Madras HC directs Tamil Nadu to frame PoSH rules, suggests creating women's development departmentCall for urgent reforms to combat human trafficking MPA Uzma Kardar is seen addressing an event on human trafficking. — Facebook/SSDOPakistan LAHORE:The Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) hosted a press conference here on Thursday to address Greece boat like tragedy in future. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); The event called for urgent reforms to combat trafficking in persons (TIP) and irregular migration. The press conference featured MPA Uzma Kardar, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking, and SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas, MPA Adnan Afzal Chattha, focal person for the Chief Minister's Skill Development Initiative, Chairperson Punjab Child Protection Bureau MPA Sarah Ahmed, MPA from PTI Zainab Sher. They emphasised the critical need for policy and legislative reforms to address the systemic issues fueling irregular migration and ensure justice for the victims and their families. Syed Kausar Abbas stated that last year, a similar boat tragedy resulted in the loss of 350 lives after which, on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a committee was formed under the leadership of doctor Ihsan Sadiq. This committee prepared a report, but its implementation has not been carried out to date. He urged that immediate action be taken to implement this report. He further mentioned that SSDO, along with the Parliamentary Committee, will begin visiting the homes of the victims next week to take immediate measures to address their issues. “The Greece boat tragedy serves as a painful reminder of the perils of irregular migration. It is time for Pakistan to take decisive action to strengthen its legal frameworks, enhance enforcement capacities and address the socio-economic factors driving migration,” said Syed Kausar Abbas. Kausar Abbas provided an overview of SSDO’s briefing paper, which outlines key recommendations to tackle trafficking in persons (TIP). These include amending anti-human smuggling laws to treat smuggled migrants as victims, enhancing the capacity of law enforcement and judicial institutions and creating a central coordination body to streamline inter-agency efforts. The paper also calls for nationwide awareness campaigns and international collaboration with transit countries to dismantle smuggling networks. Chairperson of the Special Committee on Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking MPA Uzma Kardar highlighted the legislative priorities in combating trafficking in persons. “This tragedy underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms. The government is committed to working with all stakeholders to end human smuggling and ensure safe, legal migration pathways,” she remarked. Uzma Kardar urged swift reforms to dismantle trafficking in persons networks. She stated that this tragedy has shaken us all to the core. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity and we must respond with strong laws and effective enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice, she said. Kardar stressed the importance of comprehensive awareness campaigns targeting at-risk communities. “We cannot allow criminal networks to exploit the hopes and dreams of our youth. The government must work alongside civil society to educate people about the dangers of irregular migration and ensure that safe, legal pathways are available.
NoneHow Is The Market Feeling About Enphase Energy?
JHVEPhoto When I last wrote about the pharmaceuticals company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company ( NYSE: BMY ) in August, I had given it a Sell rating for the short term. This was based on the likelihood of a price drop on the release -- Manika is a macroeconomist with over 20 years of experience in industries including investment management, stock broking, investment banking. She also runs the profile Long Term Tips [LTT], which focuses on the generational opportunity in the green economy. Her investing group, Green Growth Giants , takes the theme a step further from LTT with a deeper dive into opportunities presented by the segment. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in BMY over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Liverpool delivered a thrilling Boxing Day comeback, beating Leicester 3-1 at Anfield. Goals from Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and Mohamed Salah sealed the victory, extending their lead at the Premier League summit and showcasing their dominance in the title race. New Delhi: Liverpool celebrated Boxing Day football in style with a commanding 3-1 comeback win over Leicester at Anfield. The result extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points, keeping them firmly in the title race. Leicester made a dream start, shocking the Anfield crowd in the sixth minute. Jordan Ayew turned Stephy Mavididi’s cross into the bottom corner with a deflected strike, giving the Foxes an early lead. Liverpool responded with waves of pressure, but it took until first-half stoppage time for Cody Gakpo to level. The Dutchman cut inside from the left and curled a brilliant shot into the top corner. Anfield, despite the foggy conditions, witnessed yet another masterclass from Salah, who not only scored but consistently troubled Leicester’s defence. The result not only secured three points but sent a strong message to their title rivals. Leicester, now winless in three matches, slipped to 18th place and remain in the relegation zone. Liverpool, however, showed their dominance and remain favourites in the Premier League title race with a game in hand over their closest rivals. Click for more latest Football news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Nillohit Bagchi is enthusiastic young football journalist with a keen eye for detail, delivering fresh insights and dynamic coverage of global matches.
