ag ph365 Share Tweet Share Share Email An Interview with Feras Mousilli , Managing Partner of Lloyd & Mousilli TechBullion recently had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Feras Mousilli , the Managing Partner of Lloyd & Mousilli , an international boutique law firm specialising in intellectual property and technology law, with a focus on startups. The following is an excerpt from an interview that our Editorial Staff conducted in Autumn 2024. Dr. Mousilli, great to catch you between your busy international itinerary. Lloyd & Mousilli had quite the banner year and your client deals have made headlines around the world. Can you give us some insight into your firm’s work with international startups? It’s been a fantastic year for the firm and our international clients. Whether it’s a Croatian drone tech startup like Orqa or a Silicon Valley Artificial Intelligence generated video leader like Tavus , Lloyd & Mousilli’s focus has always been to provide comprehensive legal support to startups, with a focus on technology transactions and intellectual property matters. We specialize in counseling startups through international expansion, with lawyers strategically located across the U.S., as well as in Medellín, Colombia, Kyiv, Ukraine and most recently, Istanbul, Turkiye. Many of our clients approach us at the pre-launch or early stages of their journey, giving us the opportunity to help them build a strong foundation through services like corporate structuring, contract drafting, and IP protection strategies. Our distributed team model enables us to serve clients globally, breaking down barriers typically associated with more conventional law firms and has earned L&M recognition by Chambers . You mentioned Ukraine – who’s doing business there? We also noted from your profile that you’re a Fulbright Professor and taught in Ukraine, what’s an American lawyer doing in a war zone? Ukraine has long been a country very dear to me since my first visit in 2014 during the Euro Maidan revolution. L&M has a long history of representing Ukrainian startups, like Preply and Mosqitter and many others. In 2020, I was nominated for and granted a Fulbright Specialist Award to teach intellectual property and technology law as a visiting professor in Europe. I began teaching IP and technology commercialization courses at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, The National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The courses focused on developing intellectual property strategies for patents and trademarks, building patent portfolios, software licensing, and commercialization of inventions and business ideas. Unfortunately, with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. State Department ordered all US personnel to evacuate the country in 2022. Our firm has continued to represent startups in Ukraine’s war zones, from Donoetsk to Kharkiv and just recently successfully prosecuted a patent for a water ionization technology where the founder was MIA in the contested territories. Personally, I also continue to teach university law classes, albeit online. Feras Mousilli presentation to Venture Capital conference. Photo courtesy Unit City, Kyiv, Ukraine. Very inspiring that Lloyd & Mousilli is able to operate and support startups in war zones like Ukraine. Can you tell us more about being a Fulbright Specialist and what the program entails? The Fulbright Specialist Program connects established U.S. academics and experts with institutions abroad to develop institutional relationships, learn about other cultures, and contribute their knowledge through research and teaching. Fulbright specialists are competitively selected from a vast range of professional disciplines based on significant experience in their respective fields, as well as rigorous ethical and character fitness. I am considered an expert in the field of intellectual property and technology law. After Ukraine, I was then offered another visiting professorship through the Fulbright program in 2023 at University Tecnologico de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia. During my time at Tecnologico de Antioquia, my primary focus was on researching and lecturing about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Colombia. This concentration included contributing to the university’s academic curriculum revisions to better incorporate IP and technology commercialization content, as well as authoring a data-based report and presentation about the state of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Colombia. I also organized the university’s first-ever business startup pitch competition , sponsored by Lloyd & Mousilli, where I trained participating student teams to effectively present their businesses to potential investors. Professor Mousilli with university faculty. Photo courtesy University Tecnologico de Antioquia, Medellin. You mentioned that you recently opened an office in Istanbul, Turkey. Congratulations on the new office in the old world! Can you provide insight into what led to that decision? The decision to establish a base for Lloyd & Mousilli in Istanbul is both personal and strategic. Turkey has a thriving economy, a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and immense potential for cross-border collaboration. Our new law firm office in Nişantaşı represents our commitment to fostering innovation and supporting businesses in the region. L&M has long advised U.S. clients on Turkish trademark and other intellectual property matters, leveraging our knowledge of the Turkish legal system and familiarity with Turkey’s startup ecosystem. The new Istanbul office will serve as a bridge for businesses navigating cross-border opportunities between Türkiye and the United States, as well as across the Middle East and Central Asia. Feras Mousilli, Turkish Bar President, & Ahmet Arslan. Photo courtesy Turkish Bar Association. These international startup stories are remarkable, but we are curious how it all started in Silicon Valley. Can you tell us about your time at Apple and your work there? Being a lawyer for Apple was the ultimate dream job for a technology lawyer. It was an interesting journey for me, since I was recruited from my role at Dell by Apple to serve as Special Projects Counsel on a special, and at the time, unreleased secret project. As it turned out, I would serve as the original lawyer on the Apple Watch – the most personal computer that Apple ever launched. While I didn’t realize it at the time, the Apple recruiters had been keenly interested in my degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. It made sense given all the biometric and health data and technology that is packed into the device. In addition to the Apple Watch, as Senior Corporate Counsel at Apple, I advised on the entire gamut of product development and intellectual property matters. This included advertising, marketing, copyright, and trademark strategies and risks. I was also responsible for the Made For iOS (“MFi”) ecosystem – CarPlay, HomeKit, AirPlay – basically the legal support for the technical specifications and resources needed to create accessories that communicate with Apple devices using MFi technologies and components. While it was very stimulating to work for tech giants Apple and Dell, I found that I was drawn more towards working with early stage companies and startups. We have a real love for founders and the energy that they bring to their startups. We jokingly refer to the team at Lloyd & Mousilli as “nerds & geeks” – everyone is super nerdy and passionate about their subject matter and they bring an academic rigor to solving these real world problems on behalf of our clients. We realize that for these startups, everything needs to align for their success and we are simply delighted to be a partner to their business. Professor Mousilli teaches Intellectual Property. Photo courtesy Taras Shevchenko University. Deeply motivating. Any closing words of advice to startups or first time founders? Being a startup founder is a fundamentally irrational path. The odds are stacked against you- statistically most startups fail. But for those founders that do it anyway, they are driven by a grander vision – a passion that fuels them to pursue the idea anyway. Like our client Deepen that is trying to change the future through autonomous vehicles or AiXplain that wants to democratize artificial intelligence, these visions are life changing for humanity. My advice to these founders is to make sure you surround yourself with people that can fuel your drive and share your enthusiasm to make positive changes. Your legal advisor has to not only share your vision, but also needs to align on your risk tolerance, as well. Find a lawyer that focuses on the solutions when everyone else is caught up in the problems. Dr. Feras Mousilli in Houston, Texas. Photo courtesy Ammar Selo Photography. 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Massive IPTV piracy network with 22 million users shut down by Europol and Italian policeGabe Kidd Calls Out WWE Star Randy OrtonA federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, its also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits , that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinizes the video-sharing app’s role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republican and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three of them denied TikTok’s petition. In the court's ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok's main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to "suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators - for which the company is covering legal costs - as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court's ruling. "I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it's time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm - the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan - would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.

