In a thrilling CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) matchup, the Zhejiang Lions emerged victorious over the Guangzhou Loong Lions with a final score of 127-110. The standout performance of the game came from none other than Zhejiang's star player Wu Qian, who showcased his exceptional skills and dominance on the court.
The incident also highlights the need for companies to implement strict compliance measures to prevent such occurrences from happening within their organizations. By fostering a culture of integrity and respect for intellectual property, companies can protect their brand reputation and build trust with consumers.
Stay tuned for more updates and information on the release of Tarlos's Law, and prepare to unlock the mysteries of the Tower once again in the new year. The countdown to the reprint has begun, and the world of Tarlos awaits those brave enough to venture into its depths. Are you ready to take on the challenge and discover the secrets hidden within the Tower? The fate of Tarlos's Law lies in your hands.The optimization of stock repurchase loans not only benefits the borrowing companies but also creates opportunities for investors and financial institutions. Investors can now take advantage of increased stock repurchases to potentially earn higher returns and capitalize on the positive market sentiment generated by these actions. Financial institutions, on the other hand, stand to gain from the increase in lending activity and the expansion of their loan portfolios, thereby diversifying their revenue streams and strengthening their financial position.
In a surprising move, the popular mobile game "Phantasm Paru" has recently released an update that completely removes the beloved summoning feature, where players could throw Poké Balls to summon creatures known as "Phantasms." This major change has sparked controversy among players, with many feeling disappointed and questioning the direction of the game.With eye on NBA Cup quarters, Knicks face lowly Pelicans8. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) - The Algerian winger has been a key player for Manchester City since joining from Leicester City. Mahrez's contract situation has raised questions about his long-term future at the Etihad Stadium.
EXCLUSIVE Investors threaten to call in police over huge losses after collapse of Alastair Campbell son's football betting syndicate By GLEN OWEN Published: 23:00, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 23:08, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments Alastair Campbell is facing losses running into hundreds of thousands of pounds following the collapse of a football betting syndicate run by his son, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Tony Blair 's former spin chief is understood to be among those alleged to have lost a total of more than £5 million from Rory Campbell's venture, with some out-of-pocket investors now threatening to go to the police. The row has dragged in Charlie Falconer, Mr Blair's Lord Chancellor and former flatmate, who held meetings with syndicate members shortly before Christmas to 'calm tempers' after they were told that they would not be able to recoup their losses. The syndicate bet on the Premier League , the German Bundesliga , Italy 's Serie A and Spain 's La Liga using mathematical models intended to give it an edge over the rest of the betting market by assessing the effect of injuries, how well players link up and factors such as the weather. Sources said that Rory, 37, told investors in April that 'everyone will get paid in the summer' and 'there is absolutely no hole' in the fund, before in June promising again that they would be paid back in full by the end of July. But it is claimed that on July 18 he warned they might receive 'in the region of 50%-65%' of their investment. Two weeks ago, his lawyers are said to have informed them that the venture had collapsed because bookmakers in Asia had failed to pay their debts. Last night, a representative for Rory Campbell said: 'You appear to have been given an incomplete and in several respects inaccurate account of a highly complex set of issues, which are currently the subject of what we had understood to be confidential negotiations intended to seek a resolution between the various parties. Alastair Campbell's son Rory's (pictured) football betting syndicate has gone bust, with losses of up to £5million Alastair Campbell and his partner Fiona Millar (pictured) are believed to have invested nearly £300,000 in the business 'It is a matter of concern and very disappointing to learn from you that these confidences have been broken. Given the confidential nature of the discussions, we are not at liberty to make any further comment at this stage.' More than 50 people are understood to have placed between £10,000 and £500,000 each in the syndicate over the past five years, with Alastair Campbell and his partner Fiona Millar believed to have invested nearly £300,000. Around 20 of the investors have compiled a dossier of evidence to pass to the police, including contracts setting out how the syndicate would run, bank statements, emails stating that the fund was profitable and spreadsheets detailing how much it was supposedly making. The sources said that Lord Falconer met twice with investors to try and negotiate a financial settlement on behalf of the Campbell family, most recently in early December. The meetings have been described by sources as 'long and bruising'. This newspaper has seen correspondence between Rory and one investor who tried to withdraw his money from the syndicate last year after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The investor wrote in November 2023: 'I am now reaching the end of my tether and the next step will be for me to start looking at legal options to recover what you owe me. 