The people that president-elect has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer By and large, the nominees don't have experience running large bureaucratic agencies, but they . Centers for Medicare and Medicaid pick Dr. hosted a talk show for 13 years and is a well-known wellness and lifestyle influencer. The pick for the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. and for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, are frequent Fox News contributors. Many on the list were critical of COVID-19 measures like masking and booster vaccinations for young people. Some of them have ties to Florida like many of Trump's other Cabinet nominees: represented the state in Congress for 14 years and is affiliated with a medical group on the state's Atlantic coast. Nesheiwat's brother-in-law is , R-Fla., tapped by Trump as national security adviser. Here's a look at the nominees' potential role in carrying out what Kennedy says is the task to “reorganize” agencies, which have an overall $1.7 billion budget; employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials; and affect the lives of all Americans. The Atlanta-based CDC, with a $9.2 billion core budget, is charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. Kennedy has long attacked vaccines and criticized the CDC, repeatedly alleging corruption at the agency. He said on a 2023 podcast that there is "no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and urged people to resist . Decades ago, Kennedy found common ground with , the 71-year-old nominee to run the CDC who served in the Army and worked as an internal medicine doctor before he represented a central Florida congressional district from 1995 to 2009. Starting in the early 2000s, Weldon had a prominent part in a debate about whether there was a relationship between a vaccine preservative called thimerosal and autism. He was a founding member of the Congressional Autism Caucus and tried to ban thimerosal from all vaccines. Kennedy, then a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, believed there was a tie between thimerosal and autism and also charged that the government hid documents showing the danger. Since 2001, all vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market and routinely recommended for children 6 years or younger have contained no thimerosal or only trace amounts, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccine. Meanwhile, study after study after study found no evidence that thimerosal caused autism. Weldon's congressional voting record suggests he may go along with Republican efforts to downsize the CDC, including to eliminate the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which works on topics like drownings, drug overdoses and shooting deaths. Weldon also voted to ban federal funding for needle-exchange programs as an approach to reduce overdoses, and the National Rifle Association gave him an “A” rating for his pro-gun rights voting record. Kennedy is extremely critical of the FDA, which has 18,000 employees and is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs, vaccines and other medical products — as well as overseeing cosmetics, electronic cigarettes and most foods. Makary, Trump’s pick to run the FDA, is closely aligned with Kennedy on . The professor at Johns Hopkins University who is a trained surgeon and cancer specialist has decried the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on foods and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies over doctors and government regulators. Kennedy has suggested he'll clear our “entire” FDA departments and also recently threatened to fire FDA employees for “aggressive suppression” of a host of unsubstantiated products and therapies, including stem cells, , and like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Makary's contrarian views during the COVID-19 pandemic including the need for masking and giving young kids COVID vaccine boosters. But anything Makary and Kennedy might want to do when it comes to unwinding FDA regulations or revoking long-standing vaccine and drug approvals would be challenging. The agency has lengthy requirements for removing medicines from the market, which are based on federal laws passed by Congress. The agency provides health care coverage for more than 160 million people through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and also sets Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors and other providers. With a $1.1 trillion budget and more than 6,000 employees, Oz has a massive agency to run if confirmed — and an agency that Kennedy hasn't talked about much when it comes to his plans. While Trump tried to scrap the Affordable Care Act in his first term, Kennedy has not taken aim at it yet. But he has been