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AP Business SummaryBrief at 5:50 p.m. ESTCanada didn't live up to its values on immigration in recent years, Carney says (Canada)To The New York Times, it was a standard journalistic practice done in the name of fairness — asking someone involved in a story for comment. To the mother of the nominee for secretary of defense, it constituted a threat. On Wednesday, Pete Hegseth's mother accused the Times of making “threats” by calling about its story on an email she had sent to her son six years earlier that criticized his treatment of women. Penelope Hegseth sought and received an interview on Fox News Channel to support her son, whose confirmation chances are threatened by a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct. At one point, she said she wanted to directly tell President-elect Trump that her son “is not that man he was seven years ago.” People are also reading... She also called the Times “despicable” and attacked a basic tenet of journalism: giving someone the chance to speak for a story about actions that could be seen in a negative light. The Times' story, published Saturday , quoted from a private email that Penelope Hegseth sent to her son in 2018 while he was in the midst of divorcing his second wife. She criticized his character and treatment of women, suggesting that he get some help. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” she wrote to her offspring. “You are that man (and have been for many years).” His mother said the message was sent in a moment of anger She told the Times for its story that she had sent the email in a moment of anger and followed it up two hours later with an apology. She disavows its content now. When the Times called her for comment on the story, Hegseth told Fox News that, at first, she did not respond. She said she perceived the calls as a threat — “they say unless you make a statement we will publish it as is and I think that's a despicable way to treat anyone,” she said. “I don't think a lot of people know that's the way they operate,” she said, speaking about the story. She accused the newspaper of being in it "for the money. And they don't care who they hurt, families, children. I don't believe that's the right way to do things.” Charles Stadtlander, a spokesman for the Times, said Hegseth's claim “is flatly untrue,” and she was in no way threatened. “The Times did what it always does in reporting out a story, simply reaching out and asking for a comment, which we included,” he said. Such a call is the opposite of a threat — it's an attempt to be fair, said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor and co-author of “Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and What the Public Should Expect.” “She's basically saying that brake lights are a threat because they alert you that the car ahead of you is about to stop," he said. But many Americans would perceive that call as a threat, or certainly as rude and a violation of privacy, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. “She didn't write that email to be on the front page of The New York Times,” he said. What are the ethics of publishing a private email between mother and son? A secondary question is the newsworthiness of publishing the content of the private email, one that Hegseth said she almost immediately regretted sending and doesn't reflect how she perceives her son. Graham suggested that the newspaper wouldn't do the same for the nominee of a Democratic president-elect. “The New York Times is out to destroy these nominees,” he said. In its initial story, the Times wrote that it had obtained a copy of the email “from another person with ties to the Hegseth family.” “This was a piece of independently reported journalism published in the name of public awareness of the nominee to lead the largest department in the federal government,” Stadtlander said. “We stand behind it completely.” In many circumstances, an email from a mother to her son would be considered a private matter and out of bounds to a news organization, Rosenstiel said. But in this case, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host chosen by Trump to lead the Pentagon, has built himself into a public figure and is up for a very important job — and one that leads the military, which involves waging war and in which character is considered a fundamental trait. “It makes this news, honestly,” Stadtlander said. The Times wrote about Penelope Hegseth's Fox interview on Wednesday, leading with her saying her son “was not the same man he was in 2018 when she fired off an email accusing him of routinely abusing women and lacking decency and character.” There was some question about whether Hegseth would appear for an interview at his former network on Wednesday, after CNN's Kaitlan Collins posted on X the night before that “multiple people” said that was expected. A Fox News representative said that no such interview had been scheduled, and the nominee was on Capitol Hill meeting with senators. He has faced a flurry of other damaging reports, including stories about a sexual assault allegation reported to police in 2017. No charges were filed then, and Hegseth said the relationship was consensual. The New Yorker magazine wrote about reports of financial mismanagement , sexist behavior and excessive drinking when Hegseth ran a veterans' organization, and NBC News wrote about people at Fox News concerned about his alcohol use. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Joshua Meo and Jordan Battle both scored 13 points as Coastal Carolina beat South Carolina Upstate 73-51 on Saturday. Meo shot 4 for 7 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Chanticleers (3-4). Battle went 6 of 10 from the field (1 for 3 from 3-point range). Noah Amenhauser shot 5 of 7 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line to finish with 12 points. The Spartans (2-8) were led in scoring by Brit Harris, who finished with 12 points and two steals. Karmani Gregory added 11 points and two steals for South Carolina Upstate. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles make their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Sunday to face Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFC East-leading Eagles (9-2) have won seven in a row and play four of their final six games in Philadelphia, traveling only about 125 miles to visit the Ravens (8-4) this weekend and the Washington Commanders in Week 16. Sunday's game features the NFL's two leading rushers. Barkley (1,392 yards) and Henry (1,325) are far ahead of Green Bay's Josh Jacobs (944) in third place. Henry leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. Barkley (10) is tied for fourth and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts (11) tied for second. The matchup also features two of the top candidates for Most Valuable Player honors entering Week 13 in Barkley and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award last season. Their competition includes quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Jared Goff of Detroit, with Allen widely considered the favorite. "Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are phenomenal football players that help their team win football games," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "Excited about the opportunity this week because it's our next one. It will be a really good opponent, really well coached, good players, good atmosphere that will be there. Excited about the opportunity this week. And we're going to have to be on it against a really good team." The showdown at M&T Bank Stadium also pits Baltimore's No. 1 offense (426.7 yards per game) and No. 2 scoring offense (30.3 points per game) against Philadelphia's No. 1 defense (274.6) and No. 6 scoring defense (18.1). The Eagles have held seven consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards, while the Ravens have gained at least 329 yards of offense in all 11 games. Philadelphia is coming off a 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in which Barkley smashed the franchise record with 255 rushing yards. Baltimore also earned a prime-time win in Los Angeles, defeating the Chargers 30-23 in the "Harbaugh Bowl" on Monday night behind Jackson's three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Jackson said he's looking forward to the Barkley and Henry show. "I've known Saquon from high school. We were in the all-star game together and he jumped over somebody's head," Jackson recalled Wednesday. "So I've pretty much seen him before I even got to the league, college, anything. I've been knowing about Saquon, but Derrick Henry -- King Henry -- I'm with him every day and I'm seeing what he's capable of, so it's going to be a great matchup." Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith practiced Wednesday after sitting out Monday with a hamstring issue. Nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) was designated to return from injured reserve. Tight end Charlie Kolar (broken arm) is out for several weeks and cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) did not practice. The Eagles lost veteran defensive end Brandon Graham to a season-ending triceps injury Sunday. Wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed the win over the Rams and did not practice Wednesday. Neither did cornerbacks Darius Slay (concussion) or Kelee Ringo (calf). Philadelphia is 5-1 away from home this season -- 6-1 if you count their season-opening "home" victory against the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Baltimore is 4-1 at home. The Ravens hold a 3-2-1 lead in the series with the Eagles. They haven't met since Baltimore's 30-28 win in Week 6 at Philadelphia in 2020. --Field Level Media

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Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court. He appeared briefly before a judge and wore a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt. He did not speak. He will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Friday. The apparently random attack occurred on Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Police said on Tuesday that identification of the victim was still “pending at this time”. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and may have been sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while the suspect then sat at a bench on the subway platform and watched, according to police. Video posted to social media appeared to show the woman standing inside the train ablaze as some people look on from the platform, and at least one officer walks by. NYPD chief of transit Joseph Gulotta said that several officers had responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be” while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. They were eventually able to douse the fire, but “unfortunately, it was too late”, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said — the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. During Zapeta’s court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta at one point fanned the flames on the woman using his shirt. He said a 911 call from a subway rider helped identify Zapeta. Mr Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he did not know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack. Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after police got a tip from some teenagers who recognised him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta had been previously deported in 2018 but at some point reentered the US illegally. The crime — and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.

Nehemiah Benson scores 28 and Binghamton defeats LIU 75-70 in OTShare this Story : OPP release photo seeking to ID individuals over Pembroke jewelry store theft Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News OPP release photo seeking to ID individuals over Pembroke jewelry store theft The theft occurred early on Nov. 13 at the store on Pembroke Street East. Author of the article: Staff Reporter Published Nov 27, 2024 • 1 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. The OPP released on Wednesday images of three individuals they are seeking to identify in relation to a break, enter and theft at a jewelry store in Pembroke on Nov. 13. Photo by Ontario Provincial Police / Handout Article content The Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police has released a photo of three individuals that it is seeking to identify in connection with a jewelry store theft in Pembroke on Nov. 13. Article content Article content In a news release on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the OPP said it was believed that three individuals were involved: Subject 1: White jacket with large dark strip around the waist and dark sleeves on the forearms, black balaclava. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content Subject 2: Wearing a red jacket with large front pouch, blue hoodie underneath, black pants, white shoes. Subject 3: Blue jacket, blue jeans, black shoes. At about 1 a.m. on Nov. 13, OPP officers responded to an alarm at the jewelry store on Pembroke Street East and found evidence of forced entry and theft. Responding officers, the OPP Emergency Response Team and a Canine Unit conducted a search, but could not locate those responsible, though they did recover items that had been stolen from the store. Wednesday’s release said police were interested in speaking with individuals or businesses who have not already been in contact with investigators, but were in the area of Pembroke Street East and Howard Street that morning or may have video from the area between 12 midnight and 2 a.m. Anyone with information regarding the theft was asked to contact the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP at 613-732-3332 or Pembroke/Renfrew County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.valleytips.ca. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : OPP release photo seeking to ID individuals over Pembroke jewelry store theft Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending 'Mind boggling' surge in pneumonia cases among children, teens and young adults Local News DND is 'assessing' Ottawa sites for unexploded bombs Defence Watch Public servants could lose big as feds redirect $2B pension surplus, union warns Public Service OCDSB trustees censure colleague, rejecting integrity commissioner's findings News Government settles Phoenix class-action lawsuit News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings

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How co-writing a book threatened the Carters’ marriage34 donor kidneys given a second chance WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 34 Lives, a Public Benefit Company which aims to rescue donated kidneys that may otherwise go unused, announces a significant milestone: the 34th successful rescue and transplant of a kidney on November 23, 2024 . 34 Lives was founded in 2022 with a mission to decrease the number of kidneys in the US that are recovered with the intent to transplant but subsequently not used. In 2023, that number exceeded 8,000 unused kidneys, despite the fact that approximately 100,000 people are awaiting a kidney transplant. According to Co-CEO Kathleen St. Jean , "The number 34 is especially meaningful to our team: Every day in this country, approximately 34 patients are removed from the transplant waiting list, either because they die or because they become too sick to stay on the list. Knowing that we have helped to save 34 lives gives us a renewed sense of urgency and commitment. Our goal has never changed and it never will. We strive to ensure that every kidney that comes to us is given the opportunity to be donated to a recipient who can once again live a normal life." LifeGift, the Organ Procurement Organization covering Houston and Ft. Worth, Texas , provided the kidney for the 34 th transplant. The organ transplant team at Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC , performed the transplant. "With mission-oriented, dedicated partners like Duke and LifeGift, we are confident that our work will continue to bring innovation and real progress in the field of kidney transplantation," said Chris Jaynes , Co-CEO, 34 Lives. In October, 34 Lives received an ARPA-H Award in the amount of $44M over 5 years. The funds will enable the "No Kidney Left Behind" project through which 34 Lives will create processes utilizing new technologies with the aim to rehabilitate approximately 50% of the otherwise discarded donor kidneys, returning them to transplant centers for implantation into waiting recipients. The team will leverage Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) to enable real-time recovery of organ viability and function, as well as other novel work rehabilitating kidneys that are discarded, diseased, or ischemically injured. If successful, the resulting biomarker assessments, artificial intelligence prediction tools, and warm perfusion technology may be able to be extended to other transplantable organs, including lungs and livers. The No Kidney Left Behind project will take place in Indiana at a core preservation hub operating as CLIA- certified clinical laboratory in association with designated Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). To Learn More To learn more about the work of 34 Lives, visit the website at https://34lives.com/ About 34 Lives View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/34-lives-rescues-34-kidneys-302320034.html SOURCE 34 Lives, PBC

