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CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami probably was one win away from getting into the College Football Playoff. Iowa State definitely was one win away. Their consolation prize of sorts: playing one another. The Hurricanes and Cyclones — a meteorological matchup — have accepted bids to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, to be played Dec. 28 in Orlando, Florida. Iowa State (10-3) is looking for its first 11-win season in the program's 133-year history, and Miami (10-2) is seeking its first 11-win season since 2003. Miami's loss at Syracuse to close the regular season wound up being the game the Hurricanes could point to as the reason they missed out on the CFP. Iowa State could have played its way in and lost the Big 12 title game to CFP-bound Arizona State on Saturday. “I think everyone that doesn't get in feels disappointment,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “We feel the onus of just doing better. Just do better, go forward, have an opportunity to get better.” It's essentially the same task for both teams: regrouping after seeing the playoff slip away. “I think that’s what’s made Iowa State football really special is our ability to have great resiliency," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. "And I know our kids are super-excited about the opportunity to finish off. Obviously (Saturday) was disappointing. But this group and this football team has the opportunity to just continue to fight.” A big question for Miami: whether quarterback Cam Ward will play. The likely Heisman Trophy finalist has thrown for 155 touchdown passes in his career at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami. That’s tied for the most by anyone in Division I (FBS and FCS) history; Case Keenum threw 155 in his career at Houston. Many draft-bound players not in the playoff will be opting out of bowl games over the coming weeks. There's been no indication from Miami yet that Ward or any other draft-bound player has made a decision. “I think it’s important that our guys, anyone playing and closing out the season, understands the importance of that next step for a program like ours," Cristobal said. "And I think our guys do.” 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

The question sounds so basic and friendly. But it’s actually loaded, as many mothers can attest. “Do you just love getting to be home with him all the time?” asks the younger, more put-together woman in the supermarket. “Must be so wonderful.” Wonderful, of course — and sometimes brain-numbing and soul-draining too, some exhausted fulltime moms might reply. Especially if, like in Marielle Heller’s they’d left their prized art gallery job to this other woman. And so Adams responds, twice, showing in this very opening scene exactly why her typically brave, brutally frank performance lifts this movie from an oddly uneven script to something unequivocally worth seeing. First we get the honest answer, the one no one really gives until later in the shower: she feels “stuck inside of a prison of my own creation,” where she torments herself and ends up binge-eating Fig Newtons to keep from crying. She is angry all the time. Oh and, she has gotten dumber. Then we rewind and director-writer Heller has Adams give her real answer: “I do, I love it! I love being a Mom.” There we are, two minutes and 13 seconds into “Nightbitch” and you may already find yourself wowed by Adams. If not, just wait until her Mother is sitting at a chic restaurant with a bunch of colleagues from the art world, and her fangs come out. And we don’t mean figuratively. We mean literally. Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we? “Nightbitch” is based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder, a feminist fable that the author has said came from her own malaise when pausing work for child-rearing. She sets her tale in an unidentified suburb of an unidentified city. Mother (characters all have generic names), formerly an admired installation artist, spends her weekdays alone with her adorable, blond 2-year old Son. Husband has a job that seems to bring him home only on weekends. The early scenes depicting Mother’s life are tight and impactful, a contrast to the confused havoc that will come toward the end of the film. Life revolves around the playground and the home, with occasional trips to storytime at the library where she notes, in narration, that she has no interest in the company of other moms — why should they be friends just because they’re moms? In fact, Mother lives in solitude, and director Heller does a nice job illustrating how that feels. You can almost feel the weight of the afternoon coming around, at this comfortable but hardly ostentatious home, when it’s too early for dinner and you’ve done all the activities already and you wonder if you can make it through the day. Then things start to get weird. In the bathroom mirror, Mother starts noticing things. Her teeth are getting sharper. There’s something weird coming out of an apparent cyst at the bottom of her spine. She finds extra nipples. And that’s before she starts eating rare meat. (Also, if you love cats, you may want to close your eyes at one point.) Somehow Adams, who also produces here, makes these things seem, if not quite natural, then logical. What’s happening is that Mother’s frustration is becoming ferocious. Dangerously ferocious. But also — empowering. At night, or so she thinks, she is a wild dog. Aspects of the film work wonderfully. Mother’s relationship with Son (twins Arleigh and Emmett Snowden) is lovely, largely due to a decision to let the young boys talk freely, with the adult actors reacting to their words. It lends a grounding realism to a film that quickly veers surreal. Less successful is the relationship between Mother and Husband (Scoot McNairy), which takes on too much importance as the film goes on, in a baffling way. (Also, just asking, has anyone in this movie ever heard of a babysitter?) More importantly, a story that posits itself on such a tantalizing idea — that by transforming into a dog, Mother discovers her true nature and power — resorts late in the game to a safer story about a marriage that never seemed appealing enough for us to care about anyway. It doesn’t help that it’s hard to grasp the distracting subplot about Mother’s own mother. None of this takes away from the strength of Adams’ performance. You believe her love for her child as much as you believe her resentment for what he is taking away from her. And Adams can make almost any line work, including one about a walnut. But we digress. It’s an irony that for reasons of storytelling, characters have generic names — because Adams is such a singular and particular talent. The journey she embarks upon is bizarre indeed, but you won’t regret taking it with her. “Nightbitch,” a Searchlight Pictures release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association “for language and some sexuality. “ Running time: 98 minutes. Two stars out of four.

The NASA project NEOWISE, which has given astronomers a detailed view of near-Earth objects – some of which could strike the Earth – ended its mission and burned on reentering the atmosphere after over a decade. On a clear night, the sky is full of bright objects – from stars, large planets, and galaxies to tiny asteroids flying near Earth. These asteroids are commonly known as near-Earth objects , and they come in a wide variety of sizes. Some are tens of kilometers across or larger, while others are only tens of meters or smaller. On occasion, near-Earth objects smash into Earth at a high speed – roughly 10 miles per second (16 kilometers per second) or faster. That’s about 15 times as fast as a rifle’s muzzle speed. An impact at that speed can easily damage the planet’s surface and anything on it. Impacts from large near-Earth objects are generally rare over a typical human lifetime. But they’re more frequent on a geological timescale of millions to billions of years. The best example may be a 6-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) asteroid that crashed into Earth, killed the dinosaurs, and created the Chicxulub crater about 65 million years ago . Smaller impacts are very common on Earth, as there are more small near-Earth objects. An international community effort called planetary defense protects humans from these space intruders by cataloging and monitoring as many near-Earth objects as possible, including those closely approaching Earth. Researchers call the near-Earth objects that could collide with the surface potentially hazardous objects . NASA began its NEOWISE mission in December 2013. This mission’s primary focus was to use the space telescope from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to closely detect and characterize near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets. NEOWISE contributed to planetary defense efforts with its research to catalog near-Earth objects. Over the past decade, it helped planetary defenders like us and our colleagues study near-Earth objects. Detecting Near-Earth Objects NEOWISE was a game-changing mission, as it revolutionized how to survey near-Earth objects. The NEOWISE mission continued to use the spacecraft from NASA’s WISE mission , which ran from late 2009 to 2011 and conducted an all-sky infrared survey to detect not only near-Earth objects but also distant objects such as galaxies. The spacecraft orbited Earth from north to south, passing over the poles, and it was in a Sun-synchronous orbit , where it could see the Sun in the same direction over time. This position allowed it to scan all of the sky efficiently. The spacecraft could survey astronomical and planetary objects by detecting the signatures they emitted in the mid-infrared range. Humans’ eyes can sense visible light , which is electromagnetic radiation between 400 and 700 nanometers. When we look at stars in the sky with the naked eye, we see their visible light components. However, mid-infrared light contains waves between 3 and 30 micrometers and is invisible to human eyes. When heated, an object stores that heat as thermal energy. Unless the object is thermally insulated, it releases that energy continuously as electromagnetic energy in the mid-infrared range. This process, known as thermal emission , happens to near-Earth objects after the Sun heats them up. The smaller an asteroid, the fainter its thermal emission. The NEOWISE spacecraft could sense thermal emissions from near-Earth objects at a high level of sensitivity – meaning it could detect small asteroids. But asteroids aren’t the only objects that emit heat. The spacecraft’s sensors could pick up heat emissions from other sources, too – including the spacecraft itself. To make sure heat from the spacecraft wasn’t hindering the search, the WISE/NEOWISE spacecraft was designed so that it could actively cool itself using then-state-of-the-art solid hydrogen cryogenic cooling systems . Operation Phases Since the spacecraft’s equipment needed to be very sensitive to detect faraway objects for WISE, it used solid hydrogen, which is extremely cold, to cool itself down and avoid any noise that could mess with the instruments’ sensitivity. Eventually, the coolant ran out, but not until WISE had successfully completed its science goals. During the cryogenic phase , when it was actively cooling itself, the spacecraft operated at a temperature of about -447 degrees Fahrenheit (-266 degrees Celsius), slightly higher than the universe’s temperature, which is about -454 degrees Fahrenheit (-270 degrees Celsius). The cryogenic phase lasted from 2009 to 2011, until the spacecraft went into hibernation in 2011. Following the hibernation period, NASA decided to reactivate the WISE spacecraft under the NEOWISE mission, with a more specialized focus on detecting near-Earth objects, which was still feasible even without the cryogenic cooling. During this reactivation phase , the detectors didn’t need to be quite as sensitive, nor the spacecraft kept as cold as it was during the cryogenic cooling phase, since near-Earth objects are closer than WISE’s faraway targets. The consequence of losing the active cooling was that two long-wave detectors out of the four on board became so hot that they could no longer function, limiting the craft’s capability. Nevertheless, NEOWISE used its two operational detectors to continuously monitor both previously and newly detected near-Earth objects in detail . NEOWISE’s Legacy As of February 2024 , NEOWISE had taken more than 1.5 million infrared measurements of about 44,000 different objects in the solar system. These included about 1,600 discoveries of near-Earth objects. NEOWISE also provided detailed size estimates for more than 1,800 near-Earth objects. Despite the mission’s contributions to science and planetary defense, it was decommissioned in August 2024. The spacecraft eventually started to fall toward Earth’s surface until it reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on Nov. 1, 2024. NEOWISE’s contributions to hunting near-Earth objects gave scientists much deeper insights into the asteroids around Earth. It also gave scientists a better idea of what challenges they’ll need to overcome to detect faint objects. So, did NEOWISE find all the near-Earth objects? The answer is no. Most scientists still believe that there are far more near-Earth objects out there that still need to be identified, particularly smaller ones. To carry on NEOWISE’s legacy, NASA is planning a mission called NEO Surveyor . NEO Surveyor will be a next-generation space telescope that can study small near-Earth asteroids in more detail, mainly to contribute to NASA’s planetary defense efforts. It will identify hundreds of thousands of near-Earth objects that are as small as about 33 feet (10 meters) across. The spacecraft’s launch is scheduled for 2027. Toshi Hirabayashi is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Yaeji Kim is a Postdoctoral Associate in Astronomy at the University of Maryland. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license . Read the original article .

Intuit EVP Mark Notarainni sells $2.36 million in stockCHIHUAHUA, Mexico, Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCC, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: GCC* or "the Company") , a leading producer of cement and concrete in the United States and Mexico, announces that Fitch Ratings has upgraded the Company's local and foreign currency long-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) and US$500 million senior notes due 2032 to 'BBB' from 'BBB-', both with a stable outlook. The upgrade reflects GCC's strong operating performance, solid organic growth and financial position. Fitch's report highlights five key drivers behind GCC's rating upgrade: This document is submitted in compliance with Article 50 of the Mexican Issuers' Regulation (Circular Única de Emisoras). About GCC GCC is a leading supplier and producer of cement, concrete, aggregates, and construction‐related services in the United States and Mexico, with an annual cement production capacity of 6 million metric tons. Founded in 1941, the Company's shares are listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GCC*. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "project" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including, among others, changes in macroeconomic, political, legal, public health crises including COVID-19, governmental or business conditions in the markets where GCC operates; changes in interest rates, inflation rates and currency exchange rates; performance of the construction industry; and pricing, business strategy and other factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from the beliefs, projections, and estimates described herein. GCC assumes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release. For further information, contact: GCC Investor Relations Sahory Ogushi +52 (614) 442 3176 + 1 (303) 739 5943 [email protected]

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his nominee to l e ad the Labor Department . The Oregon House member who narrowly lost her reelection bid earlier this month received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce and its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health, safety and ability to unionize, and employers' rights to fire employees, among other responsibilities. “Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success - Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before!” Trump said in a statement. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BC.GAME , a premier cryptocurrency i-Gaming platform, announced its decision to withdraw its license specifically from Curaçao. This move reflects Curaçao's increasingly hostile environment for operators in recent years. Despite ongoing efforts to modernize Curaçao's i-Gaming law, proper legal protection for all operators established in Curaçao is severely lacking, such as its bankruptcy law which dates to 1931 via the " Curaçao Bankruptcy Decree " which can easily be exploited by malicious actors and used against legitimate operators. Therefore, on 5 th December 2024 , BC.GAME decided to officially withdraw its Curaçao license. This will in no way affect BC.GAME's wider international operations. Separately from Curaçao, BC.GAME holds gaming licenses in multiple other jurisdictions, and its international operations remain fully compliant with its applicable regulatory obligations. Adapting to industry trends As the global gaming industry faces an increasingly complex regulatory environment, this move by BC.GAME is essential in enhancing and maintaining its operational strategy to ensure continuity and to realign BC.GAME with suitably evolved and robust regulatory frameworks for the benefit of its international operations. Most importantly, it ensures the safety, reliability and security of service for BC.GAME users. Consistency in legal and financial obligations Contrary to recent rumours inaccurately circulated questioning BC.GAME's financial position, BC.GAME further reaffirms to its stakeholders and the public in general that its financial position remains in good health. All BC.GAME's international operations remain unaffected and BC.GAME will continue to fulfil all of its ongoing legal and financial obligations. About BC.GAME BC.GAME is a leading global cryptocurrency i-Gaming platform focused on providing users with a secure and diverse entertainment experience. BC.GAME offers a range of services, including sports betting , and electronic gaming whilst ensuring adequate player protection and an increased focus on preventing gambling addiction. With a strong emphasis on technological innovation and regulatory compliance, BC.GAME continues to expand its presence in international markets in maintaining its reputation of being the leading entertainment provider offering a wide range of gaming services. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bcgame-continues-ongoing-efforts-in-strengthening-its-global-compliance-strategy-302324033.html SOURCE BC.GAMETheir consolation prize of sorts: playing one another. The Hurricanes and Cyclones — a meteorological matchup — have accepted bids to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, to be played Dec. 28 in Orlando, Florida. Iowa State (10-3) is looking for its first 11-win season in the program's 133-year history, and Miami (10-2) is seeking its first 11-win season since 2003. Miami's loss at Syracuse to close the regular season wound up being the game the Hurricanes could point to as the reason they missed out on the CFP. Iowa State could have played its way in and lost the Big 12 title game to CFP-bound Arizona State on Saturday. “I think everyone that doesn't get in feels disappointment,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “We feel the onus of just doing better. Just do better, go forward, have an opportunity to get better.” It's essentially the same task for both teams: regrouping after seeing the playoff slip away. “I think that’s what’s made Iowa State football really special is our ability to have great resiliency," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. "And I know our kids are super-excited about the opportunity to finish off. Obviously (Saturday) was disappointing. But this group and this football team has the opportunity to just continue to fight.” A big question for Miami: whether quarterback Cam Ward will play. The likely Heisman Trophy finalist has thrown for 155 touchdown passes in his career at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami. That’s tied for the most by anyone in Division I (FBS and FCS) history; Case Keenum threw 155 in his career at Houston. Many draft-bound players not in the playoff will be opting out of bowl games over the coming weeks. There's been no indication from Miami yet that Ward or any other draft-bound player has made a decision. “I think it’s important that our guys, anyone playing and closing out the season, understands the importance of that next step for a program like ours," Cristobal said. "And I think our guys do.” 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-footballThe Patent War That Started The Aviation Industry

