 2022 to as high as $3.6 trillion last month. Nvidia, whose clientele includes Amazon and Microsoft, translated the surging interest in generative AI into a significant upswing in its financial performance, as sales grew by more than 600% during Nvidia’s most recent quarter compared to 2022’s comparable period. Nvidia is still the third-largest company in the world by market value, trailing only Apple and Microsoft.Can AI chatbots make holiday shopping easier?

USC QB Miller Moss enters transfer portal after losing starting job to Jayden Maiava$HAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: The M&A Class Action Firm Continues to Investigate the Mergers of MNTX, PDCO, FLIC, and MLBills defense out to prove against high-scoring Lions that it's better than its dud vs. Rams

(Left) Casper, No. A517225, a gentle, 4-year-old husky, is easy on a leash and super affectionate. A bit shy, Casper is available for adoption from Pasadena Humane. (Middle) Martinella, No. A517891, is an adorable 6-month-old pit bull terrier mix who is missing an eye, but is perfect in every way. This sweetie is available for adoption from Pasadena Humane. (Right) Kimba for Christmas? Why not? Santa knows beautiful Kimba deserves a happy holiday. This beautiful boy is available for adoption from Lifeline for Pets. (Left and Middle photos are courtesy of Pasadena Humane; Right photo is courtesy of Lifeline for Pets) These pets are ready to settle in at their forever home — your place! This gentle 4-year-old husky is a sweet soul with a shy side, but with a little patience, his warm personality shines through. Casper may be a bit nervous at first in new environments and meeting new people, but he eventually begins to settle and even enjoys a cozy nap. On a leash, Casper is a dream. He’s easy to handle, doesn’t pull, and is easily redirected from distractions like squirrels or other dogs. During a walk in the park, another off-leash husky ran up to him, and Casper handled it like a pro. His body was relaxed, tail wagging, and he was friendly. They even shared a polite sniff before moving along calmly. Casper loves gentle attention and will come up for pets and affection once he’s comfortable. He’s curious yet cautious around new people, sometimes taking a step back before warming up. Once he’s familiar, though, he’s affectionate, friendly, and even easy to manage. Casper will thrive in a calm, understanding home that gives him the space and time to open up at his own pace. With his gentle nature and love for quiet companionship, he’ll make a loyal, loving friend. The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip and age-appropriate vaccines. View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment on the website. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available at 10 a.m. Sundays and Wednesdays. Walk-ins are available from 2-5 p.m. daily. Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email. pasadenahumane.org This adorable 6-month-old pit bull terrier mix (or so we think — she’s likely a mix of breeds) is as sweet as they come. Martinella may be a bit shy at first, but once she feels comfortable, she warms up quickly and loves gentle pets and neck scratches. This precious pup is also missing one eye, but that doesn’t slow her down. Martinella has a curious, wiggly side and enjoys being close to people, often leaning in for cuddles. She’s still learning how to explore her surroundings at her own pace, and while toys remain a bit of a mystery, she’s sure to bring endless joy and companionship to her future family. At 30 pounds and growing, Martinella would thrive in a patient, loving home that can help her build confidence and continue to blossom. If you’re looking for a snuggle buddy with a soft, gentle spirit, Martinella would love to meet you! The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip and age-appropriate vaccines. View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment on the website. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available at 10 a.m. Sundays and Wednesdays. Walk-ins are available from 2-5 p.m. daily. Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email. pasadenahumane.org Kimba is an absolute love, not only gorgeous with his all white fur and big eyes, but also boasts an amazing, chill purrrsonality. He loves making biscuits with his favorite humans. He enjoys all his toys, and likes making cat friends. He has a clean bill of health from Lifeline for Pets’ veterinarian, and is fully vetted and neutered. Kimba is 6 years old. The vet and his team are happy to report that Kimba behaved impeccably during the visit, a sure sign that he is ready for a loving home for the holidays. If you are looking for a sweet kitty and can give him a chance at real love and safety in a loving home, apply to adopt Kimba at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/kimba.html For more information about Lifeline for Pets, 626-676-9505. Email: info@lifelineforpets.org. lifelineforpets.org Anissa V. Rivera, columnist, “Mom’s the Word,” Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Azusa Herald, Glendora Press and West Covina Highlander, San Dimas/La Verne Highlander. Southern California News Group, 181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 209 Monrovia, CA 91016. 626-497-4869.It’s hard to tune out the news at the moment, but “Cells at Work!” offers a temporary balm. Hideki Takeuchi’s film depicts a thriving society in which everyone has a valuable role to play and cooperation is the key to keeping malign forces at bay. Granted, this inspirational drama plays out inside a human body rather than the body politic, but I’ll take whatever I can get right now. It’s based on a manga series by Akane Shimizu, first published in 2015, which explains the wonders of physiology using anthropomorphized characters. Chief among these are a plucky red blood cell known simply as AE3803 (Mei Nagano) and her platonic buddy and protector, white blood cell U-1146 (Takeru Satoh). While AE3803 spends her days transporting crates of oxygen in the manner of a takkyūbin delivery worker, U-1146 is constantly on the hunt for pathogens, which he dispatches with a hunting knife and gravity-defying acrobatics. They’re just two of the trillions of cells populating the body of Niko (Mana Ashida), a high school student who lives with her slobby dad, Shigeru (Sadao Abe).

CFPB’s Final Rule Enhancing Oversight of Large Digital Payment App Providers Goes into Effect Jan. 9 – Are You Ready?

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Nebraska will be trying to preserve its perfect in-state record when it hosts South Dakota on Wednesday night in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 3-0 at home and also won Friday at then-No. 14 Creighton, beating their in-state rivals on the road for the second straight time. But the last time they did that, in 2022, they followed that win with a 16-point loss at Indiana to open Big Ten Conference play. "Believe me, we've addressed a lot of things," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "A lot of people are saying some really positive things. You've got to find a way to put that behind you. I've liked how our team has responded and come back to work after that great win at Creighton." Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers with 18.2 points per game and was one of five players in double figures against Creighton. Juwan Gary topped the list with 16. South Dakota (6-2) comes to town off a 112-50 home win Monday night over Randall, the third non-Division I school it has beat. The Coyotes' last game against a D1 opponent was Friday at Southern Indiana, resulting in a 92-83 loss. This will be South Dakota's second nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent, after a 96-77 loss at Iowa on Nov. 12. In December, the Coyotes also visit Santa Clara, hovering near the top 100 in KenPom adjusted efficiency, before jumping into Big Sky play. "The schedule is very good and that should help us," third-year South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said before the season. "We have some good nonconference games that should help prepare us for the end of the season." Nebraska has held four of its opponents to 67 or fewer points, with Saint Mary's the only one to top that number in the Cornhuskers' lone loss. Opponents are shooting 38.1 percent this season. South Dakota shot below 40 percent in its two previous games before shooting 62 percent against Randall. Isaac Bruns, who scored 20 to lead South Dakota in the Randall game, paces the Coyotes with 12.9 points per game. --Field Level Media

On Dec. 2, Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) announced a new strategic partnership with SNC, the global aerospace and national security company. The partnership is part of the U.S. Air Force’s Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) contract. In support of the SAOC program, one of two 747-8i aircraft recently arrived in Wichita from SNC’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center (AITC) in Dayton, Ohio. Delivery of the aircraft signifies the next phase of SAOC engineering and manufacturing development since the contract award in April 2024.Finding the perfect gift for your skincare loving significant other can often be a tricky and expensive task. But we've found a deal on a classic that might just have you saved. The usually retails on Boots' website for £74 but it's currently reduced to just £29.60. Saving you £44.40, - which costs - contains two top quality creams by the renowned skincare brand, the Vitamin C + AHA24 Day Cream and the Retinol Night Cream. Promising a brightened and even skin tone in just 14 days and more hydrated skin in as little as 24 hours claims to also help visibly reduce the signs of ageing from fine lines and wrinkles to a lacklustre complexion. This deal by is part of the brand's epic pre-Black Friday sale, which sees a plethora of beloved skincare brands reduced massively ahead of the Christmas season. And has been a real hit with shoppers, who have awarded it a whopping 4.8 star rating. One happy fan of the set shared their experience and said: " As a menopausal woman this has given my skin a wonderful boost and softness. Not at all greasy. Noticed a difference to my skin after a week." Another even hailed it as a ', remarking: "I love this product I’m 44 and showing signs of aging this cream has been a game changer my fine lines are barely visible after just three weeks of use." It's been praised for giving users 'fresher looking skin with just under a week's use', with one shopper declaring them as: "Little pots of gold", not to mention has helped others rid their skin of adult acne: "I suffer from adult acne and since using this moisturiser my skin is the clearest it has been in months." Despite the glistening experience many had, some people felt the cream 'started to pill' on their face, meanwhile others found the set made their skin a bit too 'greasy' for their liking. You can get the . Elsewhere, with natural neroli, which nourishes both day and night for brighter and firmer skin, has been reduced to £67.50 from £90. Looking for a bit of a whopper of a gift set? The has had its price slashed by £81.10 and now retails at £56.65 down from £137.75.Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day