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NV5 Holdings stock hits 52-week low at $21.54 amid market shiftsGRAPEVINE, Texas, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GameStop Corp. GME ("GameStop" or the "Company") today released financial results for the third quarter ended November 2, 2024. The Company's condensed and consolidated financial statements, including GAAP and non-GAAP results, are below. The Company's Form 10-Q and supplemental information can be found at https://investor.gamestop.com . THIRD QUARTER OVERVIEW Net sales were $0.860 billion for the period, compared to $1.078 billion in the prior year's third quarter. Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were $282.0 million for the period, compared to $296.5 million in the prior year's third quarter. Net income was $17.4 million for the period, compared to a net loss of $3.1 million for the prior year's third quarter. Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $4.616 billion at the close of the quarter. During the quarter, the Company completed its previously disclosed "at-the-market" equity offering program pursuant to the prospectus supplement filed with the SEC on September 6, 2024 by selling 20.0 million shares of its common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $400.0 million (before commissions and offering expenses). The Company does not anticipate any further at-the-market offerings involving the offer and sale of its common stock during the current fiscal year. The Company will not be holding a conference call today. Additional information can be found in the Company's Form 10-Q. NON-GAAP MEASURES AND OTHER METRICS As a supplement to the Company's financial results presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), GameStop may use certain non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted SG&A expenses, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in evaluating the Company's core operating performance. Adjusted SG&A expenses, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share and adjusted EBITDA exclude the effect of items such as certain transformation costs, asset impairments, severance, as well as divestiture costs. Free cash flow excludes capital expenditures otherwise included in net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities. The Company's definition and calculation of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from that of other companies. Non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed as supplementing, and not as an alternative or substitute for, the Company's financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP. Certain of the items that may be excluded or included in non-GAAP financial measures may be significant items that could impact the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows and should therefore be considered in assessing the Company's actual and future financial condition and performance. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS - SAFE HARBOR This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon management's current beliefs, views, estimates and expectations, including as to the Company's industry, business strategy, goals and expectations concerning its market position, strategic and transformation initiatives, future operations, margins, profitability, sales growth, capital expenditures, liquidity, capital resources, expansion of technology expertise, and other financial and operating information, including expectations as to future operating profit improvement. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and actual developments, business decisions, outcomes and results may differ materially from those reflected or described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual developments, business decisions, outcomes and results to differ materially from those reflected or described in the forward-looking statements: economic, social, and political conditions in the markets in which we operate; the competitive nature of the Company's industry; the cyclicality of the video game industry; the Company's dependence on the timely delivery of new and innovative products from its vendors; the impact of technological advances in the video game industry and related changes in consumer behavior on the Company's sales; interruptions to the Company's supply chain or the supply chain of our suppliers; the Company's dependence on sales during the holiday selling season; the Company's ability to obtain favorable terms from its current and future suppliers and service providers; the Company's ability to anticipate, identify and react to trends in pop culture with regard to its sales of collectibles; the Company's ability to maintain strong retail and ecommerce experiences for its customers; the Company's ability to keep pace with changing industry technology and consumer preferences; the Company's ability to manage its profitability and cost reduction initiatives; turnover in senior management or the Company's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; potential damage to the Company's reputation or customers' perception of the Company; the Company's ability to maintain the security or privacy of its customer, associate or Company information; occurrence of weather events, natural disasters, public health crises and other unexpected events; risks associated with inventory shrinkage; potential failure or inadequacy of the Company's computerized systems; the ability of the Company's third party delivery services to deliver products to the Company's retail locations, fulfillment centers and consumers and changes in the terms the Company has with such service providers; the ability and willingness of the Company's vendors to provide marketing and merchandising support at historical or anticipated levels; restrictions on the Company's ability to purchase and sell pre-owned products; the Company's ability to renew or enter into new leases on favorable terms; unfavorable changes in the Company's global tax rate; legislative actions; the Company's ability to comply with federal, state, local and international laws and regulations and statutes; potential future litigation and other legal proceedings; the value of the Company's securities holdings; concentration of the Company's investment portfolio into one or few holdings; the recognition of losses in a particular security even if the Company has not sold the security; volatility in the Company's stock price, including volatility due to potential short squeezes; continued high degrees of media coverage by third parties; the availability and future sales of substantial amounts of the Company's Class A common stock; fluctuations in the Company's results of operations from quarter to quarter; the Company's ability to incur additional debt; risks associated with the Company's investment in marketable, nonmarketable and interest-bearing securities, including the impact of such investments on the Company's financial results; and the Company's ability to maintain effective control over financial reporting. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those reflected or described in the forward-looking statements can be found in GameStop's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings made from time to time with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov or on the Company's investor relations website ( https://investor.gamestop.com ). Forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. GameStop Corp. Condensed Statements of Operations (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) 13 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 13 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Net sales $ 860.3 $ 1,078.3 Cost of sales 603.1 796.5 Gross profit 257.2 281.8 Selling, general and administrative expenses 282.0 296.5 Asset Impairments 8.6 — Operating loss (33.4 ) (14.7 ) Interest income, net (54.2 ) (12.9 ) Other expense, net — 2.5 Income (loss) before income taxes 20.8 (4.3 ) Income tax expense (benefit) 3.4 (1.2 ) Net income (loss) $ 17.4 $ (3.1 ) Net income (loss) per share: Basic Income (loss) per share $ 0.04 $ (0.01 ) Diluted income (loss) per share $ 0.04 $ (0.01 ) Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic 437.4 305.3 Diluted 437.9 305.3 Percentage of Net Sales: Net sales 100.0 % 100.0 % Cost of sales 70.1 73.9 Gross profit 29.9 26.1 Selling, general and administrative expenses 32.8 27.5 Asset Impairments 1.0 — Operating loss (3.9 ) (1.4 ) Interest income, net (6.3 ) (1.2 ) Other income, net — 0.2 Income (loss) before income taxes 2.4 (0.4 ) Income tax expense (benefit) 0.4 (0.1 ) Net income (loss) 2.0 % (0.3 )% GameStop Corp. Consolidated Statements of Operations (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 39 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Net sales $ 2,540.4 $ 3,479.2 Cost of sales 1,789.9 2,604.2 Gross profit 750.5 875.0 Selling, general and administrative expenses 847.9 964.7 Asset Impairments 8.6 — Operating loss (106.0 ) (89.7 ) Interest income, net (108.6 ) (34.2 ) Other expense, net — 2.4 Income (loss) before income taxes 2.6 (57.9 ) Income tax expense (benefit) 2.6 (1.5 ) Net Income (loss) $ 0.0 $ (56.4 ) Net income (loss) per share: Basic loss per share $ 0.00 $ (0.18 ) Diluted loss per share $ 0.00 $ (0.18 ) Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic 376.6 304.9 Diluted 377.1 304.9 Percentage of Net Sales: Net sales 100.0 % 100.0 % Cost of sales 70.5 74.9 Gross profit 29.5 25.1 Selling, general and administrative expenses 33.4 27.7 Asset Impairments 0.3 — Operating loss (4.2 ) (2.6 ) Interest income, net (4.3 ) (1.0 ) Other income, net — 0.1 Earnings (loss) before income taxes 0.1 (1.7 ) Income tax expense (benefit) 0.1 — Net income (loss) 0.0 % (1.7 )% GameStop Corp. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in millions) (unaudited) November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 ASSETS: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,583.4 $ 909.0 Marketable securities 32.8 300.5 Receivables, net of allowance of $3.8 and $2.1, respectively 57.5 88.3 Merchandise inventories, net 830.2 1,021.3 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 119.4 57.7 Total current assets 5,623.3 2,376.8 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $768.9 and $973.0, respectively 70.5 114.5 Operating lease right-of-use assets 425.3 570.4 Deferred income taxes 17.7 16.6 Other noncurrent assets 103.4 68.6 Total assets $ 6,240.2 $ 3,146.9 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 494.1 $ 812.7 Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities 437.0 425.7 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 157.6 188.9 Current portion of long-term debt 10.9 10.5 Total current liabilities 1,099.6 1,437.8 Long-term debt, net 9.6 20.0 Operating lease liabilities 285.4 394.8 Other long-term liabilities 41.1 31.5 Total liabilities 1,435.7 1,884.1 Total stockholders' equity 4,804.5 1,262.8 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 6,240.2 $ 3,146.9 GameStop Corp. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions) (unaudited) 13 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 13 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income (loss) $ 17.5 $ (3.1 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash flows from operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 8.5 11.3 Stock-based compensation expense, net 4.9 6.4 Asset impairments 8.6 — Gain on disposal of property and equipment, net (4.1 ) (5.6 ) Other, net 0.6 5.8 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Receivables, net (0.1 ) (13.3 ) Merchandise inventories, net (271.3 ) (357.5 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets (90.5 ) 1.7 Prepaid income taxes and income taxes payable (3.3 ) (3.8 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 331.5 381.9 Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities 0.1 (3.7 ) Changes in other long-term liabilities 22.2 (1.0 ) Net cash flows provided by operating activities 24.6 19.1 Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 5.5 13.1 Purchases of marketable securities (21.7 ) — Capital expenditures (4.6 ) (8.0 ) Other 0.3 — Net cash flows (used in) provided by investing activities (20.5 ) 5.1 Cash flows from financing activities: Repayments of debt (2.8 ) (2.6 ) Proceeds from issuance of shares in at-the-market (ATM) offering, net of costs 398.1 — Net cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities 395.3 (2.6 ) Exchange rate effect on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 0.2 (7.6 ) Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 399.6 14.0 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 4,217.0 915.2 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 4,616.6 $ 929.2 GameStop Corp. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions) (unaudited) 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 39 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ 0.0 $ (56.4 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash flows from operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 32.9 37.6 Stock-based compensation expense, net 10.9 14.0 Asset impairments 8.6 — Gain on disposal of property and equipment, net (6.4 ) (5.0 ) Other, net 1.1 2.9 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Receivables, net 33.8 65.7 Merchandise inventories, net (198.6 ) (357.1 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets (92.6 ) 5.7 Prepaid income taxes and income taxes payable (6.7 ) (5.1 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 187.8 114.5 Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities 0.6 (7.1 ) Changes in other long-term liabilities 12.0 (2.4 ) Net cash flows used in operating activities (16.6 ) (192.7 ) Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds from sale of digital assets — 2.8 Purchases of marketable securities (29.2 ) (313.0 ) Proceeds from the maturities and sales of marketable securities 273.9 270.5 Capital expenditures (12.6 ) (27.2 ) Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 15.3 13.1 Other 0.3 — Net cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities 247.7 (53.8 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Settlements of stock-based awards — (0.1 ) Repayments of debt (8.3 ) (8.0 ) Proceeds from issuance of shares in at-the-market (ATM) offering, net of costs 3,453.8 — Net cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities 3,445.5 (8.1 ) Exchange rate effect on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 1.1 (12.2 ) Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 3,677.7 (266.8 ) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 938.9 1,196.0 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 4,616.6 $ 929.2 Schedule I Sales Mix (in millions) (unaudited) 13 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 13 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Net Percent Net Percent Net Sales: Sales of Total Sales of Total Hardware and accessories (1) $ 417.4 48.5 % $ 579.4 53.7 % Software (2) 271.8 31.6 % 321.3 29.8 % Collectibles 171.1 19.9 % 177.6 16.5 % Total $ 860.3 100.0 % $ 1,078.3 100.0 % 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 39 Weeks Ended October 28, 2023 Net Percent Net Percent Net Sales: Sales of Total Sales of Total Hardware and accessories (1) $ 1,373.9 54.1 % $ 1,902.2 54.7 % Software (2) 719.2 28.3 % 1,056.7 30.3 % Collectibles 447.3 17.6 % 520.3 15.0 % Total $ 2,540.4 100.0 % $ 3,479.2 100.0 % (1) Includes sales of new and pre-owned hardware, accessories, hardware bundles in which hardware and digital or physical software are sold together in a single SKU, interactive game figures, strategy guides, mobile and consumer electronics. (2) Includes sales of new and pre-owned video game software, digital software and PC entertainment software. GameStop Corp. Schedule II (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) Non-GAAP results The following tables reconcile the Company's selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A expense"), operating loss, net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share as presented in its unaudited consolidated statements of operations and prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") to its adjusted SG&A expense, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) per share. The diluted weighted-average shares outstanding used to calculate adjusted earnings per share may differ from GAAP weighted-average shares outstanding. Under GAAP, basic and diluted weighted-average shares outstanding are the same in periods where there is a net loss. The reconciliations below are from continuing operations only. 13 Weeks Ended 13 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 Adjusted SG&A expense SG&A expense $ 282.0 $ 296.5 $ 847.9 $ 964.7 Transformation costs (1) (0.2 ) (1.6 ) 13.7 (4.7 ) Adjusted SG&A expense $ 281.8 $ 294.9 $ 861.6 $ 960.0 Adjusted Operating Loss Operating loss $ (33.4 ) $ (14.7 ) $ (106.0 ) $ (89.7 ) Transformation costs (1) 0.2 1.6 (13.7 ) 4.7 Asset impairments 8.6 — 8.6 — Adjusted operating loss $ (24.6 ) $ (13.1 ) $ (111.1 ) $ (85.0 ) Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Net Income (loss) $ 17.4 $ (3.1 ) $ — $ (56.4 ) Transformation costs (1) 0.2 1.6 (13.7 ) 4.7 Asset impairments (2) 8.6 — 8.6 — Divestitures and other — 2.5 — 1.4 Adjusted net income (loss) $ 26.2 $ 1.0 $ (5.1 ) $ (50.3 ) Adjusted net income (loss) per share Basic $ 0.06 $ 0.00 $ (0.01 ) $ (0.16 ) Diluted 0.06 0.00 (0.01 ) (0.16 ) Number of shares used in adjusted calculation Basic 437.4 305.3 376.6 304.9 Diluted 437.9 305.4 377.1 304.9 (1) Transformation costs include severance, stock-based compensation forfeitures related to workforce optimization efforts and departures of key personnel, adjustments to reserves for expenses for consultants and advisors related to transformation initiatives, and other costs in connection with the transformation initiatives. (2) Incurred in connection with plans initiated during the third quarter of fiscal 2024 to divest our operations in Italy and wind down our operations in Germany. 13 Weeks Ended 13 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 Reconciliation of Net Income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA Net income (loss) $ 17.4 $ (3.1 ) $ — $ (56.4 ) Interest income, net (54.2 ) (12.9 ) (108.6 ) (34.2 ) Depreciation and amortization 8.5 11.3 32.9 37.6 Income tax expense (benefit) 3.4 (1.2 ) 2.6 (1.5 ) EBITDA $ (24.9 ) $ (5.9 ) $ (73.1 ) $ (54.5 ) Stock-based compensation 4.9 6.9 10.9 25.1 Transformation costs (1) 0.2 1.6 (13.7 ) 4.7 Divestitures and other — 2.5 — 1.4 Asset impairments (2) 8.6 — 8.6 — Adjusted EBITDA $ (11.2 ) $ 5.1 $ (67.3 ) $ (23.3 ) (1) Transformation costs include severance, stock-based compensation forfeitures related to workforce optimization efforts and departures of key personnel, adjustments to reserves for expenses for consultants and advisors related to transformation initiatives, and other costs in connection with the transformation initiatives. (2) Incurred in connection with plans initiated during the third quarter of fiscal 2024 to divest our operations in Italy and wind down our operations in Germany. GameStop Corp. Schedule III (in millions) (unaudited) Non-GAAP results The following table reconciles the Company's cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities as presented in its unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and prepared in accordance with GAAP to its free cash flow. Free cash flow is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. Management believes, however, that free cash flow, which measures our ability to generate additional cash from our business operations, is an important financial measure for use by investors in evaluating the company's financial performance. 13 Weeks Ended 13 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended 39 Weeks Ended November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities $ 24.6 $ 19.1 $ (16.6 ) $ (192.7 ) Capital expenditures $ (4.6 ) $ (8.0 ) $ (12.6 ) $ (27.2 ) Free cash flow $ 20.0 $ 11.1 $ (29.2 ) $ (219.9 ) Non-GAAP Measures and Other Metrics Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted SG&A expense, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are supplemental financial measures of the Company's performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We believe that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in assessing our financial condition and results of operations. We define adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before income taxes, plus interest income, net and depreciation and amortization, excluding stock-based compensation, certain transformation costs, business divestitures, asset impairments, severance and other non-cash charges. Net income (loss) is the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to adjusted EBITDA. Our non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as an alternative to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Furthermore, non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool because they exclude some but not all items that affect the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Some of these limitations include: certain items excluded from adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company's financial performance, such as a company's cost of capital and tax structure; adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and our computations of adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. We compensate for the limitations of adjusted EBITDA, adjusted SG&A expense, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share as analytical tools by reviewing the comparable GAAP financial measure, understanding the differences between the GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures and incorporating these data points into our decision-making process. Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted SG&A expense, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are provided in addition to, and not as an alternative to, the Company's financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Because adjusted EBITDA, adjusted SG&A expense, adjusted operating loss, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share may be defined and determined differently by other companies in our industry, our definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies, thereby diminishing their utility. Contact GameStop Investor Relations 817-424-2001 ir@gamestop.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.” But he added, “we have this system now. And this is important.” Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is “a stockpile of such systems ready for use.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia’s bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined,” he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement.