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow, Russian state media reported, as rebels have taken control of the Syrian capital, Damascus, bringing to an end the brutal, half-century rule of the Assad family. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Assad "decided to resign" after "negotiations" with a "number of participants in the armed conflict" and left office "giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power." "Russia did not participate in these negotiations," the ministry added. Russia has been a longstanding ally of Syria, providing significant military and political support to Assad's regime, especially during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement came as the rebels said in a statement aired on state TV that Damascus is "now free of Assad," whose family ruled the country with an iron fist since 1971. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said in a video that the government is "ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people." "We believe that Syria is for all Syrians and that it is the country of all its sons and that this country can be a normal state that builds good relations with its neighbors and the world without entering into any regional alliances and blocs," Jalali said. He was later seen leaving his home on December 8, escorted by armed men, reportedly to meet the leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Sunni rebel group that led the current offensive against the Assad regime. HTS is a U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization. In recent years, the Islamist militant group severed ties with Al-Qaeda and sought to remake itself as a pragmatic alternative to the Syrian government. But concerns remain over its alleged rights abuses and ties to terrorist groups. Abu Mohammad al-Golani, the leader of the HTS, has sought to reassure Shi'ite Alawites and other Syrian minorities, including Christians. In Washington, the White House press office told RFE/RL that U.S. President Joe Biden and his team "are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners." Setback For Russia Experts have said the fall of the Assad regime represents a major geopolitical setback for the Kremlin, which, along with Tehran, has supported the Syrian government through many years of civil war. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Russia and Iran did not appear to bolster the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), which was rapidly collapsing, by rushing in additional forces. Russia has multiple military sites in Syria, including an air base at Hmeimim and strategic naval facilities at Tartus, which are also used to support the Kremlin's actions in North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to comment on the fate of the Russian bases, saying he "wasn't in the business of guessing." Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, said on December 8 that Syrians will have to cope with a full-scale war alone, but he suggested Moscow was ready to support the Syrian people in certain circumstances. The ISW said Moscow had not yet begun to evacuate the naval base, "but it remains unclear whether Russia will keep its vessels at the port as Syrian rebels continue to advance swiftly across regime-held territory." Ruslan Suleymanov, a Russian expert on the Middle East, told RFE/RL that Moscow would "cooperate with the rebels" if they take power in Damascus and that HTS too has "claimed previously that it was ready to negotiate" with the Kremlin. "Putin wants to save his military presence in the region. In any case, to do that, he has to make concessions -- both to jihadists and to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan who supports [the rebels]," Suleymanov said. The surprising offensive began on November 27 during which a coalition of rebel groups led by HTS captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's second largest. Since then, they moved on to take other major cities with Assad's forces providing little resistance. Besides HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive, though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and inflict losses on Assad, as well as his Russian and Iranian allies. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. Neighbors, World Powers React The developments in Damascus prompted Syria's neighbors to take urgent measures, with Lebanon announcing it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Israel said on December 8 it has deployed forces in a demilitarized buffer zone along its northern border with Syria and sent troops "other places necessary for its defense." The Israeli military said the deployment was meant to provide security for residents of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The United States said it will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State (IS) in the region. The United States has about 900 soldiers in Syria. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said Washington is "aware that the chaotic and dynamic circumstances on the ground in Syria could give [IS] space to find the ability to become active, to plan external operations." Speaking at a security conference in Bahrain on December 8, Shapiro said the United States is determined to work with its partners to "continue to degrade [IS] capabilities." "[We're determined] to ensure [IS's] enduring defeat, to ensure the secure detention of IS fighters and the repatriation of displaced persons," Shapiro added. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen described the latest developments as a "watershed moment in Syria's history" and urged all armed actors in the country to maintain law and order and preserve pubic institutions. Speaking in Doha on December 8, Pedersen also said he has no information on Assad's whereabouts. Tom Fletcher, head of the UN humanitarian aid agency, warned about the plight of the millions of Syrians displaced by nearly 14 years of the country’s civil war. Now many more are in danger, Fletcher said. “We will respond wherever, whenever, however we can, to support people in need, including reception centers -- food, water, fuel, tents, blankets,” he said. British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner called for a "political solution" while the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was time in Syria for unity, a peaceful political transition, and for fighting to end. President-elect Donald Trump said Russia and Iran are in a "weakened state" and called on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine. Trump made the comments in a post on Truth Social on December 8 as Syrian rebels captured Damascus , ending the half-century rule of the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad family. The incoming U.S. president said Russia and Iran couldn't come to the support of Syrian dictator Assad because they were in a "weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success." Russia has lost about 600,000 soldiers since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Trump said, adding that Ukraine has lost about 400,000 defending its territory. "There should be an immediate cease-fire and negotiations should begin," Trump said. "I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!" The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Trump's comment. Paris Meeting Trump said in the post that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy "would like to make a deal." Trump held talks with Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on December 7 to discuss the war. Zelenskiy called the trilateral talks "good and productive" and said the leaders discussed the potential for "a just peace." Trump and Zelenskiy were among world leaders who gathered in Paris on December 7 to mark the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. "We talked about our people, the situation on the battlefield, and a just peace for Ukraine. We all want to end this war as quickly and fairly as possible," Zelenskiy said in a December 7 post on Telegram . "President Trump, as always, is determined. We are thankful for that," he added. Macron said , "Let us continue joint efforts for peace, security." Trump , who will take office on January 20, has criticized the tens of billions of dollars the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. He has claimed he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Experts say it will be difficult to hammer out a peace deal quickly because there are so many aspects, including security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions relief for Russia. In the meantime, the outgoing Biden administration has been accelerating weapons shipments to Ukraine ahead of the transfer of power to Trump to bolster its defenses. Washington said on December 7 that it is preparing a $988 million package of arms and equipment to Ukraine, funds taken from the remaining $2.21 billion available in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The funds will be used to buy precision missiles for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and for drones, the Pentagon said. European countries are also stepping up aid in case the Trump administration ends U.S. support for Kyiv. Zelenskiy announced on December 7 that Ukraine had received a second shipment of sophisticated F-16 fighter jets from Denmark. Copenhagen announced last year it would deliver a total of 19 aircraft to Ukraine. "The second batch of F-16s for Ukraine from Denmark is already in Ukraine. This is the leadership in protecting life that distinguishes Denmark," he wrote on Telegram . Police in Romania have detained several people as they headed toward Bucharest carrying guns, machetes, and knives to allegedly "disrupt public order and peace," authorities said on December 8. At least 13 people were being questioned by law enforcement agencies after their vehicles were stopped overnight in the Ilfov county, police sources told RFE/RL. Authorities did not release the names of those in custody but according to sources at the judiciary, among them is Horatiu Potra , leader of the contingent of Romanian private military contractors fighting in the African nation of Congo. Ilfov police said a criminal probe has been launched into the issue. According to Romanian media, Potra was sentenced to two years in prison with a suspended sentence in 2011 after being found guilty of founding a paramilitary group. State news agency Agerpres published a photo of Potra being escorted by several armed officers as he was being taken for questioning, according to the agency. The arrests came as dozens of supporters of Romania’s far-right, pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu were preparing to stage a protest in Bucharest after a runoff vote -- scheduled for December 8 -- was scrapped by the country's Constitutional Court. The rally took place without incident with Georgescu in attendance. "I came only with flowers and prayer," he told those gathered in Mogosoaia, just outside Bucharest. "I am not calling on anyone to do anything, it is a moment of silence," he added. Romania’s far-right, pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu and dozens of his supporters staged a protest at a shuttered polling station in Bucharest after an election runoff was scrapped by the country's Constitutional Court. More than 100 people gathered outside a polling station in the capital on December 8 -- the originally scheduled date of the runoff vote -- chanting "Down with dictatorship," "We want to vote," and "Thieves.” Georgescu, whose pro-Russian comments have prompted protests by thousands of mostly young Romanians in recent days, said the authorities canceled the elections because they were afraid he would win. "I'm here in the name of democracy and always will be," Georgescu told reporters outside the station in the European Union and NATO member country. Georgescu, who ran as an independent, won the first round of the election on November 24 ahead of reformist Elena Lasconi of the center-right Save Romania Union party, setting up the second-round runoff. However, the Constitutional Court on December 6 annuled the entire presidential election, throwing the process into upheaval even as diaspora voting in the second round had already begun at sites outside the country. The court in its published ruling cited the illegal use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of "undeclared sources of funding." Georgescu had blasted the court's ruling as an "officialized coup" and an attack on democracy, while Lasconi also assailed the decision. Georgescu on December 7 urged voters to turn up at polling stations and "to wait for democracy to win through their power," according to a statement by his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right. That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow," the statement said. The runoff had been seen as a referendum on the NATO and EU member's future course amid accusations of Russian meddling that brought thousands of Romanians onto the streets in support of the country's place in the Euro-Atlantic community. The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision came just two days after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence that alleged Russia had organized thousands of social media accounts to promote Georgescu -- the shock first-round winner -- across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. Georgescu had appeared as a favorite to win the runoff, but was passed by Lasconi in the latest opinion poll after the intelligence documents were released. The court, without naming Georgescu, said that one of the 13 candidates in the November 24 first round had improperly received “preferential treatment” on social media, distorting the outcome of the vote. Iohannis said he would remain in office until a new presidential election could be conducted again from the start. He is expected to appoint a prime minister to begin forming a government from the parliament that was elected on December 1. That administration will choose the date of the new election. TBILISI -- Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Georgian capital on December 7 following a violent crackdown the night before by riot police against demonstrators angered by the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Violence broke out again late in the night, as witnesses said journalists and others were beaten by groups of men in street clothes while nearby security personnel did not attempt to intervene. Many of the protesters were calling for the release of fellow demonstrators arrested in previous rallies. Georgian police reported that 48 people had been detained the night before. In the previous night's demonstration – which started late on December 6 -- riot police began dispersing protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building at about 12:30 a.m. on December 7. Special forces detained several people at Republic Square by 1:30 a.m. local time on December 7. They had mobilized earlier on Rustaveli Avenue about 600 meters away from the main center of the demonstration on Republic Square. Among those detained is Tsotne Koberidze, a member of the Tbilisi City Council from the opposition party Girchi (More Freedom), RFE/RL reported. A young woman who had been standing in front of the cordon for several minutes was also detained. Warning messages urging protesters to disperse continued as the riot police attempted to break up the protest on Rustaveli Avenue. Demonstrators moved away from the avenue but did not disperse. Tensions have been running high in Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party won an election on October 26 that the pro-Western opposition and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili say was rigged with the help of Moscow. Earlier on December 6, Zurabishvili called on Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to step down as pressure mounts on the government amid a violent crackdown on unrest. Zurabishvili made the call in an interview with Georgia's Channel One media group as the Prosecutor-General's Office announced that it had filed its first criminal charges against protesters who have taken to the streets to rally against the move. "The prime minister who has failed to settle the crisis...must be replaced," Zurabishvili said. "This is the compromise, depolarization, a way out for Georgia, stability, peace and the future, which will be unshakable, free and democratic," she added. Zurabishvili traveled to Paris on December 7 for ceremonies marking the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral, which had been restored following a devastating 2019 fire. She said on social media that she had an "in-depth discussion" there with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and French leader Emmanuel Macron, posting a video of the talks on X. Zurabishvili also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and thanked him for his support for the Caucasus nation. The announcement last week by Georgian Dream to halt talks on joining the EU until 2028 further fueled dissension, with thousands of Georgians flooding the streets around parliament in protest. The largely peaceful protesters have been met with a sometimes-brutal crackdown by security forces, leaving dozens -- including opposition members and journalists covering the events -- in need of medical attention. The Prosecutor-General's Office, however, said it charged nine individuals with organizing and participating in group violence during the protests on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. "This is a choice between autocracy and democracy -- there is no other way," Tere Heland, an adviser to the European Neighborhood Council, which provides information on current events in Georgia, told RFE/RL in an interview on December 6. Opposition leaders have also rejected accusations by Georgian Dream that the violence was the product of a conspiracy -- aided by foreign actors -- to provoke chaos. Levan Tsutskiridze, leader of the Freedom Square movement and one of the most influential members of the Strong Georgia political coalition, said the actions of government forces against peaceful protesters were "tragic." He accused the police of "mass terror, with physical violence, intimidation, and torture." The opposition has also called for fresh elections, saying that without a new vote, the restoration of democratic legitimacy is impossible. Georgia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL on December 6 that a total of 338 individuals had been detained for administrative violations during the protests, which security forces have tried to put down with water cannons, vast amounts of tear gas, and harsh beatings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called his trilateral talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump “good and productive” and said the leaders discussed the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the potential for “a just peace.” “We talked about our people, the situation on the battlefield, and a just peace for Ukraine. We all want to end this war as quickly and fairly as possible,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram from Paris on December 7 as world leaders gathered to mark the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral. "President Trump, as always, is determined. We are thankful for that," he added. Macron said , "Let us continue joint efforts for peace, security." It was not immediately known if Trump would make public comments following the talks. Zelenskiy, looking to bolster support for his nation’s fight against the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022, arrived in the French capital at midday as more than three dozen global dignitaries gathered for the ceremonies, many of whom applauded the Ukrainian leader at the Notre Dame event. Zelenskiy arrived at the Elysee Palace for the three-way talks at 5:30 p.m. Paris time. The three men posed for photos at but made no public comments before the talks began. Zelenskiy is expected to leave Paris immediately following the ceremonies at Notre Dame, which was restored following a devastating 2019 fire, aided by some $1 billion in donations from around the globe. Trump , who will take office on January 20, has criticized the billions of dollars the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. Trump has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. The two also have a long history, mainly through an infamous phone call. During that July 2019 call, Trump asked Zelenskiy to look into the activities in Ukraine of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The elder Biden went on to defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The call led to accusations that Trump had conditioned the release of nearly $400 million in military aid on an investigation into the Bidens, and Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted Trump on both charges in February 2020. "We expect a good decision from today's meeting with Macron," a source within the Ukrainian delegation told the AFP news agency before the announcement of the three-way talks. AFP also reported that Elon Musk, the world's richest man and one of Trump's closest allies, is expected to attend the ceremonies. On social media, Zelenskiy earlier said that Ukraine had received a second shipment of sophisticated F-16 fighter jets from Denmark. "The second batch of F-16s for Ukraine from Denmark is already in Ukraine. This is the leadership in protecting life that distinguishes Denmark," he wrote on Telegram . "The planes provided by the Danes from the first batch are already shooting down Russian missiles and saving our people, our infrastructure. Now our air shield is additionally strengthened. If all partners were so determined, it would be possible to prevent Russian terror," he said. In November , Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark would transfer two more batches of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Six had already been transferred, with a total of 19 aircraft earmarked for delivery by Copenhagen. Separately, Washington said it is preparing a $988 million package of arms and equipment to Ukraine, funds taken from the remaining $2.21 billion available in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The funds will be used to buy ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and for drones, the Pentagon said, as the administration of President Joe Biden attempts to bolster Kyiv before he leaves office. BUCHAREST -- Romania’s far-right, pro-Russian presidential candidate defiantly told voters to turn up at polling stations for a December 8 election runoff that has been scrapped by the Constitutional Court. While Calin Georgescu attempts to fill the streets with backers, however, his actual level of support remains uncertain. Georgescu told supporters "to wait to be welcomed, to wait for democracy to win through their power," according to a statement on December 7 by his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right. That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow," the statement said, adding that Georgescu would go to a polling station near the capital, Bucharest, early in the morning. Over recent days, thousands of mostly young Romanians have taken to the streets to protest against his pro-Russia comments. Georgescu, who ran as an independent, had won the first round of the presidential election on November 24, ahead of reformist Elena Lasconi of the center-right Save Romania Union party, setting up a runoff originally set for December 8. However, Romania's Constitutional Court on December 6 annulled the entire presidential election, throwing the process into upheaval even as diaspora voting had already begun at sites throughout the globe. Georgescu had blasted the court’s ruling as an “officialized coup” and an attack on democracy, while Lasconi also assailed the decision. The Constitutional Court in its published ruling cited the illegal use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of “undeclared sources of funding.” The runoff had been seen as a referendum on the NATO and EU member's future course amid accusations of Russian meddling that brought thousands of Romanians onto the streets in support of the country's place in the Euro-Atlantic community. The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision came just two days after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence that alleged Russia had organized thousands of social media accounts to promote Georgescu -- the shock first-round winner -- across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. Georgescu had appeared as a favorite to win the runoff, but was passed by Lasconi in the latest opinion poll after the intelligence documents were released. The court, without naming Georgescu, said that one of the 13 candidates in the November 24 first round had improperly received “preferential treatment” on social media, distorting the outcome of the vote. Georgescu and Lasconi were supposed to meet in a runoff this weekend. Voting abroad had already started when the court shelved the entire election and instructed the government to set a new one. Iohannis said he would remain in office until a new presidential election could be conducted again from the start. He is expected to appoint a prime minister to begin forming a government from the parliament that was elected on December 1. That administration will choose the date of the new election. Meanwhile, Romania authorities conducted searches at three homes as part of the probe into the election irregularities. 'In the central city of Brasov, police searched three homes early on December 7 as part of a probe "in connection with the crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, and computer forgery," the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It added that the police action had targeted a person involved in the "illegal financing of the electoral campaign of a candidate for the presidency of Romania, through the use of sums of money," without naming Georgescu. The statement also said the investigation involved alleged violations of Romanian law prohibiting organizations and symbols of a fascist, racist or xenophobic character. In Washington, the U.S. State Department said Romanians must have confidence their elections are free of harmful external influences. "The United States reaffirms our confidence in Romania’s democratic institutions and processes, including investigations into foreign malign influence," the department said in a statement issued late on December 6. Syrian rebels led by Islamist militants have entered the central city of Homs as they close in on Damascus while the country’s main allies -- Russia and Iran -- scrambled to protect the regime of authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad and their own assets in the country. Abu Mohammad al-Golani, a leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, said late on December 7 that the insurgent fighters were "in the final moments of liberating" Homs, a city of 775,000 people. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Experts said the future of the Assad regime was hanging in the balance -- and that, if it fell, it would also represent a major geopolitical setback for the Kremlin which, along with Tehran, has supported the Syrian government through many years of civil war. Media reports said many residents of Damascus were stocking up on supplies as thousands were attempting to leave the country through the border with Lebanon -- itself a war-torn nation in the increasingly chaotic Middle East. As fighting on the ground and rebel gains intensified, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey held emergency talks in Doha, Qatar, on December 7 calling for an end to hostilities in the most serious challenge to Assad’s rule in years. The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that Washington was closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Syria. A spokesperson said the United States and its partners and allies urged that civilians, including members of minority groups, be protected. The spokesperson said it was time to negotiate an end to the Syrian conflict consistent with principals established in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The spokesperson added that the refusal of the Assad regime to engage in the process has directly led to the current situation. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ) said that “Assad regime forces have collapsed and Assad’s backers do not appear willing to bolster the Syrian Arab Army by rapidly deploying additional forces.” Russia has multiple military sites in Syria, including an air base at Hmeimim and strategic naval facilities at Tartus, which are also used to support the Kremlin’s actions in Africa. The ISW said that Moscow had not yet begun to evacuate the base, “but it remains unclear whether Russia will keep its vessels at the port as Syrian rebels continue to advance swiftly across regime-held territory.” The American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats blog said the Assad regime “faces an existential threat given the widespread collapse of regime forces and lack of sufficient external backing to bolster these forces.” It added that “Russia will face logistic challenges that will undermine its Africa operations if it loses its footprint in Syria.” Mark Katz, a professor emeritus at George Mason University who focuses on Russia and the Middle East, told RFE/RL that the Kremlin risks losing its air assets in Syria if it can’t agree with Turkey on the use of its airspace. “In one sense, the Turkish government might be happy to grant permission as the more the Russian Air Force is out of Syria, the happier Ankara will be,” he said. "Russia would also face difficulties relocating its warships because they would need Turkey's permission to get into the Black Sea. They would have to go through NATO waters," he added. Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the United States “should have nothing to do” with the war in Syria, where a small contingent of U.S. forces remain deployed in some areas. "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” he wrote on the Truth Social platform. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Fast-moving developments on the ground were difficult to confirm, but media outlets quoted witnesses as well as rebel and Syrian army sources as saying militant fighters were continuing to make large gains on December 7 in their effort to topple Assad. Some reported signs of panic in Damascus, with shortages of critical supplies, although the government said Assad was at work as usual in the capital. Government forces and their Russian allies appear to have failed in their attempt to halt the rebel push toward Homs, which stands at an important intersection between the capital, Damascus, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus. Homs is 140 kilometers from the capital. Witnesses and army sources told Reuters and other news agencies that rebels had entered Homs amid reports that government forces had pulled out. Celebrations were reported in some areas of the city. Homs Province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. The city is also home to one of Syria’s two state-run oil refineries. The AFP news agency quoted security sources as saying hundreds of Syrian government troops, some injured, had fled across the border into Iraq. The surprising offensive was launched last week by a coalition of rebel groups led by the Islamist HTS faction. Besides HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive, though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said civilians were fleeing from Homs toward the Mediterranean coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government and the site of the Russian air and naval bases. Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to comment on the fate of the Russian bases, saying he “wasn’t in the business of guessing.” The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and inflict losses on Assad, as well as his Russian and Iranian allies. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. Following the foreign ministers' meeting in Doha, Lavrov said -- referring to HTS rebels -- that it was "inadmissible to allow terrorist groups" to take control of Syrian territory and that Russia would oppose them with all means possible. Since the rebels seized control of Aleppo a week ago, they have moved on to capture other major cities with Assad’s forces providing little resistance. Besides capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center, and Deir al-Zor in the east, rebels rose up in southern Suweida and Deraa, saying on December 6 they had taken control of the two cities and posting videos showing insurgent celebrations there. Taking Deraa and Suweida in the south could allow a concerted assault on the capital, Damascus, the seat of Assad's power, military sources said. Video posted online showed protesters in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana chanting and tearing down a statue of Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, when his son took power. Golani, the HTS leader, told CNN in an exclusive interview on December 5 from Syria that Assad’s government was bound to fall, propped up only by Russia and Iran. “The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he said. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.” Prosecutors with a special international court in The Hague confirmed on December 6 that a new indictment has been filed against former Kosovar President Hashim Thaci and four other people for allegedly attempting to influence witness testimony in a war crimes trials. Thaci has been charged with three counts of obstruction, four counts of violating the secrecy of proceedings, and four counts of contempt of court, a statement released by prosecutors said. He was in the detention facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers when served with an arrest warrant on the charges, the statement said. A separate statement issued by the Kosovo Specialists Chambers in The Hague said "the indictment charges the accused with offences related to alleged unlawful efforts to influence witness testimonies in the Thaci et al war crimes trial." The four others charged are former Justice Minister Hajredin Kuci, former Kosovar Intelligence Agency chief Bashkim Smakaj, former Malisheva Mayor Isni Kilaj, and Fadil Fazliu. Smakaj, Fazliu, and Kilaj were arrested on December 5 in Kosovo and transported to the Specialist Chambers’ detention facility in The Hague, the court said. They have been charged with attempted obstruction of official persons in carrying out official duties and of disobeying the court and are expected to make their first court appearance on the charges in the next few days, the statement said. Thaci is being tried by the court in a separate case against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is accused of coordinating "three separate groups" along with Smakaj, Kilajn, Kuci, and Fazliu to influence the testimony of prosecution witnesses in the case against him and others for war crimes. The indictment says that Thaci gave Smakaj, Kilaj, Fazliu, and Kuci confidential information about witnesses, instructions to influence their testimony, and details on how they should do so during nonprivileged visits to the detention facility that took place between April 12, 2023, and November 2, 2023. The new indictment comes a day after the Specialist Prosecutor's Office announced that it was conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo in connection with its investigations. The Specialist Chamber was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes and is part of Kosovo's judicial system, but it operates with international staff and is based in The Hague. Fear of witness intimidation was one of the reasons why the court is located there. Thaci, a former KLA commander, became president of Kosovo after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but resigned in late 2020 to face war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Thaci is widely seen as a guerilla hero in Kosovo, but prosecutors said he openly oversaw a brutal reign of violence as the ethnic Albanian KLA tried to tighten its grip on power during and after the war. The Kosovo war, which claimed some 13,000 lives, ended after a NATO bombing campaign forced Serb forces to withdraw. An attack by Russian troops on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya on the evening of December 6 killed 10 people, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy slammed Russia for carrying out the attack. Fedorov said that another 20 people were injured, including three children. One of the injured adults, a 23-year-old man, is in extremely serious condition, he added. The impact destroyed a service station and damaged nearby houses and shops, Fedorov said on Telegram. His post included a video of smoke rising from a building and debris strewn across the street. The state emergency service said that attack caused the fire, which engulfed six cars, a garage, and the service station. The fire has been put out, the service said. A separate attack on Kryviy Rih in the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk killed two people. A three-story building was destroyed in the attack, and residential buildings and cars were damaged, the emergency service said on Telegram. Zelenskiy said the attacks showed Russia has no interest in striking a deal to end the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022. "Thousands of such strikes carried out by Russia during this war make it absolutely clear that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not need real peace," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. "Only by force can we resist this. And only through force can real peace be established," he added. Zelenskiy is set to travel to Paris for a ceremony on December 7 to mark the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral after a restoration following a devastating fire in 2019, according to news reports quoting unidentified sources. A source in the Ukrainian government was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that Zelenskiy will attend the celebrations marking the restoration of the cathedral and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. He also hopes to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to attend the ceremony. It would be their first meeting since Trump was elected president for a second non-consecutive term on November 5. Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. military aid to Kyiv and said he would end the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House but has yet to provide details. There are fears in Kyiv that Trump could try to force Ukraine to the negotiating table and accept peace terms favorable to Russia. Trump has named Keith Kellogg, a retired general who has called on Kyiv to make concessions to end the war, as his Ukraine envoy. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's outgoing administration is seeking to bolster Kyiv before leaving office on January 20. The administration announced on December 2 that it will send $725 million worth of missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines, and other weapons to Ukraine. Iran is poised to significantly increase the production rate of highly enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned in a confidential report. The IAEA report said the effect of the change "would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent," according to news agencies quoting the report on December 6. This means the rate of production will jump to more than 34 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per month at its Fordow facility alone, compared to 4.7 kilograms previously, the report to the IAEA's board of governors says. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who spoke to reporters about the report on the sidelines of an international conference in Bahrain, said the increase would represent “seven or eight times or even more," calling the development very concerning. “They were preparing, and they have all of these facilities sort of in abeyance and now they are activating that. So we are going to see,” he said, adding that it would be a “huge jump” if Iran begins increasing its enrichment. The report also said Iran must implement tougher safeguard measures such as inspections to ensure Fordow is not being "misused to produce uranium of an enrichment level higher than that declared by Iran, and that there is no diversion of declared nuclear material." Iran's decision to accelerate production of enriched uranium is in response to recent censure by the IAEA, Grossi told the AFP news agency. "This is a message. This is a clear message that they are responding to what they feel is pressure," the UN nuclear watchdog's head said. Tehran was angered by a resolution last month put forward by Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, and the United States that faulted Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Britain, Germany, and France have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, in particular since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia. In addition, there was little progress last week when European and Iranian officials met to determine whether they could enter serious talks on the nuclear program before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and is now appointing hawks on Iran to his planned administration. While Iran maintains its program is peaceful, Iranian officials increasingly threaten to potentially seek a nuclear bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile. But experts war that the enrichment of uranium at 60 percent is just a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent, and they say there is no justification for enriching uranium to such a high level under any civilian program. The news of Iran's decision to increase uranium enrichment came just hours after Tehran claimed it had conducted a successful space launch with its heaviest payload ever. Official media reported that the launch of the Simorgh rocket took place at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan Province located about 220 kilometers east of Tehran. Western governments have expressed concern that the Tehran’s ballistic missile program is coming closer to having the ability to launch a weapon against distant foes like the United States. The Simorgh carried what Iran described as an “orbital propulsion system” and two research systems to a 400-kilometer orbit above the Earth. It also carried the Fakhr-1 satellite for Iran’s military, the first time Iran’s civilian program is known to have carried a military payload. Iran has said its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Oreshnik missile systems, recently combat-tested in a strike on Ukraine, will be deployed in Belarus simultaneously with their introduction into the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN). Speaking on December 6 after a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State in Minsk, Putin said that the Oreshnik systems could be stationed in Belarus as soon as the second half of 2025. The statement opens a new phase in the military strategy and development of relations between Russia and Belarus. The decision underscores a further deepening of military integration between the two countries and underlines Russia's increasing military footprint in Eastern Europe. Russia launched an Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro. Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Putin said the Oreshnik system would have highly accurate, long-range missiles that could pierce advanced missile defense systems. The specific technical details of the Oreshnik remain classified, but it is reportedly designed to increase the survivability and effectiveness of Russia's nuclear arsenal, particularly in the context of evolving global security challenges. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been part of a broader geopolitical and military partnership, formally enshrined through the Union State agreement signed in the 1990s. Over the years, this alliance has been deepening, especially after 2014, following the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent deterioration of relations between Russia and the West, especially over Moscow's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022. For Russia, the placement of advanced missile systems in Belarus indicates its willingness to develop military capabilities close to NATO's eastern flank. Belarus's proximity to NATO member states, particularly Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, makes it a very strategic location for Russia's missile deployments. Aside from missile deployments, Russia and Belarus are performing joint military exercises and integrating their air defense systems and defense coordination strategies. In general, the coordination shows a continuously intensifying comprehensive military integration, which many analysts suggest would take the relationship one step further to a fully political-military union in the framework of the Union State. To Belarus, the alliance with Russia is an influential factor in its security strategy, particularly when tensions have risen between Belarus and the West. Belarus's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has long relied on Russian support, both political and military, as a guarantor of his regime's stability. Five Azerbaijani journalists who are reportedly affiliated with Meydan TV, a media outlet known for harshly criticizing government policy, have been detained in Baku, their relatives said on December 6. The relatives said the journalists -- Aynur Elgunas, Aytac Tapdiq, Natiq Cavadli, Xayala Agayeva, and Ramin Cabrayilzada, known by his pen name Deko -- were taken to the Baku City Main Police Directorate. Interior Ministry officials said Cabrayilzada was detained after police obtained information about the alleged smuggling of foreign currency into the country. The Interior Ministry told the Turan news agency that further investigations are under way and that other people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in the case. "Additional information will be provided," they said. The detainees have denied the charges, saying they are politically motivated and connected with their professional activity. The development comes amid a broader crackdown on media freedom in Azerbaijan. More than 20 journalists and civil society activists, including members of AbzasMedia and Toplum TV, have been arrested within the past year on suspicion of foreign currency smuggling. The timing of the detentions is symbolic ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10. The embassies of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland in Baku issued a joint call earlier this week to immediately release those imprisoned in connection with exercising their fundamental freedoms. They were most concerned about the continued persecution of those advocating for human rights and freedom of expression. U.S. Ambassador Mark Libby called on Baku to release "people fighting for human rights in their beautiful homeland." The detainees, according to Libby, include economist and journalist Farid Mehralizada, who was recently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. He emphasized that Azerbaijan must fulfill its international commitments to human rights by releasing those arbitrarily detained. In response, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry rejected the statements of the foreign diplomats and assertions that their arrests were related to their professional activities. The ministry went on to say that this was an attempt to devalue the independence of the Azerbaijani judiciary. Many international observers are deeply concerned about freedom of speech and respect for human rights in the country with regard to the continued targeting of journalists and activists. Russian forces bombed a key bridge and highway to try and slow a lightning advance by rebels toward the Syrian city of Homs as thousands fled the area. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said civilians were fleeing from Homs towards the Mediterranean coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government and the site of Russian air and naval bases. The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and deal losses to the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, as well as his allies in Russia and Iran. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. A Syrian Army officer was quoted by Reuters as saying that Russian bombing overnight had destroyed the Rastan bridge along the key M5 highway linking Homs to Hama, another city the rebels captured a day earlier. The rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have made major advances over the past several days, including the capture of Aleppo, the country's largest city, as well as 14 central villages and towns, and gotten as close as 35 kilometers from the Russian-operated Khmeimim air base. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, is key to the defense of Damascus and the gateway to the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, the former being home to a strategic Russian naval base. In his first media interview in several years, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the group's leader, told CNN the goal "remains to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime, and it is our right to use all available means to achieve this goal." Besides HTS, the rebels also include an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. The foreign ministers of Iraq, Syria, and Iran were to meet on December 6 to discuss the situation, while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the top diplomats from Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara will meet in Qatar on December 7. The state news agency TASS reported on December 6 that Russia's embassy in Syria had urged Russian nationals to leave the country due to the situation. Riot police in Georgia used water cannons late on the night of December 6 to disperse protesters gathered in Tbilisi for the ninth consecutive night to voice their opposition to the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The riot police began dispersing protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building at about 12:30 a.m. on December 7. Special forces detained several people at Republic Square by 1:30 a.m. local time on December 7. They had mobilized earlier on Rustaveli Avenue about 600 meters away from the main center of the demonstration on Republic Square. Among those detained is Tsotne Koberidze, a member of the Tbilisi City Council from the opposition party Girchi (More Freedom), RFE/RL reported. A young woman who had been standing in front of the cordon for several minutes was also detained. Warning messages urging protesters to disperse continued as the riot police attempted to break up the protest on Rustaveli Avenue. Demonstrators moved away from the avenue but did not disperse. Tensions have been running high in Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party won an election on October 26 that the pro-Western opposition and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili say was rigged with the help of Moscow. Earlier on December 6, Zurabishvili called on Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to step down as pressure mounts on the government amid a violent crackdown on unrest. Zurabishvili made the call in an interview with Georgia's Channel One media group as the Prosecutor-General's Office announced that it had filed its first criminal charges against protesters who have taken to the streets to rally against the move. "The prime minister who has failed to settle the crisis...must be replaced," Zurabishvili said. "This is the compromise, depolarization, a way out for Georgia, stability, peace and the future, which will be unshakable, free and democratic," she added. The announcement last week by Georgian Dream to halt talks on joining the EU until 2028 further fueled dissension, with thousands of Georgians flooding the streets around parliament in protest. The largely peaceful protesters have been met with a sometimes brutal crackdown by security forces, leaving dozens -- including opposition members and journalists covering the events -- in need of medical attention. The Prosecutor-General's Office, however, said it charged nine individuals with organizing and participating in group violence during the protests on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. "This is a choice between autocracy and democracy -- there is no other way," Tere Heland, an adviser to the European Neighborhood Council, which provides information on current events in Georgia, told RFE/RL in an interview on December 6. Opposition leaders have also rejected accusations by Georgian Dream that the violence was the product of a conspiracy -- aided by foreign actors -- to provoke chaos. Levan Tsutskiridze, leader of the Freedom Square movement and one of the most influential members of the Strong Georgia political coalition, said the actions of government forces against peaceful protesters were "tragic." He accused the police of "mass terror, with physical violence, intimidation, and torture." The opposition has also called for fresh elections, saying that without a new vote, the restoration of democratic legitimacy is impossible. Georgia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL on December 6 that in all, 338 individuals had been detained for administrative violations during the protests, which security forces have tried to put down with water cannons, vast amounts of tear gas, and harsh beatings. Further demonstrations are planned for December 6 and through the week, protest leaders said. The EU has said it is following the events very closely, with some officials warning that continued unrest - and allegations of police brutality - could have profound implications for Georgia's relations with the bloc. Some Western diplomats have warned of the possible suspension of visa liberalization because the government has violated the shared values underpinning Georgia's partnership with Europe. "We are all watching the deteriorating political situation with concern," Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a session on December 5. "It is important to clearly state that there is a bipartisan consensus in the Senate and Congress on this issue regarding Georgia, and we are not going to tolerate the gross violations of human rights that are taking place in the country without action. I hope that the prime minister and the ruling party will understand this message." Explosions were reported early on December 6 in the Crimean city of Kerch, and the bridge connecting the Moscow-occupied peninsula with Russia was closed, local Telegram channels reported. According to the channel Krymskiy Veter, explosions were heard in the area of the Zaliv shipyard. The first blasts were reported around 7 a.m. local time, witnesses told RFE/RL. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Kerch region was being attacked by Ukrainian aerial and seaborne surface drones. It said that Russian forces downed one aerial drone and sank two naval drones. Ukraine has not commented. Attacks on Crimea occur regularly, particularly near the bridge. A powerful explosion in October 2022 on the bridge caused the collapse of a road section and a major fire on the railway section of the bridge. According to Russian data, three people were killed in that incident. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here . Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the entire presidential election -- even as a runoff vote was under way -- throwing the process into upheaval after a Moscow-friendly, far-right candidate won the first round. The court ruling on December 6 was followed by an announcement from Romanian prosecutors that a probe into alleged computer-related crimes has been launched amid allegations of Russian influence that Romanian intelligence services said sparked the shock first-round victory of Calin Georgescu. Experts said is was unclear after the court decision if all the candidates are going to be allowed to re-register for the new vote, or if Georgescu could be disqualified following revelations of Moscow's support for him. Catalin Pop, a lawyer specializing in the Constitutional Court, told RFE/RL that the ruling was "definitive and binding," and that the court the court's reasoning will most likely "be similar" to what was used in the case of Diana Sosoaca, meaning Georgescu could be ruled out of the new election. Sosoaca was ruled out by the court in October prior to the first round of voting for promoting extremist and anti-Semitic views, while also pushing ideas against the democratic values and EU membership that are at the root of Romania's constitution. In its ruling, the Constitutional Court said the electoral process for the election "will be resumed in its entirety, with the government to establish a new date for the election of the president of Romania, as well as a new calendar program for carrying out the necessary actions." President Klaus Iohannis, whose term was scheduled to end on December 21, said he would stay in his post until a successor can be elected. "When the new president takes the oath, I will leave here," Iohannis said in a statement on December 6. Iohannis is expected to appoint a prime minister to begin forming a government from the parliament that was elected on December 1. The new government will choose the date of the new election, he said. Georgescu's victory sent shock waves across the West after Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) declassified documents said to prove a massive, Moscow-orchestrated cybercampaign in his favor on TikTok that largely went under the radar of Romanian authorities. Georgescu was to face off in a runoff vote on December 8 against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. At the time of the court's announcement, voting had already begun in the large Romanian diaspora around the world, with around 33,000 said to have cast their ballots. In a statement to Romanian television station Realitatea, Georgescu called the court ruling an "official coup," evidence of what he said was a corrupt system showing its face. The runoff has been seen as a referendum on the NATO and EU member's future course amid accusations of Russian meddling that brought thousands of Romanians to the streets in support of the country's place in the Euro-Atlantic community. Georgescu had appeared as a favorite to win the runoff, but was passed by Lasconi in the latest opinion poll after CSAT on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to the far-right candidate's shock victory in the first round. Lasconi, a former TV presenter and the incumbent mayor of the small city of Campulung, had a 2 percentage-point lead over Georgescu in the AtlasIntel poll published on December 5 which is credited with an error margin of about 1 percent. Lasconi condemned the court's ruling annulling the election. "The constitutional court's decision is illegal, amoral and crushes the very essence of democracy, voting," she said. Georgescu's first-round shock victory saw the candidate favored by early opinion polls to win the vote -- Social Democratic (PSD) Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu -- come third in the race and prompted him to resign as PSD leader. Ciolacu said on December 6 that the surprise announcement by the court "was the only correct solution." However, the unexpected move is likely to trigger a wave of criticism both by the pro-Western parties who support Lasconi and the far-right groups such as the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) that had thrown their support behind Georgescu. Critics have said that the Constitutional Court, which is dominated by judges appointed by the PSD, had tried to smooth Ciolacu's path to the second round -- an accusation that may resurface following the December 6 annulment. Over the past several days, Georgescu's first-place finish sparked fears and triggered protests, especially among younger Romanians, over the future of democracy in the country. On December 5, some 3,000 people marched in Bucharest 5 demanding Romania maintain its pro-European path before gathering in the capital's University Square chanting "Freedom" and "Europe." In a gesture of support, Moldovan President Maia Sandu traveled to Romania on December 5 to meet with Lasconi. Moldova was part of Romania until World War II and the two countries share a common language, culture, and history. The pro-Western Sandu won reelection on November 3, defeating Moscow-friendly candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo despite allegations of a widespread campaign in his favor orchestrated and funded by Russia. "We, Moldovans, have always looked toward Romania with admiration. For us, Romania has always been a model to follow...that's why we also want to be part of the European Union, but we need your help," Sandu told Lasconi. Moldova opened accession talks with the European Union earlier this year. About 3,000 people marched in Bucharest on December 5 demanding Romania maintain its pro-European path ahead of a runoff that will decide whether a far-right pro-Russian candidate will become the country’s next president. With the country braced for a December 8 second round vote pitting pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi against Calin Georgescu , who won the first round amid allegations of election influence orchestrated by Russia, Romanians gathered in University Square chanting "Freedom" and "Europe." Georgescu's first-place finish sparked fears and triggered protests, especially among younger Romanians, over the future of democracy in the country. The country was rocked further when Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to Georgescu's shock first-round victory. Activists, including poet Ana Blandiana, prominent actors and other Romanians spoke at the rally, which was sponsored by the group Romania Hope. Blandiana said the vote represents more than just a simple election. The balloting is a true referendum: "'Yes' - for Europe or 'no' for the past that I came out of 35 years ago," she told the crowd. Serban Pavlu, an actor known for playing in feature films and television series, echoed Blandiana's comments, urging voters to choose the pro-European candidate. "We cannot, 30 years after the revolution, fear that the Russians will come after us," Pavlu said. Both speakers referred to the events of December 1989 when civil unrest spread through the country and resulted in the Christmas day execution of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena. Actress Oana Pellea told the gathering that there is only one path for Romanians: the one toward freedom "so that we don't end up spending our holidays [in Russia] in St. Petersburg." After each speaker, the people gathered in the square shout "Freedom! Freedom!" as they were urged to vote for Lasconi, a small town mayor and former journalist. History professor Marcel Bartic opened the rally by telling people they were using their voices to speak out against fascism, which he said Romania doesn't want. "We are here to remind our compatriots that Romania says no to extremists, to fascism. We want Europe, European values and we are not afraid to say it," Bartic said. The group's announcement on Facebook said Romania is at a decisive moment after the revolution opened the country's path to freedom and democracy. The organization said the country had been on a “difficult road...with many disappointments” since 1989 but had still achieved the right to travel, settle, study, and work in the countries of Europe and membership in NATO. “Human dignity, fundamental freedoms, equality between persons, solidarity, citizens' rights, and justice are the values that can unite us all,” the organization said, adding that it represents a “common cry for the protection and strengthening of these fundamental values.” Britain’s counterterrorism police say they are awaiting the extradition of two Romanian men who are suspects in the stabbing in March of a journalist working for a Persian-language media organization in London. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on December 5 that Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, had been arrested in Romania and charged in the attack on Pouria Zeraati, a London-based TV host for the Iran International news network. Badea and Stana appeared in a Romanian court after their arrest on December 4 for the start of extradition proceedings," a CPS spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying. "We continue to work closely with Romanian authorities, to ensure that our extradition request is progressed through the courts." British authorities have authorized charges against both of "wounding and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm," according to a statement issued by the London Metropolitan Police. Zeraati, a British-Iranian journalist, suffered injuries after being stabbed near his home on March 29 in southwestern London. Counterterrorism police have led the investigation into the attack over concerns he had been targeted because of his job at Iran International, which is critical of Iran's government. “We now await the extradition process to progress so that the men can face prosecution here in the U.K.,” Acting Commander Helen Flanagan of the Counter Terrorism Command said in the statement. Flanagan said the command planned no further comments on the investigation and urged others not to speculate about the case, given criminal proceedings are now pending. Officials had previously said that the Romanians were suspected of being associates of an Eastern European crime network hired to carry out an attack directed by Iran’s security services. The suspects were likely hired to carry out the attack and had arrived in Britain shortly before the incident, according to British police sources quoted by The Guardian newspaper. British police, security officials, and politicians have issued a number of warnings about what they say is Iran's growing use of criminal proxies to carry out attacks abroad. The U.S. Justice Department last month unsealed criminal charges that included details of a plot allegedly backed by Iran to kill President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election. FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time that the charges exposed Iran's “continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens” and dissidents who criticize the Iranian regime, which has rejected accusations that it is involved. One of the targets of the alleged plot was dissident journalist Masih Alinejad, who said on X that she was shocked to have learned of the conspiracy from the FBI. Alinejad, who has criticized Iran's laws requiring women to wear a hijab, was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2021 according to U.S. prosecutors, and in 2022 a man was arrested with a rifle outside her home. Britain and the United States have imposed sanctions on Iranian officials who they say have been involved in threats to kill journalists on their soil. Iran International said the network is pleased that the police investigation has made progress. “It is reassuring for our journalists, as for others in organizations under similar threat," said Adam Baillie, a spokesman for the network, according to Reuters. Authorities initially believed three suspects were involved in the attack on Zeraati. The three men abandoned their vehicle shortly after the incident and left the country by air within hours, police said. A third person was detained in Romania on December 4, but was later released, according to individuals familiar with the case quoted by The Washington Post. The London Metropolitan Police statement did not mention the third person or specifically accuse those arrested of acting on behalf of Tehran. Zeraati did not comment directly on the developments but posted links on his X account to news stories about the arrests made in Romania. Georgian law enforcement officers conducted searches of homes owned by former Defense Minister Davit Kezerashvili following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to uphold a ruling that he had embezzled over 5 million euros ($5.3 million) during his tenure as defense minister more than a decade ago. It was not clear what was being sought during the December 5 investigative actions. Details will be announced once the searches are complete, Kezerashvili's lawyer said. The searches took place amid large anti-government protests in the country over the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to suspend talks on Georgia joining the European Union and a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation and sanctions. One of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement (ENM), Dimitri Chikovani, currently lives in one of the homes searched. Chikovani reacted to the search on social media, saying it was an attempt to intimidate by “the Russian regime” and vowing that it would not succeed. “They want to form a dictatorship in the country, and they are wrong if they think they can do it,” Chikovani said. “Home invasions, illegal arrests, and pressure on individuals will not stop anyone. The Georgian people will soon force the Russian dictator and his regime out of Georgia forever and ever.” Kezerashvili, who fled Georgia in 2012 for France, reacted to the searches by taunting the Georgian authorities in a post on social media. "The so-called authorities have been so overwhelmed by the ECHR's decision that they are entering my house at the moment. Come on boys, keep it up. We still got this!!" Earlier on December 5, Georgian Justice Minister Anri Okhanashvili told a news conference in Tbilisi that the embezzled funds had been designated in the state budget for the Georgian armed forces shortly before the August 2008 war with Russia. Okhanashvili described Kezerashvili’s actions as a “blatant act of corruption,” and added that the former minister had signed a fictitious agreement with an offshore company for army training, bypassing the General Staff of the Defense Forces. The justice minister said the Strasbourg-based ECHR ruling showed thatthere had been no political prosecution against Kezerashvili and the judgment of the Supreme Court of Georgia on Kezerashvili's guilty plea was also substantiated and the presumption of innocence against him was not violated. “The court unequivocally found no violation of the presumption of innocence and affirmed that the Supreme Court of Georgia’s verdict was well-founded,” he said. "I congratulate our state, the Georgian Army, and our community on this worthy victory in the European Court," Okhanashvili added. However, ECHR decision indicated that an article of the Convention on Human Rights on the right to a fair trial was violated in Kezerashvili’s case. The court held that the presence of former Prosecutor-General Shalva Tadumadze on the three-judge panel that convicted him was sufficient to question the objectivity of the Supreme Court during the hearing of the appeal. But the court did not believe that the Supreme Court's decision was unsubstantiated and would result in a denial of the fairness of the proceedings as a whole. Kezerashvili filed the case with the ECHR in February 2022. The decision was made by the Grand Chamber of the ECHR with the consent of seven judges. The Syrian Army said it was redeploying troops "to preserve civilians lives and prevent urban combat" after Islamist-led rebels entered the key city of Hama, another loss for the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, as well as his allies in Russia and Iran. "Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups...these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it," a Syrian Army statement said on December 5. Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, is key to the defense of Damascus and the gateway to the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, the former being home to a strategic Russian naval base. Syrian and Russian forces had shelled the rebels a day earlier and used air strikes to try and stop their advance. "With that (advance in Hama), Assad's in real trouble. Homs is next & its countryside is FAR more amenable to facilitating an opposition advance," Charles Lister, a senior fellow and the director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute, wrote on X. The rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have made major advances over the past several days, including the capture of Aleppo, the country's largest city, as well as 14 central villages and towns, and gotten as close as 35 kilometers from the Russian-operated Khmeimim air base. Syria turned over the air base to Russia in 2015 as Moscow moved in to help Damascus turn the tide of a four-year civil war in its favor. Besides HTS, the rebels also include an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. The United Nations has said tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting. The European Union has ordered TikTok to freeze all its data amid reports that the Chinese-owned social platform had been instrumental in implementing a Moscow-orchestrated campaign to influence Romania's presidential and parliamentary elections. Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) on December 4 declassified documents revealing the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" that led to last month's surprise victory of pro-Russian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of presidential elections. CSAT said the document showed EU and NATO member Romania was the target of various coordinated actions, most likely orchestrated by a "state actor," leading up to the November 24 election won by Georgescu, who ran as an independent. The European Commission -- the bloc's executive arm -- on December 5 issued a "retention order" to TikTok under its Digital Services Act (DSA) that would preserve evidence "related to actual or foreseeable systemic risks its service could pose on electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU," the commission said in a statement . It added the move was necessary in case of a further probe of TikTok's "compliance with its obligations under the DSA." According to the declassified documents, Romania's intelligence services believe Georgescu was massively promoted on TikTok with backing from Russia through multiple methods, including coordinated accounts, algorithms to boost his presence on the platform, and paid promotion. The documents purported to explain how Georgescu's popularity increased from 1 percent shortly before the race to 22 percent through a vast operation of manipulation that involved influencers and ensnared Romanian institutions as well as ordinary voters. A parliamentary election a week later resulted in a surge for three pro-Russia far right parties that garnered about a third of the vote, although the pro-European parties appear to have enough votes to form a coalition government. On December 8, voters will decide the winner of the presidential election in a runoff that pits Georgescu against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied Russia was interfering in the election. "The campaign for the Romanian presidential election...is accompanied by an unprecedented outburst of anti-Russian hysteria," Zakharova said. "More and more absurd accusations are being made by local politicians, officials and media representatives," she added. "We firmly reject all hostile attacks, which we consider absolutely groundless." Ahead of the vote, the United States called for a thorough investigation into Moscow's alleged actions. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that while the United States does not interfere with the Romanian people's choice or the election process, Washington is "concerned by the CSAT's report of Russian involvement in malign cyberactivity designed to influence the integrity of the Romanian electoral process." Miller said Romania is a strong NATO ally and the United States values its contributions to the alliance's security and the country's hard-earned position in the transatlantic community cannot be reversed "by foreign actors seeking to shift Romania's foreign policy away from its Western alliances." Such a change in policy would have "serious negative impacts on U.S. security cooperation with Romania," Miller said. The declassified documents say influencers on TikTok were recruited to promote Georgescu directly by publicly supporting him and indirectly through neutral messages that contained labels associated with him. Dozens of TikTok accounts were found that falsely used the intelligence service's logo and the title Anti-Terrorist Brigade, each displaying thousands of followers and over 100,000 likes. Romania's intelligence services hinted that large sums of money would have been spent in the operation. Georgescu has told Romanian electoral authorities that he spent nothing on his campaign. Romanian intelligence linked the operation to Russia by noting that access data for official Romanian election websites was published on Russian cybercrime platforms. The access data was probably procured by targeting legitimate users or exploiting the legitimate training server, the intelligence services said. The State Department statement said Washington has been "closely following the elections in Romania" and that it "will continue to work together [with Romanian authorities] "to preserve the security of our nations and the prosperity and well-being of our citizens." On December 5, three Romanian institutions, including the country's top political sciences school, and a former presidential candidate asked the Constitutional Court to annul the first round of presidential elections and repeat them. It was not known immediately if the Court would consider the requests just hours ahead the start of the runoff abroad. TBILISI -- A Georgian opposition leader who was beaten unconscious during his arrest is recovering and expecting a court hearing, his lawyer said on December 5, as the United States firmly condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party's use of violence against demonstrators protesting the party's move to halt accession talks with the European Union. Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Akhali party under the Coalition for Change umbrella, was detained on December 4 by police during searches by authorities at opposition parties' headquarters in Tbilisi and was repeatedly hit in the stomach until he lost consciousness before being dragged motionless into a police vehicle. Gvaramia's lawyer, Dito Sadzaglishvili, said on December 5 that the opposition leader's health is "satisfactory." Sadzaglishvili said Gvaramia was arrested for "petty hooliganism and failing to comply with police orders" and a court hearing in his case should take place within 48 hours from his arrest. Another prominent member of the Coalition for Change, activist Gela Khasaia, was also taken into custody during the police operation. The wave of repression unleashed by the Georgian Dream government against protesters drew international condemnation as well as sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stern warning to the Georgian Dream government, urging it "to cease its repressive tactics, including its use of arbitrary detention and physical violence" as Tbilisi was roiled by a sixth day of mass protests that were met with excessive force by riot police. "The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party's brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures," Blinken said in a statement. Blinken reaffirmed the United States' "solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratic aspirations," warning those attempting to suppress the Georgians' right to freedom "will be held to account," including through additional sanctions. Washington in July suspended $95 million in assistance to Georgia after the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament adopted legislation related to foreign agents that critics say was inspired by a similar Russian law used by the Kremlin to crack down on political dissent and that sparked weeks of mass protests. Blinken's statement came after the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi on December 4 urged authorities to treat protesters with dignity as law enforcement authorities conducted raids on the offices of several Georgian opposition parties and protest leaders. On December 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Kyiv was imposing sanctions on 19 Georgian individuals. Zelenskiy's move came after the three Baltic states on December 2 announced joint sanctions against 11 Georgians, including Ivanishvili and Gomelauri. The list included Georgian Dream founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, State Security Service chief Grigol Liluashvili, Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, Tbilisi City Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and a number of judges and lawmakers. Despite the growing protests, Kobakhidze has refused to back down and threatened to punish political opponents, whom he accuses of being behind violence that has occurred at the protests. Georgia's ombudsman accused police of torturing pro-EU protesters. Levan Ioseliani, whose role is to defend citizens' rights, said he and his officials had met people subjected to "the harshest treatment" by police. Protesters have described to RFE/RL the brutality employed by security forces against them. "They were hitting us in the head," protester Salome Zandukeli said, describing how she and a friend had been chased on the night of December 2 by some 25 riot police into a building in downtown Tbilisi before taking refuge in a cafe. Activist Gia Jvarsheishvili told RFE/RL that he was thrown to the ground by charging officers and beaten before being shoved into a police van where police pushed detainees to the floor and began stomping on them. "Suddenly, I was in unbearable pain and I realized that I had been injured. I didn't know it then, but I had a broken rib," Jvarsheishvili said. Georgia's pro-European president, Salome Zurabishvili, who has sided with the demonstrators, said on X that many of the arrested protesters had injuries to their heads and faces. Some people were subjected to systematic beatings between arrest and transportation to detention facilities, she added. Georgia has been thrown into the latest wave of turmoil since parliamentary elections in October in which Georgian Dream secured 54 percent of the vote. The opposition and Western governments argued that the poll was marred by violations and Russian influence. Kobakhidze has blamed the unrest on foreign "instructors" and tried to explain the decision to halt EU accession talks through 2028 by saying Georgia is ready for the talks, "but only with dignity and justice and without blackmail." Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023 but relations with Brussels have soured in recent months, beginning with the adoption of a Russian-style "foreign agent" law, which critics say threatens media outlets and civil society groups. accusing them of "serving" outside powers. A majority of Georgians support EU membership, and efforts to join the bloc are mandated in the Georgian Constitution. Documents declassified by Romania's security council on December 4 said the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action" during recent election campaigns, including last month's surprise victory of a pro-Russian far-right candidate. The Supreme Council of National Defense declassified the documents, saying they showed that Romania was the target of various coordinated actions leading up to the presidential election's November 24 first round, won by Calin Georgescu. Voters in the EU and NATO member state will decide the winner of the presidential election in a runoff on December 8 that pits Georgescu against pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi. It had already been reported that TikTok was used to generate support for Georgescu and connect him to a Romanian audience in the millions. But the declassified documents show that Romania's intelligence service believes that Georgescu was massively promoted on TikTok with backing from Russia through multiple methods, including coordinated accounts, algorithms to boost his presence on the platform, and paid promotion. The documents help explain how Georgescu's popularity increased from 1 percent shortly before the race to 22 percent artificially, through a vast operation of manipulation that involved influencers and ensnared Romanian institutions as well as ordinary voters. Some 25,000 TikTok accounts allegedly used to increase Georgescu's popularity "became very active two weeks before the date of the elections," according to the declassified documents. About 800 of these accounts had extremely low activity until November 11. From that date onward "the entire network was activated at full capacity," according to the documents. The intelligence service documents also show that influencers on TikTok were recruited to promote Georgescu directly by publicly supporting him and indirectly through neutral messages that contained labels associated with him. Another method used to promote the independent candidate involved the creation of accounts that falsely represented institutions of the Romanian state. Dozens of TikTok accounts were found that falsely used the intelligence service's logo and the title Anti-Terrorist Brigade (BAT), each displaying thousands of followers and over 100,000 likes. These fake accounts had supportive posts for Georgescu, presenting the false notion that these state institutions supported him. In addition, Georgescu's posts were not marked as belonging to a candidate, and this favored their mass dissemination. Other candidates whose posts were labeled as belonging to a candidate had a diminished online presence. Romania's intelligence services hinted that large sums of money would have been spent in the operation. Georgescu, according to information revealed in the declassified documents, declared to Romanian electoral authorities that he spent nothing on his campaign. The intelligence service linked the operation to Russia by noting that access data for official Romanian election websites was published on Russian cybercrime platforms. The access data was probably procured by targeting legitimate users or by exploiting the legitimate training server, the intelligence service said. It added that it had identified more than 85,000 cyberattacks that aimed to exploit system vulnerabilities. "The attacks continued intensively including on election day and the night after elections," the agency said in one of the declassified document. "The operating mode and the amplitude of the campaign leads us to conclude the attacker has considerable resources specific to an attacking state." Russia has denied any interference in Romania's elections. TikTok confirmed the deletion of electoral propaganda materials two days after the request of the Central Electoral Bureau, but it did not delete the electoral content as requested by the Permanent Electoral Authority, and it continued to be available to the public even after the end of the election campaign, including on election day, in violation of Romanian election law.Biden calls for Assad to be 'held accountable'After playoff chances slip away, Miami and Iowa State looking to regroup at Pop-Tarts BowlNone