Calgary, Alberta–(Newsfile Corp. – December 2, 2024) – Decentralised Energy Canada (DEC) and The City of Medicine Hat announce Arcus Power and Edgecom Energy as the first two winners of the Energy Innovation Challenge, a groundbreaking three-year program aimed at empowering small and medium-sized Canadian businesses to overcome commercialization obstacles and bring their innovations to market. As of today, the second intake for the challenge is now open. Arcus Power is an Alberta based Smart-Grid power market solutions provider that offers SaaS based software products to generators and utilities, industrial customers and financial users. This project will pilot a distributed energy storage planning functionality that will be integrated with Arcus Power’s existing SaaS platform. The planning software will support the City of Medicine Hat in planning and evaluating the optimal size, location, and investment for distributed energy resources, specifically battery energy storage and solar systems, which are needed to remove congestion on its electrical distribution system. “Continuing our partnership with the City of Medicine Hat is something I’m particularly excited about,” said Daniel Erhardt, CEO and Founder of Arcus Power. “Over the past 5 years working with them, I’ve really come to appreciate their innovative and forward-thinking approach to energy. Through this project, we’re providing a simulation tool to help pinpoint the best places to add distributed energy resources like batteries and solar panels to their grid. This will ease congestion, improve reliability, and could save money while reducing carbon emissions. We’ve supported similar projects before, offering solutions for combining a vanadium flow battery with a solar array-the first of its kind in North America. I’m eager to bring that experience to Medicine Hat and support their efforts to expand their energy options.” Edgecom Energy offers a comprehensive Energy Management Solution suite that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Edgecom will install sensors at eight City of Medicine Hat facilities to monitor energy usage and report data into their building management system. The model will use AI to identify opportunities to reduce energy use based on machine learning of usage patterns in the building without imposing an additional burden on staff. “Edgecom Energy is honored to be selected for DEC’s Energy Innovation Challenge and looks forward to kicking off our collaborative project with the City of Medicine Hat,” said Tanner Behrand, Manager of Strategic Growth at Edgecom Energy. “This forward-thinking program focuses on piloting innovative solutions to tackle grid congestion challenges, ensuring more efficient energy distribution, reducing operational bottlenecks, and paving the way for a more resilient energy infrastructure. Leveraging our expertise in IoT and AI technologies, we are excited to provide advanced energy monitoring and demand-side management solutions to enhance efficiency and support the city’s transition to a sustainable energy future.” Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta and MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat, looks forward to the results of the challenge. “Medicine Hat has been innovating in the energy sector since the early 1900s when the community’s original settlers capitalized on an abundant natural gas discovery to generate electricity, establishing the unique municipally owned and operated energy business we know today. Today, the Energy Innovation Challenge is helping keep them at the forefront of creating new solutions that support a cleaner and lower cost energy economy for their community and all Albertans. I look forward to seeing the ideas and solutions that come forward to help lower energy costs for Albertans.” Anouk Kendall, President of Decentralised Energy Canada, describes Medicine Hat as one of Canada’s largest microgrids. “The way we generate and manage energy is undergoing a deep transformation. The City of Medicine Hat is unique because it owns and operates its own electricity generation and distribution infrastructure and is the sole electricity retailer within the local franchise area. The City is, by definition, one of Canada’s largest microgrids which brings vast opportunities for data-enabled solutions as well as innovations in physical equipment. Decentralised Energy Canada is extremely proud to be partnering with one of Canada’s most progressive municipalities to demonstrate these energy innovations. This innovation challenge will enable the City of Medicine Hat to overcome the challenges of a changing energy landscape and to improve the overall performance and reliability of its distribution network.” The Energy Innovation Challenge is now inviting applicants to submit their clean technology initiatives for review in the second intake. The deadline to apply is January 9, 2025. For more information about the application process and timelines, visit https://www.deassociation.ca/innovation-challenge . Decentralised Energy Canada is a national industry association committed to advancing decentralised energy solutions, promoting innovation, and contributing to a resilient and affordable energy future. The City of Medicine Hat is a progressive municipality committed to sustainable energy practices, community development, and diversified economic growth. Established in 1883 and incorporated as a City in 1906, the municipality is uniquely known for owning its own natural gas and electric utilities, benefitting local residents for more than a century. – 30 – For media inquiries, please contact: To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/232221 #distroROCHESTER, NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Syntec Optics Holdings, Inc. (“Syntec Optics” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: OPTX), a leading provider of mission-critical products to advanced technology defense, biomedical, and communications equipment manufacturers, today announced the appointment of Michael J. Ransford as Site Manager. In this role, Ransford will oversee technology and operations. With over 30 years of experience in engineering, operations, and business leadership, Ransford brings a wealth of expertise to Syntec Optics. His impressive career began at the forefront of the internet revolution in the 90s, contributing optics to the critical infrastructure using DWDM technology. Syntec Optics can benefit from this knowledge for its data center optical connectivity products, the growth of which is driven by artificial intelligence deployment. Mike later worked at Semrock, which was subsequently acquired by publicly listed company IDEX, where he contributed to operational efficiency improvements during top-line growth. Syntec Optics can benefit from this background for building efficiency while scaling manufacturing. At IDEX, Ransford advanced to Site Manager, applying his knowledge to global facilities. He later became VP of Life Sciences Optics at IDEX, successfully consolidating multiple optics facilities in Rochester, NY, with the support of government aid. Most recently, he worked in the thin film coating business, an area of vendor improvement for Syntec. He worked closely with investors, leading operations to drive growth from optics M&A using rigorous financial and operational performance metrics. All of this experience benefits Syntec Optics in its long-term M&A strategy. “We are thrilled to welcome Mike to the Syntec Optics team,” said Dean Rudy, CFO at Syntec Optics. “His extensive experience and leadership skills, coupled with his proven track record of driving operational excellence and business growth, will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and expand our operations. We are confident that Mike will significantly contribute to our ongoing success.” Ransford holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. About Syntec Optics Syntec Optics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTX), headquartered in Rochester, NY, is one of the largest custom and diverse end-market optics and photonics manufacturers in the United States. Operating for over two decades, Syntec Optics runs a state-of-the-art facility with extensive core capabilities of various optics manufacturing processes, both horizontally and vertically integrated, to provide a competitive advantage for mission-critical OEMs. Syntec Optics recently launched new products, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite optics, lightweight night vision goggle optics, biomedical equipment optics, and precision microlens arrays. To learn more, visit www.syntecoptics.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including certain financial forecasts and projections. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including statements as to the transactions contemplated by the business combination and related agreements, future results of operations and financial position, revenue and other metrics, planned products and services, business strategy and plans, objectives of management for future operations of Syntec Optics, market size, and growth opportunities, competitive position and technological and market trends, are forward-looking statements. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words, including “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” “plan,” “targets,” “projects,” “could,” “would,” “continue,” “forecast” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors (some of which are beyond the control of Syntec Optics), which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon estimates, forecasts and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Syntec Optics and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain and many factors may cause the actual results to differ materially from current expectations which include, but are not limited to: 1) risk outlined in any prior SEC filings; 2) ability of Syntec Optics to successfully increase market penetration into its target markets; 3) the addressable markets that Syntec Optics intends to target do not grow as expected; 4) the loss of any key executives; 5) the loss of any relationships with key suppliers including suppliers abroad; 6) the loss of any relationships with key customers; 7) the inability to protect Syntec Optics’ patents and other intellectual property; 8) the failure to successfully execute manufacturing of announced products in a timely manner or at all, or to scale to mass production; 9) costs related to any further business combination; 10) changes in applicable laws or regulations; 11) the possibility that Syntec Optics may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; 12) Syntec Optics’ estimates of its growth and projected financial results for the future and meeting or satisfying the underlying assumptions with respect thereto; 13) the impact of any pandemic, including any mutations or variants thereof and the Russian/Ukrainian or Israeli conflict, and any resulting effect on business and financial conditions; 14) inability to complete any investments or borrowings in connection with any organic or inorganic growth; 15) the potential for events or circumstances that result in Syntec Optics’ failure to timely achieve the anticipated benefits of Syntec Optics’ customer arrangements; and 16) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in prior SEC filings including registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Syntec Optics does not give any assurance that Syntec Optics will achieve its expected results. Syntec Optics does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by law. For further information, please contact: Sara Hart Investor Relations InvestorRelations@syntecoptics.com SOURCE: Syntec Optics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTX)

News release J.R.’s Comedy Club, celebrating its 28th year of providing comedy entertainment to the Santa Clarita Valley, is hosting two New Year’s Eve comedy shows at The Hilton Garden Inn. The shows will feature double headliners Larry Omaha and Darren Carter, two of J.R.’s most requested acts. Omaha is the top-rated Native American comedian who not only has his own Showtime special, but also recently opened for Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias at Madison Square Garden. Carter “The Party Starter” has drawn attention on social media with his famous bit, “I like my women like my ...” He has also appeared on “The Tonight Show” and is at regular at clubs in L.A. The early show, dubbed “East Coast New Year’s Eve,” features dinner starting at 5:30 p.m., the show starting at 7:15 and the countdown at 9 as if attendees are in Times Square. The late show, called “West Coast New Year’s Eve,” has dinner starting at 8:30, the show starting at 10:15 and at midnight attendees will ring in 2025. Dinner includes entree choices of prime cut tri tip, lemon herb chicken, or vegetarian pasta. The menu also includes rice pilaf, oven roasted red potatoes, grilled seasoned vegetables, mixed green salad, freshly baked artisan rolls and chef’s choice desert. Attendees will receive party favors, noisemakers, hats and, for those over 21, a Champagne toast. The full dinner package is $94.99 and show-only tickets will be available after Dec. 26 for $50. Tickets are available at www.ComedyinValencia.com . The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 27710 The Old Road, Valencia.f-777 seven seas 1 hour 。

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain failed to score in Ligue 1 for the first time this season as the reigning champion was denied by outstanding goalkeeping from Auxerre's Donovan Léon in a 0-0 draw on Friday. Léon's string of superb saves thwarted PSG’s attacking stars. After a fairly even first 45 minutes, PSG camped in the Auxerre half but could not find a way past León, who made memorable stops from Gonçalo Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Kang-In Lee, Désiré Nonka-Maho and Randal Kolo Muani. Vitinha saw one curling shot come back off the bar. PSG had 25 shots to Auxerre’s six and 15 corners to Auxerre’s three but the home side still could have stolen all three points, as PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make a smart stop from Hamed Traorè. PSG remained eight points clear on top of Ligue 1. Auxerre was eighth. Canadian striker Jonathan David scored two and made another as Lille brushed past Brest 3-1 to extend its unbeaten run to 10 games in Ligue 1. The last time Lille lost to Brest at home was in 1989 and that long run never looked likely to fall as David turned in a man-of-the-match performance at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. He put Lille ahead from the penalty spot after nine minutes and he got away from his marker and crossed for Hákon Haraladsson to clip home a second just before halftime. Ludovic Ajorque got one back for Brest early in the second half but David restored Lille’s two-goal cushion when he pounced on a loose ball to slide home his team’s third. David’s goals took his season total to 17 in 23 games. They were his 10th and 11th in the league and lift him to the top of the Ligue 1 goal-scoring chart. Marseille was second ahead of Lille and Monaco on goal difference. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barrister cleared of misconduct calls on head of Bar Standards Board to resign

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Roquan Smith missed practice again Friday because of a hamstring injury. Although the Ravens didn’t officially rule him or anyone else out — they don’t play until Monday night — the All-Pro linebacker’s status seems dicey. “Definitely it will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “We’re holding out hope and everything like that. I think it’ll just be by committee. Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker.” Although the Ravens lost 18-16 last weekend, Baltimore didn’t allow a touchdown. That was an encouraging sign for a team that ranks 26th in the league in total defense. Baltimore is on the road Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens appear to have dodged one potential nightmare. Star safety Kyle Hamilton injured an ankle against Cincinnati on Nov. 7, but he was able to play almost every defensive snap the following week against Pittsburgh. But Smith was injured in that game and didn’t practice Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Malik Harrison had a season high in tackles last weekend and figures to have a significant role if Smith can’t go. “We tell these guys, ‘You’re one play away to going in there — you never know, so you got to stay ready.’ Malik — he was ready,” Orr said. “I thought he went in there and did a good job, especially after the first series, he settled down. That’s what we expect from him.” It’s hard to tell whether last week can be a significant turning point for Baltimore’s defense. The Ravens allowed only 10 points in a dominant win over Buffalo in Week 4, then yielded 38 against Cincinnati the following game. After allowing 10 against Denver, the Ravens were picked apart by the Bengals again a few days later. So they still haven’t shown they can play a good game defensively and then build on it. “I think it’s easier said than done. It’s something that we kind of got caught up saying against Buffalo and then coming up the next week and not doing,” Hamilton said. “We’re aware of it now and know that we played a good game, but I think we can get a lot better, and I think that’s kind of the mindset everybody on defense has right now.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Hamilton’s ability to make a difference all over the field is part of what makes him valuable, but positioning him deep is one way the Ravens can try to guard against big passing plays. Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson threw for only 205 yards against Baltimore. That’s after Joe Burrow passed for 428 and four touchdowns in the Ravens’ previous game. “I’ve always seen myself as a safety. A versatile one, but at the end of the day, I think I play safety,” Hamilton said. “If I’m asked to go play safety, I feel like that’s not an issue for me to play safety if I’m a safety.” NOTES: In addition to Smith, WR Rashod Bateman (knee), DT Travis Jones (ankle), S Sanoussi Kane (ankle) C Tyler Linderbaum (back) and CB Arthur Maulet (calf) missed practice Friday. WR Nelson Agholor (illness) returned to full participation after missing Thursday’s practice. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement Advertisement