ASML expects limited impact of U.S. chip export restrictionsFrance’s winning streak continues — but New York City is creepin’. Paris, France, is on a roll, keeping the No. 1 spot as the best city in the world, according to Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations ranking. And it’s perhaps no surprise that NYC landed in the top spot for American cities in the world but No. 6 overall. The city that never sleeps moved up a few slots compared to 2022 when it landed at No. 10. The London-based market research company cited Paris for its “unmatched global dominance in 2024,” most notably due to tourism from “a wide array of sporting events it hosted throughout the year, including the Summer Olympic Games.” Following Paris’ high rating comes Madrid (2), Tokyo (3), Rome (4) and Milan (5). But the opposite end kicks off with Cairo in 100th place, followed by Chinese city Zhuhai in 99th and Jerusalem in 98th. Only eight other US cities made the list besides NYC, including Los Angeles (18), Las Vegas (23), Orlando (33), Miami (33) and San Francisco (36). Euromonitor International determines a city’s ranking by analyzing economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability. The 2024 report also revealed that global international arrivals had increased by 19%, “which was driven by strong tourism demand.” Out of all the continents, Europe is the most popular region for travelers, reaching a whopping 793 million international visitors within the year. However, the city most visited by international arrivals is Bangkok with 32 million. “The city surpassed pre-pandemic level of international tourism flows in 2023 and continued dynamic growth of over 30% in 2024,” Euromonitor International said. Other destinations that experienced high international arrivals include Istanbul (2) with a 14% increase, London (3) with a 7% uptick, Hong Kong (4) with a 19% jump and Mecca (5) with a 20% bump. “Despite positive recovery projections, challenges like labor shortages, geopolitical tensions and a sluggish economy will persist, limiting city growth,” said Nadejda Popova, global head of loyalty at Euromonitor International. She explained how less traveled destinations expect a rise in popularity because travelers seek locations with hidden gems that are not oversaturated with tourism. “Consumers will prioritize culturally enriching, personalized experiences, making them the new travel currency,” Popova added. THE WORLD’S TOP 100 CITIES 2024 1. Paris 2. Madrid 3. Tokyo 4. Rome 5. Milan 6. New York 7. Amsterdam 8. Sydney 9. Singapore 10. Barcelona 11. Taipei 12. Seoul 13. London 14. Dubai 15. Berlin 16. Osaka 17. Bangkok 18. Los Angeles 19. Istanbul 20. Melbourne 21. Hong Kong 22. Munich 23. Las Vegas 24. Florence 25. Prague 26. Dublin 27. Kyoto 28. Vienna 29. Lisbon 30. Venice 31. Kuala Lumpur 32. Athens 33. Orlando 34. Toronto 35. Miami 36. San Francisco 37. Shanghai 38. Frankfurt am Main 39. Copenhagen 40. Zurich 41. Washington 42. Pattaya-Chonburi 43. Vancouver 44. Stockholm 45. Mexico City 46. Oslo 47. São Paulo 48. Phuket 49. Helsinki 50. Brussels 51. Budapest 52. Guangzhou 53. Nice 54. Palma de Mallorca 55. Honolulu 56. Beijing 57. Warsaw 58. Seville 59. Valencia 60. Shenzhen 61. Doha 62. Abu Dhabi 63. Antalya 64. Fukuoka 65. Sapporo 66. Busan 67. Macau 68. Edinburgh 69. Montreal 70. Cancún 71. Bologna 72. Rhodes 73. Verona 74. Delhi 75. Porto 76. Ho Chi Minh City 77. Buenos Aires 78. Marne-La-Vallée 79. Rio de Janeiro 80. Kraków 81. Heraklion 82. Johor Bahru 83. Hanoi 84. Tel Aviv 85. Sharjah 86. Thessaloniki 87. Lima 88. Medina 89. Tbilisi 90. Riyadh 91. Tallinn 92. Marrakech 93. Mecca 94. Denpasar 95. Punta Cana 96. Santiago 97. Vilnius 98. Jerusalem 99. Zhuhai 100. Cairo Originally published as World’s best cities list for 2024 shows Sydney at number eight spot, as Melbourne sits at 20

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As the heavy iron gates swung open and the cold metal chains fell away, Mark found himself running out of the prison grounds, his heart pounding with a mixture of relief and apprehension. After ten long years behind bars, he was finally a free man. The taste of freedom was both exhilarating and overwhelming, and as he ran, he couldn't help but wonder: What had happened in the world during his time of captivity?Penn State seeks to stay perfect, takes on Fordham

CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn't plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don't think it's going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump's decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump's administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions," said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump's initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They're concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, "there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like," said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary," she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with," said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life. The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content.

With each passing day, the southern potatoes grew accustomed to their new attire, adapting to the cotton pants as if they were a natural part of their existence. They no longer shivered in the icy winds, their sprouts remained green and healthy, and their roots dug deep into the frozen soil, anchoring themselves firmly in place.Atria Investments Inc Trims Stock Holdings in Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ:EFSC)With technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

It has taken new Michigan coach Dusty May just nine games to guide the Wolverines into the Top 25. May and the Wolverines enter the poll at No. 14 and strive to continue their strong start when they face Arkansas in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night in New York. Michigan (8-1) has reeled off seven straight wins to crack the rankings for the first time in nearly 25 months. "All this stuff doesn't matter to me," May said of the rankings. "It does change the complexion of what we think about and things like that. Overall, I like where we are. We have guys who work well together and they put in the time." The Wolverines look to remain hot against the Razorbacks (7-2). John Calipari's first Arkansas squad has won its past two games. Calipari spent the previous 15 seasons as coach of Kentucky and claims he's excited to be in Arkansas. "I'm not bitter about anything. I'm not," Calipari said. "This is the first page of the first chapter of a new book. The timing for me and my career and my life, this is perfect. And I appreciate the fans and everybody giving me the opportunity to do that." The Razorbacks will be searching for their initial milestone victory under Calipari during their first visit to Madison Square Garden since 1997. Their losses this season are to then-No. 8 Baylor and Illinois on neutral courts. Calipari grabbed several players out of the transfer portal in the offseason, including guard Johnell Davis, one of the stars of the Florida Atlantic team that reached the 2023 Final Four. That squad was coached by May. One of the other Florida Atlantic starters was center Vladislav Goldin, who followed May to Michigan after the coach was hired in the offseason. Goldin has strung together three straight solid games, including a season-best 24 points in a 67-64 road win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 3. He followed that up with 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in Saturday's 85-83 home win over Iowa. "He's just been a guy that you can see when he's really locked in and focused there's a different level of play," said May, "and I think now he's finding that level of play." Goldin is part of a balanced attack. Roddy Gayle Jr. averages a team-best 12.2 points per game, followed by Tre Donaldson and Danny Wolf at 12.1 and Goldin at 12.0. Wolf averages a team-best 10 rebounds per game. Arkansas is coming off a 75-60 home victory over UTSA on Saturday. Adou Thiero excelled by matching his career high of 26 points to go with 10 rebounds. Thiero scored 17 points in the second half when the Razorbacks overcame a five-point halftime deficit to outscore the Roadrunners by 20. "We've been seeing that the whole summer," Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile said of Thiero's strong play. "Him dominating. Dominating in practice and (Calipari) pushing him. This is just a reflection of the work he's done this summer and him trusting the coaches." Thiero leads the Razorbacks with averages of 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Boogie Fland is averaging 15 points and Zvonimir Ivisic is scoring 12 per game. Davis (9.3) started slow with just two double-digit outings in the first seven games before averaging 12.5 over the last two games. Michigan holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series. The Wolverines recorded an 80-67 home victory on Dec. 8, 2012 in the most recent meeting. --Field Level MediaIn the fast-paced and unpredictable world of the English Premier League, every round brings its own set of standout performances and players. As we head into Round 16, it's time to reflect on some of the top performers from Round 15 as evaluated by none other than renowned football pundit, Schiller.

Shares of Nvidia fell Monday after China said it is investigating the high-flying U.S. microchip company over suspected violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws. In a brief news release with few details, Chinese regulators appear to be focusing on Nvidia’s $6.9 billion acquisition of network and data transmission company Mellanox in 2019. Nvidia shares fell about 3% Monday. They are still up 179% so far this year. Considered a bellwether for artificial intelligence demand, Nvidia has led the AI sector to become one of the stock market’s , as tech giants spend heavily on the company’s chips and data centers needed to train and operate their AI systems. Nvidia’s shares have surged this year along with the California company’s revenue and profit due to AI demand. According to data firm FactSet, about 16% of Nvidia’s revenue comes from China, second only to its U.S.-generated revenue. A spokesperson for the company based in Santa Clara, California, said in an emailed statement that Nvidia is “happy to answer any questions regulators may have about our business.” In its release, Nvidia posted revenue of $35.08 billion, up 94% from $18.12 billion a year ago. Nvidia earned $19.31 billion in the quarter, more than double the $9.24 billion it posted in last year’s third quarter. The earnings release did not break out revenue from China. The company’s market value rocketed to $3.5 trillion recently, passing Microsoft and briefly overtaking Apple as the world’s most valuable company. China’s antitrust investigation follows a report this summer by technology news site The Information that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating complaints from rivals that in the chip sector. The allegations reported include Nvidia threatening to punish those who buy products from both itself and its competitors at the same time. David Bieri, an international finance expert at Virginia Tech, said that China’s investigation is “not about what Nvidia is doing in China, per se” but rather a signal to the incoming Trump administration. China, Bieri said, is looking to set the tone of future relations. The Chinese government, he said, is telling the U.S. “don’t mess with us, because all of your darling corporations that your version of capitalism needs to prosper have entanglements” with China. Nvidia will have to revise its strategy in China or come up with provisions in their budgets for the type of uncertainty business with China will bring, Bieri said. “I don’t think this is something that they can shake off,” he said. “I also have a tremendous amount of faith in the brilliance of the management strategy of a corporation like Nvidia to not only pay attention to credit risk, market risk and operational risk, but also to political risk.” Nvidia’s invention of graphics processor chips, or GPUs, in 1999 helped spark the growth of the PC gaming market and redefined computer graphics. Last month, it on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, ending the pioneering semiconductor company’s 25-year run on the index. Unlike Intel, Nvidia designs but doesn’t manufacture its own chips, relying heavily on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., an Intel rival.The quest to endow machines with the spark of imagination that fuels human ingenuity has long fascinated the AI community. While significant progress has been made, capturing the essence of creative cognition remains an open frontier. Symbiotic, an emergent AI startup, seeks to tackle this challenge head-on, aiming to redefine the notion of machine creativity. Founded in 2024 by Harvard and Oxford graduates Riccardo Di Molfetta and Kevin Kermani Nejad, Symbiotic aims to build a new class of AI systems inspired by how creative geniuses think. Despite the startup's "meta-stealth" status, the founders have shared insights into their recent progress. Building a Superhuman Creative Thinker? Symbiotic distinguishes creativity from general intelligence. The team is currently engaged in applied research to develop a system that emulates the processes employed by human creative thinkers across a diverse range of tasks. “If you think about human creative genius,” says Di Molfetta, “what sets it apart isn’t merely the general intellectual abilities, but the ability to view the world through a different lens, actively explore novel ideas, and generate new questions rather than solving existing ones.” It all began with an early fascination with Renaissance thinkers. Di Molfetta spent his childhood in Italy poring over their works and writings—an interest that eventually led him to search for the roots of creative achievement in the human mind. "As a child, I was obsessed with their works," he recalls. "Renaissance thinkers weren't merely artists or thinkers—they were truly universal minds," he adds. Riccardo distinguished himself early, emerging as a runner-up among 6,000+ students in his yearly cohort at King's College London. This earned him a letter of commendation from the Duke of Wellington, who cited his "extraordinary achievement” and mentioning his “potential to change the world”. He went on to secure scholarships to both Oxford and Harvard, ultimately choosing the latter where he graduated with top marks while undertaking concurrent coursework at MIT. Riccardo and Kevin have dedicated countless hours to studying the thought patterns of creative thinkers. Nejad explains, "What we've found is that, compared to the average person, the neural processes of creatives are far less linear." He continues, "Individuals like artists, musicians, and innovators often form connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, forming associations that a typical brain might not consider." Nejad’s background has set him up perfectly for this line of research. Born in Iran, his remarkable aptitude for electronics emerged at a young age. At just 12, he invented a device that enabled remote control of home installations via SMS—well ahead of the IoT revolution. This innovation earned him the title of Iran’s youngest inventor. After studying Applied Mathematics at Edinburgh, he’s now a final-year PhD candidate at Oxford University. Known for his research at the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience, Nejad is particularly suited to investigate the underpinnings of biological and computational creativity. Recognizing that foundational research is crucial for such an ambitious endeavor, the team at Symbiotic believes this is the best path to developing a product that, in the long run, will, as Di Molfetta explains, “not only feel like conversing with a creative genius, but actually entering its mind.” Federico Panzera, one of the founding members of the startup, describes how foundational research has been at the core of Symbiotic's efforts. “We’re working to unlock functionalities that go far beyond today’s capabilities,” he explains. Symbiotic’s approach aims to bridge a long-standing divide between the field of Computational Creativity (CC) and the latest developments in Generative AI for human creativity–with tools such as Midjourney and DALL-E. On one side are those focused on creating machines that could one day exhibit creativity in their own right, while on the other are those building tools to augment human creativity without addressing the machines' own creative agency. Panzera is well-versed in the world of art, having brought the collections of his grandmother, Barbara Scurto—a famous Futurist painter—to the world’s most prestigious international exhibitions. He argues that focusing solely on the tools, without developing creative intelligence, defeats the purpose of augmenting human creativity. "Asking a non-creative machine to augment human creativity is like asking someone who's never experienced music to compose a symphony," he explains. "True co-creation requires a system that speaks the same language as creatives." A New Approach Under Wraps To achieve their goal, the Symbiotic team has developed a novel set of benchmarks and challenges that they believe their system should be able to tackle. These tests go far beyond the capabilities of frontier LLMs. “Current models are still far from reaching the thresholds we’ve defined,” Di Molfetta explains. “We’re looking at creativity as a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted system; therefore, new evaluations are essential.” The question of machine creativity looms large, and while it's too early to make definitive claims, the two founders believe they know a path forward—what they refer to as "creative computation." While the specifics of their method remain under wraps, their research direction has attracted substantial interest from leading institutions in both academia and industry. The Road Ahead With a first undisclosed round of funding secured, Symbiotic is poised to make significant strides in the field of AI creativity. The team is working closely with creatives from across forms and genres to build a superhuman creative computer. Despite strong interest from venture capital firms, Symbiotic chose to focus on perfecting its technical roadmap before seeking additional funds and held off on further investment rounds until their technical plan was completed. “Given the novelty of what we are doing, we believe it’s crucial to have a solid technological foundation before we start scaling it up,” Nejad concludes. However, this is set to change, with Symbiotic announcing plans to initiate their next round of funding in the coming weeks. The pursuit of creative intelligence doesn't just promise technological advancement; it ushers in a host of questions about the future. Could machines one day rival the creative genius of humans, and if so, what implications would that have for artists, innovators, and society at large? This quest pushes us to consider how we value human creativity and how we might coexist with intelligent systems that can not only replicate but also originate superior concepts. The journey ahead is uncertain, but it has the potential to reshape the world in ways we are only beginning to imagine.