Trump Teases Upcoming Fights: Day 2MORGANTOWN, PA — Sylmar Group has announced its acquisition of Eastern Technologies, Inc. (ETI), a well-established provider of chemical blending and technical support services for the industrial water treatment industry. Founded in 1986 in Southeastern Pennsylvania, ETI has earned a reputation for innovation and reliable service over nearly four decades. The acquisition signals Sylmar’s entry into the chemical blending market and reflects the company’s dedication to managing supply chain challenges while expanding water treatment solutions. By incorporating ETI into its portfolio, Sylmar aims to offer enhanced services for cooling, heating, wastewater, and potable water treatment needs. “Our desire to preserve trusted partnerships with water treaters and to maintain our position as an industry source of expertise are significant factors in our decision to partner with Sylmar,” said Robert Keeler, co-founder of ETI. “We look forward to building on this legacy with an owner committed to our customers and employees.” ETI will maintain its leadership under current President Gary Reggiani and operate as an independent entity within Sylmar’s broader network. This includes leveraging Sylmar’s financial and operational expertise while keeping ETI’s customer-focused approach intact. Michael Warady, President of Sylmar Group, emphasized the positive outlook for the partnership. “We are excited for the future of ETI and their customers. Sylmar’s investment in this team, along with plans for the continued growth of the business and its capabilities, will expand ETI’s support of independent water treatment professionals and their critical customer missions across the country.” The acquisition aims to strengthen Sylmar’s efforts to offer innovative, cost-effective, and dependable water treatment solutions while preserving the unique strengths of ETI’s operations. For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN .If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to get on U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s good side for the sake of a smooth bilateral relationship, he’ll likely have to be openly deferential, says former U.S. National Security Advisor, John Bolton. “It's always possible, if somebody kisses the ring. I mean, that's what Trump likes,” Bolton told CTV Power Play host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Wednesday, when asked if he thinks it’s possible for Trudeau and Trump to forge a better relationship than during the former president’s first term. The questions come amid concerns stemming from Trump’s looming threat of 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico. Just days after that threat was levied in a social media post, Trudeau made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump, during which Trump reportedly joked that if the tariffs have the devastating economic consequences Canadian officials are warning of, perhaps the U.S. should absorb Canada to make it the 51st state. Trump has since made other jabs at Canada on social media, namely posting what appears to be an AI-generated image of himself with a large Canadian flag, overlooking a mountain range, with the caption “Oh Canada!” And later, he referred to Trudeau as “Governor,” as opposed to prime minister. Canadian cabinet ministers were quick to dismiss the quips as simple jokes. “I think, as the saying goes, ‘Trump is kidding on the straight,’” Bolton said, when asked whether the incoming president’s comments should be interpreted in jest or not. “If asked, he'd say, ‘of course, it's a joke, and, you know, Justin and I have a very good relationship,’ but I think it's an indication of what he thinks of Trudeau.” “And it's mean, it's sort of a playground kind of thing, but that's Donald Trump,” Bolton added. Bolton served as National Security Advisor from 2018-2019, during Trump’s first term as president. “Well, it's not pleasant news, but the thing to do is flatter Trump and try and work on in that way,” he also said, pointing to former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, as the world leader who he believes was “most successful at dealing with Trump.” While Abe “didn’t really lather on the flattery,” Bolton continued, “he spent time with Trump constantly on the phone, in person, on the golf course, never letting much time go by between conversations, just making sure they were in touch.” Bolton — who also formerly served as ambassador to the United Nations, and with the U.S. Department of State in various roles — said pushing back on tariffs likely won’t make headway with Trump. “For Trump, numbers kind of come and go,” he said, adding a moving target of how large the tariffs will be is “designed to throw people off their stride.” “I think a trade war between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico would be a catastrophically bad decision on Trump's part, but he doesn't understand how tariffs work,” Bolton said. “He thinks that the exporting company pays the tariff.” “He doesn't realize it's the American importer that pays it and then passes the cost on to American consumers,” Bolton added. “So good luck with trying to educate him on that.” The former NSA also discussed defence spending, and Canada’s path to meet NATO’s target of two per cent of GDP. Trudeau has pledged to meet the NATO target by 2032. But the majority of the alliance has already met or is on track to meet the target. Canada was the last ally to lay out a plan to do so. Trump, meanwhile, has threatened, as recently as last week, to pull the U.S. out of the alliance if all member states don’t pay their agreed-upon share. “I think he'll beat whoever is prime minister over the head with it constantly,” Bolton said, when asked whether Canada’s defence spending could become a larger problem once Trump is back in the Oval Office. “You should get defence spending up to two per cent of GDP. I mean, it really is that simple,” he added. “But that's not enough to satisfy Trump. That's the ostensible point.” When asked whether he believes NATO is in trouble, Bolton said he does, adding he’s also concerned for other U.S. bilateral relations, namely with countries like Japan and South Korea.4rabet 。

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In a significant development, Brazilian federal police have formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a criminal conspiracy aimed at overturning the 2022 presidential election outcome. The accusation details a coup plan allegedly orchestrated by Bolsonaro, alongside numerous former ministers and senior aides, following his electoral loss. This comes after police released the full contents of the charges on Tuesday, offering a comprehensive view of the alleged plot to challenge Brazil's democratic processes. (With inputs from agencies.)

N.H. swing dancing recovers from the pandemic; can it survive tech isolation?

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Government Accountability Office says leadership is needed to fully define quantum threat mitigation strategy. A new report released by the agency emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive federal leadership to address the emerging cybersecurity risks posed by quantum computing, warning that without prompt and coordinated action, adversarial nations might exploit quantum technology to undermine national security. "It is important for the Office of the National Cyber Director to act on our recommendation now for several reasons," Marisol Cruz Cain, director with GAO's Information Technology and Cybersecurity team, wrote in an email to The Center Square. "Adversaries could copy data protected by cryptography today and store it with the intention of accessing it later once a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is developed." The director is also the lead author of The Future of Cybersecurity. "The key to successful migrations is to start planning now and not wait until a CRQC is on the horizon," Cain wrote. "A fully comprehensive strategy will provide agencies with more clarity on their responsibilities and the common outcomes they are aiming to achieve. It will also provide the nation a better-defined roadmap for allocating and managing resources and holding participants accountable for achieving results." A cryptographically relevant quantum computer is a quantum computer that can run algorithms to crack or weaken existing cryptography. Quantum computing is a rapidly advancing technology that has the potential to solve complex problems at an unprecedented speed, which also poses significant risks in today's cybersecurity. The report says various documents have been developed over the past eight years that have contributed to an emerging U.S. national quantum computing cybersecurity strategy. The Government Accountability Office has identified three goals moving forward. The first goal is to standardize post-quantum cryptography, the second would be to migrate federal systems to that cryptography, and the third would encourage all sectors of the economy to prepare for the threat. The report identifies gaps in federal agency preparedness and a lack of clear leadership to oversee the transition to quantum-safe systems, as "No single federal organization is responsible for the U.S. strategy’s coordination." While agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology have taken necessary steps to develop quantum-resistant cryptographic standards, the report found inconsistencies in how federal agencies implement recommendations. The Government Accountability Office says national strategies should ideally contain six characteristics: • Purpose, scope, and methodology. • Problem definition and risk assessment. • Objectives, activities, milestones, and performance measures. • Resources, investments, and risk management. • Organizational roles, responsibilities, and coordination. • Implementation and integration. According to the report, the accountability office was asked to investigate the federal government's strategy for addressing threats posed by quantum computers to the nation's cryptography. The current encryption methods are designed to secure sensitive data, but unfortunately, could potentially become vulnerable to future efforts of quantum-enabled decryption in the future. The report also stresses that the federal government will need to act swiftly to implement quantum-resistant cryptography in order to ensure that those critical systems would remain secure. According to the report, "some experts predict that a quantum computer capable of breaking certain cryptography – referred to as a cryptographically relevant quantum computer – may be developed in the next 10 to 20 years." The agency also identified challenges in workforce development and noted a shortage of professionals with expertise in quantum computing and cybersecurity, suggesting federal agencies invest in training programs and collaborate with private sector leaders to ensure a skilled future workforce that is ready to tackle any quantum-related threats. The report serves as a roadmap for quantum threat mitigation and outlines ways the federal government could appoint a centralized leadership body to oversee the implementation of quantum-safe measures. The report also calls for increased funding for quantum research and development and stronger public-private partnerships to address other vulnerabilities while also emphasizing that proactive leadership is critical to ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of cybersecurity in the quantum era.

Streeting argues there is ‘no freedom in addiction’ as MPs debate smoking ban

Swifties live-streaming Eras Tour concerts say they're part of a 'community'Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Officer kills pet dog mistaken for a coyote in Massachusetts town. The owner says it was unnecessary An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident local police are describing as a sad mix-up. Police in Northbridge, Massachusetts, say the shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of a coyote in a residential backyard. Police say the animal control officer went into the woods to look for the coyote and found what they thought was the animal in a threatening position and shot it. The incident happened as communities around Massachusetts and the country have dealt with an uptick in interactions between coyotes and people. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. At least 19 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat sent to restaurants nationwide. Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli, which can cause life-threatening infections. No illnesses have been reported outside of Minnesota. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration. Actor Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend drops assault and defamation lawsuit against once-rising star NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend has dropped her assault and defamation lawsuit against the once-rising Hollywood star after reaching a settlement. Lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabbari agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice Thursday. Jabbari is a British dancer who had accused Majors of subjecting her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. Representatives for Majors didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Jabbari’s lawyer said the suit was “favorably settled” and her client is moving on with “her head held high.” Majors was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment last December and sentenced to a yearlong counseling program. Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are recalling over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix a pesky problem that can cause loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The recalls cover more than 145,000 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles including the 2022 through 2024 Ioniq 5, the 2023 through 2025 Ioniq 6, GV60 and GV70, and the 2023 and 2024 G80. Also included are nearly 63,000 Kia EV 6 vehicles from 2022 through 2024. The affiliated Korean automakers say in government documents that a transistor in a charging control unit can be damaged and stop charging the 12-volt battery. Dealers will inspect and replace the control unit and a fuse if needed. They also will update software. Christmas TV movies are in their Taylor Swift era, with two Swift-inspired films airing this year Two of the new holiday movies coming to TV this season have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding. “Christmas in the Spotlight” debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world’s biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger, playing a pro football player, who meet and fall in love, not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. On Nov. 30, Hallmark will air “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” Instead of a nod to Swift, it’s an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark’s headquarters is also in Kansas City.

AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:38 p.m. ESTTears were shed in Langley on Friday, Dec. 13, when directors of the Langley Good Times Cruise-In car show began handing out the cheques to local charities from the $94,000 raised at this year's 25th show. Marilyn Piticco, founder of which runs weekly programs for local stroke survivors, said the Cruise-In has become a constant source of funding. "It lifts me up. It makes it so that I can do my work, that I have a team behind me plus my volunteers," she told The Star. Piticco runs two Hope After Stroke groups out of the Walnut Grove Community Centre, and has received more than $100,000 in donations from the charity car show in the last 10-plus years. And that's the name of the game. Cruise-In has always been about providing a spectacular car show that raises money for community causes. Thanks to sponsors, 100 per cent of the money raised goes to charity. "This journey is personal for me. It started because my dad couldn't speak, his bench is out front [of the community centre]. It was a personal thing of saying 'this is needed in our community,'" she shared. Piticco connected with Cruise-In and became one of its charities, quickly moving to be a returning one. "I feel very honoured," she said, adding that people interested in donating, volunteering, or joining the group can reach her at 604-882-4672. Marty Brown, president of the 2024 Cruise-In, said Hope After Stroke is a great group to support. "Marilyn is amazing, it's really good [what they do," he said. When he first saw the total amount raised this year, Brown said it surprised him but he immediately thought of the team behind the car show. "I just thought how we really pulled together, all the hard work we did, and our relationships with our sponsors, vendors, and the people that work with us were really strong this year. So, I felt like it was an appropriate number and I'm extremely proud of it." More than 1,200 vehicles were on display at the Langley Good Times Cruise-In charity car show in Aldergrove on Sept. 7. Crowds of almost 100,000 spectators strolled along Fraser Highway between 264 and 272 Streets for the show, which was closed for the event. Many of the 125 volunteers showed up as early as 4 a.m. to set up Fraser Highway for the event and guide registered car owners into their spots on the road. “Our car owners brought out their finest rides, our sponsors helped immensely this year, and the Township of Langley was right behind us all the best,” Brown told The Star. “It really takes an army of people and none of the show would happen without all the amazing volunteers, including the Cruise-In board, captains, and show day helpers. The power of people is amazing.” Among the recipients are five main charities of choice: Piticco’s Langley Community Support Group, Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association, Langley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, the Boys & Girls Club of Langley, Rotary Starfish Program, Aldergrove Veterans & Seniors Society, Parkside Elementary, Langley Meals on Wheels, Langley BMX Club, Bikers Against Child Abuse, Valley Therapeutic Riding Association, and Langley Food Bank. Ricardo Sestito, returning as president for 2025, said the board is already meeting to plan the next car show and they are seeking volunteers. Those interested can contact Heather Lehman at lehmanns@telus.net or 604-866-3977.6 bet casino 。

Nicaragua's parliament has approved a controversial law aimed at nullifying foreign sanctions targeting key political figures, including President Daniel Ortega's vice president and wife, Rosario Murillo. The new legislation, which was unanimously supported by the ruling Sandinista Front-dominated parliament, seeks to render these foreign sanctions ineffective within the country's borders. Proponents argue that the law bolsters Nicaragua's sovereignty and independence, as articulated by Walmaro Gutierrez, a deputy from Ortega's party. Despite its passage, critics warn it places the nation's financial system at risk, as local banks are pressured to ignore international directives, potentially jeopardizing their global credit lines. Economists foresee significant repercussions, including potential declines in Nicaragua's borrowing capacity and adverse impacts on exports. The approval of this law follows other recent moves by the government to consolidate power, including extending police and army chiefs' terms to six years amidst heightened scrutiny of Ortega's administration. (With inputs from agencies.)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. The Buccaneers will need help to repeat in the NFC South , but only if they first and foremost give themselves a chance. That means winning their remaining games at home against Carolina and New Orleans, while the Atlanta Falcons lose at least once in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bucs (8-7) and Falcons share the best record in the division, however Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Tampa Bay, which has won three consecutive division titles, is the only NFC team that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. “We’ve got to take care of business or else we’ve got no shot,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said after a 26-24 loss at Dallas cost the Bucs control of the NFC South race. “This one, we've got to take it on the chin,” Mayfield added. “It's a short week. It's Christmas week. We've got to focus on Carolina and figure out a way to win.” If Atlanta is able to maintain its lead, Tampa Bay could make the postseason as a wild card if the Bucs win out and the Commanders lose twice. Coach Todd Bowles sounds confident that his players understand the challenge ahead and will clean up mistakes that contributed to the end of their four-game win streak. “We’ve got to win a ballgame (this week). If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance,” Bowles said Monday. “We have to focus on us like we’ve been doing,” the coach added. “We have to correct the mistakes, and we have to go out and win Sunday, and we’ve got to win the next week, and then we’ll see what happens after that.” The offense, which ranks third in the NFL at 389.8 yards per game, isn't a fluke. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Tampa Bay finished with 410 yards total offense. It was the team's fifth straight game — as well as an NFL-high ninth overall — with 400-plus yards. The Bucs are seventh in rushing (143.7 yards per game) after ranking 32nd each of the past two seasons. The defense yielded 292 yards passing against the Cowboys, 226 of it in the first half when Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bowles said shoddy tackling was the biggest issue — not poor coverage. Lamb had one reception for 5 yards after halftime. Mayfield's chemistry with rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who has 27 receptions for 336 yards and five TDs, continues to grow. McMillan had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — his fourth in the past three games — against Dallas. He was also the intended receiver on Mayfield's deep throw that CB Jourdan Lewis intercepted in the end zone to help the Cowboys hold off the Bucs in the closing minutes. Turnovers were costly against Dallas. The end-zone interception stopped the Bucs from cutting into a 26-17 deficit with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rachaad White's fumble with 1:31 left ended any hope for a last-minute victory. On both plays, defenders ripped the ball out of the grasp of the offensive player. “We knew they were going to rake at the ball going into the ballgame," Bowles said. "We just have to have two hands on the ball, and we have to fight for it. We have to take better care of the football. That’s priority No. 1.” Bowles said it's too early to project the status of several starters for coming games, including S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), who has missed the past two games. TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB K.J. Britt (ankle) were inactive against the Cowboys, while reserve WR Sterling Shepard left during the game with a hamstring injury. 80. Bucky Irving leads all NFL rookie RBs with 920 yards rushing. He needs 80 over the next two games to reach 1,000. He scored his seventh rushing touchdown against Dallas. That tied Errict Rhett and Lars Tate for the second-most rushing TDs by a rookie running back in franchise history. Doug Martin set the record of 11 in 2012. Host Carolina on Sunday. NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Senate is scheduled to be in session on Wednesday [Nov 27], and there is one statement listed on the Order Paper, which is the ‘Update on Sports Policy.’ :Redbacks and Carlton leg spinner Henry Edwards back in Victorian colours

Could Bye Week Slow Bills' Flow?INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts drafted Anthony Richardson to be their franchise quarterback. On Sunday, they saw how he might be deployed most effectively. Richardson threw only 11 passes in Indy's 38-30 victory over slumping Tennessee , becoming just the third player since 2000 to produce 38 points with fewer than 15 passing attempts. But the second-year quarterback and running back Jonathan Taylor executed the game plan perfectly by combining for 38 carries, 308 yards and four scores. “My job is to pass the ball, deliver the ball, so whenever there’s an opportunity to do so, I’m expected to complete passes, regardless of how long I’ve gone without throwing a pass,” Richardson said. “I’m just trying to do my job the best way I can.” While his stats have not improved dramatically since he regained the starting job, Richardson has made significant progress. He started and finished all five games, the longest stretch of his career. He orchestrated fourth-quarter comebacks on the road against the New York Jets and New England. On Sunday, he broke the franchise record for most TD runs by a quarterback in a season by powering his way in from 5 yards out to tie it at 7 with his sixth TD of the season. And when Indy (7-8) needed a late third-down conversion to close out the victory, Richardson did that, too — firing a 10-yard strike to Michael Pittman Jr. No, he wasn't perfect. A late throw over the middle resulted in yet another interception that cost the Colts a scoring chance in the first half. But Richardson went 7 of 11 with 131 yards and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs with 15 seconds left in the first half to open up a 24-7 lead. And with Richardson and Taylor increasingly feeding off one another, the Colts may just be starting to unleash the full horsepower of what this dynamic duo can do. At least that's the hope as the regular season winds down. “To add that element of (Richardson's) run game was huge,” coach Shane Steichen said. "He had some good runs for us all day. So, him and J.T. back there is huge.” What’s working Ground game. What else? It has been a rollercoaster season for the Colts offense in general as well as the running game. On Sunday, it looked spectacular. Indy broke a 68-year-old franchise record by rushing for 335 yards. Taylor has 76 carries for 421 yards over the last three games and has his first 1,000-yard season since winning the 2021 rushing crown. What needs help Closing out games. Somehow, the Colts went from a 38-7 rout to needing an interception on the game's final play. Maybe that explains why the Colts have played 12 one-possession games this season. If Indy could find a solution, it might not be on the cusp of making the playoffs instead of missing them for a fourth straight year. Stock up C Ryan Kelly. When the three-time Pro Bowl selection went on injured reserve in October, some thought Kelly may have played his last game in Indy. He's in a contract year and rookie Tanor Bortolini played well in Kelly's absence. But Kelly proved his value by making a big difference in the ground game. Stock down RG Dalton Tucker. The undrafted rookie moved into the starting lineup when Will Fries was sidelined with a season-ending leg injury. Then the Colts brought back veteran Mark Glowinski and plugged him into Tucker's spot. Tucker was a healthy scratch Sunday. Injuries WR Alec Pierce (concussion) and LB E.J. Speed (knee) were both inactive in Week 16 and it's unclear what their status will be next weekend. ... Two defensive backs — Jaylon Jones (throat) and Tre Flowers (shoulder) — left and did not return. ... Indy may have avoided a more concerning loss when Pro Bowl LG Quenton Nelson hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter. After slamming his helmet on the sideline, he returned for Indy's last drive. Key number 18 — According to The New York Times, Indy has an 18% chance of making the playoffs heading into its final two games. Next steps Indy still has a manageable schedule with a trip to the New York Giants (2-13) next weekend before a rematch with Jacksonville (3-12) in the regular-season finale. If they replicate their play from the first three quarters Sunday, they're likely to finish with a winning record and maybe get lucky enough to make the postseason. If they play like they did in the fourth quarter, the opposite could happen. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Four 2024 Nobel winners have MIT tiesAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (CRWD) on Tuesday reported a loss of $16.8 million in its fiscal third quarter. On a per-share basis, the Austin, Texas-based company said it had a loss of 7 cents. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, came to 93 cents per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 81 cents per share. The cloud-based security company posted revenue of $1.01 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Thirteen analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $982.3 million. For the current quarter ending in January, CrowdStrike expects its per-share earnings to range from 84 cents to 86 cents. The company said it expects revenue in the range of $1.03 billion to $1.04 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter. CrowdStrike expects full-year earnings in the range of $3.74 to $3.76 per share, with revenue ranging from $3.92 billion to $3.93 billion. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CRWD at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CRWDRussia security chief meets Taliban officials in Kabul

Oscar Fairs from Benfleet, Essex, was diagnosed with a rare 7cm ependymoma brain tumour in August 2023 and underwent seven surgeries, one round of chemotherapy and one round of radiotherapy to be told palliative care was the only option. A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family raise £100,000 towards a treatment trial in France. It is with deep and profound sadness that West Ham United confirm the tragic passing of our U15s Academy goalkeeper Oscar Fairs, following his brave battle with cancer. Rest in peace, brave Oscar. — West Ham United (@WestHam) December 13, 2024 West Ham footballers donated £27,000, chairman David Sullivan donated £10,000 and Arsenal footballer and former West Ham star Declan Rice gave £5,000, according to Ms Fairs. On Friday, West Ham announced that the 15-year-old had died. Sporting director Mark Noble said: “Oscar was adored by everyone at the Academy – not only was he a great goalkeeper, he was a true Hammer and a fantastic young person, who will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know him. “I have wonderful memories of Oscar playing in my garden – (my son) Lenny and his teammates all loved him. “He was a friendly, happy, well-mannered and polite young man, who had such a bright future ahead of him, and it is just so unimaginably devastating that he has been taken from his family and friends at this age. “The thoughts and sincere condolences of everyone at the Club are with Oscar’s parents, Natalie and Russell, and his brother Harry, and we kindly ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time.” All scheduled Academy fixtures over the weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect.Addressing housing crisis requires action by all levels of government and community partners: United Way Peterborough & DistrictA 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also wanted the job, according to emails revealed as part of the court case, but grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.

Winter conditions are likely to blame for members of a group of 15 hikers making a second unexpected overnight on the Kludahk Trail northeast of Jordan River. For some, a second night was spent with some well-trained rescue volunteers, while others hiked out Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue was called in before noon on Sunday (Nov. 14) for the group that included four adults and 11 kids roughly aged 11 to 15, said Victoria Clarke, coordinator for JdF SAR and a search manager. “I suspect they underestimated the winter conditions up there,” she told the Sooke News Mirror. “Those are challenging weather conditions on the Kludahk Trail, even the most prepared people once you get wet, once you get cold, your body expends a lot of energy trying to stay warm and we worry about hypothermia. “What it’s like in Jordan River is not what it’s like in the Kludahk Trail.” The group had hiked up, overnighting at Meadow Cabin Saturday then on to Wye Lake before calling for help after determining hiking out Sunday wasn’t possible as a group. An InReach – A Garmin satellite communicator – provided them quick and key access to the resources. “Thanks to West Coast helicopters we were able to insert two people to get there quickly. That enabled us to make an assessment of what was going on,” said Clarke, one of the two SAR volunteers who made the first in-person contact. With the 442 Squadron military search and rescue helicopter team on call from Comox, the initial plan was to helicopter all 15 people out of the wilderness. Low clouds and the setting sun scuttled that plan. After an assessment, two adults and six young people from the group hiked out with Juan de Fuca and Metchosin SAR members while others remained overnight. “Once we made that decision and I had more team members come in to assist, they came in by foot and we got a big fire going,” said Clarke, who hiked out that night to get warm and dry herself before taking over command at Jordan River the next day. Those left behind were warm and dry, with bellies full of hot food and drink, to shelter in place overnight. “It’s the kind of thing we don’t normally have to do, but we train for that, so it all came together,” Clarke said. “They were great, they were all able to hike out. We had lots of people to assist with their gear and equipment.” The group was prepared, doing nearly everything right including calling for help early before waiting until things were more dire, forcing the rescue team to make assessments and decisions in the dark. “They had good gear, they called for help when they realized they were in trouble. I credit them for having communication devices,” Clarke said. “I commend them for calling early, for recognizing when they needed help.” As is also often the case, the rescue was a team sport. For this rescue that included Metchosin Search and Rescue, West Coast Helicopters and 442 Squadron (the Canadian Forces transport and rescue squadron based in Comox). “Sometimes it takes various components in a rescue, everyone coming together and working hand-in-hand,” Clarke said. “We don’t do this on our own. We do it with the support and assistance of other teams.”

Calgary, Canada, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — , the innovative nanotechnology company that has developed a one-step, environmental solution that extracts lithium at exceptional rates, has just announced its pilot is now operational. This successful scale-up marks another important milestone in the lithium market, unlocking vast and untapped energy sources in North America and Europe. The Litus pilot follows the official opening of its patented nanomaterial production at its Calgary-based facility late last year. “We are thrilled our pilot is up and running,” shares Litus CEO Ghada Nafie. “Creating this pilot is a vision we have had since we founded the company and a mission we set out to accomplish. Now, we have validated this scale-up. We are already testing brines and extracting lithium. We are well on our way to making energy more efficient and more abundant!” The aqueous reservoirs in North America and Europe contain lithium in low concentrations that, until now, were not viable to extract. Litus LiNC is so efficient and effective it selectively harvests lithium from these sources with unmatched results. The Litus pilot is a plug-and-play modular unit integrating with systems already in place. Infrastructure requirements are low, and minimal water and energy are needed, for an environmental approach to lithium extraction that leaves the existing ecosystem intact. With Litus LiNC, the patented nanomaterial composites extract lithium in a matter of hours, creating a product so pure it does not require additional processing and can be sent directly to battery production plants. The pilot is designed to be transported on-site and is designed to be easily scaled up to commercial level. Litus LiNC is a low-cost, low-risk opportunity, making it easy to break even when lithium prices drop. And when lithium prices are high, Litus LiNC provides a very lucrative revenue stream. The nanotechnology behind the Litus solution is an advanced formula that is custom-made for each brine. At a time when supply chains are uncertain, Litus ensures access to its nanotechnology material and can now produce up to 5kgs per day. Litus’s LiNC solution is poised to make a significant impact in securing North America and Europe’s, position as an ongoing global leader in the energy industry and in the energy transition. Recognizing the strategic role Litus can have, the group has received support from NCR – IRAP, MICA, ERA, SDTC, and Alberta Innovates. For more information, contact Litus at . Litus is the emerging leader in the application of advanced chemistry and nanotechnology for the development of ground-breaking solutions to address some of the world’s biggest energy challenges. The Company was formed in 2019 on research originally conducted at the University of Calgary. Located in the heart of the energy sector, the Litus team is led by an exceptional group of professional chemists, nanotechnologists, and chemical process engineers, as well as experienced entrepreneurial business professionals, with a proven track record of success with scientific achievements and scaling new technologies to become industrial and commercially successful solutions. Litus LiNC has secured a solid industry niche with its effective, environmental one-step approach, and proven exceptional success extracting lithium from untapped lower-concentration brines previously deemed uneconomical. Litus is passionate about developing and supporting technology products that inspire its customers and partners to create energy solutions that are more abundant, more accessible, cleaner, safer, and more efficient.Capitola City Council backtracks on Bay Avenue intersection configurationRodgers says he's undecided about playing next season, but Jets are his 'first option' if he returns Aaron Rodgers is still contemplating whether he wants to play football next season. And if he does return, he said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that he prefers it to be with the New York Jets. The star quarterback, who turns 41 next Monday, denied a recent report that he wants to keep playing next year but not with the Jets. He said he needs to see how he feels physically and where the Jets stand with a new general manager and coach. He added that the Jets will also have to want him playing for them. That will all factor into his decision. Court rejects request to sideline San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgender A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in the Mountain West Conference tournament after complaints said she should be ineligible on grounds that she’s transgender. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a U.S. Magistrate in Denver was correct in allowing her to play. The magistrate and the appeals court said the players and others who sued should have filed their complaint earlier, rather than waiting until less than two weeks before the tournament was to begin to seek an emergency injunction. Lewandowski joins Ronaldo and Messi in Champions League 100-goal club. Haaland nets 2 but City draws ROME (AP) — Robert Lewandowski joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in Champions League history with 100 or more goals. But Erling Haaland is on a faster pace than anyone after boosting his total to 46 goals at age 24. Lewandowski’s early penalty kick started Barcelona off to a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Brest to move into second place in the new single-league format. Ronaldo leads the all-time scoring list with 140 goals and Messi is next with 129. Haaland scored a brace as City was held 3-3 by Feyenoord. Inter Milan beat Leipzig 1-0 to move atop the standings. Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0. Atalanta, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen also won. Traffic citations against Dolphins' Tyreek Hill dismissed after officers no-show at hearing MIAMI (AP) — Traffic citations issued to Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill after a September altercation with police have been dismissed after the charging officers didn’t attend a court hearing. Hill’s tickets for careless driving and failing to wear a seat belt were dismissed after the Miami-Dade Police officers failed to show up for a Monday hearing. The tickets were issued after Hill was stopped outside Hard Rock Stadium for allegedly speeding before the Dolphins' season opener on Sept. 8. The stop escalated and an officer pulled Hill from the car, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. North Carolina football coach Mack Brown won't return for 2025 season North Carolina coach Mack Brown won’t return for the 2025 season. The school announced the move Tuesday with a statement from athletic director Bubba Cunningham. The school said Cunningham informed the 73-year-old College Football Hall of Fame member that there would be a coaching change. Brown is set to coach the regular-season finale on Saturday against rival N.C. State, though a decision hasn’t been made about whether Brown will coach a bowl game. Brown is in his second stint with the program and won a national championship at Texas. Lionel Messi has his new coach: Javier Mascherano's hiring by Inter Miami is now complete FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are together again, this time with Inter Miami. The former Barcelona and Argentina teammates have reunited, with Inter Miami announcing Tuesday that Mascherano’s hiring as the club’s new coach is complete. The sides struck a deal late last week for Mascherano to replace Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who stepped aside for personal reasons. Mascherano most recently was Argentina’s under-20 team coach. Mascherano says he was “drawn to the organization’s undeniable ambition." Will Utah State or Boise State forfeit vs. San Jose State in the Mountain West semifinals? LAS VEGAS (AP) — A team that previously boycotted at least one match against the San Jose State women’s volleyball team will be faced with another decision whether to play the school, this time in the Mountain West Conference semifinals with a shot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. Five schools forfeited matches in the regular season against San Jose State, which carried a No. 2 seed into the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Among those schools: No. 3 Utah State and No. 6 Boise State, who will face off Wednesday with the winner scheduled to play the Spartans in the semifinals on Friday. Saquon Barkley is the NFL's version of Shohei Ohtani: Analysis Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There’s no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley’s historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. NBA says Hawks violated player participation policy by sitting Trae Young for Cup game The NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 after an investigation determined that guard Trae Young could have played in an NBA Cup game against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 12. The Hawks listed Young on their injury report that night as out because of tendinitis in his right Achilles. Atlanta wound up winning the game anyway, 117-116. The issue, the NBA said, was that the Hawks were in violation of the league’s player participation policy — which focuses primarily on what the league defines as star players, a group that Young would qualify for since he was an All-Star selection last season. Texas and Texas A&M reunite Saturday in SEC after bitter breakup tore apart a football tradition COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas and Texas A&M first met Texas on the football field in 1894 in a rivalry that would cut across the state and through families for generations. It would not last. In 2011, Texas A&M announced it was leaving Texas and the Big 12 behind to join the Southeastern Conference, determined to focus only on a bright future, not dwell on a sentimental past. Bitter finger pointing and hard feelings eventually gave way to shrugs of indifference and mutters of “good riddance." Then Texas joined the SEC this season. The No. 3 Longhorns and No. 20 Aggies finally meet again Saturday night in College Station with a berth in the SEC championship game on the line.

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Another exciting addition to the 2025 game lineup is Souls of Yama, a captivating action-adventure game set in the mystical realm of Yama Mountain. Players will take on the role of a warrior tasked with vanquishing ancient demons and unraveling the secrets of the mountain. With breathtaking environments, challenging combat mechanics, and a rich storyline inspired by Japanese folklore, Souls of Yama is poised to be a standout title in the PS showcase.As Liu Chuanxing continues to work on playing with more strength and determination, the entire team is beginning to see the positive impact of his efforts. With a renewed focus on defense and rebounding, the Shanxi team is becoming a tougher and more competitive unit that is ready to face any challenge head-on.The new subway line, which will run through the urban sub-center of Beijing, is designed to ease congestion, improve connectivity, and support sustainable urban growth. By integrating rail transportation with land development, the project aims to create a model for transit-oriented development that maximizes the efficiency of public transportation and promotes mixed-use development along the corridor.

Saquon Barkley tops 2,000 yards rushing and moves within 100 of Dickerson's record PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season, reaching the milestone with a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. That rush gave Barkley 2,005 yards with one game left and left him exactly 100 yards from Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley could potentially top the record in next week’s finale against the New York Giants. However, that game will be mostly meaningless for the Eagles, who could opt to rest Barkley to protect him from injury ahead of the playoffs. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a weekJimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’

Musk causes uproar by backing German far-right party ahead of key electionsNEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans . Lamenting the contretemps, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement Sunday that he'd let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code. He said Carlsen's stand — which culminated in his quitting the tournament Friday — highlighted a need for more discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” Carlsen, meanwhile, said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship when it begins Monday. “I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz — a fast-paced form of chess — and wanted fans to be able to watch, and that he was encouraged by his discussions with the federation after Friday's showdown. “I think we sort of all want the same thing,” he suggested in the video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. “We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.” The events began when Carlsen wore jeans and a sportcoat Friday to the Rapid World Championship, which is separate from but held in conjunction with the blitz event. The chess federation said Friday that longstanding rules prohibit jeans at those tournaments, and players are lodged nearby to make sartorial switch-ups easy if needed. An official fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change pants, but he refused and wasn't paired for a ninth-round game, the federation said at the time. The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed and continued to play. Carlsen has said that he offered to wear something else the next day, but officials were unyielding. He said “it became a bit of a matter of principle,” so he quit the rapid and blitz championships. In the video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he had indeed broken a rule and said changing clothes would have needlessly interrupted his concentration between games. He called the punishment “unbelievably harsh.” “Of course, I could have changed. Obviously, I didn’t want to,” he said, and “I stand by that.”

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American Airlines' shares were down 1.9% after the carrier briefly grounded all its flights in the United States due to an unspecified technical issue. American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday due to a technical issu e just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines’ main hub, was getting hit with rain. Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami

In a world where social media can often feel shallow and superficial, Wu Liufang stands out as a beacon of authenticity, resilience, and compassion. Her story is a reminder that success is not measured by numbers or accolades but by the impact we have on others and the lives we touch along the way. As her fan base continues to grow and her influence spreads far and wide, Wu Liufang remains committed to using her platform for good, spreading positivity, and empowering others to embrace their unique voice and story.Manchester City, managed by the tactical genius Pep Guardiola, boast a star-studded lineup featuring players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Aguero. Despite their immense quality, City are expected to face stiff competition in their group and narrowly miss out on the top spot. However, their attacking prowess and Guardiola's tactical acumen should see them through to the playoffs, where they will be looking to make a strong statement in the knockout stages.