critical of Medicaid and Medicare for covering expensive weight-loss drugs — though . Trump said that he would protect Medicare, which provides insurance for older Americans. has endorsed expanding Medicare Advantage — a privately run version of Medicare that is popular — in during his failed 2022 bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania and in a with a former Kaiser Permanente CEO. Oz also said in a Washington Examiner with three co-writers that aging healthier and living longer could help fix the U.S. budget deficit because people would work longer and add more to the gross domestic product. Neither Trump nor Kennedy have said much about Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income Americans. Trump's first administration reshaped the program by allowing states to introduce work requirements for recipients. Kennedy doesn't appear to have said much publicly about what he'd like to see from surgeon general position, which is the nation's top doctor and oversees 6,000 U.S. Public Health Service Corps members. The surgeon general has little administrative power, but can be an influential government spokesperson on what counts as a public health danger and what to do about it — suggesting things like warning labels for products and issuing advisories. The current surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, in June. Trump's pick, Nesheiwat, is employed as a New York City medical director with CityMD, a group of urgent care facilities in the New York and New Jersey area, and has been at City MD for 12 years. She also has appeared on Fox News and other TV shows, authored a book on the “transformative power of prayer” in her medical career and endorses a brand of vitamin supplements. She encouraged COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, calling them “a gift from God” in a February 2021 Fox News op-ed, as well as anti-viral pills like Paxlovid. In a 2019 Q&A with the , Nesheiwat said she is a “firm believer in preventive medicine” and “can give a dissertation on hand-washing alone.” As of Saturday, Trump had not yet named his choice to lead the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research through grants to researchers across the nation and conducts its own research. It has a $48 billion budget. Kennedy has said he'd drug development and infectious disease research to shift the focus to chronic diseases. He'd like to keep NIH funding from researchers with conflicts of interest, and criticized the agency in 2017 for what he said was not doing enough research into the role of vaccines in autism — . Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Matt Perrone and AP editor Erica Hunzinger contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Hyderabad: The Mailardevpally police solved the mystery behind the murder of a man who was suspected to have been killed and the body discarded, packed in a bag. The police arrested the wife and sister-in-law of the man who was later identified as Mohammad Mumtaz, a native of Bihar, residing in the locality. Mailardevpally station house officer (SHO), P Narender said, the body was found on Tuesday morning on the roadside by the GHMC workers who informed the police. Based on the footage of closed circuit cameras the accused were identified and arrested. The police identified the accused as Roushan Khatun, wife of the deceased Mumtaz, and Rabiya Bibi, sister-in-law of the deceased. “Roushan Khatun had problems with Mumtaz because he was coming home drunk every night and beating. Mumtaz was into an extramarital relationship with some other woman and it became a point of worry for Roushan,” said P Narender. Both the sisters planned to kill Mumtaz in an attempt to end their troubles. “On December 21 early hours, Roushan and Bibi strangled Mumtaz using a rope at their house and stuffed the body in a plastic bag. Both of them carried the body and threw it at a small roadside water channel,” said Mailardevpally SHO. The incident came to light on December 23, Thursday, when the GHMC workers found the leg of a human protruding out of the bag. On closer inspection of the bag, they noticed the body of the man. On information, Mailardevpally police reached the spot and started an investigation. The police then identified the two women who were carrying the bag in the early hours of December 21. The police took them into custody and on interrogation Roushan and Bibi admitted to killing Mumtaz.New weapons for F-16 and F-35 Hellenic Air Force fighter jets
New Perspective on Tesla Stock. Gaming and Future TechnologiesJapan will hold first memorial for 'all workers' at Sado gold mines but blurs WWII atrocity. Why?None
Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.No. 9 Kentucky, focused on getting better, welcomes Jackson St.