End of Article.

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Trillion-dollar decarbonization estimates demand a global reality checkReal Madrid is a club with a rich history and high ambitions, competing not only in the domestic league but also in the UEFA Champions League and other cup competitions. The team's players are constantly under pressure to perform at their best, often playing multiple matches in quick succession. This intense schedule can take a toll on the players' physical condition, leading to injuries and fatigue that can impact the team's performance on the pitch.Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell's knee injury may not be as serious as it looked

mnl168 free 100 no deposit 2021 The Harrier EV is slated for launch before the end of this fiscal year, marking a significant addition to Tata’s electric vehicle lineup Tata Motors confirmed a while ago that the Harrier EV will be launched in India before the current financial year ends. Meanwhile, the Sierra EV and the Avinya are slated for release in the following fiscal year, although their exact launch timelines remain under wraps. It is expected that the internal combustion engine version of the Sierra will debut shortly after the electric variant’s introduction. The Sierra ICE could make its debut as early as H2 2025. Tata might adopt a strategy similar to the Curvv lineup where the EV version hit the market first, followed by the ICE variant. While official specifications remain undisclosed, the Sierra ICE is likely to feature the familiar 2.0L four-cylinder diesel engine that powers the Harrier and Safari. The turbo diesel mill delivers 170 PS of maximum power and 350 Nm of peak torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Additionally, Tata Motors might offer the new 1.5L TGDi turbocharged petrol engine as an option. The possibility of a 4×4 configuration cannot be ruled out, adding to the Sierra ICE’s versatility and appeal. Also Read: Updated Tata Tiago & Tigor To Launch At Auto Expo 2025 The next-gen Sierra has been showcased on several occasions with the production version staying true to the concept’s design cues. Meanwhile, the Harrier EV made its conceptual debut at the 2023 Auto Expo, followed by the near-production version’s reveal at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024. The Harrier EV will offer single and dual electric motor configurations, providing a 4WD setup that enhances its off-roading potential. Furthermore, the upcoming zero-emission models will deliver a driving range of over 500 km on a single charge. Strengthening its EV portfolio, Tata Motors entered into a MoU with Jaguar Land Rover in late 2023. This collaboration allows Tata to leverage JLR’s Electrified Modular Architecture platform, encompassing advanced electrical systems, e-drive units, battery technologies, and manufacturing expertise. Also Read: 4 Brand New Electric Cars From Tata Motors – Big Launches Incoming! These resources will play a critical role in shaping Tata’s premium electric vehicle lineup, especially within the Avinya series. The company is also focusing on equipping its upcoming EVs with high-energy-density batteries, aiming to deliver faster charging times and enhanced overall performance.This move will mark a strategic shift in the US-India defence relationship. Published: December 7, 2024 11:05 PM IST By Edited by Pakistan may acquire Chinese J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter for its air force. It’s a move that could significantly alter the balance of power in South Asia. India currently does not have a fifth-generation aircraft. Experts assess that in the changed geopolitical situation, the US may offer F-35A to India, which will be the answer to the Chinese J-35A for regional balance. This move will mark a strategic shift in the US-India defence relationship. China’s J-35 stealth fighter J-35A is equipped with advanced avionics, which has the ability to deploy modern weapons. If Pakistan acquires this aircraft, it can significantly increase its air warfare capabilities. It has the potential to alter the regional balance of power. However, the J-35A has not yet demonstrated its potential in real combat. India will need counter measures Due to the proximity between China and Pakistan, it is believed that Islamabad can get these fighters. The inclusion of the J-35A in Pakistan’s arsenal means that India will need strong counter-measures especially when China has a fleet of fifth-generation fighter aircraft like the J-20, which is constantly growing. The evolving situation in South Asia could pose an opportunity for the Pentagon to strengthen its strategic partnership with India and contain China’s influence. The offer of the F-35A to India could provide a decisive technological advantage. The F-35A is currently considered among the most advanced fighters in the world, having proven its capabilities in combat. Obstacles in acquiring American F-35 However, there are obstacles in acquiring the American F-35A for India. India has bought the S-400 air defense system from Russia, which could complicate this deal. US rules regarding the deployment of F-35 to countries possessing Russian systems are very strict. Experts suggest that to reduce these risks, the US can impose conditions for the sale of F-35A to India. Under these conditions, F-35 operations could be kept away from S-400 batteries. Simultaneously, more surveillance and inter-operation measures should be implemented with the US forces to protect sensitive technologies. Challenge for India Before acquiring the F-35A, India will have to carefully look at its possible implications. The F-35A is known for its high acquisition and maintenance costs. Choosing the F-35 could divert resources and attention from India’s indigenous fighter jet programmes. In addition, the acceptance of the F-35A could potentially strain India’s long-standing defense relationship with Russia. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and . Read more on Latest on . Topics

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CHARLESTON, S.C. , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leading provider of software for powering social impact, today filed a Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that the Company concluded a material pre-tax noncash impairment charge, which may be up to approximately $415 million , is required for its EVERFI asset group and will be recorded during the fourth quarter of 2024. As previously disclosed, due to EVERFI performing below expectations, Blackbaud is considering a range of alternatives for EVERFI, one of which includes a potential divestiture of the business. The impairment charge was determined to be necessary as part of this process. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Rhode Island beats Bryant 35-21 to claim its first Coastal Athletic Association title

BOSTON -- Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella was frustrated with a couple of calls during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. "Let me start: One thing I teach my team to do is not dive," he said in opening his postgame news conference. "Maybe I should start teaching them that. The way this has gone here ... maybe I should teach them to dive." The Flyers were called for two tripping penalties -- neither of them led to goals -- in the third period. They also were whistled for a tripping penalty that led to a goal in the second. Boston scored twice in the third period of its fourth consecutive win. Philadelphia blew a third-period lead for the second straight game. "I'm not going to go too far into it," Tortorella said. "That's one of the things we talk about as a team: 'We've got to play an honest game. There's no cheating, there's no embarrassing referees. You don't embarrass the referees."'JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At the Westonaria agricultural park near Bekkersdal, east of Johannesburg , farm workers are busy tilling the soil and planting tomatoes and lettuce. Despite the hive of activity, there is silence around the park. Most people here are deaf and communicate using sign language. They are members of the Voiceout Deaf farming collective, started by entrepreneur Matebogo Victoria, to create a platform where deaf people can develop their skills in agriculture and find sustainable work. Victoria, who has a hearing disability herself, understood perfectly the challenges faced by deaf people when competing for opportunities with their counterparts who do not face the same challenge. While studying at the Tshwane University of Technology in the country's capital, Pretoria, Victoria had to attend classes with a hearing partner, as the university could not make the lectures accessible for her. It is an all-too-common challenge for deaf people, according to Victoria. “The government does not have facilities for communication (for deaf people). A lot of deaf people did not finish school. They cannot afford to travel far to reach schools, so normally they decide to leave school early,” said Victoria. Across South Africa, there are 44 schools for the deaf, offering sign language as a subject and using it as a medium of instruction. Most are based far from where the students live, which sometimes leads to them dropping out of school as families struggle to afford the transportation costs. Victoria, who used to work for Standard Bank, decided to leave her corporate job and start Voiceout as a way of allowing deaf people to gain agricultural skills. “I make things simple for them, it is like a family when they are here. They become very much happy when they are here but when they go outside of this space, it becomes difficult for them,” she said. For Sibongile Maake, the opportunity to learn agriculture in a space where co-workers can easily communicate with her in sign language was transformational. It has also afforded her an opportunity to earn a living and rely less on the welfare disability grants that are paid out by the government. “I’m happy working here, it’s (a) pleasure working here in the farm. I’m working slowly but surely and I am learning while also getting a salary. I can do things for myself, I can afford myself,” said Maake. Another worker, who said in sign language his name was John, said the challenges of communication reduced his chances of getting a job but the Voiceout Deaf project became a lifeline for him. “Communication is always a barrier, so coming here at the farm is very much better because they are able to communicate in my own language so it makes life much easier for me,” said John. He and other workers are responsible for various activities at the farm including cleaning, ploughing, planting and harvesting the produce. The demand for their vegetables was so great that Voiceout Deaf has taken on two other farms, where John and his colleagues also work. The project is breaking even: the farms currently supply some of the local supermarkets and chain stores with fresh produce. In other South African provinces like Limpopo and North West, provincial governments are looking at farming as a source of training and employment for disabled people. The farming sector is emerging as a solace for those with disabilities who also face the dire levels of unemployment in Africa’s most developed economy. As she goes around giving instructions monitoring activities on the farm, which consists of 10 greenhouses, Victoria laments how difficult it often is for people using sign language to understand the jargon of developed industries. The Pan South African Language Board is responsible for setting the country's standards for sign language. A constitutionally mandated body responsible for promoting the development and use of South African languages, it recently scored a victory by having Parliament approve sign language as South Africa’s 12th official language. However, the board sometimes struggles to keep up with fast-evolving business language, Victoria says. “The difficulty is that sign language has not developed to an extent that it covers technical jargon used in various sectors. It is the same in agriculture. There are certain technical words used that are there in spoken language but not in sign language," she explains. But beyond changing official attitudes, Victoria wants to inspire change in the farmers themselves. “We need them (the deaf farmers) to think out of the box about agriculture. They need to be empowered to understand that agriculture is involved in the production of other products like toothpastes, perfumes, medicines. This is where we have to improvise and find ways to communicate with them in the simplest way possible,” said Victoria. ___ For more news on Africa: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse ___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .How to Start a Roth IRA: A Guide for Beginners

