jili slot game app Romania's far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on Saturday urged voters to go to polling stations despite the country's top court having scrapped the presidential elections over alleged irregularities amid claims of Russian interference. The court's shock ruling, coming just before the presidential run-off which had been due Sunday, opens the way for a new electoral process starting from scratch in the EU and NATO member state bordering war-torn Ukraine. The annulment follows a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency this week detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks. Georgescu -- who unexpectedly topped last month's first round of voting -- called for voters on Sunday "to wait to be welcomed, to wait for democracy to win through their power", said a statement from his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right," said the statement. "That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow." Georgescu himself would go to a polling station near Bucharest at 0600 GMT, said his team. Earlier Saturday, police raided three houses in Brasov city in central Romania as part of the investigation "in connection with crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, computer forgery". Among the houses searched was that of businessman Bogdan Peschir, a TikTok user who according to the declassified documents allegedly paid $381,000 to those involved in the promotion of Georgescu, Romanian media reported. Peschir has compared his support for Georgescu to the world's richest man Elon Musk's backing of US president-elect Donald Trump. Little-known outsider Georgescu, a 62-year-old former senior civil servant, was favourite to win the second round on Sunday against centrist pro-EU mayor Elena Lasconi, 52, according to several polls. But the constitutional court on Friday unanimously decided to annul the entire electoral process as it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation". President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that he had discussed with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and they agreed on the "need to strengthen the security of social media". The European Commission announced earlier this week that it had stepped up monitoring TikTok after Romania's authorities alleged "preferential treatment" of Georgescu on the platform -- a claim the company has denied. Following the court's decision, the United States said it had faith in Romania's institutions and called for a "peaceful democratic process". Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on X branded the vote's cancellation an "attempt at rigging the outcome" and "denying the will of the people". Georgescu called it "a formalised coup d'etat" and said democracy was "under attack". His team on Saturday declined to comment on the raids, saying they "will not comment or provide answers until we have exact data". Georgescu and another far-right party, the AUR, have said they plan to appeal the decision to stop the voting to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. A past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgescu, an EU and NATO sceptic, in recent days had reframed himself as "ultra pro-Trump," vowing to put Romania "on the world map" and cut aid for neighbouring Ukraine. In an interview with US broadcaster Sky News on Saturday, Georgescu said there were no links between him and Russia. Political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP that the annulment has "further polarised Romanian society". With trust in institutions and the ruling class already low, the vote's cancellation poses a "major danger that Romanians will think that it doesn't matter how they vote", Ciobanu added. Elsewhere in the EU, Austria annulled presidential elections in 2016 because of procedural irregularities. In Romania, a new government is expected to set another date for the presidential vote. In last weekend's legislative elections, the ruling Social Democrats came top. But far-right parties made big gains, securing an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in Ukraine. In a joint appeal on Wednesday, the Social Democrats and three other pro-EU parties -- together making up an absolute majority in parliament -- signed an agreement to form a coalition, promising "stability". bur-jza/jjPPG today announced its 50th order for the electrostatic application of marine fouling control coatings. The project will be carried out on the VLCC SIDR, a 336-meter oil tanker operated by Bahri Ship Management at the Asyad Drydock Company shipyard in Oman, using PPG NEXEONTM 810 antifouling coating on the hull. Leveraging decades of experience in the aerospace and automotive industries, PPG introduced electrostatic coating application to the shipping industry just over a year ago. Electrostatic application provides an increased transfer efficiency compared to airless spraying, resulting in sustainability benefits including significant reductions in overspray and waste. PPG has optimized its hull coatings for this application technique. PPG books 50th vessel