Photo: The Canadian Press TORONTO — Utah’s NHL team was forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night, prompting Premier Doug Ford to call the city’s gridlock “embarrassing.” The Utah Hockey Club posted on social media a video of team members marching to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.” Several city streets had been closed during the day for the annual Santa Claus parade. “I think that’s a first for everyone,” Lamoureux quipped in the video as the group walked along the downtown streets. “Never saw that before.” The viral incident prompted Premier Doug Ford to call the road congestion "unacceptable,” highlighting his government's plan to address the city's gridlock through bike lane legislation. "We're really focused on the congestion in Toronto,” he said Monday at an unrelated press conference. “It's the worst congested city in North America, third worst in the entire world, even to the point last night it was embarrassing that the Utah Hockey Club has to get out of the bus and start walking to the hockey arena.” Ford said people are “avoiding downtown” due to the traffic, pointing to bike lanes as part of the problem. Ontario passed a divisive bike lane bill on Monday that will require municipalities to get the province’s approval to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane for vehicles. The bill also removes sections of bike lanes in Toronto and restores them as lanes for vehicle traffic. At a press conference on Monday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow pointed to the Santa Claus parade as the cause of Sunday's gridlock. "All the big floats and the people flooding out from the Santa Claus parade was jamming that whole area," Chow said. "It was just because of that reason." Chow said while she's glad the Leafs won the game, she's sorry the Utah team got caught in the congestion. "Santa didn't conspire together with the Leafs," she said. Chow had said in September that the city's traffic congestion measures are working, according to data that shows travel times along certain corridors have sped up. The Utah Hockey Club's walk to the arena wasn't the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time. In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena. “Traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue," he said in a social media post at the time. "In all the years playing shows, I don't think I ever walked to a venue." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024.
Griz 'Zoo Crew' heads to Bozeman for Brawl of the WildPaigham-i-Pakistan seminar hostedSalman Khan, the Bhaijaan of Bollywood, is turning 59 today, and the actor kicked off the celebrations at his sister Arpita Khan's house. Happy Birthday Salman Khan Salman arrived in style and fans cannot keep calm! The actor looks dapper in black shirt, grey jacket as he waved for his fans from his car. Joining the actor are Sangeeta Bijlani, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Sohail Khan among others. Many pictures and videos of Salman's arrival are going viral on social media. His car was escorted by high security as Police cars were covering the actor. Fans were waiting outside Arpita's house for him and the actor waved for them on his birthday. Salman Khan's Sikandar Yesterday, he dropped the first look from his 2025 release Sikandar. Sharing the first poster of Sikandar on Instagram and dropping info on film's teaser, Khan wrote, "See u again kal subah theek 11.07 baje... SikandarTeaserTomorrow #SajidNadiadwala’s #Sikandar Directed by @a.r.murugadoss Releasing in cinemas EID 2025" Salman Khan, known for his larger-than-life roles, will be stepping into a character that blends intense action with emotional depth—a hallmark of Murugadoss’s filmmaking. The collaboration has fans buzzing, with many anticipating the director’s signature storytelling prowess to shine through. Salman Khan is set to return on Eid 2025 with Sikandar, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by AR Murugadoss. Sikandar features a stellar supporting cast, including Sathyaraj, Prateik Babbar, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sharman Joshi in pivotal roles. The female lead of the film is Rashmika Mandanna. A source close to the project shared with Pinkvilla that Sajid Nadiadwala was looking for a fresh pairing, and Rashmika was the perfect fit for the script. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Bollywood, Entertainment News and around the world.None