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, the Canadian unit of , is calling for more government funding for the nation’s industry, which is embarking on a $16 billion endeavour to deploy carbon capture and storage technology and slash by 2030. The federal government is currently offering a 50 per cent tax credit and Alberta’s provincial government has proposed support of 12 per cent for the roll out of the project. The oilsands industry wants to install machinery to capture emissions and transport carbon down a new pipeline to the Cold Lake region for injection into the ground. The total current government support of 62 per cent isn’t sufficient, chief executive Brad Corson said on an investor call. “We are still in discussions with the government about the required fiscal support that would be necessary,” he said. “We said we need 75 per cent.” Imperial is a member of , a group of Canada’s largest oilsands producers. The group seeks to cut emissions by 22 million metric tons by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 on emissions from operations.The Group MPP "TGMPP" Raises $7.5 Billion in AUM $1.875 Billion Quarterly in 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges . People are also reading... The real reason Corvallis' Pastega Lights moved to Linn County City officials admit Corvallis' flag is 'bad.' Will it change? OSU football: Three takeaways from Oregon State's loss at Boise State Prosecutor: Driver on laughing gas caused double fatal in Sweet Home OSU women's basketball: Marotte takes a more aggressive approach on offense Recently made-over park sees this change after Albany got an earful UPDATED: GAPS teacher strike NOT off after talks over returning to the classroom break down Corvallis chemical manufacturer eyes Albany for expansion OSU football: Boise State's pass rush is formidable Strike to end, GAPS reaches tentative deal with Albany teachers A busy day: A series of crashes in Sweet Home OSU football: Preview and prediction for regular-season finale against Boise State Agreement reached (again), GAPS teachers get new contract Philomath moves forward following July Nazi flag controversy More allegations against ex-OSU coach “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. Former President Donald Trump walks to make comments to members of the news media May 30 after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies wrongdoing. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, also would allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and since were selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff ZEKE MILLERAssociated Press Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He and his lawyers said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes. PHOTOS: Donald Trump's Election Day 2024 Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, with Melania Trump and Barron Trump, arrives to speak at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as Melania Trump looks on at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives with former first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump at the Palm Beach County Convention Center during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, joined by, from right, Melania Trump and Barron Trump, arrives to speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives with =former first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump at the Palm Beach County Convention Center during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump visits his campaign headquarters, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.NEW YORK , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Agriculture & Natural Solutions Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company ("ANSC"), announced today that the Treasurer of Australia (the "Treasurer") on December 12, 2024 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) confirmed that the Commonwealth Government of Australia has no objection to ANSC's previously announced proposed business combination with Australian Food & Agriculture Company Limited ("AFA") and the other parties to the Business Combination Agreement dated August 28, 2024 (the "Business Combination") (known colloquially as "FIRB Approval" as the Treasurer is advised on such matters by the Foreign Investment Review Board). FIRB Approval is one of the conditions to closing of the Business Combination. ABOUT AFA AFA is a large-scale, diversified agricultural business established by the late Colin Bell in 1993 with the acquisition of the historic 'Burrabogie' station. AFA now operates one of the largest agricultural portfolios in New South Wales, Australia consisting of three major freehold title land aggregations within the Deniliquin, Hay and Coonamble districts, which total approximately 550,000 acres, and a water portfolio of approximately 45,000 acre-feet. AFA's portfolio includes some of Australia's most iconic properties, including 'Boonoke', 'Burrabogie', 'Wanganella' and 'Wingadee'. The company has total livestock carrying capacity of approximately 247,000 dry sheep equivalent across its sheep wool and meat and cattle operations (excluding the Conargo feedlot). AFA also operates the historic Wanganella and Poll Boonoke merino sheep studs, amongst the most highly regarded studs in Australia . AFA's cropping operations are characterized by flexibility amongst crop types, geographies and seasons. Key crops include irrigated cotton, irrigated rice, wheat, barley, canola, corn, chick peas and faba beans. More recently, the company has developed the state-of-the-art Conargo feedlot with a licensed capacity of 12,000 standard cattle units. ABOUT ANSC ANSC was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. ANSC represents a further expansion of its sponsors' 18-year franchise in low-carbon investments, having established industry leading, scaled companies with more than $6 billion of equity invested in renewables. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This document includes certain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intends," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions, or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, many of which are outside of ANSC, Agriculture & Natural Solutions Company Limited ACN 680 144 085 ("NewCo") or AFA's management's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing ANSC's, AFA's or NewCo's views as of any subsequent date, and none of ANSC, AFA or NewCo undertakes any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. None of NewCo, ANSC or AFA gives any assurance that any of NewCo, ANSC or AFA will achieve its expectations. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, NewCo's actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: (i) the ability of the parties to complete the Business Combination by ANSC's business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by ANSC; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreements relating to the Business Combination; (iii) the outcome of any legal, regulatory or governmental proceedings that may be instituted against NewCo, ANSC or AFA or any investigation or inquiry following announcement of the Business Combination, including in connection with the Business Combination; (iv) the inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain approval of ANSC's shareholders; (v) AFA's and NewCo's success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, their officers, key employees or directors following the Business Combination; (vi) the ability of the parties to obtain the listing of the ordinary shares in the capital of NewCo ("NewCo Ordinary Shares") and warrants to purchase NewCo Ordinary Shares on the New York Stock Exchange or another national securities exchange upon the closing of the Business Combination; (vii) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of AFA as a result of the announcement and consummation of the transactions described herein; (viii) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination; (ix) unexpected costs related to the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of AFA to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its key employees; (x) the ability of the parties to consummate one or more private placements of securities of NewCo to be consummated in connection with the Business Combination (the "Private Placements") on the stated timeline; (xi) the use of proceeds from the Private Placements by the combined company; (xii) the risk that there will be insufficient cash raised through the Private Placements, or that the amount of redemptions by ANSC's public shareholders is greater than expected; (xiii) the management and board composition of NewCo following completion of the Business Combination; (xiv) limited liquidity and trading of NewCo's securities; (xv) geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations, including legal or regulatory developments (including, without limitation, accounting considerations) which could result in the need for AFA to restate its historical financial statements and cause unforeseen delays in the timing of the Business Combination and negatively impact the trading price of NewCo's securities and the attractiveness of the Business Combination to investors; (xvi) the possibility that AFA may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (xvii) operational risks; (xviii) the possibility that a pandemic or major disease disrupts AFA's business; (xix) litigation and regulatory enforcement risks, including the diversion of management time and attention and the additional costs and demands on AFA's resources; (xx) the risks that the consummation of the Business Combination is substantially delayed or does not occur including the risk that the transaction may not be completed by ANSC's business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain extensions of the business combination deadline if sought by ANSC; and (xxi) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination, including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in ANSC's, AFA's and NewCo's other filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. No Offer or Solicitation This communication relates to a proposed business combination between AFA and ANSC. This document shall not constitute a "solicitation" of a proxy, consent, or authorization, as defined in Section 14 of the Exchange Act, with respect to any securities or in respect of the Business Combination. This document also does not constitute an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy, sell, or exchange any securities, investment or other specific product, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any offer, sale or exchange of securities, investment or other specific product in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act or an exemption therefrom. Additional Information About the Business Combination and Where To Find It In connection with the Business Combination, ANSC, NewCo and AFA intend to file a registration statement on Form F-4 relating to the Business Combination (the "Registration Statement") with the SEC, which will include a proxy statement of ANSC in connection with ANSC's extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders (the "ANSC Shareholders' Meeting") and certain other related matters described in the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement, including the proxy statement/prospectus contained therein, will contain important information about the Business Combination and the other matters to be voted upon at the ANSC Shareholders' Meeting. This communication does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the Business Combination and other matters and is not intended to provide the basis for any investment decision or any other decision in respect of such matters. ANSC, AFA and NewCo may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the Business Combination. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF ANSC AND OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS ARE URGED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, INCLUDING THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS INCLUDED THEREIN, ANY AMENDMENTS THERETO AND DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE BUSINESS COMBINATION CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ANSC, NEWCO, AFA, AND THE BUSINESS COMBINATION. After the Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC, ANSC will mail the definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination to its shareholders as of the record date established for voting on the Business Combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials in connection with the Business Combination without charge, once available, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Agriculture & Natural Solutions Acquisition Corporation, 712 Fifth Avenue, 36 th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Participants in the Solicitation ANSC, NewCo, AFA and their respective directors and executive officers and related persons may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from ANSC's shareholders in connection with the Business Combination. ANSC's shareholders and other interested persons may obtain, without charge, more detailed information regarding the directors and officers of ANSC and their direct or indirect interests therein in ANSC's Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 28, 2024 (File No. 001-41861), including, without limitation, "Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance", "Item 11. Executive Compensation", "Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters" and "Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence". Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to ANSC's shareholders in connection with the Business Combination and other matters to be voted upon at the ANSC Shareholders' Meeting will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Business Combination when available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described above. Media Contact Daniel Yunger / Emma Cloyd Kekst CNC daniel.yunger@kekstcnc.com / emma.cloyd@kekstcnc.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agriculture--natural-solutions-acquisition-corporation-receives-firb-approval-in-connection-with-previously-announced-business-combination-302331743.html SOURCE Agriculture & Natural Solutions Acquisition CorporationMarcel Dzama remembers a day last year when wildfire smoke from Canada had settled thick and heavy over New York City, the place the Winnipeg-born artist has called home for 20 years. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Marcel Dzama remembers a day last year when wildfire smoke from Canada had settled thick and heavy over New York City, the place the Winnipeg-born artist has called home for 20 years. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Marcel Dzama remembers a day last year when wildfire smoke from Canada had settled thick and heavy over New York City, the place the Winnipeg-born artist has called home for 20 years. “I was driving my son to school at that time, and there was, like, zero visibility on the Brooklyn Bridge,” he recalls. It was an evocative, unsettling image, an existential threat made visible on the landscape. “And it was just like, ‘Oh, what is this terrible thing we’re just leaving for our kids?’” Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, 460 Portage Ave. To March 8, 2025 Live Chat, Nov. 23 , 2 p.m. Featuring Dzama, Wayne Baerwaldt, Guy Maddin, Alison Norlen and Robert Enright Existential threats abound in the surreal Canadiana landscapes that make up Dzama’s first major solo exhibition in Canada in a decade. There are moody skies and inky reflections of jack pines in lakes, but there are also floods and fires and a foreboding sense that all-out catastrophe lurks on the margins. Dzama, 50, was inspired by the Canadian landscape paintings by the Group of Seven — specifically those by Tom Thomson — as well as his own childhood spent in the harsh Prairie landscapes of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. (A magazine profile from 2005 has him down as “born in 1974 in the isolated Canadian wilds of Winnipeg...”) But one can’t paint contemporary landscapes without contending with, well, the contemporary landscape. The climate anxiety that hums through these works is palpable; the wilderness the Group of Seven immortalized on canvas, carving out a Canadian national identity in the process, has been altered forever. “It was my fear of what we’re doing to the environment and how we’re just throwing away one of the most important and beautiful things,” Dzama says. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Wnnipeg-born artist Marcel Dzama is back in his hometown this weekend for the opening of his first Canadian solo show in ten years. Dzama is in Winnipeg for this weekend’s exhibition opening at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art; he’s taking this call on his dad’s landline. He gets back fairly regularly, but a long absence created by the pandemic had him thinking about the Prairies. During that same period, Dzama and his own family moved to Long Island and bought a small house in the woods, about a 10-hour drive southeast of where Thomson would have painted scenes from Algonquin Provincial Park, “and I just kind of was taken aback by looking at his work again,” he says. Thomson’s paintings, coupled with his physical surroundings, made Dzama think about the wild landscapes of his youth — at Birds Hill Park and at his grandparents’ farm. He thought about the stories his midwife grandmother would tell him about having to walk across the Saskatchewan plains during a snowstorm to help deliver a baby, braving both the elements and the bobcats. (Existential threats have always existed in the Prairies.) His work imagines her as a young woman, guided through a creepy, almost radioactive-looking forest by a shimmering constellation of stars. And he thought, too, about the vastness of these spaces. “We’re kind of close to the ocean over there in Long Island and it gives me that exact same feeling as when I go to my grandparents’ farm and just look at the stars in the sky — or you see the aurora borealis — and it’s just so vast and open and you realize how insignificant you are,” he says. “There’s something humbling about that, though. It feels scary, but there’s some weird comfort in there as well.” MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Dzama’s exhibition, Ghosts of Canoe Lake, was inspired by climate anxiety and the iconic Canadian landscapes painted by the Group of Seven. Dzama spent a lot of time at his grandparents’ farm. “I think that’s where I gathered a lot of my strange mythology of animal-creatures,” he says with a laugh, referring to the bats and bears and deer and trees with faces that populate his works, which are held in museum collections all over the world and have appeared on the covers of many albums, those by The Weakerthans and Beck among them. Thomson, meanwhile, offered a different strange mythology to pull from. The Canoe Lake of the exhibition’s title refers to the lake in Algonquin Provincial Park where a 39-year-old Thomson’s body was discovered eight days after his upturned canoe was found in July 1917. There has since been more than a century’s worth of speculation about Thomson’s mysterious, untimely death in the very place that so inspired him. It was ruled an accidental drowning, but some people believe he was murdered. Others believe he died by suicide. Going to art school at the University of Manitoba, the Group of Seven seemed to follow Dzama around. “There are a few buildings named after the Group of Seven and you hear about them in art history, but at the time, I was almost rebelling against it. I wasn’t very painterly. I kind of had a more comic-book-quality to my work,” he says. Dzama was following twin obsessions when he began creating the works that would eventually become . He had been commissioned to make a film about Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca — another ghost that looms large in the exhibition — but that had fallen through, so he resurrected the idea to create the work , a film loosely based on Lorca’s 1929 screenplay . “At the same time, I was totally obsessed with Tom Thomson, and was reading all these possible narratives about his death. Lorca ends up getting killed at the end by the fascists before the start of (the Second World War) and so I kind of thought there was this kind of parallel tragedy with Tom Thomson’s mysterious death around (the First World War),” he says. “(Thomson) objected to the war and he’d get these chicken feathers and stuff from people. And I mean, that could have been one of the reasons he was killed. There’s multiple mysterious reasons why he could have been killed as well — but also, it could have been an accident.” MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Dzama delivers an artist talk Saturday at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art for opening of Ghosts of Canoe Lake. debuted last December at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection outside Toronto. Executive director and chief curator Sarah Milroy had talked to Dzama about doing an exhibition focused on his political art; he knew the McMichael was home to one of the largest Tom Thomson and Group of Seven collections in Canada and he wanted to continue to pull that thread. He ended up making 50 works in a year-and-a-half. “The obsession was kind of fuelling me, and there was kind of an energetic boost from looking at his work, and then also just looking back at my past in Canada,” he says. Dzama hadn’t visited here for more than three years owing to the pandemic. When he did finally return, he found himself searching for other ghosts. “So much had changed since I’d been back to Winnipeg. We’ve lost grandparents and a parent-in-law, and a lot of the places I thought would be around forever were just kind of gone, and so I kind of wanted to pay a little homage to my puppet of the past.” is on view until March 8. jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the . A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the in 2013. . Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.None

Self-driving will soon be allowed on some Swiss roadsMEXICO CITY (AP) — Walmart’s Mexico subsidiary said Friday it plans to appeal a $4.6 million fine for alleged anti-competitive practices involving suppliers. Walmart de Mexico said in a statement that it had talked with suppliers to see if there were any concerns. The agency that issued the fine, known as the Federal Competition Commission, expressed concerns about a “relative monopolistic practice.” The commission, Mexico’s main anti-monopoly regulatory agency, is one of several independent agencies soon to be eliminated as part of what the government describes as a money-saving measure. It apparently levied the fine after at least one rival store chain accused Walmart of using its substantial purchasing power to gain discounts that put other sellers at a disadvantage. Walmart is by far the largest retail chain in Mexico. It called the decision “incorrect” and said it contained “errors in applying the law.” The company said it would abide by the agency’s ruling Thursday, but would appeal the decision. Walmart’s shares rose about 7.5% on the Mexican stock exchange Friday.