California’s political clout will fade as long as population growth remains slow( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) MASSENA, NY, UNITED STATES, December 25, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Bruce Gonyea's newest publication, The Tavern Files, delivers a compelling narrative centered on Detective Fred Tavern. This novel blends detective fiction with an exploration of personal and familial identities, introducing readers to a unique mystery that spans both geography and genealogy. In The Tavern Files, Detective Fred Tavern engages in complex investigations, each drawing him deeper into a personal quest involving a biological father he never knew and half-sisters connected by distinctive birthmarks. These birthmarks symbolize a shared lineage, which leads to Iceland, pivotal to their collective past. Bruce Gonyea's career in the US Air Force, where he specialized in logistics and transportation, provides a solid foundation for the novel's detailed portrayal of investigative procedures and advanced technologies. His post-military career as a contractor for the Air Force at Los Angeles AFB and his personal experiences enrich the authenticity and depth of the narrative. The Tavern Files is characterized by its integration of traditional detective work with speculative fiction elements. The storyline not only uncovers mysteries related to criminal cases but also delves into existential themes of heritage and destiny. The discovery of Iceland serves as a catalyst for family reunions and revelations of extraterrestrial origins, adding a layer of science fiction to the detective genre. The settings in The Tavern Files are influenced by Gonyea's extensive travels during his military service, which saw him in six different countries and various states. This exposure is reflected in the vivid descriptions of locales that serve as backdrops for the detective's assignments. Moreover, the novel features cutting-edge technology used in law enforcement, inspired by the latest advancements in logistics and operational management. The book appeals to a broad audience, including enthusiasts of detective stories, readers intrigued by family mysteries, and those fascinated by the integration of technology in narrative form. Its layered storytelling promises to engage readers, prompting them to ponder their own familial connections and the impact of technology on personal discovery. Bruce Gonyea continues to write and develop narratives that blend his professional expertise with his creative aspirations. Interested readers can find The Tavern Files and anticipate future works that will similarly blend real-world experiences with imaginative storytelling. About the Author Bruce Gonyea, a former member of the US Air Force, has a diverse professional background encompassing logistics and transportation management. After completing high school, he joined the military, which facilitated his travel to six different countries and residence in six states, experiences that occurred concurrently with raising two children. In the course of his military service, he acquired an AA in Logistic Management from the Community College of the Air Force. Following his retirement from active duty, Gonyea worked as a contractor at Los Angeles AFB, California, leveraging his military logistics expertise in a civilian role for 17 years. His foray into writing began during a prolonged recovery from multiple ankle surgeries, a period extending over about eight years. His literary career did not fully take shape until after he retired in 2018, a retirement prompted by a service-related disability. Currently residing in Northern New York, Gonyea focuses on writing, incorporating his in-depth knowledge of logistics and transportation into his narratives. His professional and personal experiences significantly inform his work, imbuing it with realism and a detailed understanding of complex operations. Amazon link: Bruce Gonyea Authors Book Publishing email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. MENAFN25122024003118003196ID1109029769 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.The appeal, run by charity Ambition, Aspire, Achieve (AAA) in partnership with the Newham Recorder, has successfully completed its mission for the 47th consecutive year. The final gifts have been distributed over the last ten days, and in the run up to Christmas Eve. Bank of New York Mellon (Image: AAA) Teams from Thought Machine, a cloud banking technology company, Janus Henderson Investors, and the Bank of New York Mellon were among those at the appeal’s toy warehouse, donated by Gallions Reach Shopping Park, Beckton, in the final few days. The Thought Machine team worked with academy players from West Ham United, who volunteered and brought gifts for the appeal. Gallions Reach Shopping Park donated a toy warehouse (Image: AAA) Gifts from the Holiday Inn Express, Stratford, James Asser MP and John Ratomski from Irons Supporting Foodbanks also boosted the final total. West Ham Academy squad members visited the warehouse to volunteer and donate gifts (Image: AAA) Jonny Boux, chief executive of AAA, said: "On behalf of all at Ambition Aspire Achieve and most importantly the children who are benefiting from the appeal, a huge thank you to all who have so generously given their support. "The final weeks of the appeal have seen a surge of donations and our roll of honour this year is full of acts of kindness from the many who responded to our call out for help in November. "Times continue to be tough for many, but the support provided by businesses, local schools, community groups, and a huge number of individuals have made a tremendous difference. "We can’t thank them all enough for helping to make the appeal success." Janus volunteers (Image: AAA) Appeal organisers have received high numbers of requests to raise gifts for children this year. Paula Blake, toy appeal co-ordinator, said this reflects "the ongoing challenges local families are experiencing". She added: "The contributions from many have been truly inspiring and have made all the difference. "Everyone has really pulled together to help make a magical Christmas for the many children referred, it’s been a great collective effort. "Thank you, many times over to all who have donated so generously and supported this year. "We couldn’t have done it without you."

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RunAsRadio #964: A Very Windows Christmas with Paul Thurrott

AI and crypto drove gains in this year's top 5 tech stocksTheir ages vary. But a conspicuous handful of filmmaking lions in winter, or let’s say late autumn, have given us new reasons to be grateful for their work over the decades — even for the work that didn’t quite work. Which, yes, sounds like ingratitude. But do we even want more conventional or better-behaved work from talents such as Francis Ford Coppola? Even if we’re talking about “Megalopolis” ? If Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” gave audiences a less morally complicated courtroom drama, would that have mattered, given Warner Bros.’ butt-headed decision to plop it in less than three dozen movie theaters in the U.S.? Coppola is 85. Eastwood is 94. Paul Schrader, whose latest film “Oh, Canada” arrives this week and is well worth seeking out, is a mere 78. Based on the 2021 Russell Banks novel “Foregone,” “Oh, Canada” is the story of a documentary filmmaker, played by Richard Gere, being interviewed near the end of his cancer-shrouded final days. In the Montreal home he shares with his wife and creative partner, played by Uma Thurman, he consents to the interview by two former students of his. Gere’s character, Leonard Fife, has no little contempt for these two, whom he calls “Mr. and Mrs. Ken Burns of Canada” with subtle disdain. As we learn over the artful dodges and layers of past and present, events imagined and/or real, Fife treats the interview as a final confession from a guarded and deceptive soul. He’s also a hero to everyone in the room, famous for his anti-Vietnam war political activism, and for the Frederick Wiseman-like inflection of his own films’ interview techniques. The real-life filmmaker name-checked in “Oh, Canada” is documentarian Errol Morris, whose straight-to-the-lens framing of interview subjects was made possible by his Interrotron device. In Schrader’s adaptation, Fife doesn’t want the nominal director (Michael Imperioli, a nicely finessed embodiment of a second-rate talent with first-rate airs) in his eyeline. Rather, as he struggles with hazy, self-incriminating memories of affairs, marriages, one-offs with a friend’s wife and a tense, brief reunion with the son he never knew, Fife wants only his wife, Emma — his former Goddard College student — in this metaphoric confessional. Schrader and his editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. treat the memories as on-screen flashbacks spanning from 1968 to 2023. At times, Gere and Thurman appear as their decades-young selves, without any attempt to de-age them, digitally or otherwise. (Thank god, I kind of hate that stuff in any circumstance.) In other sequences from Fife’s past, Jacob Elordi portrays Fife, with sly and convincing behavioral details linking his performance to Gere’s persona. We hear frequent voiceovers spoken by Gere about having ruined his life by age 24, at least spiritually or morally. Banks’ novel is no less devoted to a dying man’s addled but ardent attempt to come clean and own up to what has terrified him the most in the mess and joy of living: Honesty. Love. Commitment. There are elements of “Oh, Canada” that soften Banks’ conception of Fife, from the parentage of Fife’s abandoned son to the specific qualities of Gere’s performance. It has been 44 years since Gere teamed with Schrader on “American Gigolo,” a movie made by a very different filmmaker with very different preoccupations of hetero male hollowness. It’s also clearly the same director at work, I think. And Gere remains a unique camera object, with a stunning mastery of filling a close-up with an unblinking stillness conveying feelings easier left behind. The musical score is pretty watery, and with Schrader you always get a few lines of tortured rhetoric interrupting the good stuff. In the end, “Oh, Canada” has an extraordinarily simple idea at its core: That of a man with a movie camera, most of his life, now on the other side of the lens. Not easy. “I can’t tell the truth unless that camera’s on!” he barks at one point. I don’t think the line from the novel made it into Schrader’s script, but it too sums up this lion-in-winter feeling of truth without triumphal Hollywood catharsis. The interview, Banks wrote, is one’s man’s “last chance to stop lying.” It’s also a “final prayer,” dramatized by the Calvinist-to-the-bone filmmaker who made sure to include that phrase in his latest devotion to final prayers and missions of redemption. “Oh, Canada” — 3 stars (out of 4) No MPA rating (some language and sexual material) Running time: 1:34 How to watch: Opens in theaters Dec. 13, running 1in Chicago Dec. 13-19 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; siskelfilmcenter.org Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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Anthony Edwards’ leadership had to take another step forward this week for TimberwolvesDecember 4 - The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes have something in common lately, and both teams are trying to shed recent labels. The teams have hit rough patches, making their meeting Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C., crucial for both sides. "I think we know we're in a little bit of funk here with our play," Carolina forward Eric Robinson said. The Hurricanes have lost three games in a row for the first time this season. Their 4-2 loss to visiting Seattle on Tuesday night came while putting just 19 shots on net, a low figure for the normally high-shot team. They had just seven shots through two periods. "We fought back a little bit, but we can't play two periods like that," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We were not sharp." The Avalanche hold a 7-5-0 road record after a four-goal third period produced a 5-4 victory Tuesday night at Buffalo. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and provided an assist in that game as his team rallied from a 4-0 hole. "We went into a couple of things, more details of what we need to do and what we need to see from every guy if we were to get back into that game," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "They knew we needed to get more competitive. We definitely got more relentless on the puck." That was just Colorado's second victory in its last five games (2-3-0), with the other win coming in a shootout. So there's a lot to be concerned about for the Avalanche despite the big boost to begin a five-game road trip. "It's nice to see our team dig in," Bednar said. Carolina suddenly has stalled, failing to generate the scoring chances that have often defined the team. Hurricanes forward Martin Necas has a league-high 13 multi-point games, including a goal and an assist Tuesday. He certainly needs more help, and that's something that Brind'Amour has noticed. "Our top guys got to come and that includes everybody," he said. "If we're going to win, we have to have those guys being the top guys." Brind'Amour has adjusted line combinations, hoping to spark some of the forwards into more production. "I've done that, so that's not the answer," Brind'Amour said. "You got to look in the mirror and do your job. We're going to turn the page." There were encouraging aspects despite some dismal numbers for Carolina earlier this week. The Hurricanes have racked up 12 power-play goals across their last 11 games. Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood, making his debut with the Avalanche, notched his first victory since October with Tuesday's relief effort at Buffalo, stopping all 22 shots. He began the season with Nashville. Wedgewood has had past success against Carolina, making 44 saves in his Dallas debut in March 2022 in a memorable outing in Raleigh. Carolina's 9-3-0 home record reflects back-to-back losses on home ice. Overall, the team has dropped five of its last seven games (2-4-1). Including Thursday's contest, the Hurricanes will play five of their next six games at home. "It's a great opportunity for us to come together and get back to our winning ways," Robinson said. "Everybody is working hard. Everybody wants to win." The visit to Raleigh marks the second stop on Colorado's five-game road trip. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tabmnl168 free 68 。

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Baltimore Ravens leading receiver Zay Flowers is questionable for Wednesday's game against the host Houston Texans because of a shoulder issue. Flowers was listed on the team's injury report after missing practice on Sunday and Monday and being limited on Tuesday. Cornerback Tre'Davious White (shoulder) has followed the same pattern in practice participation and also is questionable. The Ravens ruled out wide receiver Nelson Agholor and running back Justice Hill due to concussions, and neither practiced Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) also missed practice this week and is out. Flowers, 24, leads the Ravens with 71 receptions, 109 targets and 1,016 receiving yards in 15 games (13 starts). He has four touchdowns. Baltimore selected him 22nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Boston College. He has 148 career receptions for 1,874 yards and nine TDs in 31 games (29 starts). Flowers has not missed a game because of injury in his brief NFL career. White, 29, has appeared in five games and has seven tackles. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2019 and 2020 and first-team All-Pro in 2019 during his first seven NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Hill, 27, has 47 carries for 228 yards and one touchdown this season in 15 games as a reserve. He also has 42 receptions for 383 yards and three TDs. The Ravens selected Hill in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. He has 250 rushing attempts for 1,162 yards and six TDs, and 95 receptions for 737 yards and four scores. Agholor, 31, will miss his second consecutive game. He has 14 receptions on 29 targets for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games (seven starts). He has 389 career receptions for 3,858 yards and 37 TDs in 149 games (105 starts) for the Philadelphia Eagles (2015-19), Las Vegas Raiders (2020), New England Patriots (2021-22) and Ravens (2023-present). Armour-Davis, 25, has played in seven games (two starts) this season and has eight tackles. The Ravens picked him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Alabama. The Ravens (10-5) elevated wide receiver Anthony Miller from the practice squad to the active roster for the game against the Texans (9-6). --Field Level Media