Kakko's late goal lifts Rangers past Canadiens 4-3WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his embattled choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News Host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump’s Pentagon. “Pete Hegseth is doing very well,” Trump posted on his social media site. “He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense.” The president added that “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” The nomination battle over Hegseth is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to relish a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the “woke-ism” of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.Kosovo stepped up security measures around "critical" infrastructure on Saturday after an explosion at a key canal feeding two of its main power plants, as neighbouring Serbia rejected accusations it had staged the blast. The explosion occurred on Friday near the town of Zubin Potok in a Serb-dominated area in Kosovo's troubled north, damaging the canal supplying water to cooling systems at two coal-fired power plants that generate most of Kosovo's electricity. Prime Minister Albin Kurti called a security meeting late on Friday, saying: "This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at damaging our critical infrastructure." "The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from gangs directed by Serbia," he added without providing any evidence. The government later issued a statement echoing his allegations, saying that "initial indications suggest" the explosion had been "orchestrated by the Serbian state, which has the capacity to carry out such a criminal and terrorist attack." Kosovo also "approved additional measures to strengthen security around essential infrastructure and services, such as bridges, transformers" and other sites, it said. Serbia slapped back on Saturday, condemning the attack, while calling the accusation "premature" and "baseless." "Such destructive actions are unacceptable and threaten the fragile stability we are striving to maintain," Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said on X. "Serbia unequivocally demands responsibility for the perpetrators of this reckless attack," he added, while suggesting the Kosovar "regime" could be behind the blast and calling for an internationally-led investigation. The main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, Serb List, also condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms." Pictures from the scene published by local media showed water leaking heavily from one side of the reinforced canal, which runs from the Serb-majority north of Kosovo to the capital Pristina and also supplies drinking water. However, electricity supplies to consumers were running smoothly on Saturday morning, with authorities having found an alternative method for cooling the plants, Kosovo's Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli said. Repair work was ongoing, authorities said. (AFP)By LOLITA C. BALDOR and FATIMA HUSSEIN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump, making the announcement on his Truth Social account, said, “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more before Biden leaves office in less than two months. The U.S. has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. Trump has criticized the billions the Biden administration has spent in supporting Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is designed to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump’s proposed national security adviser , U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg featured in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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B.C. Conservative leader faces test after colleagues' letter attacks Surrey MLAFugitive dog gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsThere's a fine line between a Superman fan and a Superman snob. I fall into the former category, but I can't deny some snobbery when recommending which Superman content you should watch before flying into Director and DC head revival, which is set to execute a perfect hero landing in theaters on July 11, 2025. My love of the Superman franchise predates its major film history to the late 1960s and early 70s when I would race home from grade school every day to catch afternoon reruns of the original starring George Reeves. To watch it now is to see how far special effects have come but also to understand the roots of almost every Superman film and TV project to follow it. The character's basic goodness and earnestness were never easy to convey in comic books, but there was something about George Reeves' portrayal and the trusty storylines that set the template for how even people who never picked up a Superman comic book came to perceive Krypton's last son. I'm not suggesting you go back and watch all 104 episodes of the series that ran from 1952 to 58 (though you could do worse), but I do have strong feelings about the collection of film series that would follow after a 20-year pause and that have continued to this day. Not every Superman movie is equal, and justice should be served in your superhero-viewing habits. These are the Superman movies you should watch and in what order, and those you'd do best to avoid according to Superman's Number One Fan (or just me.) The OG Superman Few movies hold up for years after their release, let alone decades but is that kind of film. Released in 1978 and introducing us to Christopher Reeve's almost-too-perfect dual depiction of the iconic alien hero and the adorably awkward Clark Kent, , which you can stream on Max, Hulu, and Prime Video, has perhaps, the best movie tagline of the last century: "You'll believe a man can fly." And I did. Sure, it was all wires, projection screens, miniatures, slo-mo, and sped-up filming. Even so, Director Richard Donner used every trick in the 1978 special effects playbook to make Superman's first true big-screen outing convincing, and it worked. It's a true comic-book film that somehow avoids being two-dimensional and completely hokey. Much of that comes down to Reeve's performance. The man simply embodied this other-worldly character – right down to how he "flew" in key sequences, instinctively banking his body like an airplane. The movie is long but doesn't feel that way because it's a true hero's journey from babyhood to confident person of the hour. It has action, danger, a love story, and even comedy. That's a lot for one movie, and yet it works completely. With the exception of Superman and Lois' first flight and the spoken-word music, it's a perfect film. The rest of the music, courtesy of the legendary John Williams, is exemplary (echoes of it appear even in Gunn's upcoming movie). That sense of wonder, excitement, and