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For those of us who are adult children of parents who may be in their 70s or older, being concerned about their health and well-being may be a difficult subject to think about. Don’t get me wrong, just because your parents are getting older does not mean that they need help. Further, it does not mean that they cannot take care of themselves and live independently. However, regardless of their current health status, everyone gets older and at some point, all of us may need a little assistance and looking after. Adult children of parents who are aging may not always look for changes that are happening to their parents and often overlook them as they’re painful to see. Often, spouses may be the ones to prompt this conversation and point out something out of the ordinary that may be worrisome. If you are going to see your aging parents for the holidays, in addition to celebrating, take a moment to make sure your older loved ones are still capable of managing their daily lives on their own. Often older adults need some help to stay safe and healthy, but don’t like to admit it. Here is a simple checklist that may help determine if a loved one may need some help to stay at home: Appearance may be a clue that the activities of daily living may be becoming more difficult. It’s also a potential indicator of deteriorating vision and possibly changes in mental acuity. A change in housekeeping and food choices can indicate difficulty managing shopping, cleaning or cooking. Giving up activities, missing appointments and ignoring the mail are all signs that an older person may need help. They are also signs of possible depression, an issue that affects older Americans at alarming rates. If you notice a change in interests or participation in activities you may want to speak with them about their present circumstances and your concerns for their well-being. Staying home is typically the goal of most aging parents. But the reality may be that caring for a home and managing the activities of daily living can become increasingly difficult. Many of our aging parents may be afraid to admit that reality because they fear losing their independence or admitting they need help. A holiday visit represents an ideal opportunity for adult children to communicate with older family members about their health and living situations. Do not turn a blind eye to a family member or friend that shows signs of needing assistance. A simple fall can open Pandora’s box.Organizers say two sailors have died in Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid wild weather conditions SYDNEY (AP) — Organizers said that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which administers the yacht race, has said that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home." He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. 'Baby Driver' actor Hudson Meek, 16, dies in a fall from a moving vehicle VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say 16-year-old actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office says Meek was hurt on Dec. 19 while on a street in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham. He died two days later. The Vestavia Hills Police Department has not issued any public statements. Meek made his on-screen debut in 2014’s “The Santa Con,” and had roles in various TV series, including “MacGyver.” He was perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 film “Baby Driver,” in which he played a younger version of Ansel Elgort’s titular character. Bad Bunny announces a new album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny announced he will release a new album in early January. He announced Thursday that “Debí Tirar Más Fotos" arrives Jan. 5. It is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. This time, it's a Sunday instead of the typical Friday album drop date. Bad Bunny announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” His last release was 2023’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” Hwang Dong-hyuk on killing off his 'Squid Game' characters and wanting to work with Jake Gyllenhaal As season two of Netflix's hit series “Squid Game” returns Thursday, viewers can expect more untimely deaths for many of its characters. Its creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk says whittling down the cast made him happy because less people were easier to manage on set. The show follows a deadly competition in South Korea that targets contestants who are heavily in debt and desperate for money. Hwang told the Associated Press in a Q&A that a third and final season has already filmed and it's better than season two. He also says his next project will be even darker in tone than “Squid Game.” Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel DALLAS (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are firing up in parts of Texas and could trigger high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The National Weather Service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas, and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes and wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour, and large hail. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. NYC taxi driver was having a medical episode when he jumped the curb and hit people, police say NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say a taxi driver who hit six pedestrians when he jumped a curb in Manhattan on Christmas Day was having a medical episode at the time. An NYPD spokesperson would not elaborate on the type of type of medical episode but said Thursday no criminality is suspected at this time. The 58-year-old was taken to a hospital in stable condition for further evaluation. Also hospitalized after the yellow taxi drove onto the sidewalk across the street from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square were a 9-year-old boy with a laceration to his right thigh, a 49-year-old woman with a leg injury and a 41-year-old woman. All were in stable condition. Pizza deliverer in Florida charged with stabbing pregnant woman at motel after tip dispute KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A pizza deliverer in Florida has been charged with pushing her way into a motel room and stabbing a pregnant woman after a dispute over a tip. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says that Brianna Alvelo has been charged with stabbing a woman in her motel room in Kissimmee, Florida, a short time after delivering a pizza to her on Sunday. The woman gave Alvelo $50 on a $33.10 bill, expecting change back. When Alvelo started walking away, the woman asked for money back, and Alvelo told her they didn’t make change. The woman got a smaller dollar bill from her boyfriend, and Alvelo’s tip ended up being $2. Friday's Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, one of the game's top jackpots Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday’s Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday’s jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game’s history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. But the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials. Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Christmas shooting at Phoenix airport leaves 3 people wounded, 1 stabbed PHOENIX (AP) — Police are investigating a Christmas shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix that left three people wounded by gunfire and another person stabbed. Phoenix police say the evening shooting was related to a family dispute that happened at a restaurant outside the security checkpoints in Terminal 4. An adult female and two adult males were shot, leaving the female with injuries police describe as life-threatening. Police say the two men were in stable condition. Police say the people involved knew each other. They had a physical fight that led to one of them pulling a gun. A man and a girl were detained in a nearby parking garage.

The government schedules and programs for December 27 have been called off and a key cabinet meeting has been called to pay tribute to the veteran leader and to honour the death period. Former Prime Minister and veteran Congress leader Dr. Manmohan Singh died on Thursday after prolonged illness. The government of India has announced national mourning for seven days following the demise of Manmohan Singh. The government schedules and programes for December 27 have been called off and a key cabinet meeting has been called to pay tribute to the veteran leader and to honour the death period. Last rites of Dr. Singh will be performed with full state rites. Entire political fraternity is mourning the death of veteran leader today setting aside the party differences. Dr Manmohan Singh’s demise has left a void in the Indian politics. Fondly known as a 'Gentle Man in rough world of politics' played a significant role specially in India's economy. A beacon of public service, economic foresight he was an epitome of humbleness. He is survived by his family, who are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. As India bids farewell to this monumental figure, his contributions to the nation will continue to inspire future generations. His last public appearance was in January 2024, at the launch of his daughter’s book, and he retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024. - PTC NEWSKalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4) at Ohio State's 17-yard line with two minutes remaining in the game. The drive stalled at the 3, and Zvada came on for the chip shot. Ohio State (10-2, 7-2, No. 2 CFP) got the ball back but couldn't move it, with Will Howard throwing incomplete on fourth down to seal the Wolverines' fourth straight win over their bitter rival. “You come to Michigan to play this game,” Zvada said. “So, it's the biggest one of the year. It's the one that everyone looks forward to, and to be able to come in here and take the win, it's amazing.” This Ohio State loss in the “The Game” might have been the toughest of the past four because Michigan was unranked and wrapping up a disappointing season. The Wolverines were also playing without a couple of top players: tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for this rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Records — and point spreads, for that matter — rarely mean much when these two teams meet. “Our defense played outstanding," Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. "We held a high-powered offense to 10 points, 77 rushing yards.” The Buckeyes were off all afternoon. Howard was 19 for 33 for 175 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and Jayden Fielding missed two field-goal attempts. The run game was hardly there. “It's hard, man,” an emotional Howard said. “I really don’t have much right now. I do know we're a two-loss team. We're going to get into the playoffs and make a run. But, I mean, this one hurts.” Mullings was Michigan's primary weapon. He rushed for 116 yards and the Wolverines only touchdown of the game in the first half as neither team could get much going offensively on the frigid afternoon. “They made plays, we made plays, so as the game wore on you could definitely, slowly feel them starting to lose confidence, lose that energy and lose that faith,” Mullings said. Howard was clunky all day. In the first half he threw an interception from deep in his own territory that led to Michigan's touchdown. He went out for a play in the second quarter to be checked for a head injury. After the game, he said he was fine. “We're very disappointed, and never thought this would happen right here,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We expected to win this game and go play in the Big Ten championship game.” After the game, Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. A skirmish ensued as both teams pushed and shoved before being separated. Michigan: Did just enough and caught Ohio State on an off day. Ohio State: It's inexplicable how badly the Buckeyes played in their biggest game of the season. They would need No. 4 Penn State and No. 10 Indiana to lose later Saturday in order to make it into the Big Ten title game next week. There has been talk all season about how many of the Ohio State team leaders, including receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive end Jack Sawyer, chose to return for another year instead of entering the NFL draft because they wanted to beat Michigan at least once. Those players were inconsolable after the game. One of them, linebacker Cody Simon, was asked how he felt. “I just can't speak that right now,” Simon said. “I feel like we let the whole Buckeye nation down.” Michigan will wait for a minor bowl game. Ohio State, assuming either Penn State or Indiana wins on Saturday, will see how the final College Football Playoff rankings shakeout on Dec. 8. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

The London Fire Department is on scene of a house fire in the city. The incident is in the 400 block of Alston Road. Crews arrived on scene just before 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Crews said smoke was showing and they advanced an attack line. More crews arrived on scene as the fight continues. London Top Stories London fire on scene of blaze at house Three people in hospital due to collision Assault at Santa Claus parade leads to charges Easton Cowan needs a point Sunday to tie 55-game OHL point streak record CPKC Holiday Train to stop in Southwestern Ontario Sunday night One community still undecided in nuclear waste willingness vote St. Thomas, Ont. and San Jose, Calif. celebrate hockey legend on night his jersey is retired Man charged in child abuse investigation: STPS CTVNews.ca Top Stories 'Still working full time on it:' One year later police continue to search for gunman in Caledon double murder linked to ex-Olympian One year after a couple was shot and killed in their Caledon home in what investigators have described as a case of mistaken identity, Ontario Provincial Police say they are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger. A man called 911 for help during a home invasion. Las Vegas police fatally shot him A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls. Scurvy resurgence highlights issues of food insecurity in Canada's rural and remote areas A disease often thought to only affect 18th century sailors is reemerging in Canada. 'Very disturbing': Deepfake videos appear to target Canadian immigrants for thousands of dollars Artificially generated videos of a Toronto-based lawyer asking for money appear to be just one way some try to exploit newcomers to Canada during a time of confusion around new immigration rules. Montreal police chief expects additional arrests following anti-NATO protest Montreal's police chief says he expects more arrests stemming from a Friday anti-NATO protest that turned violent, with smashed windows and burned cars in downtown Montreal. Canada 'already past due' on NATO defence spending target: U.S. House intelligence committee chair Mike Turner The chair of the United States House intelligence committee says Canada needs to accelerate its defence spending targets, especially with its military in 'desperate' need of investment. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theatre debuts With a combined US$270 million in worldwide ticket sales, 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately. Lotto Max jackpot hits $80M for second time ever The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history. Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with close battle for second between Liberals and NDP With two days left before Nova Scotians elect their next government, polls suggest Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston's decision to call an early vote will pay off and the real battle will be between the Liberals and NDP for second place. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. Editor's Picks 24 Of The Best Host And Hostess Gifts You Can Find Online Right Now The Best Advent Calendars For Women In 2024 All The Best Beauty Stocking Stuffers That Ring In Under $25 Home Our Guide to the Best Jewellery Boxes You Can Find Online Right Now 16 Home Gadgets That'll Make Your Life Easier The 5 Best Drip Coffee Makers In Canada In 2024, Tested and Reviewed Gifts 23 Gifts, Add-Ons, And Stocking Stuffers For Anyone Who Spends A Lot Of Time In Their Car The Ultimate 2024 Holiday Gift Guide For Nature Lovers And Outdoor Adventurers 27 Of The Absolute Best Stocking Stuffers For Men Beauty 20 Anti-Aging Skincare Products That Reviewers Can’t Stop Talking About 12 Budget-Friendly Makeup Brushes And Tools Worth Adding To Your Kit If You Suffer From Dry Skin, You'll Want To Add At Least One Of These Hydrating Moisturizers To Your Cart Deals These Apple Products Are Majorly On Sale On Amazon Canada Right Now, So It Might Be Time To Upgrade Your Tech Black Friday Has Begun On Amazon Canada: Here Are The Best Deals Black Friday Is Almost Here, But These Deals On Mattresses And Bedding Are Already Live Kitchener Advocates push for anti-renoviction bylaws as Waterloo Region reports affordable housing progress Kitchener auto repair shop hosts fundraiser for children with disabilities, joined by hockey legend Wendel Clark Laval wins Vanier Cup in Saturday game against Laurier Barrie Driver seriously injured after crashing into tree: OPP First snowfall hits region Orillia holiday festivities continue with Santa Claus Parade Windsor Two vehicle collisions in Essex County Saturday Spitfires double Ottawa 67s 6-3 Festival brings Indian classical dance back to the stage Northern Ontario Northern Ont. First Nation files claim against Ontario and Newmont mining Senior killed in dog attack in northern Ont. More carrots pulled from grocery store shelves in expanded recall for E. coli: CFIA Sault Ste. Marie Hockey rivalry goes to the next level on both sides of the Sault border After a year of struggle, centre that helps Sault youth to move to a building with heat $3M donation to help repair arena in Elliot Lake Ottawa Ottawa police arrest 2 during pro-Palestinian demonstrations Saturday Here's how you can watch CTV News at Six on Sundays during the NFL season Sandy Hill apartment building evacuated for high levels of carbon monoxide Toronto Walking pneumonia is on the rise in Canada, but what about Ontario? 'It's an optimistic space:' Inside Toronto's new drug withdrawal centre Routes to avoid during the 120th Santa Claus Parade on Sunday Montreal Montreal police chief expects additional arrests following anti-NATO protest Two pedestrians die after being struck by a vehicle in Montérégie Montreal prepares to sell long-abandoned Empress theatre Atlantic Man arrested in Saint John, N.B., for weapons offences 'We need answers': Protest held at RCMP detachment for suspicious disappearance of N.B. man Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign begins across Canada Winnipeg Winnipeg transit union gives back with first fill-a-bus event Have you seen Bostyn? Winnipeg police search for missing teenager Two Manitobans charged in two-day manhunt in northwestern Ontario Calgary Snowfall warning lifted but flurries remain in Sunday forecast Revival of Pospisil, power play fuels Flames to 4-3 shootout win over Wild Snow routes declared active for Lethbridge starting at 9 a.m. Monday Edmonton Electric cars a 'hot commodity' in Alberta despite misconceptions McDavid paces Edmonton Oilers to 6-2 win over New York Rangers Hit-and-run driver wanted after pedestrian hit in southeast Edmonton Regina Regina slammed with second snowstorm inside a week Dinosaur discovery reveals more about ancient Saskatchewan Navy wife brings together local authors for inaugural book fair Saskatoon Saskatoon digs out from another snowfall 'I'm excited to take it on': Saskatoon businesses weigh in on GST exemption Make A Wish kids get early holiday magic in Saskatoon Vancouver Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules Vancouver Canucks fend off Ottawa Senators late surge in 4-3 win Vancouver Island BC Hydro says power almost fully restored after B.C. windstorms Fall legislative sitting scrapped in B.C. as Speaker Chouhan confirmed to serve again Canada Post down eight million parcels amid strike as talk carry on over weekend Stay ConnectedSean 'Diddy' Combs cannot be trusted to follow the rules he has proposed for himself as part of a US$50-million bail package, a prosecutor said on Friday, in urging a judge to keep the music mogul in the Brooklyn jail where he has been held for 10 weeks ahead of his May 5, 2025 trial on sex-trafficking charges. Combs' lawyers this month proposed a bail package backed by his US$48-million Florida mansion. It also called for Combs to be monitored around the clock by security personnel, subjected to home detention, and to have no contact with alleged victims or witnesses. At a hearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan, prosecutor Christine Slavik said even from behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Combs had communicated with his lawyers through unauthorized channels, and sought to run a social-media campaign to sway potential jurors. "The defendant here has demonstrated that either he cannot or will not follow rules," Slavik said. "The defendant, simply put, cannot be trusted." Combs' lawyers were expected to respond later in the hearing. Upon being led into the hearing by members of the U.S. Marshals service, Combs, wearing a beige jail-issued outfit, blew kisses toward his family seated in the second row of the courtroom's audience. Combs has been denied bail three times since his arrest, with multiple judges citing a risk he might tamper with witnesses. The rapper and producer pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17 to charges that he used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women. Combs denies wrongdoing Prosecutors said the abuse included having women take part in recorded sexual performances called "freak offs" with male sex workers who were sometimes transported across state lines. Combs, 55, has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have argued the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. Combs' lawyers questioned why jail was needed when federal prosecutors in Brooklyn last month allowed the pre-trial release on a $10-million bond of former Abercrombie and Fitch ANF.N CEO Mike Jeffries, who has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking. "There is no legal basis for continuing to force Mr. Combs to prepare for trial from jail," his lawyers wrote in a Thursday court filing. The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which brought the charges against Combs, countered that Jeffries is 80 years old with no criminal history, whereas Combs has prior arrests. They also said federal agents recovered rifles with defaced serial numbers from Combs' residences, and that Combs contacted witnesses through third parties from jail and tried to hide those communications from law enforcement. Defence lawyers, meanwhile, said new evidence shed light on a 2016 hotel surveillance video of Combs assaulting former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, and undermined part of the prosecution's justification for detaining him. His lawyers said the video was not proof of a coerced "freak off" as prosecutors alleged, but rather a glimpse into a complex romantic relationship. This week, Subramanian ordered prosecutors to destroy their copies of handwritten notes that Combs took in jail, pending a decision on whether they were subject to attorney-client privilege. A government investigator photographed the notes during a sweep of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Combs has been jailed. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Rod Nickel)

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball will miss at least 2 weeks with a left calf strain

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Organizers say two sailors have died in Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid wild weather conditions SYDNEY (AP) — Organizers said that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which administers the yacht race, has said that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home." He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. 'Baby Driver' actor Hudson Meek, 16, dies in a fall from a moving vehicle VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say 16-year-old actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office says Meek was hurt on Dec. 19 while on a street in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham. He died two days later. The Vestavia Hills Police Department has not issued any public statements. Meek made his on-screen debut in 2014’s “The Santa Con,” and had roles in various TV series, including “MacGyver.” He was perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 film “Baby Driver,” in which he played a younger version of Ansel Elgort’s titular character. Bad Bunny announces a new album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny announced he will release a new album in early January. He announced Thursday that “Debí Tirar Más Fotos" arrives Jan. 5. It is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. This time, it's a Sunday instead of the typical Friday album drop date. Bad Bunny announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” His last release was 2023’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” Hwang Dong-hyuk on killing off his 'Squid Game' characters and wanting to work with Jake Gyllenhaal As season two of Netflix's hit series “Squid Game” returns Thursday, viewers can expect more untimely deaths for many of its characters. Its creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk says whittling down the cast made him happy because less people were easier to manage on set. The show follows a deadly competition in South Korea that targets contestants who are heavily in debt and desperate for money. Hwang told the Associated Press in a Q&A that a third and final season has already filmed and it's better than season two. He also says his next project will be even darker in tone than “Squid Game.” Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel DALLAS (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are firing up in parts of Texas and could trigger high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The National Weather Service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas, and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes and wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour, and large hail. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. NYC taxi driver was having a medical episode when he jumped the curb and hit people, police say NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say a taxi driver who hit six pedestrians when he jumped a curb in Manhattan on Christmas Day was having a medical episode at the time. An NYPD spokesperson would not elaborate on the type of type of medical episode but said Thursday no criminality is suspected at this time. The 58-year-old was taken to a hospital in stable condition for further evaluation. Also hospitalized after the yellow taxi drove onto the sidewalk across the street from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square were a 9-year-old boy with a laceration to his right thigh, a 49-year-old woman with a leg injury and a 41-year-old woman. All were in stable condition. Pizza deliverer in Florida charged with stabbing pregnant woman at motel after tip dispute KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A pizza deliverer in Florida has been charged with pushing her way into a motel room and stabbing a pregnant woman after a dispute over a tip. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says that Brianna Alvelo has been charged with stabbing a woman in her motel room in Kissimmee, Florida, a short time after delivering a pizza to her on Sunday. The woman gave Alvelo $50 on a $33.10 bill, expecting change back. When Alvelo started walking away, the woman asked for money back, and Alvelo told her they didn’t make change. The woman got a smaller dollar bill from her boyfriend, and Alvelo’s tip ended up being $2. Friday's Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, one of the game's top jackpots Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday’s Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday’s jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game’s history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. But the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials. Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Christmas shooting at Phoenix airport leaves 3 people wounded, 1 stabbed PHOENIX (AP) — Police are investigating a Christmas shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix that left three people wounded by gunfire and another person stabbed. Phoenix police say the evening shooting was related to a family dispute that happened at a restaurant outside the security checkpoints in Terminal 4. An adult female and two adult males were shot, leaving the female with injuries police describe as life-threatening. Police say the two men were in stable condition. Police say the people involved knew each other. They had a physical fight that led to one of them pulling a gun. A man and a girl were detained in a nearby parking garage.

By Jody Godoy NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to lead the consumer protection and antitrust agency, Trump said on social media on Tuesday. Ferguson, one of two Senate-confirmed Republican FTC commissioners appointed by President Joe Biden, will be "the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History," Trump said. "Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country," Trump said on his social media platform. Ferguson has said the agency should tackle perceived censorship of conservative viewpoints online. If social media platforms collaborate to suppress such views or advertisers coordinate pulling business from platforms such as Elon Musk's X, they should be charged with violating U.S. antitrust law, Ferguson has said. "We must vigorously enforce the antitrust laws against any platforms found to be unlawfully limiting Americans' ability to exchange ideas freely and openly," Ferguson said in a recent statement. The agency became a political flashpoint under FTC Chair Lina Khan, who promoted antitrust enforcement as a check on corporate power. Her efforts won fans among some Republicans, including incoming Vice President JD Vance, but drew criticism as overly aggressive from some antitrust lawyers and business groups. Her successor will inherit a full slate of cases against Big Tech companies, a lawsuit against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers, and at least a half-dozen lawsuits by companies arguing it has outstripped its authority. It is unclear whether the incoming chair would continue with unfinished probes, including into practices at Microsoft that competitors have complained keep customers from switching to other cloud service providers, and potential privacy concerns involving OpenAI. New leadership could also shift course in two major FTC cases against Amazon.com. One takes aim at practices the agency says keep sellers bound to its platform and help Amazon unlawfully dominate the landscape for online marketplaces, and another over practices allegedly meant to trick Prime subscribers out of cancelling service. The new FTC chair would also oversee a case brought against Meta Platforms, then known as Facebook, in 2020, during Trump's first term. The agency is seeking to unwind the tech company's acquisition of Instagram and Whatsapp. But the judge overseeing the case has cast doubt on whether the agency can prevail at trial in April. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Jasper Ward, Rosalba O'Brien and Matthew Lewis) Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .Tyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn (4-1) before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level Media

The London Fire Department was on scene of a house fire in the city on Sunday. The incident was in the 400 block of Alston Road. Crews arrived on scene just before 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Crews said smoke was showing and they advanced an attack line. Fire was successfully extinguished and crews quickly transitioned to ventilation and overhaul operations. Two people have been displaced as a result and one cat died. The estimated damage is more than $200,000. The investigation is ongoing. London Top Stories Two displaced in $200,000 house fire Three people in hospital due to collision Assault at Santa Claus parade leads to charges Easton Cowan needs a point Sunday to tie 55-game OHL point streak record CPKC Holiday Train to stop in Southwestern Ontario Sunday night One community still undecided in nuclear waste willingness vote St. Thomas, Ont. and San Jose, Calif. celebrate hockey legend on night his jersey is retired Man charged in child abuse investigation: STPS CTVNews.ca Top Stories 'Still working full time on it:' One year later police continue to search for gunman in Caledon double murder linked to ex-Olympian One year after a couple was shot and killed in their Caledon home in what investigators have described as a case of mistaken identity, Ontario Provincial Police say they are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger. A man called 911 for help during a home invasion. Las Vegas police fatally shot him A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls. Scurvy resurgence highlights issues of food insecurity in Canada's rural and remote areas A disease often thought to only affect 18th century sailors is reemerging in Canada. Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA Donations are ramping up for a BC SPCA cat with a mangled paw after being caught in a hunting snare, one of a rising number of pets to fall prey to the hunting device. 'Very disturbing': Deepfake videos appear to target Canadian immigrants for thousands of dollars Artificially generated videos of a Toronto-based lawyer asking for money appear to be just one way some try to exploit newcomers to Canada during a time of confusion around new immigration rules. Lotto Max jackpot hits $80M for second time ever The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history. Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with close battle for second between Liberals and NDP With two days left before Nova Scotians elect their next government, polls suggest Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston's decision to call an early vote will pay off and the real battle will be between the Liberals and NDP for second place. Montreal police chief expects additional arrests following anti-NATO protest Montreal's police chief says he expects more arrests stemming from a Friday anti-NATO protest that turned violent, with smashed windows and burned cars in downtown Montreal. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theatre debuts With a combined US$270 million in worldwide ticket sales, 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. Editor's Picks 24 Of The Best Host And Hostess Gifts You Can Find Online Right Now The Best Advent Calendars For Women In 2024 All The Best Beauty Stocking Stuffers That Ring In Under $25 Home Our Guide to the Best Jewellery Boxes You Can Find Online Right Now 16 Home Gadgets That'll Make Your Life Easier The 5 Best Drip Coffee Makers In Canada In 2024, Tested and Reviewed Gifts 23 Gifts, Add-Ons, And Stocking Stuffers For Anyone Who Spends A Lot Of Time In Their Car The Ultimate 2024 Holiday Gift Guide For Nature Lovers And Outdoor Adventurers 27 Of The Absolute Best Stocking Stuffers For Men Beauty 20 Anti-Aging Skincare Products That Reviewers Can’t Stop Talking About 12 Budget-Friendly Makeup Brushes And Tools Worth Adding To Your Kit If You Suffer From Dry Skin, You'll Want To Add At Least One Of These Hydrating Moisturizers To Your Cart Deals These Apple Products Are Majorly On Sale On Amazon Canada Right Now, So It Might Be Time To Upgrade Your Tech Black Friday Has Begun On Amazon Canada: Here Are The Best Deals Black Friday Is Almost Here, But These Deals On Mattresses And Bedding Are Already Live Kitchener Kitchener auto repair shop hosts fundraiser for children with disabilities, joined by hockey legend Wendel Clark Colleges and universities face job cuts, deficits amid international student cap Walking pneumonia is on the rise in Canada, but what about Ontario? Barrie Driver seriously injured after crashing into tree: OPP First snowfall hits region Local high school basketball team wins provincial championship Windsor Two vehicle collisions in Essex County Saturday Spitfires double Ottawa 67s 6-3 Festival brings Indian classical dance back to the stage Northern Ontario Northern Ont. First Nation files claim against Ontario and Newmont mining Senior killed in dog attack in northern Ont. More carrots pulled from grocery store shelves in expanded recall for E. coli: CFIA Sault Ste. Marie Hockey rivalry goes to the next level on both sides of the Sault border After a year of struggle, centre that helps Sault youth to move to a building with heat $3M donation to help repair arena in Elliot Lake Ottawa Ottawa police arrest 2 during pro-Palestinian demonstrations Saturday Here's how you can watch CTV News at Six on Sundays during the NFL season Sandy Hill apartment building evacuated for high levels of carbon monoxide Toronto Walking pneumonia is on the rise in Canada, but what about Ontario? 'It's an optimistic space:' Inside Toronto's new drug withdrawal centre Routes to avoid during the 120th Santa Claus Parade on Sunday Montreal Two suspicious fires in Rawdon Montreal police chief expects additional arrests following anti-NATO protest Two pedestrians die after being struck by a vehicle in Montérégie Atlantic ‘It’s pretty emotional:’ N.B. family escape fire, plan to rebuild home Man arrested in Saint John, N.B., for weapons offences Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign begins across Canada Winnipeg Winnipeg transit union gives back with first fill-a-bus event Have you seen Bostyn? Winnipeg police search for missing teenager Two Manitobans charged in two-day manhunt in northwestern Ontario Calgary Snowfall warning lifted but flurries remain in Sunday forecast Revival of Pospisil, power play fuels Flames to 4-3 shootout win over Wild Snow routes declared active for Lethbridge starting at 9 a.m. Monday Edmonton Electric cars a 'hot commodity' in Alberta despite misconceptions McDavid paces Edmonton Oilers to 6-2 win over New York Rangers Canada Post down eight million parcels amid strike as talk carry on over weekend Regina Regina slammed with second snowstorm inside a week Dinosaur discovery reveals more about ancient Saskatchewan Navy wife brings together local authors for inaugural book fair Saskatoon Saskatoon digs out from another snowfall 'I'm excited to take it on': Saskatoon businesses weigh in on GST exemption Make A Wish kids get early holiday magic in Saskatoon Vancouver Vancouver Police Board member resigns over social media posts Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules Vancouver Island BC Hydro says power almost fully restored after B.C. windstorms Fall legislative sitting scrapped in B.C. as Speaker Chouhan confirmed to serve again Canada Post down eight million parcels amid strike as talk carry on over weekend Stay Connected

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Penn State fans, and James Franklin , can take a deep breath. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki posted on social media Monday night to hint that he plans to stay with Penn State moving forward. “Beyond lucky to be a part of the Penn State Football Family,” he wrote on X . “Still a lot to accomplish this season and I am looking forward to what 2025 has in store for our program!” Kotelnicki’s job status has been under scrutiny since reports surfaced on Dec. 2 that he’d interview at West Virginia for the Mountaineers' open head-coaching job . He went through the process, but clearly, Kotelnicki will remain in Happy Valley. The former Kansas offensive coordinator came to Penn State this offseason with the promise of delivering creative and explosive offensive play. Kotelnicki’s group has scored 33.2 points per game this season, good for 25th in the country, en route to an 11-2 record and a Big Ten Championship berth. While the numbers are a statistical decrease from 36.2 points in 2023, this year’s Penn State squad has been more consistently explosive. The Lions generated 57 plays of 20-plus yards in the regular season compared to 47 in 2023. A 37-point, 518-yard performance against No. 1 Oregon for the conference title was another example of why Kotelnicki was brought in. His work with quarterback Drew Allar and Heisman-candidate tight end Tyler Warren, specifically, has caught national attention for good reason. He’s also notorious for trick plays, like one Penn State ran for Warren against USC in which the tight end both snapped the ball and caught a touchdown . It’s not particularly surprising to see Kotelnicki stick with Penn State this time around, but he’s sure to continue generating head-coaching interest if he also continues to excel with the Nittany Lions. BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sportsbooks , where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks. Sign up for the PennLive’s Penn State newsletters, the daily Penn State Today and the subscriber-exclusive Penn State Insider ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Published 4:29 pm Tuesday, November 26, 2024 By Data Skrive In one of the many exciting matchups on the college basketball schedule on Wednesday, the Cornell Big Red and Syracuse Orange take the court at JMA Wireless Dome, one of the 10 games our computer model recommended in terms of picks against the spread. Watch men’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 for a free trial. Get the latest news sent to your inbox Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .

(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans generally support the idea of cutting back on the federal government, polling finds. The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa's teammates have used words like “commanding” and “lights out” to describe the way he has played recently. The quarterback has had one of the best stretches of his career since he returned from a concussion in Week 8, keeping alive the playoff hopes for the Miami Dolphins. Tagovailoa threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns — including the winning TD in overtime — to lead Miami to the victory against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Sunday. With the win, the Dolphins (6-7) have the same record as Indianapolis, and they two games back of Denver (8-5) for the final AFC wild card. “I don’t think two years ago this game occurs,” coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday of Tagovailoa. “He continues to get better. ... It’s a lot of work, and all of his work is paying off because he’s a naturally gifted quarterback, not only the skill sets but people gravitate towards him. He makes people better. That’s an incredibly important part of that position.” After an up-close look at the way Tagovailoa operates Miami's offense by throwing with anticipation, Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich called him one of the fastest processors in the NFL. Tagovailoa's teammates had just as much praise about his impact. “He’s been playing lights out. He’s been a great leader for this team, not only on offense but also for defense, getting those guys going," wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. "We’ve just got to follow him, man, like follow his standard because the standard is the standard, and he’s been playing at a high level and guys around him just got to match it.” The numbers back up Hill's words: Sunday was Tagovailoa's third straight 300-yard passing performance, joining Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in Dolphins history to record three consecutive games with that many yards. Tagovailoa entered Sunday's game with a league-best 74.5% completion rate. He recorded his seventh straight game with a completion rate of 70% or better, tying the third-longest streak in NFL history. Going back to Week 10 against the Rams, Tagovailoa has attempted 184 passes without throwing an interception, which is the second-longest streak in his career, and he has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 34 of his last 35 games. He was 6 for 7 for 67 yards on the Dolphins' winning touchdown drive Sunday, which he capped with a 10-yard throw to tight end Jonnu Smith. “He was commanding," receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “He really made sure we didn’t kill ourselves with penalties. He wanted everybody to lock in and just hone in on the details. That’s was big. He came through, made big plays, was calm in the pocket, o-line had great protection, he delivered the ball.” What's working A big part of Tagovailoa's growth has been his ability to not force plays down the field that aren't there. Unlike earlier in his career, he is much more willing to take checkdowns or dump the ball off to running back De'Von Achane or the tight end Smith, who have been excellent this season at gaining yards after the catch. What needs help Third down continues to pose problems for the Dolphins. Miami converted just 1 of 9 third-down attempts and are 9 of 35 on third downs in its last three games. Stock up Receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Hill had his first 100-yard receiving game since the opener with 115 yards on 10 catches. With his 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, Hill has a TD catch in four of the past five games. Waddle caught nine passes for 99 yards that gave him 4,085 in his career — the most in a player's first four seasons in Dolphins history. Stock down The secondary, which allowed a combined 223 yards by Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams and 339 yards passing from Aaron Rodgers. It was just the second time this season that Miami's defense has allowed more than 300 yards passing. There were also several instances of miscommunication in the secondary. Injuries LT Terron Armstead was limited to just five snaps because of a knee injury that he's been dealing with for weeks. Armstead was visibly frustrated when he came out of the game and was replaced by rookie Patrick Paul. ... LB Anthony Walker Jr. appeared to re-aggravate a hamstring injury that happened last week. Key number 0 — The number of times Tagovailoa was hit Sunday on 47 pass attempts. Next steps Three of Miami's final four games are on the road, starting at Houston on Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Alanis Thames, The Associated Press

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bet expert Nukkleus Stock Skyrockets 12x After Acquiring Controlling Stake In Israeli Iron Dome Supplier RIMON: Retail Frenzy Takes OverLoop Switch 2 review: Easily adjustable earplugs that are great for concertsHail Flutie: BC celebrates 40th anniversary of Miracle in MiamiMaupay also had a dig at Everton when he departed on loan to Marseille in the summer and his latest taunt has further angered the Premier League club’s supporters. The 28-year-old said on X after Sean Dyche’s side had lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile 🙂 — Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) December 29, 2024 Former boxer Tony Bellew was among the Toffees’ supporters who responded to Maupay, with the ex-world cruiserweight champion replying on X with: “P****!” Maupay endured a miserable spell at Everton, scoring just one league goal in 29 appearances after being signed by the Merseysiders for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He departed on a season-long loan to his former club Brentford for the 2023-24 season and left Goodison for a second time in August when Marseille signed him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. After leaving Everton in the summer, Maupay outraged their fans by posting on social media a scene from the film Shawshank Redemption, famous for depicting the main character’s long fight for freedom.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never 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 said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Contributors include former AP staffer Alex Sanz in Atlanta.A look at how some of Trump's picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy's overhaulHyperconnected employees experiencing ‘dark side’ of digital work

You ain’t seen nothing yet! 'The Outer Worlds 2' gets wild new trailer at The Game AwardsATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never 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 said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Contributors include former AP staffer Alex Sanz in Atlanta.

Why 3D Scanning is Revolutionizing Customized Engineering Designannounced that he has hired longtime rival to be his new coach ahead of the 2025 season. The two shared the news in a statement and video on social media Saturday, explaining Murray, who retired from his competitive career after the Olympics in July, would work with Djokovic during the offseason and at least through the Australian Open. "I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net as my coach," Djokovic said. "Looking forward to [the] start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil." Murray added he was "really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals." Djokovic and Murray, both 37, were born one week apart in May 1987 and first played against each other as promising 11-year-olds. Since that first meeting, which Murray won, the pair would go on to have dozens of memorable matches at the junior level and on the ATP Tour. Djokovic ultimately held a 25-11 career record over Murray, including four victories in Australian Open finals. Murray defeated Djokovic for two of his three career major titles at the 2012 US Open and Wimbledon in 2013. In March, Djokovic split with coach Goran Ivanisevic after six years -- and 12 Grand Slam titles -- together and had not hired a permanent replacement since. After winning three major titles, including his record-tying 24th overall, during the 2023 season, Djokovic uncharacteristically struggled in 2024 and failed to win a Grand Slam or a tour-level tournament of any kind. He did win his first Olympic gold medal in Paris, something he had never been able to achieve in his previous four Games appearances. Having skipped the year-end ATP Finals, in which he was the defending champion, Djokovic ended the season at No. 7. In a post on Instagram and X announcing Murray's hire, Djokovic wrote, "He never liked retirement anyway," alluding to in which he joked he "never even liked tennis anyway." "We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. I thought our story may be over, [but it] turns out it has one final chapter," Djokovic narrated in the video. "It's time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner." The 2025 Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne on Jan. 12. Already the winningest singles player in the Open era at the event, Djokovic will be looking for his 11th title, which would tie him with Margaret Court for the most ever. It would also break his tie with Court for the most major singles titles in tennis history.Sakeena Masood holds public grievance redressal camp in Gudder Kulgam

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Celero Commerce and EverBank Announce Strategic Relationship To Simplify Payment Processing SolutionsSAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 17, 2024-- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, today announced Agentforce 2.0: the newest version of Agentforce , the first digital labor platform for enterprises — a complete AI system for augmenting teams with trusted, autonomous AI agents in the flow of work. This release introduces a new library of pre-built skills and workflow integrations for rapid customization, the ability to deploy Agentforce in Slack, and advancements in agentic reasoning and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) . These advances will enable companies to scale their workforce with customized agents capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with even more precision and accuracy. Why it’s relevant: Every team has more work to do than resources available, leading to poorer customer interactions and lengthy backlogs. Organizations are turning to AI to help, but have a low tolerance for inadequate solutions that provide generic responses. Existing solutions such as copilots struggle to provide accurate, trusted responses to complex requests — such as personalized guidance on a job application — and cannot take action on their own — like nurturing a lead with product recommendations. Organizations need a new type of platform designed to supply digital labor in the form of autonomous AI agents that can reason over data and tap into workflows to take action on behalf of overwhelmed teams. “Agentforce 2.0 takes our revolutionary Salesforce digital labor platform to another level, with new reasoning, integration and customization features that supercharge autonomous agents with unprecedented levels of intelligence, precision and accuracy,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce . “The demand for Agentforce has been amazing — no other company comes close to offering this complete AI solution for enterprises. We’re seamlessly bringing together AI, data, apps, and automation with humans to reshape how work gets done. Agentforce 2.0 cements our position as the leader in digital labor solutions, allowing any company to build a limitless workforce that can truly transform their business.” How the Adecco Group Uses Agentforce to Scale Personalized Recruiting with Digital Labor: "At the Adecco Group, we are committed to creating meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. By centralizing data across over 40 systems with Salesforce's Data Cloud and leveraging Agentforce, we’re transforming the candidate experience. Agentforce will help prequalify candidates, enhance CVs, and ensure faster job placements. Agentforce agents also operate 24/7, freeing recruiters to focus on meaningful connections while delivering speed and personalization at scale." – Greg Shewmaker, Senior Vice President of Global Operations and AI, The Adecco Group New Library of Skills Brings Agentforce to Every Team and Workflow: Time and integration challenges make it difficult to build customized agents for individual business teams or departments. Agentforce 2.0 eliminates these barriers with a new library of pre-built agent skills — tasks Agentforce can perform — spanning CRM, Slack, Tableau, and partner-developed skills on the AppExchange. This latest release empowers customers to extend Agentforce to any system or workflow using MuleSoft. It also features an enhanced Agent Builder capable of interpreting natural language instructions, such as 'Onboard New Product Managers,' to auto-generate new agents. These agents seamlessly combine pre-made skills with custom logic built in Salesforce, offering unparalleled flexibility and speed. How Accenture Uses Agentforce to Scale Sales Productivity with Digital Labor: “At Accenture, we embrace emerging technologies first so we can help our clients go fast. Our sales team within Accenture’s Salesforce Business Group and Accenture Song are starting to use Agentforce to automate contact and close plan creation, surface insights through enterprise search, and keep teams aligned with dynamic updates. It’s helping to increase time-to-effectiveness, accelerate decision-making, and is allowing them to focus on delivering innovative solutions for their clients.” – Stephanie Sadowski, Salesforce Business Group lead at Accenture Agentforce in Slack — Humans with Agents Working Together Where Work Happens: As organizations look to unlock value from AI agents , they need solutions that are embedded where their employees already are. Agentforce 2.0 is deployable in Slack, bringing customizable digital labor into the messages (DMs) and channels where work happens. How Indeed Uses Agentforce to Scale Personalized Job Seeker Engagement with Digital Labor: “Indeed is the world’s leading job site, with three people hired every second through its platform. At the heart of Indeed’s success is its ability to match the 580 million profiles created by job seekers with over 3 million hiring employers. By harnessing the power of Data Cloud, Indeed has enhanced its data architecture, creating a solid foundation for its go-to-market strategies and enhancing connections to its rich job seeker profiles,” said Indeed CIO Anthony Moisant. “By leveraging Agentforce, Indeed can stay focused on its mission to help people find jobs while advancing its goals, including reducing time-to-hire by 50% and helping 30 million individuals facing barriers to employment secure jobs by fiscal year 2030.” - Anthony Moisant, CIO, Indeed Expert Answers to Complex Questions and Execute Actions with Agentforce 2.0: The Atlas Reasoning Engine is the brain behind Agentforce, enabling it to retrieve relevant data, then reason and act. With Agentforce 2.0, Salesforce is introducing enhanced reasoning and retrieval to handle deeply nuanced questions, powered by new capabilities in Data Cloud that fuel Agentforce with greater context — complementing structured and unstructured data with business-specific metadata for greater accuracy across the most complex, multi-faceted requests. How Salesforce provides faster, more personalized customer support with Agentforce: The Salesforce Help page receives more than 60 million visits a year from customers who need assistance with product support and account queries. Agentforce on help.salesforce.com provides customers with personalized, 24/7 service, while seamlessly escalating to human reps with the full case history and context when needed. Since launching in October, Agentforce is now solving 83% of customer queries without a human, has halved the number of issues that require human intervention, and has nearly doubled its average number of weekly conversations. Customer Perspectives: “At 1-800 Accountant, we’re using Agentforce to manage service inquiries, especially during tax season. With Agentforce now managing up to 90% of incoming requests, we can automate responses to common questions like tax return statuses, freeing up our team to focus on more complex tasks. This boosts efficiency, improves customer satisfaction, and ensures fast, secure, personalized support. Plus, Agentforce adheres to strict data security standards, keeping sensitive tax information safe and accessible only to authorized personnel. It’s a game-changer, helping us scale and serve our clients better during peak times.” – Ryan Teeples, CTO, 1-800 Accountant “Embracing autonomous agents is a game-changer for Bionic. We’re on a mission to make life radically easier for Britain’s small businesses by combining smart technology with expert human service. With agentic AI, we’re streamlining tasks like meter readings and switch tracking to deliver 24/7 support. This innovation empowers our 200,000 SME customers to save time and hassle so they can focus on growing their business.” – James Lomas, Chief Technology Officer, Bionic “With Agentforce, we want to transform Capita’s recruitment process into a fast, seamless and autonomous experience that benefits candidates, our people, and our clients. With autonomous agents providing 24/7 support, our goal is to enable candidates to complete the entire recruitment journey within days as opposed to what has historically taken weeks. At Capita, we give time back to our clients so they can focus on what they do best – and Agentforce will improve our ability to do just that. This is just the start of our agentic journey with Salesforce, where we believe an Agentic Economy can drive big growth potential for UK businesses.” – Adolfo Hernandez. Chief Executive Officer, Capita “ At Finnair, we will use Agentforce to transform our customer service operations, enabling us to efficiently handle routine inquiries and improve response times. With Agentforce automating a significant share of standard inquiries, our team can focus on more complex issues, ensuring faster and more accurate support. This allows us to provide a seamless experience for both customers and customer service personnel, reducing onboarding times for our contact center teams with quicker access to vital information.” – Tiina Vesterinen, Vice President, Commerce & CX Solutions, Finnair "With Salesforce's Agentforce, SharkNinja will be able to transform customer support across more than 30 markets, empowering our agents to deliver personalized, 24/7 service. By unifying data and addressing common inquiries like 'where is my order?', we can streamline agent workloads, enabling them to focus on meaningful, high-impact interactions. This integration will ensure a seamless shopper experience, offering tailored product support, FAQs, and personalized responses that meet consumers’ unique needs – helping us to create extraordinary experiences at every touch point." – Velia Carboni, CIO, SharkNinja "The travel industry is a 24/7 business, often involving unique and urgent requests. As our website, which offers luxury travel deals, continues to grow and attract new customers, we wanted a solution that could deliver a personalized service efficiently to our 60 million European members. Agentforce uses our unified data to automate routine tasks like processing cancellations, updating booking information, or even answering common travel questions about luggage, flight information, and much more, freeing up our customer service agents to handle more complex and last-minute travel needs to better serve our members.” – Kate Donaghy, Head of Business Technology, Secret Escapes “Unity Environmental University is leveraging Salesforce’s Agentforce to expand our support beyond routine inquiries, allowing our employees to focus on learners who need more personalized guidance. By integrating agentic AI into our workflows, we can quickly address standard questions like financial aid details or class registration while freeing our team to engage more deeply with students. This balanced approach ensures that every conversation is more meaningful, as some learners can rely solely on the AI for immediate answers, while others benefit from the combined efforts of both the AI and our dedicated staff. In doing so, we’re not only scaling from 10,000 to 50,000 students, but also enhancing the quality and impact of every interaction along the way and reducing our cost of acquisition per student.” – Dr. Melik Khoury, President & CEO, Unity Environmental University "At Wellness Extract, we’re excited about all of the new possibilities Agentforce can bring to our business. As we continue to grow, scaling customer support is key, and Agentforce offers the potential to automate inquiries across all our channels while still delivering personalized, seamless experiences for all of our buyers. With Salesforce’s Data Cloud, we’ll gain deeper insights into our customers, helping us boost website conversions, strengthen connections, and reduce costs. It’s an opportunity to not just streamline our business operations, but to elevate our brand and set the stage for even greater innovation in health and wellness.” – Arvind Madakan, Program Manager, Wellness Extract Availability: Learn more: Any unreleased services or features referenced here are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. About Salesforce Salesforce helps organizations of any size reimagine their business for the world of AI. With Agentforce, Salesforce's trusted platform, organizations can bring humans together with agents to drive customer success—powered by AI, data, and action. Visit www.salesforce.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217795822/en/ CONTACT: Carolyn Guss pr@salesforce.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DATA MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS APPS/APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE OTHER COMMUNICATIONS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Salesforce Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/17/2024 02:01 PM/DISC: 12/17/2024 02:03 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217795822/en Copyright Business Wire 2024.

Smith scores 18 in Bellarmine's 80-68 win against Bowling GreenSmith scores 18 in Bellarmine's 80-68 win against Bowling GreenColumn: Time to dispel persistent myths about ThanksgivingNeal Maupay: Whenever I’m having a bad day I check Everton score and smile

Why Naira will remain stable in 2025 – Muda YusufThe latest Disney live-action remake is about to hit the 2024 movie release calendar , but unlike the films we’ve seen in the past, this one isn’t a straight-forward retelling of an animated classic. Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King is both a sequel and a prequel to the 2019 remake that will explore the origin story of the mighty king and his brother Taka (who would come to be known as Scar). Before the movie’s December 20 release, critics were able to screen the upcoming kid-friendly flick , and now they’re here to give us an idea of what to expect. First reactions to Mufasa: The Lion King were positive, as critics celebrated the improved animation and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack . Now that they’re able to expand on their initial thoughts, let’s take a look at what they think of the upcoming Disney movie , starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Mufasa: The Lion King . Eric Eisenberg gives the movie 3 out of 5 stars, calling it “serviceable,” with enough good to outweigh the bad. There is plenty of bad, though, as the story gets buried by an overload of prequel material. He writes: Did you ever wonder how Rafiki got his staff? Or how Pride Rock took shape? I never have, and I’m betting you haven’t either. And yet, Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay is written as though it is filling out a checklist of references to satiate fans hungry for that trivia. Paired with the aforementioned stylistic echoes from the first act, Mufasa: The Lion King holds itself back from feeling like an independent creation by being overly beholden to its predecessor/s. Matt Singer of ScreenCrush also notes Mufasa ’s compulsion to overexplain every aspect of the first movie, and while turning Mufasa’s rise to power into its own cinematic experience does make sense, Singer doesn’t understand why Barry Jenkins was the director chosen to do it. The critic rates the film 4 out of 10, saying: While Mufasa dwells on these sorts of irrelevant details, its larger questions go unanswered. Most fundamentally: Why did Barry Jenkins, one of our greatest directors, decide to make a prequel to Jon Favreau’s ‘live-action’ Lion King, which featured eerily realistic but frozen-faced animals? Whatever his reasons, they’re not apparent in the finished movie. I find it hard to believe anyone could look at Mufasa sans credits or context and identify it as ‘A Barry Jenkins Film.’ It is just another cog in the Disney live-action (or ‘live-action’) remake machine, and not particularly engaging one at that. Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gives it 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying that while Barry Jenkins is coloring inside the lines by hitting all of the expected beats of a big studio franchise property, the movie really works. The director alternates from heartwrenching drama to fan-service fun and even shows us new sides of himself through musical numbers and action sequences. The critic continues: These aspects and others make the movie vibrate with personality when, in other hands, it might’ve come across as a rote exercise in intellectual property servicing. Mufasa never quite bursts free of the constraints placed upon it, but those constraints never stop it from moving, or from being moving. It has a signature, rendered with a steady hand. Pete Hammond of Deadline also has good things to say about the “rousing, if not regal” adventure, noting that the return of Timon and Pumbaa is welcome and there are some musical highlights from Lin-Manuel Miranda en route to a majestic conclusion that pays homage to the original. Hammond writes: Shot in the same Live Action photo real CGI technique of the 2019 remake, as well as the earlier Jungle Book remake, this edition is visually stunning, the character work even better as the technology grows. Jenkins is not trying to replicate the legendary versions of this world that dazzled moviegoers, and continues to do so in its own magical ways in the never-ending Broadway and global stage productions. Rather he’s steering it into a non-stop action adventure that barely slows down to breathe. It is one nail biting sequence after another, and parents should beware, PG rating aside, this all might be too intense for the youngest family members, especially with the recurring themes of being separated from family. Aidan Kelly of Collider rates Mufasa: The Lion King 5 out of 10, saying the sequel is better than the 2019 remake with improved visuals and decently catchy songs. However, the story is too predictable and unengaging, and it ultimately feels like another unnecessary remake. More from the critic: Mufasa: The Lion King really did have the amazing opportunity to expand on two iconic characters. Barry Jenkins makes an admirable effort to genuinely improve on a movie that simply had no reason to exist. Still, while Mufasa might have decent visuals and catchy enough songs, its story is where it and the numerous remakes that preceded it struggle. It's another prime example that good effects, good acting, and good music aren't enough when the narrative foundation isn't strong enough. Fans of the franchise and younger generations will find a lot to like about Mufasa: The Lion King, but it's hard to imagine it will have a legacy comparable to the original animated classic that started it all. The critics seem to agree there’s plenty to like in this origin story of two brothers that ultimately led to one of the most tragic Disney deaths , but none was able to call the movie flawless. If you’re looking to hit the theater for Mufasa: The Lion King (or see it in IMAX ), you can do so starting on Friday, December 20. CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

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Princely Umanmielen’s return to the Swamp ends with a loss and a police escortThe wife and daughter of Boon Vanasin , the founder of Thonburi Healthcare Group (THG), who remains at large in China, have reportedly surrendered to police in response to warrants issued on charges of public fraud . Jaruwan Vanasin, 79, and her daughter, Nalin, 51, declined to speak to the media on Saturday. Their lawyer told reporters that they had surrendered and denied all allegations. The pair claimed they had no involvement in the alleged fraudulent schemes, denied signing any cheques, and said their signatures had been forged. The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) obtained court approval on Friday for the arrest of Dr Boon, 86, along with his wife and daughter. Warrants were also issued for six other suspects, who were all arrested on Friday. The suspects are all accused of misleading people into investing in medical businesses promoted by Dr Boon. Dr Boon is also alleged to have forged his former daughter-in-law’s signature to secure a loan, causing damages estimated at 7.5 billion baht. The Criminal Court approved the arrest warrant for Dr Boon on charges of public fraud, fraudulent borrowing, money laundering and issuing bad cheques. Similar charges have been filed against the other suspects. Between December last year and October this year, 527 complaints were lodged against Dr Boon at the Huai Khwang police station by victims unable to cash cheques he had issued. Dr Boon used his reputation as a successful hospital executive to promote five medical-related projects, including a cancer centre, a wellness centre in Thailand, hospitals in Laos and Vietnam, and a medical intelligence project, to attract investments. The total investment in the five projects was over 16 billion baht, with promises of 700 million baht in profits for 2023 and 1 billion baht for this year. Although initial payments were made, subsequent payments were missed, leading to issues with investors trying to cash their cheques, said a source familiar with the investigation. Pol Maj Gen Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the MPB, said on Saturday that Dr Boon left Thailand on Sept 29, travelling from Bangkok to Hong Kong before continuing to China. Dr Boon in 2022 ran afoul of stock market regulators for releasing false information that inflated the share price of THG. The previous year, he had announced that THG had bought 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer for delivery to Thailand. The deliveries never took place. On Friday, police arrested two women linked to Dr Boon’s network at a law firm in Bang Bua Thong district of Nonthaburi. They were also charged with fraud and fraudulent borrowing. Police identified them only as 38-year-old Siriwimol and Jidapha, 53. Seized from them was a Mercedes-Benz. Police arrest two women on fraud charges related to investments promoted by hospital tycoon Boon Vanasin at a law firm in Nonthaburi on Friday. (Photo: Metropolitan Police Bureau’s IDMB FacebookGLENDALE, Ariz. – Penn State’s James Franklin has never been one to ignore the big picture, whether that’s strictly with his Nittany Lions program or the sport of college football, in general. PSU is in a great spot at the moment, preparing to face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. PSU-Boise State is one of the playoff quarterfinal games. But Franklin is not thrilled with the overall health of his sport. There are issues with the transfer portal and NIL, among other things. PSU recently lost talented backup quarterback Beau Pribula to another program, right around the time it became official that Drew Allar was returning to PSU in 2025. One thing Franklin wants to see a commissioner of college football, someone who has the best in interests of the sport in mind. And Franklin has a candidate in mind. Alabama coach Nick Saban and Penn State coach Joe Paterno meet after the Crimson Tide beat the Nittnay Lions, 24-3 on Sept. 11, 2010.Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com PennLive “I think one of the most important things that we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said Sunday during Penn State’s Fiesta Bowl media session. “I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice,” Franklin continued, referring to the former Alabama head coach. “I think if we made that decision Nick will probably call me tonight and say, ‘Don’t do this’. But I think he’s the obvious choice, right? I think there’s some other really good candidates out there. “But that would be a very, very important step moving forward to come up with some solutions and do what’s best for our sport.” · BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sportsbooks , where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks. · Sign up for the PennLive’s Penn State newsletters, the daily Penn State Today and the subscriber-exclusive Penn State Insider