'I really don't want to do that but when you continually tell me the money is coming shortly (since July) and December is approaching you can understand why I think you may not be good for it.' Sources said that Lord Falconer (pictured) met twice with investors to try and negotiate a financial settlement on behalf of the Campbell family The investor added: 'Are you going to send some money soon or are you just hoping I die before you need to pay up?' Rory replied: 'Absolutely not and yes very, very soon. All of it.' A year later, the investor says he is still to receive the £160,000 he's owed. Another syndicate member, said to be facing losses of more than £150,000, told the MoS: 'We are all absolutely furious. 'Rory told us that at no time could he lose more than 5 per cent of the total betting fund to a single bookmaker and that his job was to manage that risk. 'Then suddenly all the money has just disappeared. He has provided absolutely zero evidence of where it has gone and we want a proper explanation of where all the millions of pounds have gone.' Another investor said: 'We will be very lucky to get 15 per cent of our losses back after legal and professional costs. 'By Rory's own figures over £5 million is owed. He has at least finally admitted there is a massive financial black hole, which he denied for a long time, but this has left a lot of people in serious financial trouble as many had invested a decent proportion of their overall wealth in something Rory described as 'massively low risk'.' Alastair with his son Rory (right) and Calum Campbell (centre) at the London Stadium In a 2018 interview Rory, who read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, said he spent 'the majority of time' at university 'playing poker and watching football'. After graduating, he advised football clubs on 'tactical insights'. Alastair Campbell, 67, is enjoying a lucrative second career as co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast with former Tory minister Rory Stewart, with his personal income topping an estimated £100,000 a month. Alastair Campbell and Lord Falconer both declined to comment. Spain Serie A La liga Italy Asia Share or comment on this article: Investors threaten to call in police over huge losses after collapse of Alastair Campbell son's football betting syndicate e-mail Add commentIrish premier Simon Harris has said Fine Gael will gain seats in the General Election despite a further fragmentation of Irish politics. Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday’s poll. An exit poll puts the party’s support at 21%, a fraction of a percentage behind the main opposition party Sinn Fein. Mr Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach, was elected with 16,869 first preference votes, well above the quota. He celebrated with his wife Caoimhe, his parents Bart and Mary, his sister Gemma and his political team at the count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Ahead of his re-election, Mr Harris told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about the election result and said it was “clear that my party will gain seats”. “It’s also clear that Fine Gael will top the poll in at least 10 constituencies, many more than we did the last time, that we will gain seats in constituencies where we haven’t had seats in many years, like Tipperary South and Waterford, and that we will add second seats in other constituencies as well,” he said. “I think the people of Ireland have now spoken. We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” In one of the five consecutive broadcast media rounds he did from the Greystones count centre, he said there were a lot of areas where there were “straight shoot-outs” between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for final seats. He described the Sinn Fein vote as “pretty significantly down”, the Fianna Fail vote as “marginally down” and the Fine Gael vote as “static” compared with its 2020 vote. He said it was “a very close, a very competitive election” and that “we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”. He said: “It was predicted by many that I would become the Taoiseach for a brief period of time, take over from Leo Varadkar, and then have to rebuild my party from the opposition benches as Sinn Fein led a government. “We don’t know what’s going to happen on government formation yet, but that is now looking less likely than it was.” He acknowledged that it was “a very difficult day” for the Green Party and paid tribute to their work in the coalition government, alongside his party and Fianna Fail. “Definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented,” he said. Fine Gael minister Helen McEntee said that her party’s campaign had been “positive”. “The feeling on the doors was very much that people were relatively happy with the government,” she said on RTE Radio. “It will come down to the last seats and it will come down to transfers,” she said of the final result, adding that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were performing better than the exit poll estimated.