the basic goodness of the titular character is not something I've felt before or since. It's required viewing to assess anyone else's take on the Man of Steel. Take II Normally, on a list like this, I might jump around a bit and show you something newer that offered a fresh perspective on the character first created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both of whom lived long enough to see their creation make it to the big screen. But there's no need for that. Your next stop on the Superman movie tour is (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime). Perhaps it's because these movies were shot back to back, with only the director changing midway through the Superman II shoot. Donner was replaced by Richard Lester, who had a penchant for slapstick. Even so, Donner's fingerprints are all over the sequel, which deftly continues the story of Superman's growth as an alien among humans. By this time, he's so enchanted by Lois Lane that Superman gives up his powers just to be with her. Superman II works not only because of Clark Kent's realization that he serves more than just himself but also because of the high-stakes conflict between him and General Zod. Terence Stamp's Zod, Sarah Douglas' Ursa, and Jack O'Halloran's Non all appeared briefly at the start of . It's a rare situation where the two films were planned together, which allowed for story and thematic consistency rarely found among sequels. There is some argument about whether this or the original is the better film, but for our purposes, a good long evening watch of both films in order is more than enough preparation for James Gunn's take on the Kal-El. However, if you're hungry for more, let me steer you to my next recommendation. Skip it There are a few good moments in , which you can stream on , , and , and that improbably stars the late comedian Richard Pryor. I especially enjoyed when evil Superman (too much red Kryptonite) faced off with his still good alter ego, Clark Kent. I swear only Christopher Reeves could've pulled that off and somehow made it believable. Unfortunately, the rest of the film has Director Richard Lester's keystone cops sensibility all over it. It's full of unnecessary site gags and often makes our hero look confused or like he's staring in a different movie from the rest of the cast. In other words, skip this Superman flight. As for (Max, Hulu, Prime), the less said about it, the better. Christopher Reeves didn't want to be there, and it shows. Half of one or all of the other Here, we reach a fork in the road. I have much to say about Zack Snynder's 2013 (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video), and some of it is good, but it's not a completely watchable film. So let's put that aside for now and talk about the first reboot: 2006's (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video). I like this movie, though I have trouble remembering many of its beats, and that's a problem. At issue is its slavish devotion to the source material, specifically . Most of the cast, including Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor but with the possible exception of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, appear to be trying to recreate all the characterizations from the 1978 film. Even Brandon Routh, who does a fine job as the title character, sounds weirdly like Christopher Reeves. Still, it's a good and full Superman story that mostly holds together and has some brilliant set pieces, like Superman saving everyone on a nose-diving passenger airplane by bringing it to rest, tail up, in the middle of a ball field (most of the ideas in this movie were essentially, "That was a cool thing they did in '78. How can we do it bigger?"). Yes, there are too many instances where director Bryan Singer tries too hard to show how far special effects technology has come since 1978. I'll point you to the closeup of a bullet bouncing off Superman's eye. It's more gross than spectacular. Even so, I see this film as a nice bridge between Superman of the 20th Century and the Supermans of this new, more digitally-savvy one. A manner of steel Zack Snyder's can be credited with dragging Superman into the 21st Century. 1978's Superman seemed to be caught between the 1940s and 1970s, and lived in modern times, but everything about the look was still last century. presents a modern, though incredibly dour, Superman. He's not a comic book character; instead, he is a bit of a tortured hero who hides his abilities in the shadows. All that said, I love the first half of this movie. Henry Cavill looks and feels the part. He's an expert at conveying heroic optimism and super-powered rage, sometimes within one scene. The movie is dark – almost gray – making much of it feel flat and uninspired. Still, the storyline was solid, and the quick appearance of a truly powerful Zod and his cohorts was breathtaking. Things devolve when Superman battles Zod and carelessly destroys Metropolis. It's not just what they did; it's how Snyder shot it. The action is unwatchable because it's indecipherable. I rarely zone out during action sequences, but Snyder lost the plot and my interest – also, way to kill the potential of a Zod-based rematch, Snyder. So watch the first half and then, perhaps, switch to... Oh dear. I cannot in good conscience recommend the abysmal and ridiculous (what stops the battle is too dumb to be repeated). You can stream it on Max and Amazon Prive video if you must. which features Cavill's Superman, is no better (look out for that CGI-awayed mustache). If you're desperate, you could finish although I do not recommend it, or try because Pryor is entertaining. Otherwise, I suggest you look at some of the full-length cartoon efforts like (on Tubi or rentable on Prime Video) or , (Max, Hulu, Prime). It's based on the wild 1993 Death (and rebirth) of Superman comic book series, which was intended to save the flagging franchise (it did). TV is full of Superman depictions, some series, like (Clark as a young and not-yet Super-man and streamable on Hulu and Disney Plus), and more recently, the just-wrapped . But I can't put them on this list because a series commitment is more than is required to prepare for the next big-screen Superman adaptation. Granted, the history of Superman on film is like an old sidewalk: long, uneven, and sometimes treacherous. Gunn's film could go either way. The trailer looks fantastic, and David Corenwet is instantly believable even in these fleeting glimpses as the Man of Steel, but introducing a very involved CGI Krypto is a risk. On the other hand, the beat-up and bloodied Superman calling for his help is instantly compelling. Imagine if, a year from now, this is the Superman movie I recommend you watch first. Remember, if you want to watch any of these films, check out some of our .