Share Tweet Share Share Email What makes a cryptocurrency a must-have in your portfolio? Is it about innovation, investor confidence, or jaw-dropping ROI potential? As December 2024 closes, Qubetics ($TICS) , Hedera ($HBAR), and Terra ($LUNA) are proving to be the top coins to join this week. Qubetics is blazing ahead with its presale success, Hedera is setting benchmarks in enterprise-grade blockchain solutions, and Terra is making strides in algorithmic stability and decentralised finance. Let’s unpack why these three are dominating investor conversations right now. Qubetics: A Game-Changer for Real-World Asset Tokenization Qubetics is redefining what a presale can achieve. With over $7.9 million raised, 12,100 token holders , and a staggering 379 million $TICS sold at $0.0377 each, Qubetics is more than just a crypto—it’s a phenomenon. Analysts are predicting that $TICS could hit $0.25 by the presale’s end (delivering 630.20% ROI) and a jaw-dropping $15 post-mainnet launch (a potential ROI of 43,711.73%). What makes Qubetics stand out is its focus on real-world asset tokenization. Imagine converting a high-value asset like real estate into digital tokens that can be bought, sold, or traded globally. This isn’t just theory; it’s already changing lives. For instance, small businesses struggling to access capital could tokenize their inventory, creating liquidity while retaining control. Consider this: an art collector who owns a multi-million-dollar painting can tokenize it, selling fractions of ownership to investors worldwide without relinquishing the masterpiece itself. Qubetics bridges the gap between traditional assets and the digital economy, making investments more accessible, liquid, and inclusive. Explore its real-world asset tokenization feature in this deep dive. Qubetics’ latest partnership with SWFT Blockchain further strengthens its ecosystem by simplifying cross-chain transactions. For a detailed breakdown of its transformative applications, watch this video . Hedera: The Enterprise Blockchain Leader Hedera ($HBAR) isn’t just another blockchain—it’s a high-performance public network designed for enterprise applications. Known for its Hashgraph technology, Hedera offers unparalleled speed, security, and energy efficiency, making it a go-to solution for businesses worldwide. As of December 27, 2024, Hedera has solidified its position as a top-tier blockchain with integrations into supply chain management, fraud detection, and even healthcare. Imagine a pharmaceutical company using $HBAR to track vaccine distribution globally, ensuring transparency and eliminating counterfeit products. Hedera’s focus on real-world use cases and institutional partnerships makes it one of the top coins to join this week. Its resilience and scalability have earned it the trust of major corporations like IBM and Google, positioning $HBAR as a reliable long-term investment. Terra: Pioneering Algorithmic Stability Terra ($LUNA) has been at the forefront of decentralised finance (DeFi), offering algorithmic stablecoins pegged to major fiat currencies. This unique approach ensures price stability while maintaining decentralisation, making Terra a favourite among DeFi enthusiasts. Picture a small business owner in Southeast Asia accepting payments in Terra’s stablecoins to avoid the volatility of traditional cryptocurrencies. Or imagine a global freelancer using Terra’s stablecoin to receive payments without the hassle of fluctuating exchange rates. These are just a few examples of how $LUNA is creating real-world impact. As of December 27, 2024, Terra continues to innovate in the DeFi ecosystem, making it a compelling choice for investors seeking both stability and growth. Its focus on algorithmic stability ensures its relevance in an increasingly volatile market, securing its spot as one of the top coins to join this week. Conclusion Qubetics, Hedera, and Terra each bring something unique to the table. Qubetics dazzles with its presale success and real-world asset tokenization, Hedera excels in enterprise-grade blockchain solutions, and Terra pushes the boundaries of algorithmic stability in DeFi. If you’re on the hunt for the top coins to join this week, these three should top your list. With Qubetics priced at just $0.0377, there’s no better time to get in on a project that’s changing the crypto game. Don’t wait—seize the opportunity now. For More Information: Qubetics: https://qubetics.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/qubetics Twitter: https://twitter.com/qubetics Related Items: Blockchain , Qubetic Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Missed The Turbo Party? Claim BTFD Coin’s Bonus Offer Big50 For Massive ROI Top New Meme Coins to Invest in December 2024: Can BTFD Coin Outperform Brett and NPC? Best 6 Cryptos to Watch as 2025 Approaches: Early Investments with Big Rewards CommentsSAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 17, 2024-- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, today announced Agentforce 2.0: the newest version of Agentforce , the first digital labor platform for enterprises — a complete AI system for augmenting teams with trusted, autonomous AI agents in the flow of work. This release introduces a new library of pre-built skills and workflow integrations for rapid customization, the ability to deploy Agentforce in Slack, and advancements in agentic reasoning and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) . These advances will enable companies to scale their workforce with customized agents capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with even more precision and accuracy. Why it’s relevant: Every team has more work to do than resources available, leading to poorer customer interactions and lengthy backlogs. Organizations are turning to AI to help, but have a low tolerance for inadequate solutions that provide generic responses. Existing solutions such as copilots struggle to provide accurate, trusted responses to complex requests — such as personalized guidance on a job application — and cannot take action on their own — like nurturing a lead with product recommendations. Organizations need a new type of platform designed to supply digital labor in the form of autonomous AI agents that can reason over data and tap into workflows to take action on behalf of overwhelmed teams. “Agentforce 2.0 takes our revolutionary Salesforce digital labor platform to another level, with new reasoning, integration and customization features that supercharge autonomous agents with unprecedented levels of intelligence, precision and accuracy,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce . “The demand for Agentforce has been amazing — no other company comes close to offering this complete AI solution for enterprises. We’re seamlessly bringing together AI, data, apps, and automation with humans to reshape how work gets done. Agentforce 2.0 cements our position as the leader in digital labor solutions, allowing any company to build a limitless workforce that can truly transform their business.” How the Adecco Group Uses Agentforce to Scale Personalized Recruiting with Digital Labor: "At the Adecco Group, we are committed to creating meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. By centralizing data across over 40 systems with Salesforce's Data Cloud and leveraging Agentforce, we’re transforming the candidate experience. Agentforce will help prequalify candidates, enhance CVs, and ensure faster job placements. Agentforce agents also operate 24/7, freeing recruiters to focus on meaningful connections while delivering speed and personalization at scale." – Greg Shewmaker, Senior Vice President of Global Operations and AI, The Adecco Group New Library of Skills Brings Agentforce to Every Team and Workflow: Time and integration challenges make it difficult to build customized agents for individual business teams or departments. Agentforce 2.0 eliminates these barriers with a new library of pre-built agent skills — tasks Agentforce can perform — spanning CRM, Slack, Tableau, and partner-developed skills on the AppExchange. This latest release empowers customers to extend Agentforce to any system or workflow using MuleSoft. It also features an enhanced Agent Builder capable of interpreting natural language instructions, such as 'Onboard New Product Managers,' to auto-generate new agents. These agents seamlessly combine pre-made skills with custom logic built in Salesforce, offering unparalleled flexibility and speed. New CRM Skills for Agent-First Customer Experiences: New skills for sales teams such as Sales Development and Sales Coaching enable the creation of autonomous AI agents that can nurture leads based on your rules of engagement, as well as agents that can join your prospecting calls and provide instant feedback on interactions with customers, helping reps do their best work at massive scale. Additional skills include Marketing Campaign and Commerce Merchant skills, scheduling skills for service engagements, and new skills for field service workers. Take Action Across Any App or Workflow with MuleSoft: MuleSoft now enables Agentforce to get work done across your business. With MuleSoft for Flow, it’s easier than ever to create low-code workflows that span any system, with pre-built connectors for building multi-system workflows fast. As teams look to turn their APIs into Agentforce actions, the new MuleSoft API Catalog enables builders and Salesforce Admins to view, discover, and manage APIs across Salesforce, MuleSoft, Heroku, and any external services from one central location for rapid reuse. And the new MuleSoft Topic Center expands on this by enabling teams to infuse Agentforce metadata into every API they build, ensuring that any point of connectivity can be automatically turned into an Agentforce skill or action, making every API “agent-first” by default. Tableau Skills for Analytics and Insights: New Tableau Topics and Actions deliver data visualizations and predictions for deeper understanding of agent responses and accurate, business context-rich answers using Tableau Semantics. This unlocks new conversational analytics use cases, further lowering the barrier to data access for everyone. Slack Skills for Engaging in Channels and Conversations: With Slack Actions now available in Agent Builder, a team can enhance Agentforce with, for example, the ability to send a DM to provide a summary of what’s happening with a project, or update a Slack Canvas when a customer asks for changes to an ongoing project. Partner Skills Through the AppExchange: Agentforce is backed by the first-ever enterprise ecosystem of agent skills — enabling customers to extend their Agentforce with custom Topics and Actions ranging from new agent types such as the AI Employee Service Agent with Workday , to new, partner-built actions from Asymbl , Docusign , and Neuron 7 . Agentforce Now Recommends Skills for the Work You Need Done: Create new agents in seconds using natural language descriptions. Agent Builder now uses Agentforce to compose new agents for the work you need done by auto-generating relevant topics and instructions while pulling from the library of skills and actions already available to you, ensuring teams can go live with new digital labor fast. How Accenture Uses Agentforce to Scale Sales Productivity with Digital Labor: “At Accenture, we embrace emerging technologies first so we can help our clients go fast. Our sales team within Accenture’s Salesforce Business Group and Accenture Song are starting to use Agentforce to automate contact and close plan creation, surface insights through enterprise search, and keep teams aligned with dynamic updates. It’s helping to increase time-to-effectiveness, accelerate decision-making, and is allowing them to focus on delivering innovative solutions for their clients.” – Stephanie Sadowski, Salesforce Business Group lead at Accenture Agentforce in Slack — Humans with Agents Working Together Where Work Happens: As organizations look to unlock value from AI agents , they need solutions that are embedded where their employees already are. Agentforce 2.0 is deployable in Slack, bringing customizable digital labor into the messages (DMs) and channels where work happens. Bring Agentforce to any Message or Channel: Agentforce 2.0 enables teams to easily bring Agentforce into any Slack conversation. Slack users can start a conversation directly from the Agentforce Hub, or @ mention Agentforce agents through DMs or in channels, tapping into their digital labor force directly in the flow of work. New Slack Actions in Agent Builder: Agent Builder now features pre-built Slack Actions such as “Create Canvas” or “Message Channel” that enable teams to rapidly enhance existing agents or create new ones that can effortlessly engage with your teams in Slack. Unlock conversational context with Enterprise Search: Slack contains a wealth of domain knowledge across DMs, channels, and Canvases that reflect the unique nature of your business. With Slack Enterprise Search, Agentforce can draw from conversational data — enhancing the relevancy of responses and actions by drawing from public and permissioned information in Slack. How Indeed Uses Agentforce to Scale Personalized Job Seeker Engagement with Digital Labor: “Indeed is the world’s leading job site, with three people hired every second through its platform. At the heart of Indeed’s success is its ability to match the 580 million profiles created by job seekers with over 3 million hiring employers. By harnessing the power of Data Cloud, Indeed has enhanced its data architecture, creating a solid foundation for its go-to-market strategies and enhancing connections to its rich job seeker profiles,” said Indeed CIO Anthony Moisant. “By leveraging Agentforce, Indeed can stay focused on its mission to help people find jobs while advancing its goals, including reducing time-to-hire by 50% and helping 30 million individuals facing barriers to employment secure jobs by fiscal year 2030.” - Anthony Moisant, CIO, Indeed Expert Answers to Complex Questions and Execute Actions with Agentforce 2.0: The Atlas Reasoning Engine is the brain behind Agentforce, enabling it to retrieve relevant data, then reason and act. With Agentforce 2.0, Salesforce is introducing enhanced reasoning and retrieval to handle deeply nuanced questions, powered by new capabilities in Data Cloud that fuel Agentforce with greater context — complementing structured and unstructured data with business-specific metadata for greater accuracy across the most complex, multi-faceted requests. Enhanced Reasoning with Advanced Retrievers: Agentforce’s Atlas Reasoning Engine can now handle a wider variety of interactions, including those with multiple layers that require deeper thought. For example, a question that is straightforward, such as “what is the status of my portfolio?” will employ basic reasoning for rapid responses. A deeper question, such as “What would be the right investment vehicle for my child’s college fund based on my current income and risk preferences?” would use enhanced reasoning with advanced data retrievers — improving the answer by refining the query before pulling both relevant data and context-specific metadata in Data Cloud. The Atlas Reasoning Engine assesses its own response and loops through a variety of tools and sources in what's known as an 'agentic loop,’ enabling it to provide a trusted, well-researched response or action to nuanced and more complex requests, and do so without writing custom code. Enhanced RAG with Enriched Indexing: RAG enables Agentforce to quickly find relevant information in unstructured content. To power enhanced reasoning in the Atlas Reasoning Engine, Data Cloud can now enrich RAG chunks — the snippets of retrieved data — with metadata from the Salesforce Platform . Enriching RAG indexes with metadata context adapts Agentforce 2.0 to the unique conventions of your business without additional work, improving accuracy and relevancy for even the most intricate requests, while increasing trust through inline citations that point to the exact sources Agentforce pulled from to answer a given question. How Salesforce provides faster, more personalized customer support with Agentforce: The Salesforce Help page receives more than 60 million visits a year from customers who need assistance with product support and account queries. Agentforce on help.salesforce.com provides customers with personalized, 24/7 service, while seamlessly escalating to human reps with the full case history and context when needed. Since launching in October, Agentforce is now solving 83% of customer queries without a human, has halved the number of issues that require human intervention, and has nearly doubled its average number of weekly conversations. Customer Perspectives: “At 1-800 Accountant, we’re using Agentforce to manage service inquiries, especially during tax season. With Agentforce now managing up to 90% of incoming requests, we can automate responses to common questions like tax return statuses, freeing up our team to focus on more complex tasks. This boosts efficiency, improves customer satisfaction, and ensures fast, secure, personalized support. Plus, Agentforce adheres to strict data security standards, keeping sensitive tax information safe and accessible only to authorized personnel. It’s a game-changer, helping us scale and serve our clients better during peak times.” – Ryan Teeples, CTO, 1-800 Accountant “Embracing autonomous agents is a game-changer for Bionic. We’re on a mission to make life radically easier for Britain’s small businesses by combining smart technology with expert human service. With agentic AI, we’re streamlining tasks like meter readings and switch tracking to deliver 24/7 support. This innovation empowers our 200,000 SME customers to save time and hassle so they can focus on growing their business.” – James Lomas, Chief Technology Officer, Bionic “With Agentforce, we want to transform Capita’s recruitment process into a fast, seamless and autonomous experience that benefits candidates, our people, and our clients. With autonomous agents providing 24/7 support, our goal is to enable candidates to complete the entire recruitment journey within days as opposed to what has historically taken weeks. At Capita, we give time back to our clients so they can focus on what they do best – and Agentforce will improve our ability to do just that. This is just the start of our agentic journey with Salesforce, where we believe an Agentic Economy can drive big growth potential for UK businesses.” – Adolfo Hernandez. Chief Executive Officer, Capita “ At Finnair, we will use Agentforce to transform our customer service operations, enabling us to efficiently handle routine inquiries and improve response times. With Agentforce automating a significant share of standard inquiries, our team can focus on more complex issues, ensuring faster and more accurate support. This allows us to provide a seamless experience for both customers and customer service personnel, reducing onboarding times for our contact center teams with quicker access to vital information.” – Tiina Vesterinen, Vice President, Commerce & CX Solutions, Finnair "With Salesforce's Agentforce, SharkNinja will be able to transform customer support across more than 30 markets, empowering our agents to deliver personalized, 24/7 service. By unifying data and addressing common inquiries like 'where is my order?', we can streamline agent workloads, enabling them to focus on meaningful, high-impact interactions. This integration will ensure a seamless shopper experience, offering tailored product support, FAQs, and personalized responses that meet consumers’ unique needs – helping us to create extraordinary experiences at every touch point." – Velia Carboni, CIO, SharkNinja "The travel industry is a 24/7 business, often involving unique and urgent requests. As our website, which offers luxury travel deals, continues to grow and attract new customers, we wanted a solution that could deliver a personalized service efficiently to our 60 million European members. Agentforce uses our unified data to automate routine tasks like processing cancellations, updating booking information, or even answering common travel questions about luggage, flight information, and much more, freeing up our customer service agents to handle more complex and last-minute travel needs to better serve our members.” – Kate Donaghy, Head of Business Technology, Secret Escapes “Unity Environmental University is leveraging Salesforce’s Agentforce to expand our support beyond routine inquiries, allowing our employees to focus on learners who need more personalized guidance. By integrating agentic AI into our workflows, we can quickly address standard questions like financial aid details or class registration while freeing our team to engage more deeply with students. This balanced approach ensures that every conversation is more meaningful, as some learners can rely solely on the AI for immediate answers, while others benefit from the combined efforts of both the AI and our dedicated staff. In doing so, we’re not only scaling from 10,000 to 50,000 students, but also enhancing the quality and impact of every interaction along the way and reducing our cost of acquisition per student.” – Dr. Melik Khoury, President & CEO, Unity Environmental University "At Wellness Extract, we’re excited about all of the new possibilities Agentforce can bring to our business. As we continue to grow, scaling customer support is key, and Agentforce offers the potential to automate inquiries across all our channels while still delivering personalized, seamless experiences for all of our buyers. With Salesforce’s Data Cloud, we’ll gain deeper insights into our customers, helping us boost website conversions, strengthen connections, and reduce costs. It’s an opportunity to not just streamline our business operations, but to elevate our brand and set the stage for even greater innovation in health and wellness.” – Arvind Madakan, Program Manager, Wellness Extract Availability: The full release of Agentforce 2.0 will be generally available in February 2025, with specific features being released in advance beginning today. Skills for Sales Development and Sales Coaching are generally available today. Pricing for these skills starts at $2 per conversation. Tableau Semantic Layer is generally available today, while skills for Tableau will be generally available December 18. Agentforce in Slack, Slack Actions in Agent Builder, and Slack Enterprise Search will be generally available in January 2025. Natural language creation of agents in Agent Builder will be generally available in January 2025. MuleSoft for Flow, MuleSoft API Catalog, and Topic Center will be generally available in February 2025. Enhanced reasoning and RAG will be generally available in February 2025. Learn more: Get started for free with Salesforce Foundations Join us at TrailblazerDX in San Francisco, March 5-6, 2025 Explore how the Atlas Reasoning Engine powers well-researched answers to complex questions Dive deeper inside the evolving brain of Agentforce Explore h ow Agentforce is redefining the customer experience Learn more about Agentforce in Slack Explore Agentforce and Data Cloud customer stories Estimate your ROI with Agentforce See new AI agent statistics for 2025 Join the new Agentblazer and Datablazer communities Watch Agentforce customer success videos Read more about the Adecco Group and Vivint customer success stories Any unreleased services or features referenced here are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. About Salesforce Salesforce helps organizations of any size reimagine their business for the world of AI. With Agentforce, Salesforce's trusted platform, organizations can bring humans together with agents to drive customer success—powered by AI, data, and action. Visit www.salesforce.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217795822/en/ CONTACT: Carolyn Guss pr@salesforce.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DATA MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS APPS/APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE OTHER COMMUNICATIONS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Salesforce Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/17/2024 02:01 PM/DISC: 12/17/2024 02:03 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217795822/en

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The company made the Best Places to Work in IT list for the third consecutive year and is ranked #2 in the Small Companies category. BALA CYNWYD, Pa. , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokio Marine North America Services (TMNAS) is one of the 2025 Best Places to Work in IT according to Foundry's Computerworld . TMNAS achieved the #2 ranking in the Small Companies category, its highest ranking to date and third straight year making the list. Beyond the #2 overall ranking, TMNAS was ranked #1 for Career Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This award recognizes the top organizations that challenge their IT staff while providing great benefits and compensation. "We are extremely honored to have been recognized by Computerworld for the third year in a row," shared Bob Pick , Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at TMNAS. "Our IT team plays a crucial role in driving success for Tokio Marine and we strive to ensure our employees feel supported and valued as well. We want them to learn and grow with us as technology capabilities and digital demand evolve." TMNAS provides professional services across the U.S. and Mexico to several of the North American businesses of the Tokio Marine Group . The company's IT department develops, maintains, and innovates digital technology solutions to deliver market-leading solutions, insights, and customer service 24/7. Their work helps support over 3,200 people, contributing to the generation of innovative solutions and leading to $5.5 billion in annual premium revenue. In addition to making the Best Places to Work in IT list, TMNAS has received several other top workplace honors. These include being named one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work for In the Nation, Best Places to Work in Insurance, and Best Places to Work in PA. To learn more, visit TMNAS.com . About Tokio Marine North America Services Tokio Marine North America Services (TMNAS) was established in 2012 as the shared services company for Tokio Marine North America, Inc. (TMNA), the U.S. holding company for the Japan -based Tokio Marine Group. With headquarters located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania , TMNAS provides value-added services to Tokio Marine Group companies including Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), First Insurance Company of Hawaii (FICOH), and Tokio Marine America (TMA) and its insurance companies. TMNAS' range of services includes Actuarial, Corporate Communications, Facilities, Finance & Accounting, Information Technology, Internal Audit, Human Resources, and Legal. These services deliver efficiency and innovation through the streamlining of processes, while building synergies across business units. For more information, please visit www.TMNAS.com . About the Best Places to Work in IT The Best Places to Work in IT list is an annual ranking of the top work environments for technology professionals by Foundry's Computerworld. The list is compiled based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, DEI, future of work, training and retention. In addition, the rankings are reviewed and vetted by a panel of industry experts. About Computerworld Computerworld is the leading technology media brand empowering enterprise users and their managers, helping them create business advantage by skillfully exploiting today's abundantly powerful web, mobile, and desktop applications. Computerworld also offers guidance to IT managers tasked with optimizing client systems—and helps businesses revolutionize the customer and employee experience with new collaboration platforms. Computerworld's award-winning website ( www.computerworld.com ), strategic marketing solutions and research forms the hub of the world's largest global IT media network and provides opportunities for IT vendors to engage this audience. Computerworld is published by IDG. Communications, Inc. Company information is available at www.idg.com . Follow Computerworld on X: @Computerworld #BestPlacesIT Follow Computerworld on LinkedIn View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tokio-marine-north-america-services-named-one-of-computerworlds-2025-best-places-to-work-in-it-302328235.html SOURCE Tokio Marine North America ServicesPatients waiting longer for treatment in emergency departments

Sri Lanka’s young innovators achieved a remarkable milestone at the prestigious Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA) 2024, held in Brunei from 4 to 7 December. Competing against representatives from 17 Asia-Pacific countries, three Sri Lankan students stood out for their exceptional creativity and technological ingenuity, securing significant accolades and bringing pride to the nation. Dasindu Sithmira Mahabodhi of Sivali Central College, Rathnapura, won second place in the Junior Category, a feat that highlights his innovative prowess and dedication. Meanwhile, Sineth Daham Bandara Jayasundera from Gateway College, Colombo, and Ramiru Thehan Wijayasiriwardhane of Ananda College Colombo, earned merit awards in the Senior Category, demonstrating their exceptional talent and technical capabilities. Thisath Damiru Abeywickrama of St. Joseph’s College Anuradhapura too, participated at this competition. The Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA) is one of the most respected ICT competitions in the Asia-Pacific region. Established to foster collaboration and elevate the standards of technological development across member countries, APICTA provides a platform for students, professionals, and organisations to showcase their innovative ICT-based solutions. The 2024 edition of APICTA attracted top innovators from 17 economies, including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and China, making the competition highly intense. Despite the challenging environment, Sri Lanka’s young talents made a significant impact, proving the country’s growing strength in ICT innovation. The students’ journey to APICTA began with the Young Computer Scientist (YCS) 2024 Competition, a program organised by the Software Chapter of Federation of Information Technology (Guarantee) Ltd. (FITIS) in collaboration with the Education Ministry and with the support of University of Colombo School of Computing. The YCS competition serves as a national platform to recognise and nurture ICT talent among school students. It encourages participants to identify real-world problems and develop practical, innovative solutions using technology. The program emphasises not only technical skills but also creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities. The success of these students at APICTA underscores the effectiveness of this initiative in creating a pipeline of globally competitive innovators. FITIS, as the apex body representing Sri Lanka’s ICT industry, has played a pivotal role in driving such programs. The organisation is committed to bridging the gap between education and industry by fostering ICT literacy and empowering the youth to excel in the digital economy. Software Chapter President Sanjaya Dayananda and Vice President Kalinga Ihalagedara attended APICTA 2024 with the students and commented on the high quality of this competition where “our students had to compete against teams from technologically highly developed countries.” Whilst congratulating the winners, FITIS Chairman Indika De Zoysa reaffirmed the association’s commitment to YCS program and highlighted the requirement of young innovators to develop country’s digital economy. FITIS Senior Vice Chairman Dr. Dayan Rajapakse also congratulated the students for their achievements. A leading ICT Education Institute ESOFT Metro Campus where Dr. Dayan is the Chairman/Managing Director, recently joined hands with FITIS, extending its support as the sponsor for the “Title Partner” for YCS competition. Each student brought forward unique and impactful projects that addressed real-world challenges: nDasindu Sithmira Mahabodhi: His award-winning project in the Junior Category utilised advanced technologies to optimise the utilisation of computer resources, when a role-playing computer game which allows users with low specs hardware and low bandwidth connectivity to experience full features of the game. nSineth Daham Bandara Jayasundera: In the Senior Category, Sineth’s project is focused on providing a solution to eliminate the wastage in electrical power consumption, using neural networks. The solution has capability to identify excessive use of electrical current by household devices enabling the owner to switch-off the device or replace it. nRamiru Thehan Wijayasiriwardhane: Ramiru’s project provides a solution to the common problem of watering home plots and school gardens without wasting the precious water. His innovative solution uses IoT technology for automatic watering based on predictive localised weather data. The system checks the soil moisture level and releases water based on predetermined moisture levels after taking into account the weather information. The achievements of these students not only highlight their individual talents but also mark a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s ICT landscape. Their success serves as an inspiration for thousands of young Sri Lankans aspiring to make their mark in the tech industry. These victories also underscore the importance of investing in ICT education and providing platforms for young innovators to excel. As Sri Lanka continues to strengthen its initiatives like YCS and expand access to technology-driven education, the nation is poised to produce even more trailblazers in the global ICT arena. The achievement of these students in APICTA 2024 is a testament to the immense potential of Sri Lanka’s youth and a celebration of the country’s commitment to fostering innovation. With the right support and opportunities, Sri Lanka is set to shine even brighter on the global stage.