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NEW YORK — Stock indexes closed mixed Dec. 13 to end a rare bumpy week. After three weeks of gains, the S&P 500 ended little changed Friday while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2 percent, and the Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1 percent. Broadcom surged about 25 percent after the semiconductor company beat profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, jumped after raising its revenue forecast. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank is widely expected to cut interest rates Wednesday for a third time since September. NEW YORK — Some financial institutions and their trade groups are suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a finalized rule that limits overdraft fees banks can charge. The rule is part of President Joe Biden administration's campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. But banks argue that without overdraft protection, desperate consumers will instead lean on worse, unregulated services. Under the finalized rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that was announced Dec. 12, banks will be able to choose from three options: charge a flat overdraft fee of $5; charge a fee that covers their costs and losses; or charge any fee so long as they disclose the terms in a specfic way. While banks have cut back on overdraft fees, the nation's biggest lenders still take in roughly $8 billion from he charges every year, according to the CFPB and bank public records. Currently, there is no cap on the overdraft fees that banks can legally charge. The finalized rule is set to take effect in October. The incoming Trump administration has yet to tap anyone to lead the CFPB, and has mentioned the idea of eliminating the agency. DETROIT — Elon Musk says the Securities and Exchange Commission wants him to pay a penalty or face charges involving what he disclosed — or failed to disclose — about his purchases of Twitter stock before he bought the social media platform in 2022. In a letter posted by Musk, his lawyer Alex Spiro said to outgoing SEC chairman Gary Gensler that the agency's demand for a monetary payment is a "misguided scheme" that won't intimidate Musk. The letter also alleges that the commission reopened an investigation this week into Neuralink, Musk's computer-to-human brain interface company. The SEC has not released the letter. Nor would it comment on it or confirm whether it has issued such a demand to Musk. Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion.CHATHAM, N.J. — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Golden reported form Seattle. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

s.o.g777 Popular social network TikTok did not receive a reprieve from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and it is still facing a ban that is set to be enacted in January, reports The Wall Street Journal . TikTok and several of the social network's users challenged an April bill that is forcing Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok . The bill provided ByteDance with a nine-month period to sell TikTok to a company outside of China, and if the sale doesn't happen, TikTok won't be able to be distributed in the United States. TikTok claimed that the bill was unconstitutional because it infringes on free speech, but the court rejected that claim. While the ban is set to go into effect in January, TikTok is likely to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking an emergency stay. From there, the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case. If TikTok is banned, Google, Apple, and other app distributors will not be able to provide the app for download, nor offer updates to the app. Internet hosting services will also be blocked from supporting the app, giving U.S. users no way to download it. TikTok users will, however, be able to keep using the app so long as it functions. ByteDance does not plan to sell TikTok, and even if the company complied and did so, China would need to approve the sale. The Chinese government has made it clear that it will firmly oppose any sale of the TikTok app. ByteDance says that it would be impossible to give the TikTok source code to a new owner because it would take years for new engineers to become familiar enough with it to perform routine maintenance. U.S. lawmakers want TikTok sold to a non-China company over concerns that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data from users in the United States, and there have also been suggestions that China could use TikTok to spread political propaganda. Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.MAHOMET — Minutes before she and two family members were fatally shot Wednesday night, a Mahomet woman described the man thought to be the killer in a social-media post. On a Twitter account where she shared occasional selfies, life updates and memes, Sara Mason, 26, posted about a man in a motorcycle helmet being outside her home the night of Wednesday, Dec. 18, less than 20 minutes before police were called to the scene. "Trying not to be scared suburban white woman about the dude waiting outside of my house for a .... While now? Wanting to speak to my brother while wearing a motorcycle helmet (drive in a car)," she posted at 9:22 p.m. Within a minute, she added, "He like left but will probably be back. Anyway." Mahomet police were called at 9:41 p.m. to the residence on Riverside Court, where they discovered Mason, who was pronounced dead at the scene; and her mother, 61-year-old Janis Mason, and brother, 23-year-old Caleb Mason, who both died a little later after being taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. It does not appear that Sara Mason recognized John R. Lyons, 24, the man police suspect in the triple homicide. Lyons fled to suburban Chicago, where he was killed in a confrontation with police in Berwyn. Champaign County court records indicate that in June, Lyons filed a lawsuit alleging Caleb Mason had harmed him in some way and requesting compensation in an amount between $15,000 and $50,000. Mahomet police Chief Mike Metzler said Lyons knew one of the victims. Police reports thus far have not included details about whether Lyons was wearing a motorcycle helmet. However, on Thursday, Dec. 19, far-right political pundit and streamer Nicholas Fuentes posted that an armed individual who arrived at his house late Wednesday night wearing a motorcycle helmet had "committed a triple homicide in southern Illinois." "Last night an armed killer made an attempt on my life at my home, which was recently doxed on this platform," Fuentes wrote. He said the killer broke into his neighbor's home in Berwyn, where police said Lyons broke in and killed two dogs while attempting to evade arrest. Fuentes posted multiple clips of footage from Ring security cameras that show a man in brown pants, a blue coat and a white motorcycle helmet who is carrying a firearm and crossbow. In the footage, the man gets out of a car while wearing a motorcycle helmet and appears to ring the doorbell and knock on the front door, then attempt to gain access through multiple entry points. The only audio in any of the clips is while the man is at the front door and apparently says "Yo, Nick." Timestamps on footage Fuentes posted indicate the events around his home in Berwyn beginning at 11:29 p.m., about one hour and 50 minutes after police were called to the home in Mahomet. About 10 minutes later, at 11:38 p.m., Berwyn police responded to a report of a man with a gun. "It is to the freedom of the people of Illinois that we are addressing this law," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said May 10, referring to the state's semiautomatic weapons ban, "their freedom to be at the Highland Park parade without getting shot and killed." Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government's preparedness for the upcoming Mahakumbh and accused it of mismanagement. In a social media post, the opposition leader flagged several issues regarding security arrangements, local concerns and overall administration in Prayagraj, urging the government to take immediate corrective action. ''This is the truth of preparations for 'Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025' under the BJP government! At least the work of the police department should have been completed long ago because the management of the security circle does not wait for the last day,'' he said on X. The former chief minister of the state also drew attention to the alleged delay in addressing the needs of local residents and the fair area, stating that people in Prayagraj were questioning the government's priorities. ''The aggrieved people of Prayagraj are asking that the BJP government was very prompt in removing the statue of 'Mahadani' Emperor Harshvardhan, but why is the same speed not being shown for administrative management?'' Yadav highlighted complaints about the ''neglect'' of local issues, such as transportation and movement around the Mahakumbh area. ''Alternative arrangements should also be made to address the concerns of the residents of Prayagraj about movement and transportation in case of an emergency,'' he added. While expressing his party's support for the successful conduct of the Mahakumbh, Yadav emphasised that the local administration must act swiftly to address these gaps. ''We want the Mahakumbh to go on and Prayagraj to also remain dynamic.'' The SP president said his party is ready to assist the government as the ''BJP people would be ''busy earning money or in election planning''. ''If the government-administration has failed in the preparations for the Mahakumbh, then we propose to send our true and dedicated workers to help because the BJP people would be busy earning money or in election planning,'' he said in a dig at the ruling party. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Roquan Smith missed practice again Friday because of a hamstring injury. Although the Ravens didn't officially rule him or anyone else out — they don't play until Monday night — the All-Pro linebacker's status seems dicey. “Definitely it will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “We’re holding out hope and everything like that. I think it’ll just be by committee. Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker.” Although the Ravens lost 18-16 last weekend, Baltimore didn't allow a touchdown. That was an encouraging sign for a team that ranks 26th in the league in total defense. Baltimore is on the road Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens appear to have dodged one potential nightmare. Star safety Kyle Hamilton injured an ankle against Cincinnati on Nov. 7, but he was able to play almost every defensive snap the following week against Pittsburgh. But Smith was injured in that game and didn't practice Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Malik Harrison had a season high in tackles last weekend and figures to have a significant role if Smith can't go. “We tell these guys, ‘You’re one play away to going in there — you never know, so you got to stay ready.’ Malik — he was ready,” Orr said. “I thought he went in there and did a good job, especially after the first series, he settled down. That’s what we expect from him.” It's hard to tell whether last week can be a significant turning point for Baltimore's defense. The Ravens allowed only 10 points in a dominant win over Buffalo in Week 4, then yielded 38 against Cincinnati the following game. After allowing 10 against Denver, the Ravens were picked apart by the Bengals again a few days later. So they still haven't shown they can play a good game defensively and then build on it. “I think it’s easier said than done. It’s something that we kind of got caught up saying against Buffalo and then coming up the next week and not doing," Hamilton said. "We’re aware of it now and know that we played a good game, but I think we can get a lot better, and I think that’s kind of the mindset everybody on defense has right now.” Hamilton's ability to make a difference all over the field is part of what makes him valuable, but positioning him deep is one way the Ravens can try to guard against big passing plays. Pittsburgh's Russell Wilson threw for only 205 yards against Baltimore. That's after Joe Burrow passed for 428 and four touchdowns in the Ravens' previous game. “I’ve always seen myself as a safety. A versatile one, but at the end of the day, I think I play safety,” Hamilton said. “If I’m asked to go play safety, I feel like that’s not an issue for me to play safety if I’m a safety.” NOTES: In addition to Smith, WR Rashod Bateman (knee), DT Travis Jones (ankle), S Sanoussi Kane (ankle) C Tyler Linderbaum (back) and CB Arthur Maulet (calf) missed practice Friday. WR Nelson Agholor (illness) returned to full participation after missing Thursday's practice. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Noah Trister, The Associated PressLibra - (23rd September to 22nd October) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, Balance and Harmony Define Your Day Today, Libras should focus on balancing personal and professional lives, fostering harmonious relationships, and making wise financial decisions for a fulfilling day. Libras will find themselves seeking balance in various aspects of their lives today. Whether it's love, career, or finances, maintaining harmony will be key. Relationships may require extra attention, and a thoughtful approach will help you navigate any challenges. Financially, it's a good day to review your budget and make smart choices. Prioritizing health and well-being will also ensure a productive and positive day. Libra Love Horoscope Today: It's important for Libras to prioritize open communication and understanding. Whether you're single or in a relationship, expressing your feelings and listening to your partner's needs will strengthen bonds. It's a day to appreciate the small gestures of affection and support that nurture your relationship. If single, you might find a meaningful connection by being authentic and approachable. Balance in emotions and actions will foster harmony in your love life today. Libra Career Horoscope Today: Today, your career may require a balanced approach to effectively manage your responsibilities. Collaboration and teamwork will be essential, so ensure that you're open to others' ideas while also expressing your own. Opportunities for advancement may arise, so be prepared to take on new challenges confidently. Avoid overextending yourself, as maintaining a healthy work-life balance will lead to long-term success and satisfaction in your professional journey. Libra Money Horoscope Today: Financially, Libras should focus on prudent decision-making today. It's a good time to review your budget and consider any necessary adjustments. Avoid impulsive purchases and instead, concentrate on saving and investing wisely. Consulting with a financial advisor or a trusted friend may provide valuable insights. By being careful with expenditures and planning for the future, you'll find stability and security in your financial situation. Libra Health Horoscope Today: Health-wise, it's important to pay attention to both physical and mental well-being today. Incorporating exercise and a balanced diet into your routine will boost your energy levels. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or yoga, can help manage stress and maintain emotional equilibrium. Make time for relaxation and hobbies that bring joy. Prioritizing self-care will enhance your overall health, ensuring you have the vitality to tackle any challenges that arise. Libra Sign Attributes Strength: Idealist, socially presentable, Aesthetic, Charming, Artsy, Generous Weakness: Uncertain, Lazy, Non-interventionist Symbol: Scales Element: Air Body Part: Kidneys & Bladder Sign Ruler: Venus Lucky Day: Friday Lucky Color: Brown Lucky Number: 3 Lucky Stone: Diamond Libra Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius Good compatibility: Aries, Libra Fair compatibility: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces Less compatibility: Cancer, Capricorn By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)

Scheffler goes on a run of birdies in the Bahamas and leads by 2Honeycombs and snowflakes: They're similar, but one is not like the other. If you're wondering what we're talking about, it's wheels. Pontiac made honeycomb wheels from 1971 through '76 , but they also made snowflake wheels that lasted from '76 through 1982. Honeycombs were made by placing a plastic face on a heavy steel wheel (a process referred to as polycasting), making it look like cast aluminum. That's what Pontiac's chief designer, Bill Porter, originally wanted to make the wheels for the Trans Am out of, back in '71. GM nixed the idea then because aluminum cost more than steel. By 1976, technology had evolved enough that GM could use a new, more streamlined single-casting process to make wheels of aluminum. The design used was a cross-fin pattern that looked so much like a snowflake that car enthusiasts started calling it the snowflake wheel, and it stuck. Pontiac never used the "snowflake" term, though, calling it a "cast aluminum wheel." These 15-by-7-inch wheels were made available on all Firebirds. Initially, Pontiac intended to sell them in a variety of colors (white, grey, blue, gold, and red), but demand was so great it exceeded supplier capacity. Pontiac released a statement that vehicles other than a Trans Am ordered after Oct. 18, 1976 would instead get Rally II 5-spoke wheels. [Featured image by Sicnag via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0 ] Two smaller snowflakes dropped in 1978. The 14-by-7-inch could be slapped onto the Grand Prix, Grand Am and Le Mans, while a four-lug 13-inch version could be gotten on the more budget-friendly Pontiac Sunbird, whose several differences set it apart from the Firebird . The smaller wheels weren't available on the Firebird. With the meteoric success of "Smokey and the Bandit," Trans Am sales went through the roof as lots of men wanted to drive a Starlight Black beauty with gold snowflake wheels. Despite urban legend, there is no Trans Am "Bandit" edition per se. Much in the same way Pontiac never used "snowflake" to describe its "cast aluminum" wheel, the "Bandit edition" was simply known as the Special Edition Trans Am and featured wheels with the bright gold accent seen in the film. In 1978, Pontiac rolled out the WS6 Special Performance Package for the Trans Am (and Formula), which, for an extra $324, got you a thicker rear sway bar and larger 15-by-8-inch gold tone snowflake wheels. Over the next few years, Pontiac introduced an assortment of "Special Editions" that included the Skybird, Redbird, and Yellowbird, all with matching key-colored snowflake wheels. A new Trans Am rolled out in 1979 with thinner (and lighter) channeled snowflakes. This new design lasted until 1981 (on Trans Ams and Formulas with the WS6 package). When the third-generation Firebird came out in 1982, only the base model came with a 14-by-6-inch snowflake option, the last version to appear.