The Sixers earned a shorthanded, blowout, wire-to-wire win Saturday night in Detroit. They notched a 111-96 victory over the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, moving to 4-14 this season. Detroit fell to 9-13. Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Tyrese Maxey posted 28 points and six assists. Both KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV were outstanding off the Sixers' bench. Martin tallied 19 points, his most yet as a Sixer, on 7-for-8 shooting. He also had six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Council recorded 17 points and five rebounds. Paul George returned from a three-game absence with a left knee bone bruise and had 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists over 26 minutes. The Sixers were missing Joel Embiid (left knee injury management/personal reasons), Caleb Martin (upper back soreness), Kyle Lowry (right hip strain) and Reggie Jackson (right knee soreness). Andre Drummond suffered a right ankle sprain in the first quarter and did not return. Complete coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers and their rivals in the NBA from NBC Sports Philadelphia. Cade Cunningham (left sacroiliac joint sprain) was a late scratch for a Pistons team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The Sixers will next face the Hornets on Tuesday night in Charlotte. Here are observations on their decisive win Saturday: Sixers work through yet another injury The Sixers opened their second consecutive game with Guerschon Yabusele and Drummond in the frontcourt. Jared McCain, who’d started the team’s last seven games, served as the backup point guard. George’s decision-making was strong in the early going. He drove and kicked the ball to Kelly Oubre Jr. for the night’s first basket, then tossed a successful alley-oop to Drummond. After a Drummond tip-in, he appeared to step on Tobias Harris’ foot and went down to the floor in pain, grabbing his right ankle. Teammates Justin Edwards and Council assisted him back to the locker room with 8:27 left in the first quarter. Unsurprisingly, the Sixers officially ruled Drummond out for the game early in the second quarter. Drummond’s exit led to rookie Adem Bona’s first NBA action outside of garbage time since the Sixers’ loss to the Cavs on Nov. 13. Seconds after Bona checked in, George set him up for a dunk. The Sixers started hot from three-point range and an Oubre leaner off a solid Bona ball screen put the team up 22-7. Bona did get called for two offensive fouls in the first half — a moving screen and a hard bump as he looked to establish position in the post — but he otherwise fared quite well. The UCLA product knew where to be defensively, protected the rim effectively, worked diligently on the glass and didn’t seem overwhelmed at all by the sudden shift to an important role. He finished with four points, five rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes. Council and Martin boost stock again On Wednesday night, Council posted a season-high 12 points in the Sixers’ overtime defeat to the Rockets . He exceeded that in Saturday’s first half. As soon as he checked in, Council snagged a missed Bona free throw and converted an and-one layup. Both Council and KJ Martin were dangerous in the open floor and hungry to attack the rim. Martin turned a block into a coast-to-coast bucket. Council plowed ahead and forced defenders to foul him, just as he’d done in several impressive performances as a rookie. Council knocked down two free throws for the final points of the first quarter, giving the Sixers a 37-20 lead. That advantage shrunk in the second quarter. Maxey was a bit off his game in the mid-range and around the hoop, shooting 3 for 12 from the floor in the first half. Facing tight, physical defense, McCain didn’t attempt a shot in 13 first-half minutes. Malik Beasley’s jumpers helped Detroit get back into the game, too. His fourth three-pointer of the night was especially deep and trimmed the Pistons’ deficit to 54-50. Thanks largely to Council and Martin, the Sixers avoided completely relinquishing their lead. Council hit a timely three and Martin rejected an Isaiah Stewart layup at the first-half buzzer. Martin started the second half and capped a 7-0 Sixers run with a lefty put-back slam. Broadly speaking, Saturday’s game was certainly further reason to believe that high-energy, ultra-athletic players like Martin and Council deserve significant minutes at the moment for the Sixers. Stellar night for Sixers’ youth Maxey firmly pushed his team back into a double-digit lead early in the third quarter. The All-Star guard made two triples and three layups. He also assisted a couple of Martin hoops, including an easy dunk out of the pick-and-roll. At this point, it's rare for Maxey to be noticeably affected by missed jumpers and bad bounces. He's grown accustomed to maintaining aggression and confidence when the Sixers need him to be their top offensive option. McCain scored his first basket late in the third quarter, making a short jumper that extended the Sixers' lead to 84-62. The Pistons never threatened any sort of comeback from there and the Sixers' defensive effort did not lapse. At the tail end of the third quarter, McCain closed out right on top of Ron Holland II, who air balled a corner three as the shot clock expired. On a veteran-heavy team , the Sixers' youth seriously shined Saturday night. For much of the fourth quarter, the 28-year-old Oubre was the oldest Sixer on the court. Maxey (24 years old), Martin (23), Council (23) and Bona (21) were all key figures in Detroit.Chandigarh: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab and Haryana as part of its investigation into the gangster-terror nexus involving operatives of the proscribed Khalistan Terrorist Force (KTF), including Canada-based Arsh Dala . Extensive searches were conducted by the NIA teams at the premises of suspects linked to arrested accused Baljeet Maur as well as those connected with Dala and the KTF. The searches covered Bhatinda, Muktsar, Moga, Ferozepur, Sangrur, and Mansa districts in Punjab and Sirsa in Haryana. The search teams seized several incriminating material, including mobile phones/digital devices and documents that are being examined by the NIA as part of the ongoing investigations into the case registered earlier this year by the agency on the directions of the ministry of home affairs. Raids were conducted at the residence of one Amandeep Singh in Muktsar, who is facing a case under the NDPS Act. The NIA officials also landed at the residence of one Vishal Singh in Mansa, who is claimed to be linked to Arsh Dala. The NIA has been investigating various terror outfits engaged in criminal conspiracies to recruit India-based associates to carry out criminal terror acts, raise funds through large-scale extortions, smuggle terrorist hardware into India, and facilitate the movement of such illegal arms and ammunition through the ‘dead drop model’. The investigations so far revealed attempts by foreign-based main accused and handlers of terrorist outfits to recruit cadres in India for carrying out terror acts on Indian soil. We also published the following articles recently NIA raids 9 locations in Punjab, Haryana in gangster-terror nexus case The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at nine locations across Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday, targeting a suspected gangster-terror nexus. This operation follows similar raids last month in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh focusing on the Davinder Bambiha syndicate. Praveen Nettaru murder case: NIA conducts searches at multiple locations in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in connection with the Praveen Nettaru murder case. Digital devices and documents were seized during the operation targeting associates of suspects and absconding accused. Nettaru, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader, was killed in July 2022. NIA spl court awards life term to Hizb terrorist in conspiracy case Kamruz Zaman, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen operative, received multiple life sentences and rigorous imprisonment from a Lucknow NIA court. Convicted of conspiring to attack Hindu temples and other terrorist acts, Zaman was arrested in 2018. The court deemed him a danger to society, highlighting his radicalization and training by HuM militants in Kashmir. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .

Retiring goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is proud of her achievements and looking forward to USWNT’s next generation

Liverpool beat holders Real Madrid with Aston Villa denied win against JuventusNEW YORK (AP) — A number of President-elect Donald Trump 's most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks," Trump's transition team said Wednesday. The FBI said it was investigating. “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting, in which attackers initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The tactic has become a popular one in recent years. Leavitt said law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted and Trump and his transition team are grateful. Among those targeted were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations ; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general ; and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Law enforcement officials are also looking into whether Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general whom Trump has chosen as Gaetz’s replacement, and other incoming administration officials were also victims — as well as how each was targeted, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity as the investigation continues. Wiles and Bondi did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees" and was investigating with its law enforcement partners. The FBI added: "We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma said President Joe Biden had been briefed and the White House is in touch with federal law enforcement and Trump's transition team. Biden “continues to monitor the situation closely," Sharma said, adding the president and his administration “condemn threats of political violence.” Stefanik's office said that, on Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. Her office said “New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism.” The New York State Police said a team was dispatched to sweep Stefanik’s home on Wednesday morning in response to the bomb threat but did not locate any explosive devices. The agency directed further questions to the FBI. Zeldin said in a social media post that he and his family had been threatened. “A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message,” he wrote on X . “My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops.” Police in Suffolk County, Long Island, said emergency officers responded to a bomb threat Wednesday morning at an address listed in public records as Zeldin’s home and were checking the property. In Florida, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area" around 9 a.m. Wednesday. While a family member resides at the address, the office said, Gaetz “is NOT a resident.” No threatening devices were found. Gaetz was Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration after allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by disturbing and unprecedented violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. Trump was also the subject of an Iranian murder-for-hire plot , with a man saying he had been tasked with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect. Also this week, authorities arrested a man they say posted videos on social media threatening to kill Trump, according to court documents. In one video posted on Nov. 13, Manuel Tamayo-Torres threatened to shoot the former president while holding what appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle, authorities said Among the other videos he posted was one from an arena in Glendale, Arizona on Aug. 23, the same day Trump held a campaign rally there, according to court papers. An attorney for Tamayo-Torres did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Public figures across the political spectrum have been targeted in recent years by hoax bomb threats and false reports of shootings at their homes. About a year ago the FBI responded to an uptick in such incidents at the homes of public officials, state capitols and courthouses across the country around the holidays. Many were locked down and evacuated in early January after receiving bomb threats. No explosives were found and no one was hurt. Some of those targeted last year were Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. In Wu’s case, a male caller told police he had shot his own wife and tied another man up. When police and EMT responders arrived at the address given by the caller, they quickly realized it was the Boston mayor’s home. Wu, a Democrat, has also been targeted by many swatting calls since she took office in 2021. The judges overseeing the civil fraud case against Trump in New York and the criminal election interference case against him in Washington were both targeted earlier this year. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who recently abandoned the two criminal cases he brought against Trump, was also the subject of a fake emergency call on Christmas Day last year. Earlier this year, schools, government buildings and the homes of city officials in Springfield, Ohio, received a string of hoax bomb threats after Trump falsely accused members of Springfield’s Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs. And in 2022, a slew of historically Black colleges and universities nationwide were targeted with dozens of bomb threats, with the vast majority arriving during the celebration of Black History Month. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Wednesday that anytime a member of Congress is the victim of a swatting' incident, “we work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners.” The force declined to provide further details, in part to “minimize the risk of copy-cats.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the threats “dangerous and unhinged.” “This year, there was not just one but TWO assassination attempts on President Trump," he wrote on X . “Now some of his Cabinet nominees and their families are facing bomb threats.” He added: “It is not who we are in America.” ___ Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Eric Tucker in Washington, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.Al Nahda for Palestine held

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Future Vision II Acquisition Corp., (NASDAQ: FVNNU) a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (the “Future Vision”), and Viwo Technology Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company operating its business via wholly owned entities in China (“Viwo”), today announced that, on December 10, 2024, they have entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Merger Agreement. Amendment No. 1 to the Merger Agreement requires pre-Business Combination Viwo shareholders to enter into a lock up agreement with respect to Future Vision shares they receive from the consummation of the Business Combination. The lock up is designed to align the interests of these shareholders with the long-term growth of the post-Business Combination company, Viwo Inc. Under the terms of the lock-up agreement, shareholders will be required to enter into a lock-up agreement, which includes a Viwo Inc. performance based release mechanism. This mechanism provides that shares are released based on the achievement of specific financial performance milestones and time-based criteria. Key Highlights of the Lock-Up Agreement: Company Shareholders’ shares received in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination will be locked up for two (2) or three (3) years from the Effective Time of the Business Combination if the following performance-based milestone is met by Viwo Inc. Condition of the Two-Year Lock-Up Period Shares will be eligible for release if Viwo Inc. achieves an audited gross revenue growth of 20% by the end of the first fiscal year and 30% by the end of the second fiscal year, or a compounded growth rate of 24.96% year over year for the two-year period. If Viwo Inc. does not achieve the required gross revenue growth, than the shares will be locked up for a third year. Condition of the Three-Year Lock-Up Period: Shares will be eligible for release if Viwo Inc. achieves an audited gross revenue growth of 126.2% by the end of the third fiscal year, representing a compounded growth rate of 28.46% year over