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences . Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people convicted in the slayings of police and military officers, as well as federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they’d long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move weeks before the president-elect takes office. Victims’ families and former colleagues share relief and anger Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner, Bryan Hurst, was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the killer’s execution “would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House. But Hurst’s widow, Marissa Gibson, called Biden’s move distressing and a “complete dismissal and undermining of the federal justice system,” in a statement to The Columbus Dispatch . Tim Timmerman, whose daughter, Rachel, was thrown into a Michigan lake in 1997 to keep her from testifying in a rape trial, said Biden’s decision to commute the killer’s sentence offered families “only pain.” “Where’s the justice in just giving him a prison bed to die comfortably in?” Timmerman said on WOOD-TV. Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a 2017 South Carolina bank robbery, called the commutation of the killer’s sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post. “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Corey Groves, whose mother, Kim Groves, was murdered in a 1994 plot by a New Orleans police officer after she filed a complaint against him, said the family has been living with the “nightmare” of her killer for three decades. “I have always wanted him to spend the rest of his life in prison and have to wake up every morning and think about what he did when he took our mother from us,” Groves said in a statement through his attorney. Decision to leave Roof on death row met with conflicting emotions Families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church have long had a broad range of opinions on Roof’s punishment. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Risher, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out federal death row. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims’ families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Risher said in a statement. Risher, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, said during a Zoom news conference that families “are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come.” Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director, said Biden was giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of their political motivations to kill. “When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Politicians and advocacy groups speak up Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden has shown “the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, criticized the move — and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” One inmate’s attorney expresses thanks — and his remorse Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” But Ed Dowd Jr., the U.S. attorney in St. Louis at the time of the robbery and now a private attorney, criticized Biden’s move. “This case was a message to people who wanted to go out and shoot people for the hell of it, that you’re going to get the death penalty,” Dowd said. Now, “Biden is sending a message that you can do whatever you want and you won’t get the death penalty.” This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rev. Sharon Risher’s name. Swenson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri; Stephen Smith in New Orleans, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed.
In "Play on! Soul Heroes," players take on the role of brave heroes who harness the power of souls to engage in epic battles. What sets this game apart is the way it intertwines storytelling with strategic gameplay. Each card in the deck represents a different soul, and players must carefully choose their cards to form powerful combinations and defeat their opponents.Rounding out the Spring Festival lineup is the comedy film "The Great Lunar New Year Heist," directed by comedy veteran Feng Xiaogang. The film follows a group of bumbling thieves who hatch a plan to steal a priceless artifact during the Lunar New Year festival. Filled with slapstick humor, clever twists, and heartwarming moments, "The Great Lunar New Year Heist" promises to deliver laughs and entertainment for the whole family.
In conclusion, the Xiaomi YU7 is a highly-anticipated SUV that is set to make its mark in the automotive world with its innovative design, advanced technology, and exceptional performance. With its upcoming launch expected in June or July next year, the YU7 is bound to capture the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts and tech enthusiasts alike, setting a new standard for SUVs in the industry. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting new vehicle from Xiaomi.