Choose correct ITR to report foreign assets; 2 lakh such returns filed: CBDT officialUm Al Sheif area designated natural reserve

The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts NEW YORK (AP) — “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” have debuted in theaters with a combined $270 million in ticket sales. Their worldwide performance breathed fresh life into global box office results that have struggled lately. Together the films turned the moviegoing weekend into one of the busiest of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally. Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original and launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. “Moana 2” is being released Wednesday, so it looks like Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday. Trump's Republican Party is increasingly winning union voters. It's a shift seen in his labor pick WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady election gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members. It's a political shift spotlighting one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a GOP congresswoman, who has drawn labor support, to be his labor secretary. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month, despite strong backing from union members. They're a key part of the Democratic base but are gravitating in the Trump era toward a Republican Party traditionally allied with business interests. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent, 62, is founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management. He previously had worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought, 48, to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position he held during Trump's first term. And Trump chose Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, as his labor secretary, and Scott Turner, a former football player who worked in Trump’s first administration, as his housing secretary. Afraid of losing the US-Canada trade pact, Mexico alters its laws and removes Chinese parts MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has been taking a bashing for allegedly serving as a conduit for Chinese parts and products into North America. Officials here are terrified that a re-elected Donald Trump or politically struggling Justin Trudeau could simply expel their country from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Mexico's ruling Morena party is so afraid its has gone on a campaign to get companies to replace Chinese parts with locally made ones. And its legislators are consciously tweaking the wording of major laws to try to make them compatible with the trade pact's language. Mexico hopes the rules of the trade pact would prevent the U.S. or Canada from simply walking away. Australia withdraws a misinformation bill after critics compare it to censorship CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government has withdrawn a bill that would give a media watchdog power to monitor digital platforms and require them to keep records about misinformation and disinformation on their networks. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Sunday that the government was unable to drum up the support needed to pass the legislation. The opposition spokesman, David Coleman, said the bill “betrayed our democracy” and amounted to “censorship laws in Australia.” The bill would have granted the Australian Communications and Media Authority power over digital platforms by approving an enforceable code of conduct or standards for social media companies if self-regulation fell short. He'll be the last meatpacker in the Meatpacking District. Here's how NYC's gritty 'hood got chic NEW YORK (AP) — The last meatpackers in New York's Meatpacking District have agreed to end their leases early and make way for development on their city-owned lot. A third-generation meatpacker says he is ready to retire and he'll be proud to be there when the building closes. The closure date has not been set, but will mark the end of over a century of industrial life in the Meatpacking District. Starting in the 1970s, a new nightlife scene emerged as bars and nightclubs moved in. Today it's a hub for shopping, tourism, and recreation and only echoes of that grit remain. US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction and deregulation, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent is a past supporter of Democrats who has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He’s an advocate of cutting spending while extending the tax cuts approved by Congress in Trump’s first term. He has said tariffs imposed during a second Trump administration would be directed primarily at China.At least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank around the city of Tulkarem on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including three people it said were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a second somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of the war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Israel's bombardment and ground invasion in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel in October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage by Palestinian militants. Around 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza , although only two thirds are believed to still be alive. Here’s the latest: NUR SHAMS REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank — The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in and around the city of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank on Tuesday. The ministry reported three of the dead were killed by airstrikes. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. An Associated Press photojournalist captured images of Israeli forces detonating an explosive device planted by Palestinian militants during a raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp. Israel has carried out several large-scale raids in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. While airstrikes were once rare in the West Bank, they have grown more common since the outbreak of war as Israeli forces clamp down, saying they aim to prevent attacks on their citizens. Israeli fire has killed at least 800 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, Palestinian health officials say. In that time, Palestinian militants have launched a number of attacks on soldiers at checkpoints and within Israel. SAYDNAYA, Syria — A large crowd of Syrians gathered near a historic monastery in Saydnaya on Christmas Eve to witness the lighting of a towering tree adorned with glowing green lights. Tuesday's celebration offered a rare moment of joy in a city scarred by over a decade of war and an infamous prison , where tens of thousands were held. Families and friends stood beneath the illuminated tree — some wearing Santa hats, others watching from rooftops — while a band played festive music and fireworks lit up the sky “This year is different, there’s happiness, victory and a new birth for Syria and a new birth for Christ,” said Houssam Saadeh, one attendee. Another, Joseph Khabbaz, expressed hope for unity across all sects and religions in Syria, dismissing recent Christmas tree vandalism as “isolated incidents.” Earlier in the afternoon, pilgrims visited the historic Our Lady of Saydnaya Monastery, one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries, believed to be built in the sixth century. In Homs, a similarly grand Christmas tree was illuminated as security officers patrolled the area to ensure a safe and peaceful gathering, according to Syria’s state media. UNITED NATIONS -- Recent attacks on hospitals in North Gaza, where Israel is carrying out an offensive, are having a devastating impact on Palestinian civilians still in the area, the U.N. humanitarian office says. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed deep concern at reports that the Israeli military entered the Indonesian Hospital on Tuesday, forcing its evacuation. The humanitarian office, known as OCHA, also expressed deep concern at attacks reported in recent days in and around the two other hospitals in North Gaza that are minimally functioning – Al Awda and Kamal Adwan. OCHA said the Israeli siege on Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and parts of Jaballiya in North Gaza continued for a 79th day on Tuesday, and while the U.N. and its partners have made 52 attempts to coordinate humanitarian access to besieged areas in December 48 were rejected by Israel. While four missions were approved, OCHA said the U.N. and its partners faced impediments as a result of Israeli military operations and “none of the U.N.-coordinated attempts to access the area have been fully facilitated.” Throughout the Gaza Strip, OCHA said that Israeli authorities facilitated just 40% of requests for humanitarian movements requiring their approval in December. WASHINGTON — A leading global food crisis monitor says deaths from starvation will likely pass famine levels in north Gaza as soon as next month. The U.S.-created Famine Early Warning System Network says that’s because of a near-total Israeli blockade of food and other aid in that part of Gaza. The finding, however, appears to have exposed a rift within the Biden administration over the extent of starvation in northern Gaza. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, disputes part of the data used in reaching the conclusion and calls the intensified famine warning “irresponsible.” Northern Gaza has been one of the areas hardest-hit by fighting and Israel’s restrictions on aid throughout its 14-month war with Hamas militants. UNITED NATIONS — Israel’s foreign minister has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to condemn recent missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and to condemn the group's Iranian allies for allegedly providing the group with weapons. Gideon Saar said in a letter Tuesday to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, which holds the council presidency this month, that the Houthis are violating international law and council resolutions. “This Iranian-backed terrorist group continues to endanger Israel’s and other nations’ security, as well as the freedom of maritime navigation, in flagrant violation of international law,” Saar said. “All of this malign activity is done as part of a broader strategy to destabilize the region.” The U.S. Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to an email asking when the council meeting will be held. The Houthis have said they launched attacks on shipping in the Red Sea – and on Israel -- with the aim of ending Israel’s devastating air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli war in Gaza followed Hamas’ deadly October 2023 attacks in southern Israel. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military investigation has concluded that the presence of troops inadvertently contributed to the deaths of six hostages killed by their Hamas captors in Gaza. The hostages' bodies were discovered in a tunnel in late August, an event that shook Israel and sparked some of the largest anti-war protests since the war began. The investigation found that the six hostages were killed by multiple gunshots from their captors after surviving for nearly 330 days. The Israeli military’s “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages,” the report found. According to the investigation, the Israeli military began operating in the area where the hostages were being held in southern Gaza about two weeks before their discovery, under the assumption that the chances of hostages in the area was medium to low. On August 27, hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi was found alone in a tunnel , causing the Israeli military to halt operations for 24 hours to determine if there could be other hostages in the area. The military discovered the opening leading to the tunnel where the bodies of the six hostages were located on August 30. A pathological report estimated the six hostages were killed on August 29. The six hostages killed were Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin , whose American-Israeli parents became some of the most recognized spokespeople pleading for the hostages’ release, including addressing the Democratic National Convention days before their son’s killing. “The investigation published tonight proves once again that the return of all hostages will only be possible through a deal,” the Hostages Families Forum said in response to the investigation. “Every passing moment puts the hostages’ lives in immediate danger.” JERUSALEM — The Israeli negotiating team working on a ceasefire returned from Qatar to Israel on Tuesday, the prime minister’s office said, after what it called “a significant week” of talks. After months of deadlock, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt resumed their mediation efforts in recent weeks and reported greater willingness by the warring sides to reach a deal. According to Egyptian and Hamas officials, the proposed agreement would take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of captive Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel says Hamas is holding 100 hostages, over one-third of whom are believed to be dead. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “some progress” in efforts to reach a deal, but added he did not know how long it would take. CAIRO — Israeli soldiers took control of a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday. Some of the patients had to walk to another hospital while others were driven by paramedics, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Zaher al-Wahidi. He did not specify how many patients had evacuated. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. The army later said its soldiers had left the hospital. The military said it had assisted with evacuating the patients and had not ordered the hospital closed. However, al-Wahidi said only one doctor and maintenance person were left behind. The Indonesian Hospital is one of three hospitals left largely inaccessible in the northernmost part of Gaza because Israel has imposed a tight siege there since launching an offensive in early October. The Israeli army said Tuesday’s operation at the Indonesian Hospital came after militants carried out attacks from the hospital for the past month, including launching anti-tank missiles and planting explosive devices in the surrounding area. The Health Ministry accused Israel of “besieging and directly targeting” the three hospitals in northern Gaza. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said Israeli drones detonated explosives near the hospital and that 20 people were wounded, including five medical staff. The Israeli military declined to comment on the operation around the hospital. DAMASCUS — Scores of Syrian Christians protested in the capital Damascus on Tuesday, demanding greater protections for their religious minority after a Christmas tree was set on fire in the city of Hama a day earlier. Many of the insurgents who now rule Syria are jihadis, although Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and spent years depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. It remains unclear who set the Christmas tree on fire Monday, which was condemned by a representative of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who visited the town and addressed the community. “This act was committed by people who are not Syrian, and they will be punished beyond your expectations," the HTS representative said in a video widely shared on social media. "The Christmas tree will be fully restored by this evening.” On Tuesday, protesters marched through the streets of Bab Touma in Damascus, shouting slogans against foreign fighters and carrying large wooden crosses. “We demand that Syria be for all Syrians. We want a voice in the future of our country,” said Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church as he addressed the crowd in a church courtyard, assuring them of Christians’ rights in Syria. Since HTS led a swift offensive that overthrew President Bashar Assad earlier this month, Syria’s minority communities have been on edge, uncertain of how they will be treated under the emerging rebel-led government. “We are here to demand a democratic and free government for one people and one nation,” another protester said. “We stand united — Muslims and Christians. No to sectarianism.” DOHA — Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said that ceasefire negotiations to end the war in Gaza were ongoing in Doha in cooperation with Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediators. “We will not leave any door unopened in pursuit of reaching an agreement,” said Majid al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday. Al Ansari added that rumors the ceasefire would be reached before Christmas are “speculation.” The ceasefire negotiations come at a time when winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. Families of the approximately 100 hostages who have been held for 445 days in Gaza are also worried their loved ones will not survive another winter. In a press conference, al-Ansari also called on the international community to lift sanctions on Syria as quickly as possible on Tuesday. “The reason was the crimes of the previous regime, and that regime, with all of its authority, is no longer in place, therefor the causes for these sanctions no longer exist today,” he said. DAMASCUS, Syria — American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group. Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead. Zakka told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad. He added that U.S. President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive. Zakka said he believes Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating. Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip. Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, although he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. TEL AVIV, Israel — Hannah Katzir, an Israeli woman who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and freed in a brief ceasefire last year, has died. She was 78. The Hostages Families Forum, a group representing the families of people taken captive, confirmed the death Tuesday but did not disclose the cause. Her daughter, Carmit Palty Katzir, said in a statement that her mother’s “heart could not withstand the terrible suffering since Oct. 7.” Katzir’s husband, Rami, was killed during the attack by militants who raided their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her son Elad was also kidnapped and his body was recovered in April by the Israeli military, who said he had been killed in captivity. She spent 49 days in captivity and was freed in late November 2023. Shortly after Katzir was freed, her daughter told Israeli media that she had been hospitalized with heart issues attributed to “difficult conditions and starvation” while she was held captive. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel's military said the projectile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, but it set off air raid sirens overnight in the country's populous central area, sending residents looking for cover. Israel’s rescue service Magen David Adom said a 60-year-old woman was seriously wounded after being hurt on her way to a protected space. There was no immediate comment from Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. It was the third time in a week that fire from Yemen set off sirens in Israel. On Saturday, a missile slammed into a playground in Tel Aviv, injuring 16, after Israel’s air defense system failed to intercept it. Earlier last week, Israeli jets struck Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city, killing nine. Israel said the strikes were in response to previous Houthi attacks.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — Persistent high surf and flooding threats along California’s coast had residents on high alert a day after a major storm was blamed for one man’s death and the partial collapse of a pier , which propelled three people into the Pacific Ocean. The National Weather Service on Christmas Eve warned of dangerous, large-breaking waves of up to 35 feet (10.7 meters). Its latest high surf warning will be in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday. “Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches,” the weather service said in a Christmas Eve bulletin. In Santa Cruz, where a municipal wharf under construction partially collapsed on Monday, most beaches were cordoned off as they were inundated with high surf and debris. Residents received an alert on their phones Tuesday morning notifying them to “avoid all beaches including coastal overlook areas such as rocks, jetties or cliffs.” It warned powerful waves could sweep entire beaches unexpectedly. Local officials said there could be further damage to the wharf, but no more pieces broke off overnight. The wharf collapsed and fell into the ocean midday Monday, taking three people with it. Two people were rescued by lifeguards and a third swam to safety. No one was seriously injured. Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said in the weeks and months ahead officials will have to assess long-term solutions for protecting the coastal city from the impacts of climate change . “Hallelujah that no one was hurt in this, which could have been orders of magnitude worse in terms of any injuries to human beings and damage to property onshore and offshore,” he said at a media briefing Tuesday. “But I think we have somewhat of a question mark as we move through time,” he added. “And I don't think we're by ourselves. I think this is what coastal communities around the world are probably dealing with.” The structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of San Francisco. “It’s a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf,” said David Johnston, who was allowed onto the pier on Monday to check on his business, Venture Quest Kayaking. Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet (45 meters) of the end of the wharf fell into the water. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely. Some of the wharf’s pilings are still in the ocean and remain “serious, serious hazards” to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves. “You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said on the social platform X. Building inspectors were looking at the rest of the pier’s structural integrity. Some California cities ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon as forecasters warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. In Watsonville along the Monterey Bay, first responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, around 11:30 a.m. Monday for a report of a man trapped under debris. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office believes a large wave pinned him there. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. The storm’s high surf also likely pulled another man into the Pacific Ocean around noon Monday at Marina State Beach, nearly 13 miles (21 kilometers) south of Watsonville, authorities said. Strong currents and high waves forced searchers to abandon their efforts roughly two hours later as conditions worsened. The man remained missing Monday evening. Further south in Carmel Bay, a man remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon after reports that someone was swept off the rocks into the ocean at Pebble Beach on Monday, local emergency responders said. The U.S. Coast Guard will "transition to a recovery search as ocean conditions improve in the coming days,” officials said in a statement. In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, said, “It will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.” Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles contributed.Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it for the first time. “NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second game. The streaming giant agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games. Where will the games be available? Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time one outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will have the games available in five languages — English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy dictates that games on cable or being exclusively streamed must also be on an over-the-air station in the competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the U.S. for those who have NFL+. Why is the NFL putting Christmas Day games on a streaming platform? The biggest reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for the two games this season. It also continues the NFL’s moves into streaming — Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year. But Christmas is on a Wednesday when games usually aren’t played. That’s true, but the league wasn’t about to give up Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million. The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played on Sunday and then Thursday. What is at stake for the teams playing? All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs. Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs — with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record. Houston (9-6) has wrapped up the AFC South and holds the fourth seed. Has Netflix fixed its streaming problems from the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight? Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the system was stress tested, and then some, during the Nov. 14 bout, along with internet service providers reporting they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fight. The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to and during the fight. Could there be the same number streaming the games that there were during the fight? Possible? Yes. Likely? No. The largest audience for a streamed-exclusive NFL game was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs. Nielsen will measure the ratings for the Christmas Day games, with early numbers expected late afternoon on Thursday. When could there be surge in demand on Wednesday? It will probably beat kickoff for both games, but especially around 5:45 p.m. EST. That would be near halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, and when Beyoncé will be performing. What other celebrities will appear? Mariah Carey will kick off the day with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” There is no word if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour two weeks ago. How many Christmas games will Netflix carry in the next two seasons? The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and ’26, with Netflix slated to have at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will have a night game with Christmas on a Thursday next year. Does Netflix have an interest in other sports? Netflix’s worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Jan. 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service. On Friday, Netflix secured the U.S. rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. ___ AP NFL: Joe Reedy, The Associated Press

Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to 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 Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Haiti gangs fire on journalists covering a planned hospital reopening, leaving casualties PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Suspected gang members have opened fire on journalists in Haiti’s capital as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country’s largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. The country's interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded. Radio Télé Métronome said earlier on Tuesday that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded in the shooting. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Middle East latest: Israeli raid and airstrikes in West Bank kill at least 8 Palestinians The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank. The ministry said three of the dead were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The attacks took place around the city of Tulkarem and nearby refugee camps. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of the war in Gaza. Most festivities were cancelled and crowds of tourists were absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it's their duty to spread their love of Jesus ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions. Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus. A month later, Bates told The Associated Press it is a duty to share his faith. The NFL is filled with players and coaches who feel the same way, such as Houston's C.J. Stroud, Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, and Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning.State lawmakers, companies prepare to push back against DEI, 'woke' initiatives: experts

BrightSpire Capital (NYSE:BRSP) versus CTO Realty Growth (NYSE:CTO) Critical ReviewHONG KONG: Manmohan Singh was the face of India’s transformation. As finance minister in the early 1990s, and from 2004 as its prime minister for a decade, his reforms loosened excessive state controls, opened up the economy, pulled millions out of poverty and made the West accept the nuclear-armed nation as an ally. Or at least, that’s how his legacy will be remembered globally. But to my generation of Indians, Singh, who died at 92 on Thursday (Dec 26) night in a New Delhi hospital, was above everything else the embodiment of hope. He instilled in us a strong belief that a market economy would work. Not just for a tiny elite in New Delhi and Mumbai, but for a majority scattered across smaller towns and villages, battling against overwhelming odds of economic and educational poverty and social discrimination. A TOP TECHNOCRAT His own story gave us confidence. A 15-year-old Sikh refugee boy in newly independent India, whose family had fled from Pakistan during the subcontinent’s 1947 partition, he went on to study economics at Oxford and Cambridge and built an impressive career as a top technocrat. Singh and his colleagues were able to convince us that in a post-socialist, market-led economy, we, too, would be free to chase our dreams. With education and hard work, our lives, too, would be vastly better than our parents’; upward mobility would no longer be an exclusive preserve of the privileged. Through the 1990s, the reform project stayed on track even as governments changed. But the promise started to fray during Singh’s second term as prime minister. The unwieldy Congress-led coalition government he ran from 2009 was besieged, from one side, by crony capitalists gorging on debt from state-owned banks only to siphon off money into their Swiss bank accounts. From the other side, it was under attack by a political opposition that blamed Singh’s indecisive leadership for rampant corruption, high inflation, slowing growth and a falling rupee. “I do not believe that I have been a weak prime minister,” Singh said in one of his last press conferences, just a few months before the Hindu right-wing leader Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party swept the 2014 election. “I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter the opposition in parliament.” That prediction didn’t take too long to get tested. In November 2016, Prime Minister Modi banned 86 per cent of India’s currency overnight. Singh, who described the move as “organised loot and legalised plunder” said it would crush economic growth. He was right. INDIA AT A CRITICAL TIME With his death, India has been deprived of sage counsel at a time when growth is once again anaemic, policymaking has become whimsical, many industries are facing extreme concentration of economic power, the middle class is feeling weighed down by taxation, and the poor are being excluded from government programmes in the name of plugging leakages. Religious strife is on the rise, and politicians of all hues are bribing voters to capture power where they can, without sparing a thought for how best to use national resources for development. After 10 years in the top job, Modi’s personality cult is weakening, but to his supporters, the belief in a prosperous India has become an uncritical act of faith. That wasn’t the effect Singh intended when, in his first budget speech in 1991, he channelled Victor Hugo: “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come,” he said. “The emergence of India as a major economic power in the world happens to be one such idea.” HEADED ONCE AGAIN TOWARD PROTECTIONISM Well, India is now the world’s fifth-largest economy, on track to becoming the third biggest in a few years. But that’s largely a statistical artifact: A product of extremely unequal growth that’s making a tiny section of 1.4 billion people very rich. On average, it’s still a lower-middle-income nation with per capita income of US$2,500 last year, nowhere near South Korea’s US$35,000. Korea, which used to be as poor as India in the 1960s, inspired Singh’s vision. He couldn’t replicate the “miracle on the Han” in his lifetime. But a bigger worry is that New Delhi, lurching once again toward protectionist trade policies, is no longer even on the path to that goal. And that will be a shame, if by choosing to replace rational analysis with empty slogans, and genuine reforms with nationalistic chest-thumping, the country lets down the memory of its quiet internationalist.New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday passed away after he was admitted to the emergency department of AIIMS Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders from across political parties paid tributes to the former Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, "Manmohan Singh Ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Kaur and the family. I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride." Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes, "Few people in politics inspire the kind of respect that Sardar Manmohan Singh ji did. His honesty will always be an inspiration for us and he will forever stand tall among those who truly love this country as someone who remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents. He was genuinely egalitarian, wise, strongwilled and courageous until the end. A uniquely dignified and gentle man in the rough world of politics." Remembering Manmohan Singh, MK Stalin wrrote, "Deeply saddened by the passing of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, a statesman whose intellect and leadership steered India’s economic transformation. His tenure marked an era of steady growth, social progress, and reforms that improved the lives of millions." 'Immense Loss For Nation' Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha paid his tributes and wrote, "A world-renowned economist and the architect behind the liberalization of the Indian economy, Dr Manmohan Singh Ji steered India through difficult times and into a new era. An Oxford-educated economist, he spearheaded India's 1991 economic reforms and led the nation as Prime Minister with quiet determination, proving that intellect and integrity can drive transformative change. I join the nation in mourning the passing of one of our most distinguished statesmen. His legacy will endure and inspire generations to come. I consider myself blessed and privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside him in the Rajya Sabha. My deepest condolences to his family. RIP, Sir. Om Shanti." JP Nadda wrote, "The passing of Former Prime Minister and Economist Shri Manmohan Singh ji is an immense loss for the nation. A visionary statesman and a stalwart of Indian politics, throughout his remarkable career in public service, he consistently voiced for the welfare of the downtrodden. His leadership earned admiration and respect across party lines. Shri Manmohan Singh ji’s legacy will continue to inspire generations in their pursuit of nation-building. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and admirers. Om Shanti." Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah wrote, " Very sorry to hear about the demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. I had many occasions to interact & learn from him. He was truly an intellectual giant, an accomplished economist but above all he was a thorough gentleman, a giant among pygmies. India has lost a great son with his passing. Rest in peace sir & thank you for everything." Manmohan Singh Passes Away Singh, a renowned economist and statesman, was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on Thursday evening after his health deteriorated. "With profound grief, we inform the demise of Former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26th December 2024. Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM," AIIMS said in a statement, confirming the death. In his political career, Singh has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 1991, where he was Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2004.Manmohan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on 22nd May after the 2004 general elections and took the oath of office for a second term on 22nd May 2009. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.777-9 operators 。

Faruqi & Faruqi Reminds Match Group Investors Of The Pending Class Action Lawsuit With A Lead Plaintiff Deadline Of January 24, 2025 – MTCHBy ROB GILLIES, Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products , a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . “The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well,” LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.

As Dustin Hopkins continues ‘working through’ issues, meet the player who could kick in Browns' final 2 gamesBy BILL BARROW ATLANTA (AP) — the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. years old. The died on Sunday, more than a year after entering , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, who , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, and well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.