year, or 45% revenue growth from the second year assuming Viwo Inc. achieves a compounded growth rate of 24.96% year over year for the first and second years. Forfeiture of Shares to Release Lock Up: Alternatively, shareholders may effect the forfeiture of 10% of their Consideration Shares after the end of the third fiscal year to release the lock up. “We believe that this lock-up agreement, with its staggered release mechanism, will foster a stronger alignment between shareholders and the company’s long-term goals,” said Fidel Wang of Viwo Technology Inc. “By tying the release of shares to specific financial performance milestones, we are reinforcing our commitment to sustainable growth and value creation.” About Viwo Technology Inc. Viwo is an innovation-driven technology company specializing in AI and “Martech” (marketing + technology) services, as well as AI and software development services. Viwo’s mission is to drive business growth and enhance corporate value for its customers. Viwo assists customers across various industries in achieving digital upgrades and transformations, thereby creating future value. Viwo is committed to continuous technological innovation with the aim of industrializing intelligent digital technology. About Future Vision II Acquisition Corp. Future Vision II Acquisition Corp is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. While we will not be limited to a particular industry in our identification and acquisition of a target company, we intend to focus our search on businesses within the technology, media, and telecommunications sector. Additional Information about the Business Combination and Where to Find It To facilitate the Business Combination, Future Vision will file a registration statement on Form S-4 (as may be amended from time to time, the “Registration Statement”) that will include a preliminary proxy statement/prospectus of Future Vision, and after the Registration Statement is declared effective, Future Vision will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination to its shareholders. The Registration Statement, including the proxy statement/prospectus contained therein, when declared effective by the SEC, will contain important information about the Business Combination and the other matters to be voted upon at a meeting of Future Vision’s shareholders to be held to approve the Business Combination and related matters. This communication does not contain all of the information that should be considered concerning the Business Combination and other matters and is not intended to provide the basis for any investment decision or any other decision in respect to such matters. Future Vision and Viwo may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the Business Combination. Future Vision shareholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed in connection with the Business Combination, when available, as these materials will contain important information about Future Vision, Viwo, and the Business Combination. When available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the Business Combination will be mailed to Future Vision shareholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the Business Combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference therein, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Participants in the Solicitation / No Offer or Solicitation Future Vision, Viwo, and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Future Vision shareholders in connection with the proposed Business Combination. A list of the names of the directors and executive officers of Future Vision and information regarding their interests in the business combination will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus when available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such other jurisdiction. Forward-Looking Statements Neither Future Vision, Viwo, nor any of their respective affiliates make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K. This Current Report on Form 8-K is not intended to be all-inclusive or to contain all the information that a person may desire in considering the proposed Business Combination discussed herein. It is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the proposed Business Combination. This Current Report on Form 8-K and the exhibits filed or furnished herewith include “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the proposed transactions by and among Future Vision, Merger Sub, and Viwo, including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction, the anticipated timing of the Business Combination, the business of the Company and the markets in which they operate. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words or phrases such as “aspire,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” “could,” “should,” “believe(s),” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “future,” “opportunity,” “seek,” “intend,” “strategy,” or the negative version of those words or phrases or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Future Vision’s and Viwo’s expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the proposed Business Combination. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside Future Vision’s and Viwo’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: general economic, financial, legal, political and business conditions and changes in domestic markets; risks related to the business of Viwo and the timing of expected business milestones; changes in the assumptions underlying the expectations of the Viwo regarding its future business; the effects of competition on the Viwo’s future business; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Future Vision, Viwo, and/or the combined company or others following the announcement of the proposed Business Combination and any definitive agreements with respect thereto; the inability to complete the proposed Business Combination, including, without limitation, the inability to obtain approval of the shareholders of Future Vision or to satisfy other conditions to closing; the ability to meet stock exchange listing standards in connection with and following the consummation of the proposed Business Combination; the risk that the proposed Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of Future Vision and Viwo as a result of the announcement and consummation of the proposed Business Combination; the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; costs related to the proposed Business Combination; changes in applicable laws or regulations and delays in obtaining, adverse conditions contained in, or the inability to obtain regulatory approvals required to complete the proposed Business Combination; the Parties’ estimates of expenses and profitability and underlying assumptions with respect to shareholder redemptions and purchase price and other adjustments; the possibility that the combined company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the filings made by Future Vision with the SEC, including the proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed relating to the proposed Business Combination. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Future Vision and Viwo caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Future Vision and Viwo caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Neither Future Vision or Viwo undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: Ms. Caihong Chen, CFO of Future Vision Email: caih_chen@outlook.comhas shown nothing but admiration for as he spoke about the potential face-off with the ‘Queen of the Palace’ at the upcoming PDC World Championship. Sherrock, set to battle Ryan Meikle in the first round next month, could have a thrilling encounter with last year’s finalist if she defeats the Englishman. The young darting sensation will join the fray in the second round, thanks to his ranking that exempts him from the initial matches. He recently broke his silence on the prospect of playing against Sherrock following the draw announcement. Having witnessed the draw, the champ paid homage to the trailblazer who made history in 2019 by becoming the first woman to win a match at the world championship, eventually making it to the third round. He reminisced how “it was incredible to watch” her performance when he was just 12, reports . In an interview with Sky Sports, the 17-year-old remarked: “If I do come across her, I don’t know what the crowd would be like. Against Fallon, it might be a bit different. I don’t think anyone really missed it [when Sherrock reached the third round]. It was incredible to watch.