using electrostatic coating application “Ship owners and shipyards are looking for innovative solutions to comply with stricter environmental regulations and meet their sustainability goals – these include low-friction hull coatings that reduce vessel greenhouse gas emissions and provide sustainably advantaged application procedures,” said Sijmen Visser, PPG sales director, Marine EMEA, Protective and Marine Coatings. “Electrostatic application is quickly being adopted by large shipping companies and by shipyards in Europe, Singapore and China.” Conventional fouling control coatings are generally not suitable for electrostatic application. However, the formulation of both PPG Nexeon antifouling and PPG SIGMAGLIDE® fouling release coatings allow them to be sprayed electrostatically. Electrically charged paint particles are precisely guided towards the grounded surface of the vessel, leading to an exceptionally even distribution and the formation of a uniform and ultrasmooth, long-lasting film layer. “We strive to conduct our business in a sustainable way and constantly measure our environmental impact through performance indicators,” said Khalid Alhammad, Ship Management President at Bahri. “A cornerstone of our environmental strategy is to reduce carbon emissions of our entire fleet. To achieve these objectives, we constantly adopt the latest technologies in hull coating that would help reduce vessel emissions. Combining that with a sustainable coating application technique makes it an attractive combination to us.” Electrostatic application of PPG hull coatings In a recent project, EDR Antwerp shipyard confirmed a 40 per cent reduction in overspray with the electrostatic application of PPG Sigmaglide coating on a RoRo passenger vessel from Stena Line. With reduced overspray, electrostatic application provides a cleaner operation and improved work environment for the applicators compared to airless spraying. Shipyards spend less time masking the vessel and cleaning the dock, saving time and costs. Source: PPG

Boston Marathon to Compensate Athletes Affected by Doping

Liverpool shines in Champions League, dumping Real Madrid down the table. Dortmund rises to 4thMACON, Ga. (AP) — Myles Redding returned an interception 25 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and Whitt Newbauer threw a four-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter as No. 7-seeded Mercer beat No. 10 Rhode Island 17—10 on Saturday. Mercer advances to the FCS semifinals for the first time and will face No. 2 North Dakota State, which beat No. 15 Abilene Christian 51-31. Redding swooped in front of Hunter Helms' intended receiver for his seventh interception of the season with 3:33 left in the first quarter, tying him with teammate TJ Moore for the most in the nation. Rhode Island got a 17-yard field goal from Ty Groff as time expired in the first half and took the lead late in the third quarter when Helms connected with Marquis Buchanan on a 56-yard touchdown for a 10-7 lead. Senior Dwayne McGee set up two fourth-quarter scores for the Bears, slashing through the right side for a 33-yard gain to give Mercer a first-and-goal at the Rhode Island 10. On third-and-goal from the 4, Newbauer found Adjatay Dabbs for the go-ahead touchdown. After the Bears twice forced the Rams to punt in their own half of the field, McGee ran 40 yards on first down to give Mercer a first down at the Rhode Island 25, setting up a 24-yard Reice Griffith field goal for the game's final score. McGee finished with 114 yards on 21 carries and CJ Miller added 81 yards on 10 carries for Mercer (11-2), which remained unbeaten in seven home games. Helms finished 22 of 33 passing for 266 yards and Buchanan caught 11 passes for 119 yards to lead Rhode Island (11-3), but the Rams managed just 46 yards on 26 carries on the ground. — Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Give thanks this week for the ‘invisible hand’

In football , the winger position is key to any team's attacking strategy, and how well that role is performed by players can be crucial to how much success the club goes on to achieve in any given season. This is particularly true in the modern game, with wingers being deployed to both attack and stretch out the opposing team's defence, putting crosses into the box and being an overall goal threat, while some also have the added responsibility of having to track back and defend. Many world-class players have developed their individual game playing out wide since the turn of the new millennium, and some have evolved into some of the greatest players of their generation, while some are considered some of the best of all time. GIVEMESPORT has identified 11 standout wingers that have shaped the role, and the game, since 2000, and ranked each of them based on the following criteria: Achievements Ability Consistency Contribution within the 21st Century Greatest Wingers of the 21st Century Rank Player Country 1. Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 2. Ronaldinho Brazil 3. Neymar Jr. Brazil 4. Luis Figo Portugal 5. Arjen Robben The Netherlands 6. Lionel Messi Argentina 7. Gareth Bale Wales 8. Franck Ribery France 9. Eden Hazard Belgium 10. Mohamed Salah Egypt 11. Vinicius Junior Brazil 11 Vinicius Junior Despite being just 24 years old, Vinicius Junior has already established himself as one of the best wingers in the modern era . A huge star in the latest iteration of Real Madrid 's 'Galacticos', the Brazilian has been a mainstay of the Los Blancos squad since his arrival on a £38 million transfer in 2018 as an 18-year-old. With frightening pace down the flank, it's not just his speed that is lightning quick, but also his feet, with his trickery making him unstoppable at times, with him going on to score some crucial trophy-winning goals, such as those in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 Champions League finals. He struggled in front of goal early on in his career, but has since found his footing, and has now tallied 95 goals and 83 assists in 282 appearances. This includes 35 goal contributions last season, which led Madrid to a La Liga title and the Champions League, and saw him finish as runner-up - albeit controversially - in the 2024 Ballon d'Or . 10 Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah exhibited some potential in his early years with Basel, though his progress was stunted slightly when he went to Premier League side, Chelsea in 2013, making a mere 19 appearances in two seasons in west London, being loaned to Italy, with Fiorentina and Roma during his spell there. After making the permanent switch to Roma, he began lighting up Serie A , notching 34 goals and 22 assists in 83 appearances, which saw Liverpool come in and pay in excess of £36.5 million for him, and the rest is history, as they say. So far, in seven-and-a-half seasons with the Merseyside outfit, the best African player in world football has become one of their most integral players, having scored 224 goals and created 100 assists in 369 appearances in all competitions. He helped the Reds end their 30-year drought of a league title in 2020, while also scoring in the 2018/19 Champions League final. 9 Eden Hazard Eden Hazard 's prime years came when he was with Chelsea, and when he was on form, there was nobody around that could stop him. Having moved over to west London from Lille in the summer of 2012 after racking up 103 goal involvements in 194 games, Hazard was part of a Blues group that won two Premier League titles in three seasons. This was largely in part due to the Belgian, who, when scoring double-digit goals in the league, more often than not helped Chelsea maintain a top-three finish. Standing at just 5-foot-7 in height, Hazard's low centre of gravity allowed him to weave in and around opposition defenders, and he finished his Chelsea career with 110 goals, 85 assists, and six trophies. He ended up getting a move to Real Madrid, but injuries took their toll, and he was unable to find any real form, though he did win the Champions League. 8 Franck Ribery Franck Ribery was vastly underrated during his prime, known for his pace, skill and creativity in finding his teammates in goalscoring positions. His 2012-13 season in which he won the treble with Bayern Munich , contributing to 34 goals, of which he assisted a league-leading 23, saw him win the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, the French Player of the Year trophy, and the Globe Soccer Best Footballer of the Year award that season. Many thought he would be a lock for that season's Ballon d'Or. Alas, he finished third , marginally behind winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi , something Ribery claimed was a political decision . Spending 12 of his 19 career years with the German club, he became one of the most decorated, winning 24 trophies between 2007 and 2019, scoring 124 goals and assisting 182 in 425 total games. 7 Gareth Bale Gareth Bale actually started his career as a left-back, but during his time with Tottenham Hotspur , he transformed into one of the most prolific wingers of his generation and one of the best in British history . A left-footer who was mainly deployed on the right flank, his unpredictability would cause huge problems for defenders, and after scoring 53 goals and 27 assists in 166 appearances in the English top flight, Real Madrid made him a then-world record signing. There, the Welshman would continue to thrive, going on to score 106 goals and provide 67 assists in the Spanish capital, winning 16 trophies including five Champions Leagues, with his now infamous overhead kick in the 2018 Final over Liverpool one of the greatest ever scored. 6 Lionel Messi Having been deployed in a more central No. 10 role , and as a centre-forward over the years, Lionel Messi actually started his career out wide when with Barcelona in the mid-to-late 2000s. One of the finest dribblers of a football , weaving past the lines of defence with ease, Messi has played 483 career games out on the flank, the majority of which came on the right-hand side, though he occasionally switched over to the left. In that position, he has scored 348 goals, and assisted 176 more, by far his most successful output. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner would have been higher up this list had he spent his entire career on the width of the pitch, with him arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time . 5 Arjen Robben Arjen Robben moved around Europe quite often in his early career, starting out in the Eredivisie with Groningen before earning a move to PSV Eindhoven . From there, he enjoyed a brief stint in England with Chelsea, winning back-to-back league titles in 2004-06, before going to Spain to play for Real Madrid. He would make just 65 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring 13 goals and tallying 15 assists, before finding a home with Bayern Munich, where he spent a decade, winning seven consecutive Bundesliga titles, and eight overall. With Ribery on one flank, and Robben - with a devastating left boot - on the other, Munich became a dominant European powerhouse during the Dutchman's years with the club, where he recorded 144 goals and 101 assists in just 309 games for the club. Arguably his most important goal, though, was in the 2013 Champions League final, where his 89th-minute strike proved to be the winner. 4 Luis Figo Luis Figo was one of the most talented wingers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, leading his country to the Euro 2004 final on home soil, and a run to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup . The Portuguese winger spent ample time with Barcelona, making 249 appearances, being involved with 130 goals and winning two La Liga titles before crossing the Clasico divide and playing for rivals Madrid at the turn of the millennium. There, he would win another two league titles in five seasons, as well as winning his only Champions League title in 2002, making 245 appearances, and being involved in 151 goals, of which 94 were assists. In his 30s, he went over to Serie A to join Inter Milan , winning four league titles in four seasons with the club, though he would muster just 45 goal involvements in 140 games in all competitions. 3 Neymar Jr. Neymar is one of Brazil's greatest-ever players , being their all-time goalscorer with 79 goals and counting, along with 59 assists, and perhaps could have been the best had he only played in another era. Spotted by Barcelona when playing for Santos, in which he mustered 136 goals and 64 assists in just 225 appearances, he became an instant hit with the Catalan side, being one of the devastating 'MSN' trio that featured Luis Suarez and Messi. He would make 186 appearances in all competitions, contributing to 181 goals, and winning nine trophies before he wanted to branch out and be the main star in a team, joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee of £198 million in 2017. In 173 appearances for the French juggernauts, Neymar scored 118 goals and assisted 77 more, winning another 14 trophies. Still today, no footballer has a greater instinctive nature than the Brazilian, with scientific research even being conducted to explore his brain activity when he has the ball at his feet , which has led to some incredible findings. 2 Ronaldinho Ronaldinho is one of the trickiest wingers in football history, showcasing outrageous skill every time he stepped onto the pitch. Playing all across Europe, he spent his prime years at Barcelona, lighting up the Camp Nou with his trickery, creative flair, and a glorious first touch, before moving to AC Milan . Across his 561-game career, he tallied 373 goal contributions, winning seven trophies, including a Champions League. As such, he was the recipient of the 2005 Ballon d'Or, the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and the UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2006. As the lights got brighter, so did Ronaldinho. On the international stage, scoring 33 goals in 97 appearances, winning a World Cup, Copa America and Confederations Cup, as well as picking up a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. 1 Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time and has been part of some of the most successful teams in the modern era, coming up clutch to help his team in the biggest moments, some with trophies on the line. In the Portuguese winger's stellar career, he holds a plethora of records, including the most ever career goals scored, having amassed 915 career goals for club and country, and won 35 trophies, including seven league titles, and five Champions Leagues. He has won wherever he has gone, having played in three of Europe's 'Big Five', winning titles with Manchester United , Real Madrid and Juventus . Internationally, he has been Portugal's biggest star during their most successful period , having been part of the team that won the 2016 European Championship, while he also spearheaded them to the inaugural Nations League . All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt , and FBRef - accurate as of 07/12/2024.

Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in ‘Freedom Convoy’Blake Snell and Dodgers agree to $182 million, 5-year contract, AP source saysTrailblazing model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

Renovations boom while new builds stall