Anthony Edwards’ leadership had to take another step forward this week for Timberwolves( MENAFN - GetNews) Johnson Lukaza, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaJohnson Lukaza, the visionary Chairman of Proin Group of Companies and a renowned figure in business innovation, is proud to announce the launch of his brand-new personal website: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Johnson Lukaza, the visionary Chairman of Proin Group of Companies and a renowned figure in business innovation, is proud to announce the launch of his brand-new personal website: . Designed to showcase his entrepreneurial journey, leadership insights, and commitment to transformative growth, the website serves as a hub for connecting with audiences and inspiring future innovators. The new website highlights Johnson's remarkable career, from his roots in Tanzania to becoming a global leader in bridging gaps across industries. Visitors will find in-depth information about his professional philosophy, current projects, and a wealth of resources designed to empower budding entrepreneurs and established professionals alike. “My goal with this website is to create a platform that not only shares my journey but also sparks ideas and conversations that lead to meaningful change,” said Lukaza.“I hope it becomes a resource for individuals looking to innovate, collaborate, and grow in their respective fields.” The website's sleek and user-friendly design allows visitors to easily navigate through sections detailing Johnson's educational background, leadership principles, and Proin Group's groundbreaking initiatives. Key features include: Insights and Interviews: Exclusive articles and Q&A sessions that offer a deep dive into Johnson's entrepreneurial strategies and his views on business creativity. Innovation Resources: Tips and tools for fostering innovation, building teams, and achieving sustainable growth in any industry. Cultural Exploration: Stories and insights on how Johnson's passion for understanding global cultures shapes his approach to leadership and business. As a forward-thinking entrepreneur, Johnson Lukaza understands the importance of leveraging digital platforms to engage with audiences worldwide. His new website exemplifies this commitment by providing valuable content and an opportunity to connect directly with him. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a business leader, or someone curious about the intersections of innovation and leadership, Johnson Lukaza's website offers a unique and engaging experience. About Johnson Lukaza Johnson Lukaza is the Chairman of Proin Group of Companies, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Known for his visionary leadership and passion for fostering innovation, he has made significant strides in bridging gaps across industries while empowering skilled talent and driving technological advancement. With a background in global education and a deep commitment to his Tanzanian roots, Johnson is dedicated to creating sustainable solutions that benefit businesses and communities alike. To read more, visit the website here: MENAFN24122024003238003268ID1109028541 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA championships for females under new gender policies published Wednesday. The policies, which begin in 2025, follow more than a year of study involving medicine, science, sport physiology and gender policy law. The updated policies would rule out eligibility for Hailey Davidson, who missed qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open this year by one shot and came up short in LPGA Q-school. Davidson, who turned 32 on Tuesday, began hormone treatments when she was in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA's previous gender policy. She had won this year on a Florida mini-tour called NXXT Golf until the circuit announced in March that players had to be assigned female at birth. “Can't say I didn't see this coming,” Davidson wrote Wednesday on an Instagram story. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.” LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who is resigning in January, said the new gender policy "is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach." By making it to the second stage of Q-school, Davidson would have had very limited status on the Epson Tour, the pathway to the LPGA. The LPGA and USGA say their policies were geared toward being inclusive of gender identities and expression while striving for equity in competition. The LPGA said its working group of experts advised that the effects of male puberty allowed for competitive advantages in golf compared with players who had not gone through puberty. “Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who announced Monday that she is resigning in January. "The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.” Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner and now CEO of the USGA, said it developed the updated policy independently and later discovered it was similar to those used by swimming, track and field, and other sports. United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan said the new policy will prevent anyone from having "a competitive advantage based on their gender." “It starts with competitive fairness as the North star,” Whan said in a telephone interview. “We tried not to get into politics, or state by state or any of that stuff. We just simply said, ‘Where would somebody — at least medically today — where do we believe somebody would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we needed to draw a line. “We needed to be able to walk into any women's event and say with confidence that nobody here has a competitive advantage based on their gender. And this policy delivers that.” The “Competitive Fairness Gender Policy” for the USGA takes effect for the 2025 championship season that starts with the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball on May 10-14. Qualifying began late this year, though there were no transgender players who took part. “Will that change in the years to come as medicine changes? Probably,” Whan said. “But I think today this stacks up.” The LPGA “Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility” would apply to the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and qualifying for the tours. Players assigned male at birth must prove they have not experienced any part of puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet limitation standards for testosterone levels. The LPGA begins its 75th season on Jan. 30 with the Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green goes up for a dunk during the second half of an Emirates NBA cup basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Mari Fukada of Japan falls as she competes in the women's Snowboard Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) LSU punter Peyton Todd (38) kneels in prayer before an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. LSU won 37-17. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, is hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center, as Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) looks on during a touchdown run by Barkley in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, trips San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, center, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Olympiacos' Francisco Ortega, right, challenges for the ball with FCSB's David Miculescu during the Europa League league phase soccer match between FCSB and Olympiacos at the National Arena stadium, in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Brazil's Botafogo soccer fans react during the Copa Libertadores title match against Atletico Mineiro in Argentina, during a watch party at Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) Seattle Kraken fans react after a goal by center Matty Beniers against the San Jose Sharks was disallowed due to goaltender interference during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Seattle. The Sharks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27), center, fight for the puck with Boston Bruins defensemen Parker Wotherspoon (29), left, and Brandon Carlo (25), right during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jiyai Shin of Korea watches her shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Australian Open golf championship at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake) Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland competes in the women's Freeski Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin cools off during first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Amanda Gutierres, second right, is congratulated by teammate Yasmin, right, after scoring her team's first goal during a soccer international between Brazil and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher) Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) tries to leap over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) England's Alessia Russo, left, and United States' Naomi Girma challenge for the ball during the International friendly women soccer match between England and United States at Wembley stadium in London, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Gold medalists Team Netherlands competes in the Team Sprint Women race of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Beijing 2024 held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) reaches for an incomplete pass ahead of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) South Carolina guard Maddy McDaniel (1) drives to the basket against UCLA forward Janiah Barker (0) and center Lauren Betts (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma misses a catch during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Lara Gut-Behrami, of Switzerland, competes during a women's World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Melanie Meillard, center, of Switzerland, competes during the second run in a women's World Cup slalom skiing race, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

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Christopher Nolan’s next film is based on ‘The Odyssey’AP News Summary at 6:42 p.m. ESTLAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 4, 2024-- At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com , Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading superapp (NASDAQ: GRAB), announced that Grab has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider. With AWS, Grab is pursuing a technology-led strategy to accelerate growth across its mobility, deliveries, and financial services verticals, including its new digibanks, while continuing to improve its operational efficiencies and reduce IT infrastructure costs. Grab relies on the world’s leading cloud to serve 41.9 million monthly transacting users 1 and over 13 million driver and delivery partners 2 registered on its platform. Every second, Grab processes over a hundred transactions, receives over 500k GPS pings and services over 50,000 ETA requests. AWS powers Grab’s critical compute, storage, networking, and database functions. By leveraging AWS's resilient, secure, and elastic cloud, Grab accelerates innovation, rapidly launches new services, and scales efficiently across its eight-country footprint: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. “At Grab, our strategy for growth is anchored on constant innovation to outserve the needs of our users and partners,” said Suthen Thomas Paradatheth, CTO of Grab. “This requires rapid experimentation, while ensuring security and stability, along with the ability to fully harness the potential of the latest tech like generative AI. We're pleased to extend our partnership with AWS as our preferred cloud partner to continue to support us on this journey.” Grab optimizes operating costs with AWS As Grab looks to balance growth with cost discipline, it is using AWS Cloud to power the majority of its operations in Southeast Asia across verticals such as mobility, deliveries, and financial services and entities, including its digibanks in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. By adopting AWS’s suite of cloud-based solutions, Grab has been able to gain agility and reduce operational costs. Grab uses analytics service AWS Clean Rooms, which enables secure, privacy-preserving data collaboration between different entities and organizations. Grab also leverages AWS’s purpose-built databases and has migrated more than 400 backend application services from traditional virtual servers to AWS Graviton2 processors to drive high performance, as well as cost and energy efficiency. Grab relies on AWS to scale securely, swiftly, and with stability On-demand transactions made by Grab customers were up 22% in the third quarter of 2024. To cater to this surge in demand for services, Grab uses Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) as its transactional database coupled with Amazon DynamoDB. This ensures high availability, scalability, and adaptability of its platform to drive exceptional customer experience fueled by more accurate searchable data. With AWS, Grab seamlessly adapts to evolving customer needs by easily adjusting resources dynamically based on user demand. For example, during peak times like holiday sales, Grab can easily accommodate increased traffic to make transactions across the superapp seamless. Conversely, during off-peak periods, resources can be scaled down to save costs. As it looks to accelerate growth with initiatives focused on affordability, high value offerings, and digital banking, AWS provides Grab with a stable and scalable infrastructure to support this rapid expansion. For instance, Grab continues to scale its revamped Advance Booking feature across the region. It also did a region-wide roll out of its improved Group Order feature and continues to drive adoption for it, making it easier for users to join the group order, track food delivery updates, and split the bill. With AWS, Grab was also able to build and launch digital banks in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as GX Bank in Malaysia, which was launched in under 16 months, scaling rapidly to serve close to one million customers within the first year of launch. Accelerating AI-led growth at Grab with AWS As one of the pioneers of AI adoption in Southeast Asia, Grab is committed to being at the forefront of exploring how the latest AI technologies can better serve and respond to the needs of its users and partners. Catwalk, Grab’s machine learning (ML) model platform, is built on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), and has been used to deploy over 1,000 AI models in production, such as route guidance and pricing. With Catwalk, Grab provides users’ real-time decision-making across its services and delivers personalized experiences like tailored restaurant recommendations, loyalty rewards, and bespoke financial services based on users’ preferences. In addition, Grab uses AWS’s custom-designed AWS Inferentia chips with specialized ML inference capabilities to cost efficiently power its AI-powered services, including map enhancements and fraud detection in its digital banks. Grab also leverages AWS as the underlying compute infrastructure for its many AI initiatives. The superapp stores hundreds of petabytes of data and processes over 200 TB of data—the equivalent of 200,000 full-length movies—on AWS daily. This data forms the foundation of Grab's advanced analytics, ML, and AI initiatives, with AWS powering innovations across the company’s services offerings. Building on AWS’s compute foundations, Grab continues to develop and implement several AI-powered use cases, particularly to improve driver productivity and support merchant growth. By integrating large language models (LLMs) with point-of-interest data and historical customer notes, Grab has refined its last-mile guidance system for delivery partners. This enhancement provides drivers with more precise drop-off instructions, enabling them to complete more trips every hour, leading to higher earnings, while expediting food delivery to consumers. Additionally, Grab has rolled out a new feature that uses AI to create appetizing descriptions of food dishes in five of its eight markets. This has boosted order completion rates, bringing particular benefits to smaller, unique restaurants on the platform and enhancing the overall dining experience for customers. "AWS is proud to support Grab in its mission to drive innovation and enhance customer experiences across Southeast Asia," said Jeff Johnson, managing director, ASEAN at AWS. "By leveraging AWS's unparalleled operational performance, scalability, and cutting-edge technologies, Grab is able to deliver personalized, seamless transactions to millions of users throughout the region. As the leading cloud provider, AWS is uniquely positioned to help Grab optimize its price performance, boost operational efficiency, and continually evolve its broad suite of data-powered services. We're excited to continue collaborating with Grab as it navigates the dynamic landscape of ecommerce and superapp development, ensuring it stays at the forefront of innovation in the digital economy.” About Grab Grab is a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, operating across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors. Serving over 700 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - Grab enables millions of people everyday to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone, and strives to serve a triple bottom line: to simultaneously deliver financial sustainability and have a positive social and environmental impact in Southeast Asia. About Amazon Web Services Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 108 Availability Zones within 34 geographic regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com . About Amazon Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews. ______________________ 1 As of Grab Q3’24 results 2 As per Grab ESG Report 2023 View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204105661/en/ CONTACT: Grab Media Team press@grab.comAmazon.com , Inc. Media Hotline Amazon-pr@amazon.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ASIA PACIFIC NEVADA WASHINGTON INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL TRANSPORT SOFTWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NETWORKS FINANCE INTERNET BANKING DATA MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT DIGITAL CASH MANAGEMENT/DIGITAL ASSETS TECHNOLOGY DELIVERY SERVICES FINTECH DATA ANALYTICS PAYMENTS APPS/APPLICATIONS SOURCE: Amazon.com , Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/04/2024 06:30 PM/DISC: 12/04/2024 06:28 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204105661/en

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Police arrested a 16-year-old student after he allegedly brought a gun to his high school in Kenosha, the second time in less than a month that someone has apparently tried to bring a firearm into one of the southeastern Wisconsin city's schools. Indian Trail High School and Academy's resource officer learned Monday that a photo of the student with a gun had been posted on social media, police said in a statement Wednesday. The student was located, escorted to an office, arrested and taken to the police department. Investigators later determined that the student had hidden a gun in a “sensitive area," making it difficult for officers to locate the weapon initially. The statement did not elaborate, and a police spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking more details late Wednesday afternoon. The student was in custody at a juvenile detention facility on Wednesday awaiting a court hearing, the statement said. Criminal proceedings involving minors and their outcomes are secret in Wisconsin. Kenosha police arrested a 13-year-old boy on Nov. 7 after he tried to bring what police said were “suspicious bags” into Roosevelt Elementary School. Investigators believe the boy was armed, judging by videos of him brandishing what detectives believe was a rifle and comments he made to other students. The teen fled after school staff members moved to question him. Police arrested him at his home later that afternoon.

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Fans joke Wayne Rooney will ‘be able to go to Australia soon’ after his Plymouth side ship 10 goals in dismal five daysUnited Nations: The arrest of a Hindu leader in Dhaka has been “misconstrued” and he was arrested on specific charges, Bangladesh has told a UN forum on minority issues, claiming that there has been no systematic attack on minorities in the country. Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday. He was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on Tuesday. “With utter dismay, we note that the arrest of Chinmoy Das has been misconstrued by some speakers, although he was actually arrested on specific charges. The matter is being dealt with by our court of law,” Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices and other international organisations in Geneva Tareq Md Ariful Islam said. Islam made the statement during the 17th session of the Forum on Minorities Issues that took place in Geneva on November 28-29. After Das, the leader of the Hindu group Sammilita Sanatani Jote, was sent to prison, it triggered protests by Hindus in various locations, including the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chattogram. India has noted the developments with deep concern even as a diplomatic row has erupted between the two South Asian neighbours. During the session, some Bangladeshi NGOs and individuals spoke about the situation in the country. A representative of the International Forum for Secular Bangladesh (IFSB) said that the situation right now in the country is “very alarming” and a “very burning issue.” Referring to Das’ arrest, the representative said that ISKCON is a very popular and peaceful organisation but the former ISKCON leader has been arrested with “nothing accused against him. He was arrested three days before in Dhaka and now Bangladesh every day .... the police, army ... every day, they are torturing the minority.” Islam said that Bangladesh reaffirms that every Bangladeshi, regardless of religious identity, has the right to practice their respective religion or express views freely. “Ensuring safety and security of every citizen, including from the minority community, remains the cornerstone of the interim government of Bangladesh,” Islam said. “This has been repeatedly reassured to minority religious leaders by our top leadership, and proved time and again in the first 100 days” of the interim government led by the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, he added. The post August 5 violence in Bangladesh was rooted in political and personal factors, not sectarian, he noted. “The violence affected people, mostly with partisan political affiliations, almost all of them being Muslims, and only a few from other religious minority groups.” Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system. Three days later, Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government. Ariful Islam said that “there was no systematic attack on minorities” and following the mass uprising in July, the world witnessed “how the entire society of Bangladesh came forward to protect its minorities.” He added that “unfortunately” there have been “a fiery of exaggerated, unfounded and fake reports and deliberate spread of misinformation and disinformation by vested quarters regarding minority persecution. Sadly, we saw it happening at this forum too.” He said the Bangladeshi government “remains vigilant and will continue to act promptly to maintain religious harmony at any cost and thwart any attempt to undermine rights of minorities.” Following this week’s anti-Hindu incidents — including Das’ arrest and attacks on Hindu temples and community members — India on Friday said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus as well as attacks on temples. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that India has taken serious note of incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh and that it is the primary responsibility of Dhaka to protect the life and liberty of all the citizens, including minorities. On the other hand, Bangladesh on Friday expressed deep concern over the violent protest at the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and urged New Delhi to ensure the safety of all its diplomatic missions in India.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says he was surprised by reports of Shaq Barrett's unretirement planmnl168 free bonus codes 。