“ Almost one year after his own memorable adventure at the tournament, Littler has confessed he’s feeling the “buzz” and is eagerly ticking off the days until his return to Ally Pally. Speaking about the forthcoming match, he said: “Good luck to them both. It should be a really interesting game, because Ryan’s playing really good, and so is Fallon.” "It won’t be easy [against either of them]. No game will be easy this year, but it’ll be a tough test for both of them facing each other in the first round. Either way, I’m very confident, whoever wins. I just can’t wait to get on stage. Ever since the Worlds [last year] it has been crazy this is where it all started for me. The buzz is there, I can feel it.” After failing to make it past the initial stage in her previous three outings at the world championships, Sherrock is crossing her fingers for a stroke of luck the fourth time around next month to pave the way for a clash with the young prodigy. Sherrock took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share her thoughts after the draw: “So I now know I’ll be playing Ryan Meikle in round one at the @OfficialPDC World Championship,” she posted. “The winner will play a certain Mr Littler in round two. Can’t wait to play at the Palace again.” Come and join The Daily Star on , the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It's now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X. Fear not, we're not leaving , but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on , and see us social better than the rest. You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a . So what are you waiting for?! Let's

Every Two Years, Staffers at the Met Get to See Their Own Art on the Prestigious Museum's WallsElon Musk may be a polarizing figure in his own right, but the tech billionaire's controversies pale in comparison to his father's — a man whose past includes having multiple children with his own stepdaughter . Long before he became the richest man in the world, Elon was born to parents Errol Musk and Maye Musk, with whom Errol had two other children. According to Errol, an engineer, their marriage ended in 1979, when he cheated on Maye, a supermodel. They had been married for nine years. "I screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. It didn't work out too well in the end," he once told Business Insider South Africa , per People . "My [former] wife doesn't speak to me, even when we're together, she won't speak to me, so we haven't spoken to one other for 37 years. She won't speak to me or engage me if we're in the same room — which we have been often." Maye, for her part, has claimed that Errol was emotionally and physically abusive during their relationship. "Everybody I knew called him 'the Pig' because he treated me so badly in public," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. And I was too scared to tell anyone [about the deeper violence]." She described the alleged incidents with Errol in her memoir A Woman Makes a Plan, recalling one moment in particular where a 5-year-old Elon attempted to stop his father from beating his mother. Errol — who is a father of seven — went on to marry Heide Bezuidenhout in the early '90s, welcoming two children together: Alexandra and Asha Rose. The pair divorced after two years of marriage. Two decades later, he began a romantic relationship with Heide's daughter Jana — his former stepdaughter — with whom he went on to welcome two other children. "One thing led to another — you can call it God's plan or nature's plan," he told The Sunday Times in 2018 about his relationship with Jana. Elon — who has since reconciled with his father — once described Errol to Rolling Stone as "a terrible human being" who had "a carefully thought-out plan of evil." Errol once again found himself in the news in November 2024 when he backed up a previous controversial statement from his son, during which the SpaceX founder seemed to be a proponent of selective breeding in humans. "I wouldn't call it eugenics as such, but every nation has practiced a certain form of survival of the fittest," Errol stated in an interview with Sky News , using the example of racehorses. "One need only go to England and go to the Cheltenham area, the horse breeding area, and say, 'Look, we're not going to breed the horses anymore by any form of standard. I've got a few old horses I've found in Nigeria and we're going to just mix them with your race horses...' They'll say, no, no, no, no, no.'" As for Elon's mother, Maye, she has also made headlines for several of her own questionable statements. In October 2024, she appeared to encourage voter fraud during the 2024 presidential election, per NBC News . "The Democrats have given us another option. You don't have to register to vote," Maye wrote via X at the time, her son Elon's social media platform (previously known as Twitter ). "On Election Day, have 10 fake names, go to 10 polling booths and vote 10 times. That's 100 votes, and it's not illegal. Maybe we should work the system too." The following month, Maye allegedly made a racially insensitive remark about an Asian-American reporter who was writing a book on Elon — writing in a since-deleted post, via X, that the reporter "is sadly a Vietnamese-American." Later that month, Maye also endured backlash from online critics after she appeared on Fox Business Network to gush over Elon , who was recently appointed by president-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. "I don't like the word 'wealthy' or 'billionaire,'" Maye said of how her son is described. "I think it's degrading." She then proclaimed Elon as "the genius of the world, and people are loving him for that!" If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice calls for sweeping punishments that would include a sale of Google’s industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions to prevent Android from favoring its own search engine. A sale of Chrome “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet,” Justice Department lawyers argued in their filing. Although regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android too, they asserted the judge should make it clear the company could still be required to divest its smartphone operating system if its oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. The broad scope of the recommended penalties underscores how severely regulators operating under President Joe Biden’s administration believe Google should be punished following an August ruling by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta that branded the company as a monopolist. The Justice Department decision-makers who will inherit the case after President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year might not be as strident. The Washington, D.C. court hearings on Google’s punishment are scheduled to begin in April and Mehta is aiming to issue his final decision before Labor Day. If Mehta embraces the government’s recommendations, Google would be forced to sell its 16-year-old Chrome browser within six months of the final ruling. But the company certainly would appeal any punishment, potentially prolonging a legal tussle that has dragged on for more than four years. Besides seeking a Chrome spinoff and a corralling of the Android software, the Justice Department wants the judge to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. It would also ban Google from favoring its own services, such as YouTube or its recently-launched artificial intelligence platform, Gemini. Regulators also want Google to license the search index data it collects from people’s queries to its rivals, giving them a better chance at competing with the tech giant. On the commercial side of its search engine, Google would be required to provide more transparency into how it sets the prices that advertisers pay to be listed near the top of some targeted search results. Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, lashed out at the Justice Department for pursuing “a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology.” In a blog post, Walker warned the “overly broad proposal” would threaten personal privacy while undermining Google’s early leadership in artificial intelligence, “perhaps the most important innovation of our time.” Wary of Google’s increasing use of artificial intelligence in its search results, regulators also advised Mehta to ensure websites will be able to shield their content from Google’s AI training techniques. The measures, if they are ordered, threaten to upend a business expected to generate more than $300 billion in revenue this year. “The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired,” the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. “The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.” It’s still possible that the Justice Department could ease off attempts to break up Google, especially if Trump takes the widely expected step of replacing Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who was appointed by Biden to oversee the agency’s antitrust division. Although the case targeting Google was originally filed during the final months of Trump’s first term in office, Kanter oversaw the high-profile trial that culminated in Mehta’s ruling against Google. Working in tandem with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, Kanter took a get-tough stance against Big Tech that triggered other attempted crackdowns on industry powerhouses such as Apple and discouraged many business deals from getting done during the past four years. Trump recently expressed concerns that a breakup might destroy Google but didn’t elaborate on alternative penalties he might have in mind. “What you can do without breaking it up is make sure it’s more fair,” Trump said last month. Matt Gaetz, the former Republican congressman that Trump nominated to be the next U.S. Attorney General, has previously called for the breakup of Big Tech companies. Gaetz faces a tough confirmation hearing. This latest filing gave Kanter and his team a final chance to spell out measures that they believe are needed to restore competition in search. It comes six weeks after Justice first floated the idea of a breakup in a preliminary outline of potential penalties. But Kanter’s proposal is already raising questions about whether regulators seek to impose controls that extend beyond the issues covered in last year’s trial, and — by extension — Mehta’s ruling. Banning the default search deals that Google now pays more than $26 billion annually to maintain was one of the main practices that troubled Mehta in his ruling. It’s less clear whether the judge will embrace the Justice Department’s contention that Chrome needs to be spun out of Google, and the recommendation that Android should be completely walled off from the company’s own search engine. “It is probably going a little beyond,” Syracuse University law professor Shubha Ghosh said of the Chrome breakup. “The remedies should match the harm, it should match the transgression. This does seem a little beyond that pale.” Google rival DuckDuckGo, whose executives testified during last year’s trial, asserted the Justice Department is simply doing what needs to be done to rein in a brazen monopolist. “Undoing Google’s overlapping and widespread illegal conduct over more than a decade requires more than contract restrictions: it requires a range of remedies to create enduring competition,” Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s senior vice president of public affairs, said in a statement. Trying to break up Google harks back to a similar punishment initially imposed on Microsoft a quarter century ago following another major antitrust trial that culminated in a federal judge deciding the software maker had illegally used his Windows operating system for PCs to stifle competition. However, an appeals court overturned an order that would have broken up Microsoft, a precedent many experts believe will make Mehta reluctant to go down a similar road with the Google case. Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino will host a job fair U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google A high-ranking leader of a Mexican drug cartel who lived One of the strongest storms on the West Coast inNone

A visibly angry Omer Riza blasted his players for being "nowhere near it" in a "men against boys" display in the 2-0 defeat by Preston North End. The Bluebirds turned out a poor performance in what was Riza's first game as permanent manager of the club following his appointment until the end of the season a week ago. But the honeymoon period did not last, with Cardiff surrendering two second-half goals to leave themselves in the relegation zone. And Riza did not hold back in his assessment of the game. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here . "Very disappointed. Frustrated. For me it was nowhere near it. Nowhere near the performance you need to be at, at Championship level. Flat. No desire. Lack of quality. Not good enough. Nowhere near good enough," said Riza, whose side didn't play at the weekend owing to the cancellation of the fixture with Watford. "We trained Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, it was enough to be ready for this game. It was just men against boys today. "Not unfortunate, just not good enough. We were lucky to go in at 0-0 at half-time as far as I was concerned. There are a lot of questions to be answered. Players want to play. Players show frustrations when they're not playing and when they do play they've got to do more. We have got to look at a few things as a staff, how were are going to approach the next game, because it's not to get beat. "We can't keep going this way, it's not good enough. "You win a couple and you're back out of problems, you lose a couple and you're back in problems. You look at the table at this time (of the season) and you'll drive yourself crazy. It's about performances and winning games and we did neither today. "We didn't show quality in possession and were scared to get on the ball. We didn't make enough options for each other when we were on the ball and we were untidy with it and lacked quality, even from our players who are high quality. "The energy and intensity wasn't good enough. It was flat. Too many people waiting for things to happen rather than making things happen. That comes down to intensity levels. That drive to want to play football. "That desire, hunger. All the things when we are younger have to apply at senior level and that wasn't there today. It's not like that all the time, it was terrible today and it has to be dealt with quickly. We have to talk, get out on the grass, work, apply those principles again and make sure they are ready to go for the next game. "You can't think about it for too long because you'll take that into the next game and you have to put it right." WHATSAPP: Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community Understandably, the supporters vented their own frustrations at full-time after watching their team slump further into the relegation picture. It's the third time in four seasons these fans have had to try and cajole their team out of the mire and up the table. And Riza understands their disappointment and can see why they felt the need to show their anger with boos at the final whistle. "The crowd were excellent, they stayed and tried to lift the boys and raise the intensity levels, that shouldn't be the case. The boys should be giving the energy to the fans, not the other way around," Riza said. "It was disappointing to hear the boos, disappointing to hear the frustrations and I join them in that as well. We have to move forward. "It's a challenge and it's something I have to deal with if I want longevity in the game. We have lost 2-0 to Preston and we weren't good enough. We have to pick ourselves up and go again. If I ponder too long on it I won't be doing my players, the staff or the club any favours. "There will be changes and we need to see a reaction." Cardiff take on Stoke City away on Saturday.Canadian National Railway Co. stock falls Friday, underperforms market