Sources: Ex-Giant Jones to eye playoff contenderHarvey Arcangeletti of Sault Ste. Marie has been honoured with the Dr. Frank Hayden Athlete Lifetime Achievement Award from Special Olympics Canada for his many accomplishments as a competitor in numerous sports over the course of nearly five decades. The award is bestowed upon an athlete who has “best exemplified the spirit, philosophy and goals of the Special Olympics movement over the course of their career,” according to the Special Olympics Canada website. Arcangeletti was presented with the award during a ceremony held in Toronto Oct. 29. “It was pretty exciting,” he told SooToday during a recent interview. “The medals come second — the skill and the hard work is the goal of it.” The Sault native is a decorated athlete who has earned 105 medals in Special Olympics action — which has seen Arcangeletti compete in swimming, baseball, track, floor hockey and bowling events — since he began participating back in 1976 as a 16-year-old. He has represented Special Olympics Canada at World Games in Baton Rouge (1983), Minneapolis (1991), New Haven (1995), North Carolina (1999) and Japan (2005), and was also a member of Team Ontario at the National Games in Halifax (1994). Outside of competing, Arcangeletti has represented Special Olympics Ontario at the final leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the 2001 World Winter Games in Anchorage, Alaska. He was also given the nod as male athlete of the year for Special Olympics Canada in 1996, and was officially inducted into the Sault Ste. Marie Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Although numerous medals, ribbons and trophies adorn his home in the Sault, Arcangeletti remains adamant that all of the awards he’s won over the years are secondary in nature. “The accomplishments are your skills, your goals, the hard work you put into it,” he said.Progress being made on new Timmins health centre
Erling Haaland’s failure from the penalty spot and Bruno Fernandes' latest red card compounded the woes of Manchester City and Manchester United on another tough day for the two Premier League giants. City dropped more points Thursday in its improbably poor run of form by drawing 1-1 at home to Everton, with Haaland having a spot kick saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 53rd minute. The four-time defending champions have only won one of its last 13 games in all competitions and manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged he needs to spend in the January transfer window to reverse City's slide. “The transfer window in the winter is not easy, but even the players know that we have to add some new players,” said Guardiola, who has had to cope without a host of key players, including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, through injury this season. While City is languishing in seventh place, United is even further adrift in 14th place after a 2-0 loss at lowly Wolverhampton. United played almost the whole of the second half with 10 men after Fernandes collected his second yellow card in the 47th minute. It was the United captain's third sending-off of the season, though one was rescinded. Second-place Chelsea also dropped points after conceding in the fifth minute of stoppage time to lose 2-1 at home to Fulham, giving Liverpool the chance to extend its lead to seven points by beating Leicester later. Nottingham Forest won 1-0 against Tottenham to go up to third, while there were also victories for Newcastle and West Ham. Sixth-place Bournemouth drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace. City secured only its fifth point in the league since the end of October but that will be scant consolation to Guardiola, whose beleaguered team squandered a winning position after going ahead through Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot in the 14th. Iliman Ndiaye equalized in the 36th. Haaland’s penalty failure means the Norway international has only scored once in his last seven games. He headed in from the rebound after his spot kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Haaland, who last week admitted his form had not been good enough during a run that has seen City’s season unravel, held his head in his hands after his failure to score from the spot. He still has 18 goals in 25 appearances this season, but has not scored in a win for his club since the 1-0 victory against Southampton on Oct. 26. “We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately we could not get the results that we wanted,” Guardiola said. City’s damaging run has seen it slip down the standings in the league and crash out of the English League Cup. It is also in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the round of 16 in the Champions League — sitting just one point above the cut-off point with two games to play. Wolves' first goal against United came direct from a corner, with Brazil striker Matheus Cunha seeing his kick curl over the head of goalkeeper Andre Onana and into the far corner in the 58th minute. Such goals are rare, though United also conceded from a corner in its 4-3 loss to Tottenham in the English League Cup this month. Son Heung-min scored on that occasion. Wolves added a second through Hwang Hee-chan in the ninth minute of stoppage time and have won two straight games since Vitor Pereira was hired to replace Gary O'Neil. Cunha has 10 goals of the season. Chelsea dropped points for the second time in as many games, with Enzo Maresca's team drawing 0-0 at Everton last week. The Blues gave up a lead earned by Cole Palmer in the 16th as Harry Wilson equalized in the 82nd and Rodrigo Muniz grabbed the late winner for Fulham, which won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 45 years. Arsenal can now jump from fourth to second with a win against Ipswich on Friday. Forest's remarkable season shows little sign of slowing down after Anthony Elanga's winner against Tottenham at the City Ground. Forest is a point behind Chelsea in third. Villa was already a goal down to Newcastle