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Alex Ovechkin Faces Lengthy Absence Due to Fibula FractureQuick hits | No. 24 Illinois 38, Rutgers 31The Israeli ambassador to Washington says a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants could be reached “within days.” Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday there remain “points to finalize” and any deal requires agreement from the government. But he said “we are close to a deal.” Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet was set to convene Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire. Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes bombed the Lebanese capital of Beirut and killed at least 12 people in southern Lebanon’s Tyre province, the country’s Health Ministry said. The deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in the indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, setting off more than a year of fighting. That escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and an Israeli ground invasion of the country’s south. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli military bases, cities and towns, including some 250 projectiles on Sunday. In the Gaza Strip, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Here's the Latest: BEIRUT — A top Hamas official in Lebanon said the Palestinian militant group will support a ceasefire between its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Israel, despite Hezbollah's previous promises to stop the fighting in Lebanon only if the war in Gaza ends. “Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices,” Osama Hamdan told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, which is seen as politically allied with Hezbollah. There has been no official comment on a potential Lebanon ceasefire from Gaza-based leaders of either Hamas or the smaller militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hamdan is a member of Hamas' political wing. Palestinian militants in Gaza have repeatedly regrouped after Israeli operations, carrying out hit-and-run attacks from tunnels and bombed-out buildings. Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across the border since Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas attacked Israel and sparked the war in Gaza. Israel escalated the war in September, killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders in a wave of airstrikes, and Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October. JERUSALEM -- Israel has tightened restrictions on public gatherings and outdoor activities in areas near the Lebanese border as officials move closer toward a ceasefire deal. The army’s Home Front Command said it was changing its public safety guidelines to “limited activity” from “partial activity.” As part of the order, school was canceled in the area. The Israeli security Cabinet is scheduled to convene Tuesday to discuss a cease-fire proposal and possibly approve it. The tighter restrictions reflect concerns that fighting could intensify ahead of any possible cease-fire. The Israeli army says at least 20 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah toward Israel Monday, a day after the Lebanese group launched over 250 rockets and missiles. The Israeli air force conducted strikes against suspected Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 12 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. BEIRUT — Israel’s military bombed commercial and residential buildings in the Lebanese capital of Beirut and killed at least 12 people in the southern port city of Tyre on Monday, the Health Ministry said, as Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city’s largest public park. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed since Israel launched its invasion two months ago. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country’s deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike that killed three journalists and wounded others in Lebanon last month was most likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime, an international human rights group said Monday. The Oct. 25 airstrike killed three journalists as they slept at a guesthouse in southeast Lebanon in one of the deadliest attacks on the media since the Israel-Hezbollah war began 13 months ago. Eleven other journalists have been killed and eight wounded since then, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said. Human Rights Watch determined that Israeli forces carried out the Oct. 25 attack using an air-dropped bomb equipped with a U.S.-produced Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, guidance kit. The group said the U.S. government should suspend weapons transfers to Israel because of the military’s repeated “unlawful attacks on civilians, for which U.S. officials may be complicit in war crimes.” There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the report. Human Rights Watch said that it found remnants at the site and reviewed photographs of pieces collected by the resort owner and determined that they were consistent with a JDAM guidance kit assembled and sold by the U.S. company Boeing. The JDAM is affixed to air-dropped bombs and allows them to be guided to a target by using satellite coordinates, making the weapon accurate to within several meters, the group said. UNITED NATIONS — Israel’s U.N. ambassador says he expects a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to have stages, and “it’s not going to happen overnight.” Danny Danon told reporters Monday “we haven’t finalized it but we are moving forward.” He added, “I assume that the Cabinet will meet today or tomorrow to discuss it.” What’s important for Israel, he said, is that Hezbollah militants will be pushed to the north of the Litani River and will not be allowed to come back. Danon was asked about reports that Israel wants the right to go back into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah if it returns to the south but the Lebanese government rejected that out of hand. He stressed that Israel learned the lessons from U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. It called for the deployment of the Lebanese army throughout the south and disarmament of all armed groups including Hezbollah but was never implemented. “We will make sure that we will have the ability to neutralize any threat that will not be dealt in southern Lebanon,” he said. “I hope that the Lebanese army will take care of that in the future, but if they will fail again, we will be there.” In the ceasefire proposal, Danon said, “there are different stages, few requirements.” He said the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL is not part of the agreement as far as he knows, but he called its presence there “important, and we are grateful for that.” “They know about what’s happening, and I think they have also to take advantage of the situation and make sure that the uniform presence is more effective,” the Israeli ambassador said. JERUSALEM — A senior Israeli officer has resigned following the deaths of two people, including a 70-year-old Israeli man, in a Hezbollah ambush last week in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military has launched an investigation into last Wednesday’s incident, in which 70-year-old Zeev Erlich was killed along with a 20-year-old soldier. They are trying to determine, among other things, who allowed Erlich into the combat zone with the forces and why he was allowed to enter. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Col. Yoav Yarom, the chief of staff of the army’s Golani infantry brigade, said he was stepping down. Yarom, who was wounded in the incident, said a “false and far from the truth narrative” has emerged. Nonetheless, he said “in light of the values upon which I was raised ... I believe I must take a commander’s responsibility for the event.” He did not specify his role. According to Israeli media reports, Erlich was not on active duty when he was shot, but was wearing a military uniform and had a weapon. The army said he was a reservist with the rank of major and identified him as a “fallen soldier” when it announced his death. Erlich was a well-known West Bank settler and researcher of Jewish history. Media reports said he was permitted to enter Lebanon to explore a local archaeological site. The military said the investigation is continuing. JERUSALEM — Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Officials have said the sides are close to a deal that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah forces from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. Two officials confirmed the Cabinet meeting is set for Tuesday, but they said it is still not clear whether the decision-making body will vote to approve the deal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations. — Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Weather is compounding the challenges facing displaced people in Gaza, where heavy rains and dropping temperatures are making tents and other temporary shelters uninhabitable. Government officials in the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave said on Monday that nearly 10,000 tents had been swept away by flooding over the past two days, adding to their earlier warnings about the risks facing those sheltering in low-lying floodplains, including areas designated as humanitarian zones. Um Mohammad Marouf, a mother who fled bombardments in northern Gaza and now is sheltering with her family in a Gaza City tent said the downpour had covered her children and left everyone wet and vulnerable. “We have nothing to protect ourselves,” she said outside the United Nations-provided tent where she lives with 10 family members. Marouf and others living in rows of cloth and nylon tents hung their drenched clothing on drying lines and re-erected their tarpaulin walls on Monday. Officials from the Hamas-run government said that 81% of the 135,000 tents appeared unfit for shelter, based on recent assessments, and blamed Israel for preventing the entry of additional needed tents. They said many had been swept away by seawater or were inadequate to house displaced people as winter sets in. The U.N estimates that around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services. Israeli evacuation warnings now cover around 90% of the territory. “The first rains of the winter season mean even more suffering. Around half a million people are at risk in areas of flooding. The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every strike,” UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote in a statement on X on Monday. ROME — Several Arab foreign ministers, gathering in Rome on the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting, are calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and the provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, and the secretary general of the League of Arab States, all participated in a Rome conference before joining G7 foreign minsters later in the day in nearby Fiuggi. “Gaza is now a graveyard for children, a graveyard for human values, a graveyard for international law,” said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. The Mideast conflict was the top agenda item Monday for the G7, amid reported progress on a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. said a deal could be reached within days. “We all hope and pray that this ceasefire will be realized because the absence of it will mean more destruction, and more and more animosity, and more dehumanization, and more hatred, and more bitterness which will doom the future of the region to more conflict and more killing and more destruction,” Safadi said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed that Cairo would host a ministerial-level conference next Monday on mobilizing international aid for Gaza. In remarks to the “Mediterranean Dialogues” conference, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, the release of hostages, provision of humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the initiation of “a serious and genuine political process” to create a Palestinian state. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli rights group said Monday that more than a quarter of all Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel had contracted scabies since an outbreak was identified in May, and accused the prison authority of improper care and prevention. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said that more than 2,800 prisoners had caught the rash-like infection, with more than 1,700 still actively infected. The outbreak was seen in five different detention facilities, the group said. It was citing figures it said came from the Israel Prison Service. The group said it filed a legal petition calling on the prison service “ to eradicate the scabies epidemic,” accusing the authorities of failing “to implement widely recognized medical interventions necessary to contain the outbreak.” It said that it halted the legal proceedings after it received a commitment from the prison service to address the outbreak. The prison service said the court had cancelled the petition because the prisons had shown they were dealing with the outbreak in a “systematic and thorough” way. Nadav Davidovich, an Israeli public health expert who wrote a medical analysis for the group’s court proceedings, said the outbreak was a result of overcrowding in prisons and apparent neglect from prison authorities. He said such outbreaks could be prevented if prisoners were held “in more reasonable conditions.” If the first infections were treated as needed, such an outbreak could have been avoided, he said. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel also said that the Israel Prison Service had cited scabies as a reason for postponing lawyers' visits and court appearances for prisoners. It said those steps “violate prisoners’ rights and serve as punitive measures rather than public health responses.” Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the prisons, has boasted about hardening conditions to the bare minimum required by law. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker has accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment of Lebanon in order to pressure the government to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” “We are optimistic, and there is hope, but nothing is guaranteed with a person like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu),” Bousaab told reporters. Israel has carried out heavy strikes in central Beirut in recent days, while Hezbollah has increased its rocket fire into Israel. The United States is trying to broker an agreement in which Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces would withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanese troops would patrol the region, along with a U.N. peacekeeping force. Israel has demanded freedom of action to strike Hezbollah if it violates the ceasefire, but Bousaab said that was not part of the emerging agreement. He also said Israel had accepted that France be part of the committee overseeing the ceasefire after Lebanese officials insisted. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli side. Israel has objected to France being on the committee in the wake of the International Criminal Court’s decision last week to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu , his former defense minister and a Hamas military commander. France said it supports the court. It said the question of whether it would arrest Netanyahu if he set foot on French soil was a “complex legal issue” that would have to be worked out. JERUSALEM — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces killed two people, including a 13-year-old, in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said the two had thrown explosives at forces overnight near the Palestinian town of Yabad and that the forces had responded by opening fire. The Health Ministry identified the two as Mohammed Hamarsheh, 13, and Ahmad Zayd, 20. It did not disclose details about the circumstances behind their deaths. It was the latest bloodshed in the West Bank, which has faced a surge of violence throughout the 13-month war in Gaza. The Health Ministry says nearly 800 people have been killed, with more than 160 of them 18 and younger. Many have been killed in fighting with the Israeli military, but Palestinians throwing rocks and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. There has also been an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began. JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has ordered all public entities to stop advertising in the Haaretz newspaper, which is known for its critical coverage of Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said Sunday that the government had approved his proposal after Haaretz’ publisher called for sanctions against Israel and referred to Palestinian militants as “freedom fighters.” “We advocate for a free press and freedom of expression, but also the freedom of the government to decide not to fund incitement against the State of Israel,” Karhi wrote on the social platform X. Noa Landau, the deputy editor of Haaretz, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “working to silence independent and critical media,” comparing him to autocratic leaders in other countries. Haaretz regularly publishes investigative journalism and opinion columns critical of Israel’s ongoing half-century occupation of lands the Palestinians want for a future state. It has also been critical of Israel’s war conduct in Gaza at a time when most local media support the war and largely ignore the suffering of Palestinian civilians. In a speech in London last month, Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken said Israel has imposed “a cruel apartheid regime” on the Palestinians and was battling “Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls ‘terrorists.’” He later issued a statement, saying he had reconsidered his remarks. “For the record, Hamas are not freedom fighters,” he posted on X. “I should have said: using terrorism is illegitimate. I was wrong not to say that.” DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader has suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be “sentenced to death” for his role in the ongoing wars in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and in Lebanon. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the remarks Monday during an event in which he spoke to members of the Basij, the all-volunteer arm of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Khamenei referenced the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “What the Zionist regime did in Gaza and Lebanon is not a victory, it is a war crime. Now they have issued a warrant for their arrest. This is not enough!” Khamenei said, according to remarks published by the state-run IRNA news agency. “Netanyahu and the criminal leaders of this regime must be sentenced to death.” The International Criminal Court at the Hague does not issue death sentences. Khamenei also insisted those in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance,” like the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, would be stronger after the war. “The idiots should not think that bombing houses and hospitals in Gaza and Lebanon is a victory,” he said. “The enemy has not become winner in Gaza and Lebanon, and it will not be winner.”

BEIJING , Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn: Representatives discuss hot topics faced by countries in digitalization Participants take a photo at the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in Zhejiang province. The WIC Wuzhen Summit, held for 10 consecutive years, ended on Friday. [NI YANQIANG/FOR CHINA DAILY] They made the remarks at the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit that ended in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province on Friday. They also sought more global cooperation to advance the development of the internet in less-developed economies and enhance digital competence for all. Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, said at a news conference, "More efforts should be made to help make the internet a new frontier for all parties to cooperate and continue to create more convergence of interests, growth points of cooperation and new highlights of win-win scenarios in cyberspace." "All parties around the world are expected to join hands to build a cyber world where human beings coexist, jointly create a digital future of win-win cooperation and make cyberspace better for all peoples of the world," he said. More than 1,800 representatives from governments, international organizations, industry associations, internet enterprises, universities and think tanks from over 130 countries and regions attended this year's summit, addressing some of the hottest topics faced by countries in digitalization. Teo Nie Ching , deputy minister of communications of Malaysia , said at the conference that digital transformation is not solely about technological advancement, but also a reflection of human values and actions. "As technology progresses, we must uphold a core principle of people-centered and holistic development to ensure that technological applications truly serve the common good and promote share to the progress," Teo said. A United Nations report found that 2.6 billion individuals globally still lack internet access and a sharp digital divide can also be observed among economies, among industries and between urban and rural areas. Although many less technologically advanced regions, such as Africa , possess a strong willingness to build an inclusive and equitable digital world, the rapid advancement of technologies often poses a huge challenge to developing countries - how to actively participate and keep pace with this growth, said Nii Narku Quaynor , chairman of Ghana Dot Com. Against this backdrop, reinforcing open access to internet channels, digital content and technologies can greatly benefit emerging economies in the digital world, he said. Eyeing a higher-level of inclusiveness, connectivity and cooperation in the internet sector, a statement on global digital cooperation was released by a sub-forum of the WIC. The statement highlighted the importance of advancing international cooperation on data exchange, enhancing cross-border data connectivity, and narrowing gaps in data circulation, as well as more initiatives to build an open and mutually beneficial international framework for data collaboration. Intensified efforts should also be made to deepen international exchanges on technology standards, ethical guidelines and legal frameworks, advancing a widely accepted global AI governance system, said the statement. It also called for human-centered and ethically sound approaches to cutting-edge technologies such as AI, encouraging safe, reliable, fair and transparent research and development as well as applications of AI. At the opening ceremony of WIC, Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang also stressed the need for the international community to jointly deal with problems such as the digital divide and a grave cybersecurity situation to build a better digital future. The digital divide continues to widen, and the situation of cybersecurity has become more severe, Ding said, adding that the international community is in greater need than ever of jointly advancing a community with a shared future in cyberspace. China has been sharing the opportunities of modernization with countries around the world and injecting strong impetus into global modernization, Ding said.The Roku Ultra is a streaming device available for $100. The Roku Ultra is the perfect streaming device for anyone who doesn't want to commit to team iOS with an Apple TV 4K or team Android with a Google TV Streamer. There are a few drawbacks to getting a Roku Ultra, like the lack of a headphone jack on the remote. Although I'm an iPhone user with an Apple TV 4K, I love using different streaming devices -- I never feel committed to a single brand. Different brands offer different features, and adding a new device to an older TV can make it feel like a brand-new television. This happened with my Fire TV when I added a Roku Ultra. Also: The Google TV Streamer surprised me in the best way - and I'm an extreme cord cutter I have a habit of getting deeply discounted Fire TVs during major shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. I got a 50-inch 4-Series Fire TV during Prime Day 2022 and a 43-inch Omni Series Fire TV during Prime Day 2023. The 4-Series television looks great, but its FireOS platform has begun to slow down significantly even though the model came out only three years ago – I guess it's the price you pay for an inexpensive TV. Roku Ultra (2024) The Roku Ultra is a 4K-capable streaming device that comes with stronger processing power and the latest Roku Voice Remote Pro 2nd Edition. This could be a storage issue, but I've tried deleting apps I don't need and the cache on apps I do, and nothing makes a significant difference. The TV only has 2GB of RAM, so it could also be unable to keep up with all the apps I run on it. This set is the main character in my family's TV room and gets many streaming hours courtesy of my kids. This room is adjacent to their playroom, so it's like a one-stop shop where they play, draw, read, and watch TV. It's also where we have family movie nights. When I began testing the new Roku Ultra, I ditched the built-in FireOS and added the new streaming device to the TV. The Roku Ultra made the 4-Series Fire TV perform better than when it was first purchased, and it also looks better than ever, likely thanks to the extra memory on the device. Also: Apple TV vs. Roku: Which streaming device should you buy? Testing the Roku Ultra has made it one of my favorite streaming devices, and it's all due to a single underrated benefit among smart devices: simplicity. The Roku Ultra is an unassuming device with a simple operating system that is easy to learn and navigate, even for those who aren't tech-savvy. It doesn't bombard you with ads and suggested content when you turn on your TV and lets you dive right into navigating its intuitive, app-based platform. Also: The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is great for gaming and streaming, and still 25% off The Roku platform has ads, but they're banner ads rather than obnoxious content that plays automatically when the TV is idle on the home screen (looking at you, FireOS). The Roku Ultra is also compatible with Wi-Fi 6, though not with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, as other streaming players are. Faithful to simplicity, the Roku Ultra doesn't feature extra bells and whistles; instead, it keeps all the technology within the device and remote control. The Roku Ultra looks similar to previous versions, if a bit larger, but the new remote is an absolute winner. Aside from being 30% faster than other Roku streaming devices, the new Roku Ultra comes with the latest Roku Voice Remote Pro. This is easily the best remote control among streaming devices, packed with all the features you'll need: backlit buttons, a customizable shortcut button, a rechargeable battery with a USB-C port, and a voice-controlled remote finder feature. Also: The most immersive gaming speaker system I've ever tested is almost 30% off at Amazon Since my kids seem to always be in the TV room watching our Fire TV, the remote control is often lost. It's been squished into the reclining mechanisms on one of the chairs, resulting in a cracked Alexa Voice Remote that, thankfully, still works. Now I only have to say, "Hey Roku, find my remote" when I can't see it. Among streaming players, Roku also features the most free channels; Roku Channel offers more than 400 live channels. If live TV is something you've been missing since cutting the cord, I'd definitely recommend Roku's subscription-free live TV system. ZDNET's buying advice The Roku Ultra is perfect for anyone looking for a fast, reliable streaming device that is easy to use with almost any smartphone. Unlike the Apple TV 4K and the Google TV Streamer, direct competitors catering to specific audiences, the Roku Ultra supports both Apple AirPlay and screen mirroring from Android, so you can cast your media to your TV regardless of the operating system on your phone. I'd recommend the Roku Ultra streaming device to anyone looking for a fast, intuitive device who doesn't want to marry a single mobile operating system. Also: I tested Amazon's Mini LED Fire TV, and it competes with more expensive Samsung and LG models Though Fire TV devices also support screen mirroring from iOS and Android, the FireOS platform is more cluttered than the Roku system, with a lot of suggested content on the home screen and more ads. I also find that Fire TV devices are more prone to slowing with age, seemingly bogged down by updates and memory issues. Why I pick this ultraportable Lenovo tablet over the iPad Air for multimedia consumption I tested the new Kindle Scribe for two weeks, and it beat my ReMarkable in several ways One of the best QLED TVs I've tested isn't made by Samsung or Hisense These Beyerdynamic earbuds delivered glorious sound for any kind of music I played

Joe Biden begins final White House holiday season with turkey pardons for 'Peach' and 'Blossom' WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by announcing plans Monday to hand more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them on sheets WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. New Zealand’s conservation agency said four whales died. New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod. A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place Monday. Rainbow-clad revelers hit Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s pride parade RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of revelers have gathered alongside Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s annual gay pride parade, many scantily dressed and covered in glitter. Rainbow-colored flags, towels and fans abounded among the crowd mostly made up of young revelers, who danced and sang along to music blaring from speakers. While the atmosphere was festive, some spoke of the threat of violence LGBTQ+ people face in Brazil. At least 230 LGBTQ+ Brazilians were victims of violent deaths in 2023, according to the umbrella watchdog group Observatory of LGBTQ+ deaths and violence in Brazil.None

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DJ Lagway threw two touchdown passes, Montrell Johnson ran for 127 yards and a score, and Florida upset No. 9 Mississippi 24-17 on Saturday to knock the Rebels out of College Football Playoff contention. The Gators (6-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference), who topped LSU last week, beat ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2008 and became bowl eligible. The late-season spurt provided another vote of confidence for coach Billy Napier, who is expected back for a fourth season. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3), which entered the day as a 10-point favorite, lost for the first time in four games and surely will drop out of the 12-team playoff picture. The Rebels ranked ninth in the latest CFP and needed only to avoid stumbling down the stretch against Florida and lowly Mississippi State to clinch a spot in the playoff field. But coach Lane Kiffin’s team failed to score in three trips inside the red zone and dropped countless passes in perfect weather. No. 2 OHIO ST. 38, No. 5 INDIANA 15 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. No. 8 GEORGIA 59, UMass 21 ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes, Nate Frazier ran for 136 yards with three scores and No. 8 Georgia overwhelmed Massachusetts as the Bulldogs tried to protect their College Football Playoff hopes. Georgia (9-2, No. 10 CFP) needed the big offense from Beck and Frazier to rescue a defense that gave up 226 rushing yards. UMass (2-9) played its first game under interim coach Shane Montgomery, the offensive coordinator who retained his play-calling duties after replacing on Monday. Jalen John led the Minutemen with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Georgia extended its streak of consecutive home wins to 30, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No. 10 TENNESSEE 56, UTEP 0 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 10 Tennessee to a victory over UTEP. The Volunteers (9-2) overcame a sluggish start to roll up the impressive win. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but Tennessee found its rhythm. Grad student receiver Bru McCoy, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass this season, had two. Peyton Lewis also ran for two scores. Tennessee’s defensive line, which had no sacks in last week’s loss to Georgia, had three against the Miners. UTEP (2-9) struggled with two missed field goals and three turnovers. Tennessee’s offense came alive with 28 points in the second quarter. In the final four drives of the quarter, Iamaleava completed 11 of 12 passes for 146 yards and touchdowns to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis and McCoy. No. 11 MIAMI 42, WAKE FOREST 14 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cam Ward passed for 280 yards and threw two touchdowns to Jacolby George Mishael Powell ran an interception back 76 yards for a touchdown and No. 11 Miami pulled away late to beat Wake Forest. The Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 8 College Football Playoff) can clinch a berth in the ACC title game with a win at Syracuse next weekend. Ward completed 27 of 38 passes, plus ran for a score. He broke two more single-season Miami records, both of which had been held for 40 years by Bernie Kosar — most passing yards in a season and most completions in a season. Ward now has 3,774 yards on 268 completions this season. Kosar threw for 3,642 yards on 262 completions in 1984. Demond Claiborne had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5). Claiborne also rushed for 62 yards for the Demon Deacons, and starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier was 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown. No. 13 SMU 33, VIRGINIA 7 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and clinched a spot in the by routing Virginia. Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks to help the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight. They would earn an automatic bid into the expanded by beating 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. SMU had to get there first, and again, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including TD tosses to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith provided a little balance on offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season. SMU’s defense overwhelmed UVa’s offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and allowing the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) just 173 yards. Special teams contributed, too, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards and Collin Rogers making two field goals. No. 24 ILLINOIS 38, RUTGERS 31 PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild victory over Rutgers. Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short. After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown. Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards. The Associated PressBrazosport ISD prepares for 2025 bond program, facilities in need

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Freshman Justus McNair made a 3-pointer from midcourt just before the final buzzer to cap Valparaiso's game-closing 29-4 run and the Beacons knocked off Western Michigan 76-73 on Friday. Valpo trailed 69-47 with 6:51 remaining. Tied at 73-all, Western Michigan's Donovan Williams came up short on a 3-pointer from the corner and McNair grabbed the rebound with about four seconds left before racing the other way for a one-footed runner at the horn. Cooper Schwieger scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half for the Beacons (6-5). Jefferson Monegro scored 13 points while going 4 of 15 from the floor, including 0 for 3 from 3-point range, and 5 for 9 from the line. McNair had 13 points and went 5 of 7 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range). Chansey Willis Jr. finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Broncos (3-8). Owen Lobsinger added 14 points for Western Michigan. Brandon Muntu finished with 12 points. Monegro scored eight points in the first half and Valparaiso went into halftime trailing 42-26. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Global stocks mostly fall ahead of ECB, US inflation dataNoneSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island is getting a rare presidential visit Monday, the first in 12 years. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are traveling from Washington, D.C. to Staten Island, via a stop at JFK Airport to transfer from Air Force One to the helicopter that will carry them to Miller Field in New Dorp. Touchdown on Staten Island is expected at 5:30 p.m. Once on the borough, a motorcade will whisk the first couple and their entourage to Fort Wadsworth, where they will host a “friendsgiving” event to thank service members and their families at U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York. The route, along Father Capodanno Boulevard, will be closed to traffic for about four hours. The Advance/SILive.com will be providing live updates, below, during the course of the visit. Refresh this page for updates. 4:11 P.M. -- DEPARTING D.C. The Bidens were pictured departing Washington, D.C. on Air Force One. The Bidens depart Washington, D.C. and are headed for New. York. Associated Press They are traveling with a large group including personal assistants, aides and press. 3:53 P.M. -- DISSENT, BUT RESPECT Along Biden’s motorcade route to Fort Wadsworth stands the former Island Shores senior home, which now serves as a shelter for migrants -- one of several opened on Staten Island as the city grappled with an influx of more than 200,000 people who had crossed the border. The shelter has been a flashpoint on Staten Island, with long-standing protests over the course of last year. In the hours leading up to Biden’s arrival, two Staten Islanders took up spots in front of the shelter with signs reading “Stop Biden’s Border Bloodbath“ and ”Trump America First/Biden America Last." “We are very excited to voice our dissent with the policies that Joe Biden has, especially right here at 1111 Father Capodanno Boulevard,” said Kieran Brown of Annadale, who wore a bright red Trump cap. “But at the same time, it is very important that we maintain respect and we show the hospitality of our Island, regardless of political affiliation,” he continued. “We’re good people and we want the best for our country.” 3:42 P.M. -- PREPARING FOR THE PRESIDENT Preparations for the Bidens' visit have been ongoing all weekend and into Monday. On Saturday, Miller Field was closed from 8 to 10 a.m. for an aircraft training exercise, Gateway National Recreation Area announced. Also beginning on Saturday, metal NYPD barricades were set up along Father Capodanno Boulevard, where the motorcade will make its way to Fort Wadsworth. Over the weekend, Borough President Vito Fossella warned Staten Islanders to be prepared for closure along Father Capodanno Boulevard from about 4 - 8 p.m., and announced that the area park and ride lot would be closed. Following a contentious election, Staten Islanders were -- as expected -- split in their take on the presidential visit, with some looking forward to the spectacle and others fuming that the president was visiting a borough where president-elect Donald Trump won the majority of votes three presidential contests in a row. “It’s very interesting; I never thought I’d see a presidential motorcade driving past my house,” Donna Curatola told an Advance/SILive.com reporter on Sunday. “Whatever your views, it’s still the president and not something you see every day.” Meanwhile, a large “F*** Biden” sign was hung from a home on Father Capodanno Boulevard, just past Midland Avenue. By Monday morning there was also a large police presence in the area preparing security measures for the Bidens' arrival in the evening. 3:16 P.M. -- TURKEYS PARDONED IN DC Hours before leaving for Staten Island, Biden held an event in Washington, D.C. where he performed the annual pre-Thanksgiving presidential pardon of two lucky turkeys. President Joe Biden is pictured with John Zimmerman, chair of the National Turkey Federation, from left, and Zimmerman's son Grant, after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey Peach during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP AP The 82-year-old president welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles. “It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on.’” Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.” *** RECOMMENDED • silive .com With President Biden set to visit Staten Island, residents brace for traffic mess - and a motorcade Nov. 24, 2024, 7:00 p.m. President Biden is visiting Staten Island on Monday, Nov. 25: Here’s his itinerary Nov. 25, 2024, 1:42 p.m. Local reporting by: Erik Bascome, Jessica Jones-Gorman, Paul Liotta, Mike Matteo, Jason Paderon, Jan Somma-Hammel Associated Press material was used in this report.

When an air cast was placed on Aidan O’Connell ‘s leg prior to being carted off the field, the possibility existed he would be dealing with a major injury. A report from Sunday night indicated the Raiders feared the second-year quarterback suffered a season-ending knee injury , but the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided. Further testing revealed O’Connell is dealing with a bone bruise, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports . Considering the potential for more drastic outcomes, that is certainly a welcomed development for team and player. O’Connell will attempt to play in Week 15, so his status over the coming days will be key. O’Connell already had a stint on injured reserve earlier this year, with his activation coming in time for him to replace Gardner Minshew in the lineup. The latter is out for the year due to a broken collarbone, an injury which opened the door for O’Connell to once again compete for a potential starting spot in 2025. Things have generally not gone well in that regard, with O’Connell’s play on Black Friday being an exception. If he can manage to suit up, though, the Purdue product could continue auditioning for a role next season. Two more years remain on O’Connell’s rookie contract, so he should still be in consideration for at least a depth spot on Vegas’ QB depth chart moving forward. Minshew is also on the books for 2025, however, and the Raiders are on track to be in position to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft. A strong end to the season would not give the team a chance at a postseason berth, but it would help O’Connell’s stock in the organization. The Raiders’ other healthy option under center is Desmond Ridder , who took over Sunday after O’Connell’s injury. The former Falcon would be in position to start against his former team if he were to get the nod for Week 15, but that will depend on O’Connell’s ability to recovery in short order. This article first appeared on Pro Football Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

Minnesota man arrested for third-degree sexual abuse in Newton

Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible while deputies pushed him inside Tuesday. At the brief hearing, the defense lawyer informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail. Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn Luigi Nicholas Mangione was apparently living a charmed one: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-od Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy.” Pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators are working to piece together why Mangione diverged from a path of seeming success to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. Key details about the man accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York City has appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday after a worker at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, notified police that he resembled the suspect in last Wednesday's killing of Brian Thompson. While being led into court to be arraigned Tuesday, Mangione shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” During the hearing in Hollidaysburg, Mangione was denied bail and his attorney said Mangione would not waive extradition. DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are trying to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction as he returns to office, and they're suggesting various ways forward. One novel notion is based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals included freezing the case until he’s out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn’t include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and that his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. There's no immediate response from Trump's lawyers. Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone Israel says it bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of strikes was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse. Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they were also prime trolling opportunities. Throughout his first term in the White House and his recent campaign to return there, the Republican has dished out provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional task force looking into the assassination attempts against Donald Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service. These include protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of the election season and considering moving the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security. The 180-page report was released Tuesday. It constitutes one of the most detailed looks so far into the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and a second one in Florida two months later. South Korea's ex-defense minister is formally arrested over brief imposition of martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's previous defense minister has been formally arrested over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week. Kim Yong Hyun resigned last week and has been detained since Sunday. He is the first person arrested in the case. Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to indict him. A conviction on the charge of playing a key role in rebellion carries the maximum death sentence. Kim is accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Homes burn as wind-driven wildfire prompts evacuations in Malibu, California MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Southern California residents are under evacuation orders and warnings as firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu. The flames burned near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library on Monday night watched as the blaze intensified. Officials on Tuesday said a “minimal number” of homes burned, but the exact amount wasn’t immediately known. More than 8,100 homes and other structures are under threat, including more than 2,000 where residents have been ordered to evacuate. Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning said the worst of the fire has pushed past campus. It was not immediately known how the blaze started. More beans and less red meat: Nutritionists weigh in on US dietary guidelines Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables. That's advice from a panel of expert nutritionists charged with counseling the U.S. government about the next edition of the dietary guidelines. The panel did not weigh in on the growing role of ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to health problems or alcohol use. But they did say people should continue to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat in pursuit of a healthy diet. Tuesday’s recommendations now go to federal officials, who will draft the final guidance set for release next year.Judge hears closing arguments on whether Google's advertising tech constitutes a monopoly

Dlamini dismisses reports that Ndlozi is barred from EFF’s conference