Never mind that he has recently issued arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Mr. Gallant, Mr. Karim Khan the British national who is the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague was largely a tool in the Western political establishment to embarrass and tarnish non-Western political figures, majorly from Africa, but was recently extended to the Russian leader, President Vladimir Putin. For the same arrest warrant, issued against the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister, the West and the U.S have been violently denouncing the effrontery of the ICC prosecutor to incriminate Mr. Netanyahu as the court indictee. But Mr. Karim Khan himself has a heavy moral albatross hanging on his neck. After his appointment to head the prosecution of the ICC was cheered by key Western countries, including Isreal, he was supposed to function exclusively as an attack dog focused on non-Western political figures. As an extension of the U.S led Western proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, he issued the notorious warrant to arrest Russian leader, whose alleged infraction consisted chiefly in removing children to safety from combat zones. Despite that the allegation for which the arrest warrant was issued cannot stand to any serious legal, let alone moral, scrutiny, the Western political establishment and their affiliated media (which basks in tainted free speech and independence) went to town to smear the Russian leader, claiming their obligation to arrest him, if he steps foot on their soil. Russia, as a non-signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, deplored the arrest warrant and maintained that it neither recognises the court nor is under any obligations to take serious, let alone, carry out its pronouncements. It was obvious from the very beginning that the purported arrest warrant of the Russian leader was a compelling travesty, without any legal value, except for the political embarrassment and intimidation of Moscow. But, even on these, Moscow refuted the slander and the flagging reputation of ICC, fell further to the mud as a mere political tool to intimidate non-Western political figures. Karim Khan, now blustering to fend off allegation of sexual misdemeanor against the staff of his office, comes with the deadly moral stigma of one who came to equity without clean hands. His moral frailty, which has shown in his alleged predatory behaviour against the staff of his office, has also demonstrated his character flaw and why he so fitted in, to take on, the job of a political hunter disguised as an international court prosecutor. With an obvious reputational damage, staring him in the face, the damage control of lamely indicting the Western propped-Israeli Prime Minister, will offer no redemption to the crises of his flaw character. The ICC itself has done very little to shake off, a dominant view on non-Western communities that it is essentially, an institutional political witch-hunt and this account for some of its anomalies, such as Western countries, chiefly, the U.S picking up some of its bills, but stays away from its jurisdiction. Mr. Karim Khan like the ICC itself has so much soul-searching to do, as to their relevance in an emerging trends of multilateralism with implications for broader and wider institutional representations for genuinely global governance.

India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies at 92

NoneA wild first season of the expanded Big 12 is down to what should be a chaotic final weekend. Through all the upsets, unexpected rises and falls, there are nine teams still in the mix to play in the conference championship game. No. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Iowa State have the best odds, yet a multitude of scenarios could play out — 256 to be exact. There's even the possibility of an eight-team tie. It may take a mathematician to figure out which teams are in the Dec. 7 game in Arlington, Texas — even for the ones who win. Star power Travis Hunter, Colorado. The Buffaloes' two-way star has excelled on both sides of the field, making him one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State. The senior running back can do a little of everything, but excels at punishing would-be tacklers. He's one of the nation's leaders in yards after contact and the focal point of the Sun Devils' offense. People are also reading... Shadeur Sanders, Colorado. If it weren't for Hunter, Sanders might be the Heisman favorite. The son of coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur is fifth nationally with 3,488 yards passing and has been a big part of the Buffaloes' turnaround. DJ Giddens, Kansas State. The Wildcats' running back is one of the nation's most versatile players. He is ninth nationally with 1,271 rushing yards and has added 21 receptions for 258 yards. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona. The Wildcats have struggled this season, but McMillan has not. He is third nationally with 1,251 receiving yards with seven touchdowns on 78 catches. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech. The Red Raiders' junior linebacker leads the Big 12 with 68 tackles, averaging 10.2 per game. He also has four sacks. Brendan Mott, Kansas State. He's a menace to opposing quarterbacks, leading the Big 12 with 8 1/2 sacks. Going bowling The Big 12 has nine teams already bowl eligible and two more a win away. The winner of the Big 12 championship game will be in the mix for a College Football Playoff spot. Arizona State, Iowa State, No. 19 BYU, Colorado, Kansas State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia have already clinched bowl berths. Kansas and Cincinnati can get into the postseason with wins this weekend. Hot seats Gus Malzahn, UCF. Despite successes in recruiting, the Knights are 10-14 in two seasons since moving to the Big 12. Maybe not enough to get shown the door this year, but another mediocre season could lead UCF to make a change. Kyle Whittingham, Utah. Whittingham was one of the Pac-12's best coaches, leading the Utes to consecutive conference titles. Utah was expected to contend for the Big 12 title its first year in the league, but enters the final weekend 1-7 in conference play, which could push Whittingham toward retirement since it's doubtful he'd be fired. Neal Brown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers' coach was in a precarious spot at the end of last season and West Virginia hasn't lived up to expectations this season. The Mountaineers are eligible to go to a bowl game for the second straight season, but Brown could be on the hot seat even after signing a contract extension before the season. Youth movement Josiah Trotter, West Virginia. The redshirt freshman is the latest Trotter to have success at the linebacker position, following the footsteps of his father, former Philadelphia Eagles player Jeremiah Trotter, and brother Jeremiah Trotter Jr., a current Eagles linebacker. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State. The Michigan State transfer has been just what the Sun Devils' needed: an agile quarterback who extends plays with his legs and rarely makes bad decisions. Bryson Washington, Baylor. The Bears' running back has rushed for 812 yards — 196 against TCU — and 10 TDs. Recruiting watch TCU has the Big 12's highest rated 2025 recruiting class with six four-star players among 26 commitments, according to the 247 Sports composite. Receiver Terry Shelton of Carrollton, Texas, is the highest-rated recruit at 71st nationally. Baylor is next with five five-star players among its 20 commitments, including running back Michael Turner, rated 13th at his position out of North Richland Hills, Texas. Texas Tech is ranked seventh in the Big 12, but has four four-star recruits. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

The Prime Minister insisted the UK will back Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as he made a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, but for the first time acknowledged the conflict could move towards a negotiated end. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in recent weeks suggested he is open to a possible ceasefire with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Kyiv and its European allies meanwhile fear the advent of Donald Trump’s return to the White House could result in American aid being halted. President-elect Trump has said he would prefer to move towards a peace deal, and has claimed he could end the conflict on “day one” of his time in power. As he attempts to strike up a good relationship with the incoming president, Sir Keir revealed he had told Mr Trump the UK “will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come”. In his speech at London’s Guildhall, the Prime Minister said there is “no question it is right we support Ukraine”, as the UK’s aid to Kyiv is “deeply in our self-interest”. Allowing Russia to win the war would mean “other autocrats would believe they can follow Putin’s example,” he warned. Sir Keir added: “So we must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as it takes. “To put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence, and right to choose their own future.” Mr Zelensky told Sky News over the weekend he would be open to speaking with Mr Putin, but branded the Russian president a “terrorist”. He also suggested Ukrainian territory under his control should be taken under the “Nato umbrella” to try to stop the “hot stage” of the war with Russia. In a banquet speech focused on foreign affairs, the Prime Minister said it was “plain wrong” to suggest the UK must choose between its allies, adding: “I reject it utterly. “(Clement) Attlee did not choose between allies. (Winston) Churchill did not choose. “The national interest demands that we work with both.” Sir Keir said the UK and the US were “intertwined” when it came to commerce, technology and security. The Prime Minister added: “That’s why, when President Trump graciously hosted me for dinner in Trump Tower, I told him that we will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come.” He also repeated his commitment to “rebuild our ties with Europe” and insisted he was right to try to build closer links with China. “It is remarkable that until I met President Xi last month there had been no face-to-face meeting between British and Chinese leaders for six years,” the Prime Minister said. “We can’t simply look the other way. We need to engage. To co-operate, to compete and to challenge on growth, on security concerns, on climate as well as addressing our differences in a full and frank way on issues like Hong Kong, human rights, and sanctions on our parliamentarians,” he added. The Prime Minister said he wants Britain’s role in the world to be that of “a constant and responsible actor in turbulent times”. He added: “To be the soundest ally and to be determined, always, in everything we do. “Every exchange we have with other nations, every agreement we enter into to deliver for the British people and show, beyond doubt, that Britain is back.” Ahead of Sir Keir’s speech, Lord Mayor Alastair King urged the Prime Minister and his Government to loosen regulations on the City of London to help it maintain its competitive edge. In an echo of Sir Keir’s commitment to drive the UK’s economic growth, the Lord Mayor said: “The idealist will dream of growth, but the pragmatist understands that our most effective machinery to drive growth is here in the City, in the hands of some of the brightest and most committed people that you will find anywhere in the world.”

Mikaela Shiffrin’s 100th World Cup Victory: A Dramatic SetbackPackers wide receiver Romeo Doubs leaves game because of concussion

The US president-elect, Donald Trump, clarified his intentions regarding cryptocurrency before the elections started. He clarified that he is a crypto pro and will bring more innovations to the industry. This has already triggered the bull market in cryptocurrencies, and the DTX Exchange is one of the most beneficial beneficiaries of the move. DTX Exchange is no ordinary exchange; it is an innovation in the exchange industry with a hybrid protocol. DTX Exchange is the intersection of traditional and digital exchanges. The project is currently running its presale and is among the top ICOs in 2024. DTX Exchange’s Revolutionary Features Attract Traders DTX Exchange offers much more than existing exchanges in CEX and DEX. It is the pioneer in the hybrid trading space, providing traders with a platform to trade 120,000+ instruments in over 13,000 assets, including Gold, stocks, forex, crypto, etc. The recent inclusion of RWAs (Real World Assets) has added more advantages to the exchange as the tokenized industry is growing exponentially. DTX Exchange operates on VulcanX blockchain technology, which is the core of its hybrid nature. It also increases the exchange’s speed, achieving a speed of 0.4ms. The fee reduction in DTX Exchange is possible because VulcanX enhances efficiency. The blockchain has already been tested and has achieved 10,000 TPS, which is among the industry’s highest. The trading platform has an arsenal of tools like algo and quant trading, which are crucial for fast execution. It also provides 1,000x leverage , so with a fund of $10, a trader can make a position of upto $10,000 in assets like Bitcoin and NVIDIA. 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Analyzing the fundamentals, the current price of $0.1 is quite undervalued, which is a perfect opportunity for investors. According to crypto experts, DTX can reach upto $14, creating an opportunity for 13,900% gains. With this projection, $500 invested at a $0.1 token price could rise upto $70,000 as the token goes live. Investment in DTX Exchange is one of the best ways to take full benefit of the bull market. Learn more: Buy Presale Visit DTX Website Join The DTX CommunityWild first season in expanded Big 12 comes down to final weekendNEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users' listening habits and year in audio. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * NEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users' listening habits and year in audio. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? NEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users’ listening habits and year in audio. Spotify has been giving its listeners breakdowns of their data since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production — and internet sensation. Spotify said its 2023 Wrapped was the “biggest ever created,” in terms of audience reach and the kind of data it provided. So, what will 2024 have in store? Here’s a look at what to know ahead of this year’s Spotify Wrapped. What exactly is Spotify Wrapped? It’s the streaming service’s annual overview of individual listening trends, as well as trends around the world. Users learn their top artists, songs, genres, albums and podcasts, all wrapped into one interactive presentation. The campaign has become a social media sensation, as people share and compare their Wrapped data with their friends and followers online. Past iterations have provided users with all kinds of breakdowns and facts, including whether they’re among an artist’s top listeners, as well as a personalized playlist of their top 100 songs of that year to save, share and listen to whenever they’re feeling nostalgic. Spotify also creates a series of playlists that reflect national and global listening trends, featuring the top streamed artists and songs. In 2023, Taylor Swift was Spotify’s most streamed artist, unseating Bad Bunny who had held the title for three years in a row. Each year has something new in store. In 2019, Wrapped included a summary of users’ streaming trends for the entire decade. Last year, Spotify matched listeners to a Sound Town based on their artist affinities and how it lined up with those in other parts of the world. When is the expected release date? So far, the streaming platform has kept the highly anticipated release date of Wrapped under ... er, wraps. In past years, it’s been released after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. Each year, rumors tend to swell on social media around when Spotify stops collecting data in order to prepare their Wrapped results, and this year was no exception. Spotify quickly squashed those presumptions, assuring on social media that “Spotify Wrapped doesn’t stop counting on October 31st.” A representative for Spotify did not respond to a request for comment on when the company stops tracking data for Wrapped. Where can I find my Spotify Wrapped? When Wrapped is released, each user’s Spotify account will prompt them to view their interactive data roundup. It can be accessed through the Spotify smartphone app, or by logging on to the Spotify website. Wrapped is available to users with and without Premium subscriptions. What else can I learn with my Spotify data? There are a handful of third-party sites that you can connect your Spotify account to that will analyze your Wrapped data. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI bot that judges your music taste. Receiptify gives you your top songs on a sharable graphic that looks like, yes, a receipt. Instafest gives you your own personal music festival-style lineup based on your top artists. How NPRCore Are You assesses how similar your music taste is to NPR Music’s. What if I don’t have Spotify? Other major streaming platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube Music have developed their own versions of Wrapped in recent years. Apple Music’s Replay not only gives its subscribers a year-end digest of their listening habits but monthly summaries as well — a feature that helps differentiate itself from the one-time Spotify recap. That’s released at the end of the calendar year. YouTube Music, meanwhile, has a similar end-of-the-year release for its listeners, as well as periodic seasonal releases throughout the year. It released its annual Recap for users earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement

A stroke changed a teacher’s life. How a new electrical device is helping her moveGREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs left his team’s game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday because of a concussion. Doubs’ injury came on a third-quarter play in the end zone that resulted in a pass interference penalty against San Francisco’s Renardo Green. Doubs stayed down briefly after the play, then got up slowly before heading to the sideline. He went into the injury tent before walking to the locker room. The Packers then announced Doubs was out for the rest of the game because of a concussion. He had three catches for 54 yards before leaving. San Francisco defensive tackle Jordan Elliott left in the first half of the game to get evaluated for a concussion and was ruled out at halftime. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to a “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 p.m.” Singh was being treated for “age-related medical conditions,” the statement said. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament's Upper House, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi . Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years.” “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on the social platform X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible.” Rahul Gandhi, from the same party as Singh and the opposition leader in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” “I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote on X. The United States offered its condolences, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that Singh was “one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.” “We mourn Dr. Singh’s passing and will always remember his dedication to bringing the United States and India closer together,” Blinken said. Born on Sept. 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India, Singh’s brilliant academic career took him to Cambridge University in Britain, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then got his doctorate in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Singh taught at Panjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics before joining the Indian government in 1971 as economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. In 1982, he became chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He also served as deputy chair of the Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India. As finance minister, Singh in 1991 instituted reforms that opened up the economy and moved India away from a socialist-patterned economy and toward a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, skirting a potential economic crisis. His accolades include the 1987 Padma Vibhushan Award, India’s second-highest civilian honor; the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995; and the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Singh was a member of India’s Upper House of Parliament and was leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before he was named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and made a public apology in Parliament for the 1984 Sikh Massacre in which some 3,000 Sikhs were killed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards. Under Singh, India adopted a Right to Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency from government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in implementing a welfare scheme that guaranteed at least 100 paid workdays for Indian rural citizens. The coalition government he headed for a decade brought together politicians and parties with differing ideologies that were rivals in the country’s various states. In a move hailed as one of his biggest achievements apart from economic reforms, Singh ended India’s nuclear isolation by signing a deal with the U.S. that gave India access to American nuclear technology. But the deal hit his government adversely, with Communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the agreement growing within India in 2008 when it was finalized. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach, pursuing a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. But his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a massive gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008. He also tried to end the border dispute with China, brokering a deal to reopen the Nathu La pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years. His 1965 book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth,” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy. Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters. Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.

NoneHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania conceded his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick on Thursday, as a statewide recount showed no signs of closing the gap and his campaign suffered repeated blows in court in its effort to get potentially favorable ballots counted. Casey’s concession comes more than two weeks after Election Day, as a grindingly slow ballot-counting process became a spectacle of hours-long election board meetings, social media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that some county officials were openly flouting the law. Republicans had been claiming that Democrats were trying to steal McCormick’s seat by counting “illegal votes.” Casey’s campaign had accused of Republicans of trying to block enough votes to prevent him from pulling ahead and winning. In a statement, Casey said he had just called McCormick to congratulate him. “As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last," Casey said. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. As of Thursday, McCormick led by about 16,000 votes out of almost 7 million ballots counted. That was well within the 0.5% margin threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. But no election official expected a recount to change more than a couple hundred votes or so, and Pennsylvania's highest court dealt him a blow when it refused entreaties to allow counties to count mail-in ballots that lacked a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority next year in the U.S. Senate. ___ Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter Marc Levy, The Associated Pressmnl168 free bonus no deposit 2021 。

Seven & i weighs sale of York Holdings specialty stores33 Products I Wish Everyone Knew About

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lee Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEE), a leading provider of trusted local journalism across the United States, today announced a first-of-its-kind content partnership with ProRata.ai , an innovator in artificial intelligence-driven solutions. This partnership marks a pivotal milestone in the evolution of hyper-personalized local content and real-time advertising solutions tailored to the unique needs of local search and AI search engines. Through this partnership, Lee Enterprises and ProRata.ai will collaborate on groundbreaking technology integration and co-development efforts to bring a cutting-edge attribution platform to local media. The alliance aims to redefine how local news and advertising are delivered, enabling hyper-personalized content experiences and seamless real-time advertising production at an unprecedented scale. “This partnership is a monumental step forward for Lee Enterprises as we continue to lead the transformation of local media,” said Kevin Mowbray, Chief Executive Officer of Lee Enterprises Inc. “By joining forces with ProRata.ai , we are not only embracing innovation but also creating meaningful solutions that connect local audiences and businesses in ways never before imagined. Together, we are shaping the future of news and advertising.” The agreement, as outlined in the recently signed term sheet, establishes the foundation for a series of transformative initiatives, including: Hyper-Personalized Local Content : Leveraging ProRata’s offerings to deliver tailored news and information that meets the unique interests and needs of individual users. Real-Time Advertising Solutions : Co-developing technology that enables the dynamic creation and placement of ads within local search and answer engines, maximizing relevance and engagement. Seamless Integration of AI in Local Media : Exploring opportunities to integrate AI-driven insights, automation, and innovation into Lee’s digital properties and advertising ecosystem. “ProRata.AI is incredibly proud to partner with Lee Enterprises to create a model for the future of local media,” said Bill Gross, ProRata.AI Founder and CEO. “Our collaboration reflects our shared vision of pioneering sustainable economic and ethical attribution models for creators in the era of generative AI. As both companies move forward, this partnership lays the groundwork for further innovation in local media and advertising. Lee Enterprises and ProRata.ai are committed to exploring additional opportunities for technology integration and co-development, driving digital transformation, and delivering unparalleled value to readers, advertisers, and local communities. About Lee Enterprises Inc. Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a trusted local news provider serving 73 markets in 26 states. With a dedication to quality journalism and digital innovation, Lee delivers valuable content and advertising solutions to its communities and partners. For more information, visit www.lee.net . About ProRata.ai Founded in 2024 by Bill Gross at Idealab Studio, ProRata’s mission is to ensure that generative AI platforms compensate and credit content owners for the use of their material. ProRata builds technology that enables generative AI platforms to attribute contributing content sources and share revenues on a per-use basis, protecting and rewarding creators while helping to prevent unreliable content from compromising AI results. For more information, please visit prorata.ai . Contact: IR@lee.net (563) 383-2100

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(Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries clamp down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border illegally. On China, the president-elect accused Beijing of not taking strong enough action to stop the flow of illicit drugs crossing the border into the U.S. from Mexico. "Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America," Trump said. Trump has previously pledged to end China's most-favored-nation trading status and slap tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term. The Chinese economy is in a much more vulnerable position given the country's prolonged property downturn, debt risks and weak domestic demand. The dollar rose more than 2% against the Mexican peso after Trump posted on his social media platform. Mexico's foreign ministry and its economy ministry did not have an immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. The Chinese embassy in Washington, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to separate requests for comment. (Reporting by Jasper Ward and Costas Pitas; additional reporting by David Ljunggren and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Jacqueline Wong)San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jon Feliciano was a key part of last year's team that came within a play of winning Super Bowl 58, with an injury to his knee playing a critical role in their eventual overtime demise. Feliciano was reduced to spectator as his replacement at right guard, Spencer Burford, committed a key error in protection to allow Chris Jones to scream through unblocked and prevent Brock Purdy from throwing a red zone touchdown on the Niners' only overtime possession against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now that same injury may well signal the end of Feliciano's career. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Monday that Feliciano would remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season, his knee having not responded as they wanted after opening his 21-day practice window. "Jon is going to stay on IR," said Shanahan. "Knee hasn't responded the right way, so unfortunately for Jon, and us, but just had a talk with him here a little bit ago and he's going to have to stay on IR." It is a significant blow to the depth of an offensive line that is struggling on the interior, with starting guards Aaron Banks (concussion) and Dominick Puni (shoulder) both doubts for Week 13 and center Jake Brendel continuing to attract criticism for his performances. But specifically for Feliciano, it is a setback that looks like it could lead to him hanging up the cleats. Tried my hardest. Father Time real. Hoping this ain’t the end but if it is, Hell of a ride He indicated as much in a post on X on Monday, writing: "Tried my hardest. Father Time real. Hoping this ain’t the end but if it is, Hell of a ride." It would be a real shame for Feliciano, who is still only 32, if this is the end. He was one of the 49ers' best run blockers last season, while his ability to play both center and guard has provided San Francisco with some useful roster flexibility up front. Stepping it at left guard or center was likely Feliciano's best path towards playing starter snaps in 2024, with rookie third-round pick Puni making the right guard spot his own as the cream of a strong rookie class. Now with Feliciano on the shelf, the 49ers may need to find new solutions on the interior of the trenches, an area of the roster that will likely require significant attention in the offseason regardless of whether San Francisco succeeds in righting the ship this year. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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House Ethics report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid thousands for sex and drugs

Mickey, Minnie, Goffy and Wemby

Most people are divided into one of two groups: those who rise with the sun and those who stay up well past it. They are often called “chickens” and “night owls.” The chickens are the early risers, the ones who were up with the rooster, ready to start the day at the crack of dawn. The night owls, on the other hand, come to life once the stars come out, often working, socializing, or winding down long after the chickens have gone to bed. This division isn’t just a quirky way to describe people; it’s a lifestyle. Each of these types has a biological clock that ticks in its own way. Chickens are morning people. They’re the ones who’ve had their coffee, fed the livestock, and maybe even read the morning paper before most people even hit the snooze button for the first time. The night owls, however, don’t get started until most of us are winding down. They’re the ones who’d rather stay up late with a good book, binge a TV show, or keep working until the moon’s high in the sky. But then, twice a year, a little thing called daylight saving time comes along and messes with it all. Whether you’re a chicken or a night owl, that switch from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time throws off your internal clock and forces everyone to adjust—sometimes grumpily, sometimes reluctantly, but always in the same way. For us chickens, the morning light is a treasure. There’s something peaceful about it—everything seems quieter before the world gets moving. It’s the best time to get things done without distractions. You’ve got a few hours in the morning to yourself before the busyness of the day kicks in. The sun comes up early, the air is crisp, and you feel like you’ve got the whole world ahead of you. For people like me, the first cup of coffee tastes better when the world’s still asleep, and there’s time to think, plan, or even get ahead at work. I’ve always been this way – I can still hear my dad saying on an early Saturday morning, “Can you not sleep later at least one day?” My wife would agree— even on vacation, I’m up and ready to go early – though I won’t say to her, “We’re burning daylight!” But daylight saving time changes make that peaceful early morning feel a bit less peaceful. But here’s the thing about my internal clock: it doesn’t really change. I still wake up around the same time, about 4:00 a.m., give or take a few minutes. Hmmm, or maybe that’s 5:00 a.m.? Even though the clocks say it’s later, my body is still in that old rhythm, the one I’ve followed for years. My eyes open, and I’m wide awake—ready to start the day. And that throws everything off. In the spring, usually in March, clocks are set forward by one hour—Spring Forward. This means the day technically starts an hour later, but people get more daylight in the evening. Because I’ve gotten up early based on my internal clock and now have a few extra hours of daylight, it feels like I should keep working longer into the day, almost as if the sun is giving me permission to stretch the day out. The light lasts longer, so why not keep going? Before I know it, I’m working until dusk, maybe later. It’s not that I have to, but it just feels natural. I’m taking advantage of the longer days and the extra sunlight, even if it means getting less sleep. And I do—until the sun sets, and then I wonder why I’m so tired the next day. But then, in the fall, when Fall Back happens, we set the clocks back by one hour. For the chickens like me, it feels like a little victory—an extra hour of sleep that the body craves after the longer days of spring and summer. The sun comes up earlier, which means our internal clocks are a little more aligned with the actual daylight hours. However, it’s not all smooth sailing. The days start to get shorter, and soon, that extra hour of sleep is overshadowed by the earlier sunsets. Even though we get up earlier in the day, the daylight seems to vanish too soon. The sense of productivity and energy I feel in the mornings starts to fade faster as the evening sets in earlier. But the adjustment for night owls is a different story. While they may appreciate the idea of getting an extra hour of sleep at first, they’re soon dealing with the flip side of Fall Back—the loss of those long, light-filled evenings. The sun sets an hour earlier, and the natural light they depend on to fuel their evening activities starts to shrink. For night owls, this shift can throw off their rhythm, making it harder to stay active or stay up as late as they’d like. On the flip side, you’ve got the night owls—my wife’s one of ‘em. While the chickens are settling in for the night, the night owls are just getting fired up. For a lot of them, whether they’re out hitting a few balls on the golf course, doing late-night cleaning, or just sittin’ around with friends—that extra daylight in the evening is a real blessing. They don’t mind burning the midnight oil; they thrive on it. For folks like that, daylight saving time is a gift. While I’m nodding off in my chair, my wife’s deciding it’s the perfect time to crank up the vacuum. But as much as the extra daylight seems like a blessing to night owls, daylight saving time messes with their sleep schedule just as much as it does the chickens. The clocks don’t just change once—they change twice a year, every year, like some kind of cruel joke. It’s easy to get caught up in the back-and-forth of it all—the changing of the clocks, the constant battle with our own sleep rhythms. The truth is the real time doesn’t change at all. The only thing that shifts is the way we’re told to set the clocks. The actual position of the sun doesn’t adjust to fit daylight savings. Adjusting to daylight saving time isn’t just about flipping a switch and resetting the clocks. It’s a mental and physical process that takes time. Our bodies don’t just instantly accept the change. There’s a whole period of grogginess, a kind of mental fog that sets in when you’re trying to adjust to the new rhythm. Your body knows it’s supposed to be doing something—getting up, going to bed, being alert—but the clock tells you otherwise. That’s why we all end up dragging ourselves through the first few days of daylight saving time, trying to adjust to a new rhythm that’s dictated not by the sun or the moon, but by the arbitrary movement of the hands on a clock. Whether you’re up with the sun or bustling after dark, daylight saving time messes with everyone. It’s proof we’re all just trying to keep up with the clock—and maybe why some hit the snooze a little too often.Home entertainment holiday gift ideas at a discountPeter Dutton torpedoed bipartisan move after synagogue firebombing, Labor MP saysScheifele shines against Leafs