after Anthony Gordon's strike in the second minute when Jhon Duran was sent off in the 32nd. Alexander Isak and Joelinton added goals for the hosts West Ham had to cope with first-half injuries to defender Max Kilman and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski , but still won 1-0 at Southampton after Jarrod Bowen's goal in the 59th. James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerThe best way to spread Christmas cheer is by improvising a quote people will remember for decades. Which is exactly what Will Ferrell and Mark Acheson did while making 2003's holiday classic Elf . Although Mark—who plays Mailroom Guy during a fan-favorite scene— admitted that his most famous line almost ended up on the cutting room floor. "I called my agent and he said, 'Listen, they would like you to come and do one line with Will Ferrell. Would you like to do it?' And I said, 'Yeah, I'd be happy to do that,'" Mark told People in an interview published Dec. 20. "I was only supposed to say ‘work release' and that was the end of it." But during what he called "the weirdest day " imaginable on set, Elf director Jon Favreau requested that Mark and Will do a bit of improv for the scene where Will's Buddy the Elf thinks he's drinking coffee and syrup when in reality he's getting drunk, leading the two to their existential discussion in the mailroom. "I'm in the flow, that's what got me in here," Mark's character confesses before his now famous line. "I'm 26-years-old, I got nothin' to show for it." But as Buddy tells him, "You're young, you're so young. My Papa, he didn't make Master Tinker until he was 490." And while the joke about his age is now a favorite for fans of the movie, the scene almost got edited out . "The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that," Mark , 67, explained. "I think, 'Who is gonna believe this guy is 26?' I mean, seriously. I believe I was 46 at the time and an older 46 even at that. Because I never looked young in my life." But Jon fought for the scene to remain, noting that's what makes the joke work. "He kept me in but they, they didn't want me," Mark recalled, "but he did and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit." And while Mark has appeared in numerous movies and TV series over the years— including appearances on shows like The X-Files , Supernatural and Fargo —his quip about being 26 has lived on in the minds of fans for over two decades. "With every passing year I watch this movie (esp now at 27)," one fan posted to TikTok alongside a clip from the scene, "I find it more and more ridiculous this man is supposed to be a 26yo." One user responded in the comments, "I watched it this year and gasped when he said 26." Another added, "Idk this is how I feel at 27." One person had a different take, noting, "I think it's like a child's perspective because when we were little we thought someone 26 looked old." But as one TikToker noted, "That's the joke, I fear." Curious about more behind the scenes secrets from Elf ? Keep reading. 1. The first script fo r Elf was actually written in 1993, with Jim Carrey in mind to play the titular Santa's helper. Because it took over a decade for the film to finally be made, the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective star never ended up taking on the role, which proved to be the ultimate Christmas gift for Will Ferrell . 2. Elf was also initially intended to be a bit more sinister, with director Jon Favreau revealing to Rolling Stone , "He was a darker character." 3. Before he was asked to come in to rewrite the script and transform the movie into a PG friendly-family affair, Favreau initially turned down the job. "I took a look at the script, and I wasn't particularly interested," he told Rolling Stone . "It was a much darker version of the film. I liked the notion of being involved with Will in his first solo movie after SNL , but it wasn't quite there." 4. Buddy's iconic costume was modeled off of the elves from the 1964 Rankin/Bass film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . "The costume was important," Favreau told ABC News. "It looks almost like he's a puppet and the tights and the boots and the hat and he was extremely brave wearing that costume." 5. Costume designer Laura Jean Shannon , tasked with finding the perfect look, revealed it wasn't accommodating Ferrell's 6-foot-3 frame that was the hardest part of her job. "It was less a challenge dressing Will due to his size and more a challenge to make sure nothing seemed off-putting or in bad taste." she explained to Feel Christmassy. "After all, I had to dress a grown man in tights and a cutaway coat. Needless to say, we did have a fair amount of fittings to be sure we struck the right balance between absurd and adorable." 6. Ferrell's Buddy costume was so captivating that the actor actually caused a few traffic incidents while filming in New York City. "When we had Will in the Lincoln Tunnel, the tunnel was open. Same thing with the 59th Street Bridge," Favreau told Rolling Stone . "Whenever he was out there in his suit, we'd hear screeches and fender-benders and lights smashing. People would be looking at him walking on the side and that would cause a few minor traffic accidents." 