McDonald’s Bringing Back Iconic McRib Sandwich After Saying It Wouldn’tFORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Jalen Jackson scored 23 points as Purdue Fort Wayne beat Robert Morris 82-77 on Sunday. Jackson had six rebounds and three steals for the Mastodons (6-4, 1-1 Horizon League). Corey Hadnot II scored 13 points, shooting 4 of 11 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. Rasheed Bello went 4 of 11 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points. Alvaro Folgueiras finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Colonials (6-5, 0-2). Robert Morris also got 19 points, four assists and four steals from Kam Woods. Ryan Prather Jr. finished with 14 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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IT was a record-breaking year for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), with the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) each announcing their highest-ever investment approvals and ecozone registrations. Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said their sterling performances in 2024 reaffirm the Philippines' position as a competitive investment destination in the region. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.

TELECOMMUNICATION giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. said on Thursday they are stepping up initiatives to safeguard customers and enterprises from malicious online activities, as cyber threats and scams continue to proliferate in the Philippines. In separate statements, both companies said they have developed comprehensive measures to counter cybercrime, underscoring their commitment to create a safer digital environment. PLDT Enterprise First Vice President John Gonzales said the group is focusing on cutting-edge technological solutions to combat cybercrime, particularly as mobile transactions dominate the digital landscape. “The Philippines is a mobile-first country. Today, 64 percent of transactions here are conducted on mobile devices, and because of the high volume of transactions, the Philippines has become a major target for malicious actors,” Gonzales said. He said PLDT has aligned with GSMA’s Open Gateway Initiative, which fosters standardized APIs for secure and seamless digital experience. He cited the rollout of three key services in 2024: silent authentication to replace OTPs, device location validation for fraud detection, and enhanced Know Your Customer (KYC) processes to ensure secure transactions. “PLDT and Smart fully understand the critical role of telcos in fighting fraudulent activities. We are very thankful for GSMA who has been driving anti-fraud measures globally by uniting telcos, app developers, enterprises and other stakeholders to create mechanisms against fraud,” Gonzales said. In addition to technological advancements, PLDT and Smart are proactively collaborating with industry stakeholders and government agencies to tackle scams like SMShing and the use of illegal cell towers. The group has already blocked nearly two billion malicious text messages and blacklisted almost a million scam-related numbers in 2024. “Our role in continuously educating consumers and enterprises is also something we take seriously. Together, we must continue to build awareness of cybercrimes and ways to prevent them, putting in place a comprehensive defense against fraud and scams,” he said. Globe Telecom, meanwhile, is using its Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) to educate Filipinos on digital citizenship and cybersecurity. The program reached 6,196 participants in 2024, including students, parents, and community members all over the country. “With the accelerated digital transformation comes growing online threats, particularly fraud, to which more and more Filipinos fall victim every day. These threats rob online customers of their hard-earned money, impacting their mental and physical health,” said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer at Globe. In November alone, the DTP reached 450 participants in areas like Ilocos Sur, Pampanga, Rizal, and Davao del Norte, offering workshops on recognizing scams, ethical internet use, and AI ethics. These sessions are part of Globe’s broader efforts to promote digital safety and responsibility, particularly among young Filipinos. “Globe believes the antidote is education, that’s why we are bringing DTP to schools across the country. If our young people are aware of what to look out for and how to protect themselves online, they will get to enjoy the benefits of technology safely, spared from becoming another scam statistic,” she added. Globe’s impact extends beyond education, with its active blocking of threats such as spam, scam SMS, and harmful websites. By the third quarter of 2024, Globe had blocked 162.7 million scam texts, 167,408 malicious URLs, and 20,509 scam-linked SIMs, among others. Sources regularly see Lorenz at telco and transport conferences. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, and has been covering the beat since 2013. He likes to featurize stories, and tries to find another angle for spot news. He travels during his spare time, and likes his coffee black -- no cream, no sugar.

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New Delhi, Dec 26, 2024 Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, renowned economist and architect of India’s economic reforms, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here following a deterioration in his health. The news of Dr. Singh’s death has been confirmed by the AIIMS in a statement that read: “With profound grief, we inform the demise of former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh aged 92. He was being treated for age related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on December 26. Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the medical emergency at AIIMS. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 p.m.” Dr. Singh had been admitted for treatment in the hospital on Thursday night after being critically ill. Dr. Singh, who served as country’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, was known for his transformative role in steering India’s economy through a period of significant liberalisation. His tenure is often credited for initiating major economic reforms in 1991 when he was the finance minister, which helped modernise India’s economy and integrate it into the global market. A man of humility and intellect, Dr. Singh was a respected figure both in India and globally. Under his leadership, India saw consistent economic growth, reducing poverty and strengthening the country’s position on the world stage. His government was also known for implementing crucial legislations in areas such as education, food security, and information. Dr. Singh’s death has left the nation in mourning, with leaders from all political parties and across the world paying tribute to his legacy. His contributions to the field of economics and public service will be remembered for generations. He is survived by his wife, Gursharan Kaur, and their three daughters. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced soon, with the nation’s leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected to participate in honouring his memory. Dr. Singh’s death marks the end of an era in Indian politics. His leadership and legacy will continue to inspire future generations. In April this year, Manmohan Singh retired from Rajya Sabha, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge praising his long parliamentary career. Manmohan Singh shot to prominence as the country’s Finance Minister in the government headed by PV Narasimha Rao during 1991-96, having brought in sweeping reforms that transformed the economy. As the two-term Prime Minister of the UPA, he stayed at the top post from 2004 and 2014, and served as a member of the Rajya Sabha till early this year. In his political career, Singh has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 1991, where he was Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2004. Manmohan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 22 after the 2004 general elections and took the oath of office for a second term on May 22, 2009. He represented Assam for five terms in the Upper House and shifted to Rajasthan in 2019. His last intervention in Parliament was against demonetisation, describing it as an “organised loot and legalised plunder”. Born on September 26, 1932, in Punjab, Singh received his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics from Panjab University in 1952 and 1954 respectively. Manmohan Singh completed his Economic Tripos from Cambridge University in 1957. He followed this with a D.Phil in Economics from Oxford University in 1962. (Agency)

There is perhaps no more quintessentially American phenomenon than widespread panic over strange lights in the sky and the unknown implications thereof. From Orson Welles' panic-inducing broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" to popular culture's obsession with flying saucers outside of Roswell, New Mexico, ours is a country that seemingly cannot help but look up and wonder: "What the heck is that?" For the past several days, that has been the question on the minds of New Jersey residents baffled and unnerved by a sudden proliferation of supposed drones hovering over the Garden State without warning or explanation. The mysterious lights have prompted demands for federal investigation as speculation about the unmanned aerial vehicles runs rampant throughout the state and across the eastern seaboard. As theories abound and lawmakers urge calm, here's what people know about the unexplained drone swarms, and why some officials are ringing the alarms about what they might mean. What did the commentators say? The Biden administration has worked to preempt panic over the drone swarms. There is "no evidence at this time" that they "pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus," White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said last week. Nevertheless, "something's going on," Washington Township Mayor Matthew Murello said on " Good Morning America ." "I'm not trying to stir anything up, but we all know — if you just turn on the television — that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion." With recent unexplained drone sightings in "at least eight states," there remains "significant confusion about the exact nature of the sightings," CNN said. "There's a lot of us that are pretty frustrated right now," Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said on " Fox News Sunday. " For officials to say "'We don't know' is not a good enough answer," Himes said, demanding the government "put more information out there" to ease public concern. "More federal resources are needed to understand what is behind this activity," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said in a letter to the Biden administration requesting aid in investigating the drones. "Existing laws limit the ability of state and local law enforcement" to conduct their own inquiries and counter-operations effectively. Those limitations haven't stopped some New Jersey officials from engaging in their own examinations. Over the weekend, Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) documented his own excursion with local police across Hunterdon County to get "different vantage points" on suspected drone activity. Ultimately, "most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes," Kim said. Even so, Kim said, it's "hard to understand how with the technology we have we aren't able to track these devices to determine origin" — a challenge that made the senator "much more concerned about our capabilities more broadly when it comes to drone detection and countermeasures." Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) has been even more aggressive, accusing defense officials of "hiding the truth" about the drones' origins from an Iranian "mothership," Politico said. Drew's allegation, at which officials "balked," only serves to highlight "how drones, once the play toy of amateur photographers, are fast becoming a national security concern." What next? Biden administration officials have begun acting on requests from local lawmakers, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). Her "calls for additional resources" prompted "our federal partners" to send a "drone detection system to New York," Hochul said on X. Still, "Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones," Hochul said. Accordingly, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is "working to pass a bill in the Senate to give local law enforcement more tools for drone detection," he said on X . The incidents have also become partisan fodder in the waning days of the Biden administration. The White House's lack of transparency on the sightings is a "reminder that the general attitude of this White House towards the American people has been, 'you don't need to know that,'" said Fox News ' David Marcus. And while President-elect Donald Trump "can't imagine it's the enemy," the Biden administration would be "better off saying what it is our military knows and our president knows," Trump said on Monday.Legendary St. John's coach Lou Carnesecca dead at 99apk go777 。

The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as US markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.2%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, and Amazon and Netflix each fell 0.9%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, finishing 1.8% lower. Some tech companies fared better. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6% and Adobe gained 0.5%. Health care stocks were a bright spot. CVS Health rose 1.5% and Walgreens Boots Alliance added 5.3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3%, Ross Stores added 2.3%, Best Buy rose 2.9% and Dollar Tree gained 3.8%. Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. US-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.1% and 16.4% respectively. The Japanese car makers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. All told, the S&P 500 fell 2.45 points to 6,037.59. The Dow added 28.77 points to 43,325.80. The Nasdaq fell 10.77 points to close at 20,020.36. Wall Street also got a labour market update. US applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labour Department reported. Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.58% from 4.59% late on Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar.

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LA SALLE 83, TEMPLE 75Southern Co. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsThe Yomiuri Shimbun 5:00 JST, December 17, 2024 The Yomiuri Shimbun and U.S. media company Dow Jones & Co. plan to launch a digital media service for corporate customers next spring. The subscription service will be called the “DOW JONES YOMIURI SHIMBUN Pro.” As technological innovations and social changes accelerate, situations in Japan and around the world are becoming less stable. People in corporate management and organizational operations are more eager than ever to obtain information that will help them foresee coming changes as quickly as possible. The two companies will aim to meet this demand by capitalizing on their strengths in keeping fully abreast of frontline developments in various areas and providing, in a real-time manner, news items that shed essential light on changing situations as well as information “seeds” with great potential to shape future events. The Yomiuri Shimbun will also enhance its ability to provide news globally. Selected news items will be translated into English by dedicated staff and offered through Dow Jones media services. Accurate updates on matters concerning Japan will be delivered to the rest of the world. When information distributed through this new service enables international understanding of how Japanese companies and organizations are working to overcome difficult situations, it will generate a virtuous cycle both in Japan and abroad and help Japan to achieve growth. Founded in 1882 in the United States, Dow Jones provides business news services and operates such brands as The Wall Street Journal, a renowned newspaper established in 1889, and Dow Jones Newswires, which provides financial and business information. The Yomiuri Shimbun has about 2,500 staff writers, the largest number in Japan, covering such areas as politics, the economy, international affairs, society, science, medicine, education, regional affairs, lifestyles, culture and sports. The Yomiuri Shimbun intends to further enhance its capabilities through this new project and improve its content.