Monique Keiran: What will happen to legal action, regulations targeting social media under Trump? The role tech giants played in supporting Donald Trump in the recent U.S. election is no secret Monique Keiran Nov 30, 2024 3:00 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message President-elect Donald Trump with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16. Elon Musk spent an estimated $200 million US on Trump’s campaign and provided support via X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter that the billionaire bought two years ago, writes Monique Keiran. EVAN VUCCI, ASSOCIATED PRESS Listen to this article 00:05:10 In the aftermath of Nov. 5, many are wondering what the next four years will bring. Among the questions being asked are what will happen under the coming U.S. administration with all the legal action and regulations relating to social media that are either in the works or being prepared. The role tech giants played in the recent U.S. election is no secret. Elon Musk spent an estimated $200 million US on the president-elect’s campaign and provided support via X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter that the billionaire bought two years ago. The V.P.-elect’s short venture-capitalist career and his connections to deep pockets in Silicon Valley, particularly to many of those who made their first squillions through PayPal, reinforce that support. Of course, not all Big Tech players support the Republicans or took sides in the campaign. But those that did likely will see their investments pay off. Trump demonstrated in 2016-2020 his quid pro quo, or transactional, approach to business, life and so on. He is known to reward those who do him favours. And many opportunities for reward and returned favours have emerged since Trump first took office and the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica scandal became public. That brouhaha initiated a first and very public calling-to-account for big social-media companies, with Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg called to answer before U.S. Congress, Canada’s Parliament, the European Parliament, and others, for his company’s role in the scandal. Among the speed bumps to maximizing profits that social-media companies face today is a U.S.-based lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in October on behalf of 11 families that say their children suffered physical and mental harms because of social-media platforms. The families include those of Amanda Todd, the B.C. 15-year-old who detailed in 2012 the relentless bullying and extortion she’d faced on social media, then died by suicide, and of Harry Burke, the 17-year-old Prince Edward Island teen who was sextorted for money and died by suicide last year. The lawsuit names tech juggernauts Meta — parent company of Facebook and Instagram — Snapchat, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, Discord and Google, which owns YouTube. The suit alleges that the companies knowingly designed and marketed defective products to kids in order to boost engagement numbers. More than 200 school districts, including the public school district in Seattle, have launched recent and controversial lawsuits in the U.S. against social-media companies, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental-health crisis among youth. Ontario’s largest school boards have launched a similar, $4.5-billion Canada-wide class-action suit. The school boards allege that by deliberately engineering highly addictive characteristics into the platforms, the defendant social-media companies have imposed on teachers disruptive and unsafe changes in student behaviour through the design of their addictive and mental-health damaging products. This summer, a Montreal-based law firm filed an application for authorization by the Quebec Superior Court to institute a Canada-wide class action against Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and Reddit. Seeking damages for all individuals who had an account on these platforms, the proposed class action alleges the defendants designed, marketed and promoted platforms that are inherently harmful to the public, while also keeping from social-network users the information they need to make an informed choice when contracting with the defendants. A number of countries are also working to hold online platforms accountable for the content they host. Parliament’s proposed Online Harms Act and related amendments to the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act would serve a baseline standard for online platforms to keep Canadians safe and would hold online. The E.U.’s Digital Services Act, which came into force in late 2022, is intended to serve the same purpose. In the U.S., the Kids Online Safety Act would create a “duty of care,” a legal term that requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The E.U. now requires tech companies without physical offices there to pay taxes to the E.U. on the billions of dollars the companies make in the E.U. Canada has been negotiating for a similar multi-national agreement that would apply here. Such attempts to hold big social-media companies accountable provide many opportunities for the incoming Trump administration to reward its tech supporters. The vehicles used could include tariffs, threats of tariffs, protective legislation, court-based actions, and more. Exactly what quo Trump’s tech supporters will see in return for their many invested quid will be made clear in the coming 50 months. [email protected] See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More Opinion Letters Nov. 30: Carbon tax, McKenzie-Quadra corridor, Donald Trump Nov 30, 2024 4:17 AM Adrian Raeside cartoon: How to cope with B.C. Ferries' money shortage Nov 29, 2024 11:00 PM Letters Nov. 29: Let's make our community cleaner; persistent need for food banks Nov 29, 2024 2:41 AM Featured FlyerReaders Write: Vaccine efficacy, state spending, charter schools, greater Minnesota, sustainability