7. Buddy's infamous 12-second long burp wasn't actually performed by Ferrell. Voice actor Maurice LaMarche , best known for giving life to The Brain on Pinky and the Brain , provided the dinner table belch. And, yes, we heard that. 8. The cotton balls Buddy can't stop eating in the doctor's office were actually pieces of cotton candy that had yet to be dyed. 9. Buddy's all-sugar diet also became Ferrell's daily food intake while filming as he actually scarfed down all of that maple syrup-coated spaghetti and candy during scenes. "I ingested a lot of sugar in this movie and I didn't get a lot of sleep," Ferrell told The Sun . "I constantly stayed up. But anything for the movie, I'm there. If it takes eating a lot of maple syrup, then I will, if that's what the job calls for." 10. The late James Caan didn't have to act all that hard to nail his role as Buddy's reluctant father Walter. "I literally drove him crazy in that movie," Ferrell explained to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler during a July 2024 appearance on their MeSsy podcast . “In between setups, he’d be like, 'I don’t get you. You’re not funny.' And I’m like, 'I know. I’m not Robin Williams .'" But the dynamic worked, acknowledged Ferrell. “I love that the whole time, he’s not acting," he continued. "He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, 'Can this guy shut the f--k up?'" 11. Determined to maintain the old school aesthetic, Favreau told Rolling Stone he didn’t want to make the film “a big CGI extravaganza," only using the technology to add some snow. “I like motion-control, models, matte paintings,” he explained. “It feels timeless. And stop-motion is my favorite. There were a lot of challenges to do that stuff in stop-motion. I had to fight very hard not to do that stuff in CGI.” 12. While Ferrell does have several inches on 5-foot-8 Bob Newhart (a.k.a. Papa Elf), Favreau revealed they used “forced perspective” to make it appear as if the SNL alum was towering over everyone else at the North Pole. Building two sets, one larger than the other, meant “if you look closely, you can see the two sets meet because we didn’t use CG to paint over that or blur it," Favreau explained. "I wanted it to have the same flaws that it would have had [before CGI], to make the movie feel more timeless. It made for great souvenirs. I have a Louisville Slugger that’s four and a half feet long in my office, that the elves were building.” 13. They came this close to filming the Santa scene at Macy's. However, one of the stipulations was removing the scene where Buddy called out the department store Santa, played by comedian Artie Lange , as fake "because their Santa has to be real," Favreau explained to Rolling Stone . "We had to think long and hard about it." Eventually they ended up filming in the cafeteria of a Vancouver mental hospital. They named their store Gimbels as a nod to 1947's Miracle on 34th Street . 14. When Zooey Deschanel was cast as Buddy's love interest Jovie, the film's producers decided to inject a shot of warmth with her peformance of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." "I remember Jon Favreau telling me that they were catering it to whoever played the part," Deschanel told Entertainment Weekly in 2020. "One actress they were looking at was good at skateboarding. But I had a cabaret act at the time and I was performing a lot. They knew that I was a singer, so they put that in to be my special thing that he could discover I was good at." 15. Some of Buddy's most iconic lines—"You smell like beef and cheese!" and "You sit on a throne of lies!"—were improvised by Ferrell in the moment. 16. The big fight scene between Ferrell and Lange was filmed in one take because it took the art department weeks to decorate Gimbels. "We had one take to destroy it," Lange told ABC News, "So Favreau said, 'Just go nuts!'" 17. While most people know Favreau had a small role as the pediatrician who examines Buddy and confirms he's Walter's son, the director also had another part: He voiced the Narwhal who infamously said, "Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad!" 18. Ferrell turned down a reported $29 million paycheck to reprise the role of Buddy for a sequel, telling The Guardian in 2006 that it "wasn't difficult at all" to pass on the opportunity."I remember asking myself: could I withstand the criticism when it's bad and they say, 'He did the sequel for the money?'" he explained. "I decided I wouldn't be able to. I didn't want to wander into an area that could erase all the good work I've done—but you watch, I'll do some sequel in the future that's crap." 19. But Caan alleged it was tension between Ferrell and Favreau that possibly squashed any plans for a follow-up. "We were gonna do it, and I thought, 'Oh my God, I finally have a franchise movie. I can make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do,'" he said on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. "The director and Will didn't get along very well. Will wanted to do it, and he didn't want the director. He had it in his contract. It was one of those things." 20. While a sequel won't be found in anyone's stockings, fans were gifted with a Broadway musical inspired by the film in 2010. The show ran through 2013 and traveled overseas to the West End in 2015.