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Julie Scelfo started MAMA — Mothers Against Media Addiction — earlier this year to help parents fight back against the harms of social media on children. A former journalist, Scelfo says she was inspired to take action after reporting on the youth mental health crisis and how screens and social media are affecting young people’s lives. The group has 28 chapters in 17 states, with waitlists to start other chapters. Scelfo says the group wants to establish chapters in every state, provide parent education about technology, “ensure the school day remains smart-phone-free for students and overcome the ”inertia in our state capitals and Congress so technology is safeguarded like other consumer products.” Scelfo spoke with The Associated Press recently about her work with MAMA, as well as a new Australian law banning children under 16 from using social media. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. QUESTION: What are the biggest issues you hear from parents about technology, anything new that hasn’t been talked about as much? I’m not sure it hasn’t been talked about, but what I hear the most from parents is that they are extremely stressed about the ubiquity of technology in their children’s lives and they don’t know what to do about it. Whether it’s the massive social pressure to get kids their own phones, or the fact that kindergartners are handed tablets on their first day of school, it can feel almost impossible for parents to do what they intrinsically know is better for their kids — which is to be outside in the world as much as possible and not parked in front of a screen. But parents cannot possibly bear the entire responsibility of keeping children off screens and keeping them safe online because the problems are baked into society and into the design of the products. Parents and kids face a polycrisis — multiple crises happening at the same time which creates an effect even more devastating than each one would be individually. At a time when children should be building their social skills and attention span, they are increasingly interacting with the world through technology that can impede the development of both – and on platforms without adequate safeguards. Social media companies relentlessly target our kids with hidden algorithms that exploit their emotions for profit , and I don’t think there’s a real understanding of just how pervasive that exploitation is. Q: Is Australia’s ban on social media for kids under 16 the right move by a government? Why/why not? Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 puts the responsibility of compliance where it should be — on tech platforms, not parents. With more than half of teenagers spending nearly five hours a day on social media platforms and our heart-breaking national youth mental health crisis, it’s unconscionable that governments around the world, including here in the U.S., have failed to pass meaningful social media regulation since the days when AOL still distributed CD-ROMs by snail mail. Much like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would do here in the U.S, Australia’s ban represents a crucial first break in the long-standing logjam on any type of internet regulation and I applaud Australia’s legislators and Prime Minister Albanese for having the courage to stand up to Big Tech. Big Tech is personalizing content to pull our kids into a world where addiction, anxiety, and even depression are side effects. To keep them on the app longer, children are shown more and more extreme content, leveraging the mountains of data they are collecting on our kids, with no common-sense safeguards or basic protections every parent expects. They are making billions while having the nerve to say it’s the parents’ job to make their products safe for our kids? It’s time for governments to step in and force Beg Tech to take responsibility for the effects of their products. Big Tech has spent more than $51 million this year alone to prevent KOSA from passing. Q: What are the reasons that teens should wait until 16 to be on social media? A: Today’s youth spend nearly 9 hours on screens daily and it’s not healthy or safe for their hearts and minds. For example, Meta in September acknowledged taking action on 12 million pieces of suicide and self-harm content on Facebook and Instagram this year — just between April and June. Our kids’ compulsion to check their phones is exposing them to unsafe content and displacing critical, real-world experiences they need to properly develop socially, emotionally and academically. Q: Won’t kids just get around the restrictions, as they always do? A: Every other industry is safeguarded. From toys to food to buildings to cars, we have regulations in place to keep children safe. Why should social media products be any different? Kids may try to get around the restrictions — just like they do for alcohol, tobacco or drugs — but nobody is saying that because they try, we should give them unfettered access to them. Parents cannot possibly bear the entire responsibility of keeping children safe online, because the problems are baked into the design of the products, and so we need policies that hold Big Tech accountable for ensuring their products are safe. Q: What is your ultimate goal with MAMA? A: Just like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the genesis of this movement is fury and anger at the injustice of young people being robbed of their lives just because they happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I want to direct that energy into cultural change — we can’t continue to tout the benefits of technology without having an open and real-time discussion about its significant, and widespread harms and without ensuring that powerful corporations, just like Big Tobacco, are forced to make their products as safe as possible for humans. The ultimate goal for MAMA is to put tech products in their place: as powerful, and often helpful tools - but just a part of human life, not the center of it.Zelensky demands response from allies as Putin threatens West with new missile

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy . The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 234 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report early in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. A separate update, meanwhile, showed that inflation at the wholesale level, before it reaches U.S. consumers, was hotter last month than economists expected. Neither report points to imminent disaster, but they dilute one of the hopes that’s driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year : Inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates, while the economy is remaining solid enough to stay out of a recession. Of the two reports, the weaker update on the job market may be the bigger deal for the market, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. A surge in egg prices may have been behind the worse-than-expected inflation numbers. “One week doesn’t negate what has been a relatively steady stream of solid labor market data, but the Fed is primed to be sensitive to any signs of a softening jobs picture,” he said. Traders are widely expecting the Fed will ease its main interest rate at its meeting next week. If they’re correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It’s hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. A cut next week would have the Fed following other central banks, which lowered rates on Thursday. The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as many investors expected, and the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by a steeper half of a percentage point. Following its decision, Switzerland’s central bank pointed to uncertainty about how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory will affect economic policies, as well as about where politics in Europe is heading. Trump has talked up tariffs and other policies that could upend global trade. He rang the bell marking the start of trading at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to chants of “USA.” On Wall Street, Adobe fell 13.7% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company gave forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts’. Warner Bros. Discovery soared 15.4% after unveiling a new corporate structure that separates its streaming business and film studios from its traditional television business. CEO David Zaslav said the move “enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities,” raising speculation about a spinoff or sale. Kroger rose 3.2% after saying it would get back to buying back its own stock now that its attempt to merge with Albertsons is off . Kroger’s board approved a program to repurchase up to $7.5 billion of its stock, replacing an existing $1 billion authorization. All told, the S&P 500 fell 32.94 points to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234.55 to 43,914.12, and the Nasdaq composite sank 132.05 to 19,902.84. In stock markets abroad, European indexes held relatively steady following the European Central Bank’s cut to rates. Asian markets were stronger. Indexes rose 1.2% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai as leaders met in Beijing to set economic plans and targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.6% for its third straight gain of at least 1%, as it pulls back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. In the bond market, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.33% from 4.27% late Wednesday. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on who can operate them and where they can be flown. No-fly zones are enforced around airports, military installations, nuclear plants, certain landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, and sports stadiums during games. Not everybody follows the rules. Sightings at airports have shut down flights in a few instances. Reported sightings of what appear to be drones flying over New Jersey at night in recent weeks have created anxiety among some residents, in part because it is not clear who is operating them or why. Some state and local officials have called for stricter rules to govern drones. After receiving reports of drone activity last month near Morris County, New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary bans on drone flights over a golf course in Bedminster , New Jersey, that is owned by President-elect Donald Trump, and over Picatinny Arsenal Military Base . The FAA says the bans are in response to requests from “federal security partners.” Who regulates drones? The FAA is responsible for the regulations governing their use , and Congress has written some requirements into law. Who enforces the rules? With a 2018 law, the Preventing Emerging Threats Act, Congress gave certain agencies in the Homeland Security and Justice departments authority to counter threats from unmanned aircraft to protect the safety of certain facilities. New drones must be outfitted with equipment allowing law enforcement to identify the operator, and Congress gave the agencies the power to detect and take down unmanned aircraft that they consider dangerous. The law spells out where the counter-drone measures can be used, including “national special security events” such as presidential inaugurations and other large gatherings of people. What does it take to become a drone pilot? To get a “remote pilot certificate,” you must be at least 16 years old, be proficient in English, pass an aeronautics exam, and not suffer from a ”mental condition that would interfere with the safe operation of a small unmanned aircraft system.” Are drones allowed to fly at night? Yes, but the FAA imposes restrictions on nighttime operations. Most drones are not allowed to fly at night unless they are equipped with anti-collision lights that are visible for at least 3 miles (4.8 kilometers). Are drones a hazard? Over the past decade, pilots have reported hundreds of close calls between drones and airplanes including airline jets. In some cases, airplane pilots have had to take evasive action to avoid collisions. Drones buzzing over a runway caused flights to be stopped at London’s Gatwick Airport during the Christmas travel rush in 2018 and again in May 2023 . Police dismissed the idea of shooting down the drones, fearing that stray bullets could kill someone. Advances in drone technology have made it harder for law enforcement to find rogue drone operators — bigger drones in particular have more range and power. Will drone rules get tougher? Some state and local officials in New Jersey are calling for stronger restrictions because of the recent sightings, and that has the drone industry worried. Scott Shtofman, director of government affairs at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, said putting more limits on drones could have a “chilling effect” on “a growing economic engine for the United States.” “We would definitely oppose anything that is blindly pushing for new regulation of what are right now legal drone operations,” he said. AirSight, a company that sells software against “drone threats,” says more than 20 states have enacted laws against privacy invasion by drones, including Peeping Toms. Will Austin, president of Warren County Community College in New Jersey, and founder of its drone program, says it's up to users to reduce public concern about the machines. He said operators must explain why they are flying when confronted by people worried about privacy or safety. “It's a brand new technology that's not really understood real well, so it will raise fear and anxiety in a lot of people,” Austin said. “We want to be good professional aviators and alleviate that.” ___ Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C., contributed. David Koenig, The Associated Press

For the a King’s Bench jury has convicted a man from Redvers, Sask. of harassment and impersonation last summer in Saskatoon. Jurors deliberated for around two hours on Thursday before finding Travis Mitchell Patron, 33, guilty of criminal harassment and impersonating a peace officer. When the trial began Monday, a woman testified that a stranger approached her and her five-year-old daughter outside the James Hotel in downtown Saskatoon around 9 a.m. on July 29, 2023. She said the man wanted to ask her a question. When she declined, he asked again, followed her, and demanded she answer him while accusing her of abducting her child, who she told court is African Canadian. The StarPhoenix is withholding the woman’s name to protect her child’s identity. After the verdict, Patron told Justice Ronald Mills that the Crown should have to prove the woman is the mother of the “African child.” Crown prosecutor Lana Morelli said she will ask the court to consider “evidence that the offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race,” when sentencing is held on Jan. 6. Until then, he remains in custody. The woman identified Patron in court as the man shown on surveillance video who “scared her.” She said Patron identified himself as a police officer. Two hotel employees testified that after the woman sought refuge in the lobby, they heard Patron call himself “Canadian law enforcement,” “federal government,” “federal agent,” and “police officer” — types of peace officers. When asked to show ID, he flashed his Canadian passport. Staff said he wasn’t wearing any type of uniform. They testified that they didn’t believe he was a peace officer. A sergeant with Saskatoon’s hate crimes unit testified that Patron isn’t a city police officer and to her knowledge, isn’t a member of any other Saskatchewan police agency. The jury didn’t hear that last month, Patron of impersonating a peace officer on Aug. 1, 2023 — four days after the downtown incident. Those jurors heard Patron approached a woman on the University of Saskatchewan campus, told her he was a protective services officer and offered to escort her across campus. The woman testified that he wasn’t wearing a uniform and the interaction made her uncomfortable. She said she declined and called campus security after they parted ways. Patron was arrested later that day on campus. Court heard he wasn’t allowed to be on the premises at the time, due to past behaviour. During cross-examination, Patron said he had a “judicial lien” on the U of S campus. The woman testified that Patron spoke to her in an authoritative tone. On Monday, the complainant in the downtown incident said Patron’s words were polite but his tone was aggressive. A hotel employee told jurors she blocked Patron in the vestibule to separate him from the woman and her child because they looked “very scared.” When a hotel guest intervened, Patron asked the man if he wanted to fight. Morelli said the woman made it clear that she didn’t want to interact with Patron, but he wouldn’t leave her alone. This constitutes harassment because it caused the woman — who called police after leaving the hotel through a separate exit — a “reasonable fear” for her and her child’s safety, Morelli said during closing arguments. This is the sixth time Patron has been since 2022. Each time he’s self-represented in front of a jury, and refuses to stand when jurors enter and leave. Patron sat silent when asked if he would testify or make closing arguments. While jurors were out of the room, he told Mills that as a “naturalized citizen” of Saskatchewan, he has been appointed a peace officer “by a higher court,” pointing to a “writ of mandamus” that he says lists his “position” as a peace officer. He said he therefore had the right to stop the woman because he was trying to “keep the peace” and prevent a crime. Morelli noted there’s no evidence the woman was committing a crime. Patron said it was “unfair” that he wasn’t allowed to cross-examine her. A defence lawyer was appointed at the Crown’s request to question her on Patron’s behalf. He didn’t ask the right questions, Patron said before admitting he didn’t give the lawyer any instructions. In January, Patron was an interracial couple by following them around Saskatoon’s Midtown Mall and asking the man, “Why are you walking around with our women if you weren’t born in Canada?” The mall incident happened a day after he harassed the woman downtown.JERUSALEM — 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 a witness in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara 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 aide 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 in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were the many kind and charitable acts by his wife and blasted the Uvda report as “lies.” “My opponents on the left and in the media found a new-old target. They mercilessly attack my wife, Sara,” he said. He called the program ”false propaganda, nasty propaganda that brings up lies from the darkness.” It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for the Netanyahus — highlighted by the prime minister's ongoing corruption trial. The pair have also had a rocky relationship with the Israeli media. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of cases alleging he exchanged favors with powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” by overzealous prosecutors, police and the media. The report obtained correspondence between Sara Netanyahu and Hanni Bleiweiss, a former aide to the prime minister who died of cancer last year. The messages indicated that Sara Netanyahu, through Bleiweiss, encouraged police to crack down violently on anti-government protesters and ordered Bleiweiss to organize protests against her husband's critics. She also told Bleiweiss to get activists in Netanyahu's Likud party to publish attacks on Klein. Klein is an aide to billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and has testified in the corruption case about her role in delivering tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars and gifts to Netanyahu for her boss. According to the report, Bleiweiss also was instructed to organize demonstrations outside the homes of the lead prosecutor in the corruption case, Liat Ben-Ari, and then Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who had issued the indictments, and protests and social media campaigns smearing political opponents. According to the report, Bleiweiss was a loyal aid to Netanyahu for decades. But while she was ill, it said Sara Netanyahu mistreated her, prompting her to share the messages with a reporter shortly before her death. Sara Netanyahu has been accused of abusive behavior toward her personal staff before. This, together with accusations of excessive spending and using public money for her own extravagant personal tastes, has earned her an image as being out of touch with everyday Israelis. In 2019, she was fined for misusing state funds. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees police and has repeatedly said the attorney general, Baharav-Miara, should be fired over a series of grievances against her, said the latest announcement was another reason for her to be dismissed. “Someone who politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as the attorney general,” he said. And Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another Netanyahu ally and critic of Baharav-Miara, accused her of focusing on “television gossip.” “Selective enforcement is a crime!” he said in a statement.

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