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VPD warns of ticket scams ahead of Taylor Swift concertsWASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies.

'Dirty Dancing,' 'Beverly Hills Cop,' 'Up in Smoke' among movies entering the National Film Registry

Playboi Carti’s YouTube Gets Hacked With Fake “I Am Music” Album Following Fans Mass Outrage'Dirty Dancing,' 'Beverly Hills Cop,' 'Up in Smoke' among movies entering the National Film Registry

FREDERICTON — Some nasty weather is headed toward parts of the Maritimes over the next few days, bringing with it a mix of freezing rain, rain and snow. Environment Canada says Fredericton could see freezing rain Sunday, followed by rain and a mix of rain and snow late on New Year's Day. The forecast for Charlottetown includes periods of freezing drizzle for Sunday and then rain until the end of the year, with temperatures going up to 8 C. Halifax is also expected to see periods of drizzle and rain through New Year's Day with the mercury set to reach 8 C on New Year's Eve. Donald Wright, a professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick and a contributor to Yale Climate Connections at Yale University, says the Maritimes – like the rest of Canada – are not immune from a warming climate. He says long-term weather patterns in New Brunswick are changing due to global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2024. The Canadian Press

You Probably Don't Know What The Brand Name ASUS Stands For's hopes of lifting his first silverware since moving to in were dented on Friday after they were beaten 2-1 at home by . Ronaldo, 38, opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, reacting fastest to some suspect goalkeeping and slamming home from close range. However, that lead did not last long. levelled the affair just five minutes later, chesting down a looping cross from the left byline before finishing adeptly. Quiñones then turned provider in the second half after Al Nassr failed to convert a considerable possession advantage into meaningful chances. The -born international acrobatically controlled a cross at the far post and directed it back across goal with his first touch to where former and star waited unmarked to give the visitors the lead. Ronaldo and his teammates worked hard to force an equaliser but were unable to breach Koen Casteels' net and fell to a defeat that could have serious implications for their league-title challenge. Stefano Pioli's team remain third in the but are six points behind leaders and reigning champions having played a game more. Al Qadsiah move fifth with the win, level on points with Al Nassr and .FOOTIE ace Jorginho lost form after leaving his two lucky bracelets with a beautician pal at the centre of a Ring doorbell row with his fiancée. The Arsenal star , 33, took off the charms during a meeting with Vanessa Sandora. He asked for them back but Vanessa, 39, could not find them. The midfielder’s Chelsea form slumped and later he was sold to Arsenal for £12million. This month his fiancée Catherine Harding, 34, arrived at Vanessa’s London home at 11.30pm asking about her and the star. Vanessa explained they had met in the past but had not had any contact since. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS Vanessa told The Sun on Sunday: “At one of our meetings, Jorginho took off his beaded bracelets. “He left them behind. “I didn’t think much about it. “I heard he wanted them back but I couldn’t find them anywhere. Most read in Football “Afterwards his form for Chelsea dipped and I was told by friends he blamed the fact he wasn’t wearing his lucky bracelets. “Apparently they’d been blessed in a church. “Without them he felt he wasn’t the same player.” Vanessa added: “After our third meeting, we continued to message. “But we didn’t meet again and I deleted Jorginho from social media in December 2022. “I thought that was the end of it.” Last week The Sun on Sunday told how Catherine visited Vanessa on December 4. In a chat captured on her Ring doorbell, Vanessa said she had met Jorginho but added: “He’s not my type, and I’m not into football, so I was pretty unfazed.” Vanessa and Jorginho matched on dating app Raya in 2019, the year he met Catherine. READ MORE SUN STORIES The couple have a son, four, got engaged a year ago, and star in Amazon Prime’s Married to the Game . Jorginho and Catherine were asked for comment.

AP News Summary at 4:46 p.m. ESTPep Guardiola admits he is questioning himself after Man City lose to Juventus

NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Zona's 15 points off the bench led Fordham to an 87-83 victory over Albany (NY) on Saturday. Zona shot 5 for 7, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Rams (8-5). Jahmere Tripp added 14 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line while they also had six rebounds and three steals. Jackie Johnson III shot 4 for 14 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. The Great Danes (7-7) were led by Amar'e Marshall, who recorded 24 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Albany (NY) also got 19 points, eight rebounds and two steals from Justin Neely. Byron Joshua finished with 16 points and five assists. Josh Rivera scored 11 points in the first half for Fordham, who led 46-35 at halftime. Fordham took the lead for good with 12:53 left in the second half on a 3-pointer from Zona to make it a 57-54 game. Fordham's next game is Tuesday against Saint Louis at home. Albany (NY) hosts Stony Brook on Sunday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Q: This past spring, we tried starting some of our own plants from seed indoors, but they got tall, spindly and weak by the time we wanted to plant them outdoors. What did we do wrong? — Tyler P. A: Seedlings growing tall and spindly indoors is an age-old problem, and the same wisdom holds true now that it did years ago. The problem occurs if plants are started too early and the light level isn’t intense enough. ADVERTISEMENT Because plants grow at different rates, some types need to be started very early, while others should wait until April for seeding indoors. Begonias and onions require many weeks to grow and can be seeded in February. March 1 is the recommended date for seeding petunias, impatiens, coleus and snapdragons. March 15 is the date to seed peppers, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Tomatoes and marigolds should wait until April 1, and zinnias until April 15. If seeds are started earlier than their recommended date, plants can languish indoors, becoming lanky and weak. In addition, seedlings need high light levels to remain stocky and strong. Plants grown with too little light often stretch and become weak-stemmed. Seedlings can be grown in a sunny window, but many windows don’t receive full, all-day sunshine as the sun moves across the sky, unless the windows are very wide. The short days of winter and early spring also keep light levels lower than seedlings prefer. A perfect way to provide seedlings with optimal light is with artificial lights, which can be standard LEDs, fluorescent, or special plant-type lights. Tube-type bulbs distribute light over seedling trays better than round bulbs. Seedling trays should be kept within several inches of the bulbs. Lights can be set on a timer with 16 hours on and eight hours off, similar to humans getting the recommended eight hours of sleep, which is how I remember it. Q: Thanks for the recent article on Blue By You salvia. Do you know where we can purchase this perennial come spring? — Rachelle S. A: Blue By You perennial salvia, an All-America Selections award winner and an outstanding feature in our perennial beds and landscapes, has been on the market for about two years, which is relatively recent as new plants go. ADVERTISEMENT As with many new cultivars, it takes time for new plant material to be widely available. Your best bet is to contact locally owned garden centers and inquire, which can be done now. This can give garden centers the opportunity to order the plants if they haven’t already. With the tens of thousands of plant cultivars available, no garden center can stock them all, but if they receive requests for specific types, they can often add them to their selection. Garden centers plan their inventory far in advance of the spring season, so the earlier a request is made, the more likely it can be fulfilled. Q: I know you prefer starting cuttings, such as houseplants, in mixtures of vermiculite, sand or potting mix instead of water. I’m curious why that is. Sometimes I have luck in water, but sometimes the cuttings rot. — Jenny S. A: Some plant types, such as pothos, root very easily in water and can even grow in water for many weeks. Other cutting types rot easily in water, which is why a solid-type medium often works best for coaxing cuttings to root. Sometimes I use high-quality potting mix, other times vermiculite, perlite or sand, and sometimes mixtures. Besides being less prone to rotting, starting cuttings in a solid-type medium has another important advantage. Roots that form in water are accustomed to growing in water, and when the cuttings are transferred into potting mix, there can be a stressful period of adjustment and shock. When roots begin forming in solid media, they are often more fibrous, well-branched and less gangly. Because they’re accustomed to growing in a solid medium, there’s usually less transplant shock when transferred into potting mix. For easy-to-root plants, rooting in water is handy, but solid media has distinct advantages. ADVERTISEMENT If you have a gardening or lawn care question, email Don Kinzler, NDSU Extension-Cass County, at donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu . Questions with broad appeal may be published, so please include your name, city and state for appropriate advice.

As science continues its evolution, discoveries and technologies can act like a master key that open doors leading to novel advancements. Artificial intelligence is one such key, making innovations possible by solving complex problems, automating tasks and enabling research that would have been impossible, or very time-consuming, without it. But do we want to do research on all topics, and shall we try the AI master key on every door? To explore this question, let’s consider the use of AI by genomics experts as an example. In recent years, genomics experts have added unbelievable depth to what we know about the world and ourselves. For example, genetics researchers have revealed facts about when certain animals and plants were domesticated. In another example, researchers used DNA from 30,000-year-old permafrost to create fertile samples of a plant called narrow-leafed campion. Importantly, genetic engineering has facilitated extraordinary advances in the treatment of complicated conditions, such as sickle-cell anemia. Thanks to AI, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in the pace and scalability of genomic exploration. But given the risks and possible consequences of AI use in science, should we rush headlong into using AI in all kinds of projects? One relevant example is research on Neanderthals, our closest relatives, who lived about 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals have been studied for several years now through genetic investigation of their fossils and their DNA. Genetic engineering can potentially use ancient DNA- and genome- editing methods to re-create a Neanderthal or aspects of a Neanderthal’s genetics and physiology. To do this, scientists could start by figuring out the DNA sequence of a Neanderthal by comparing it with the DNA of modern humans, because they are closely related. Then, scientists could use the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR to swap out parts of human DNA with Neanderthal DNA. This process would require a lot of trial and error and might not succeed soon. But based on what we know about genetics, if something is possible, AI can help make it happen faster, cheaper and with less effort. Scientists are excited about these developments because they could facilitate new discoveries and open up many research opportunities in genetic research. With or without AI, research on Neanderthals will proceed. But the extraordinary power of AI could give the final push to these discoveries and facilitate this kind of resurrection. At that point, the scientific community must develop norms and guidelines about how to treat these resurrected beings with dispositions very similar to humans. We would need to carefully consider their rights and well-being almost in the same way as when humans are involved and not as research subjects or artifacts of scientific curiosity. These ethical issues are discussed in more detail in a new paper published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. A more holistic question to consider is: Should we prioritize the use of resource-intensive AI, researchers’ time and public funds to resurrect extinct beings? Or should we invest these resources into conserving species that are critically endangered today to prevent biodiversity from more degradation? Hosseini is an assistant professor in the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He wrote this for The Chicago Tribune . Get local news delivered to your inbox!

The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship. “It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here, and get some utility out of (the ships) by making them into a hypersonic platform,” said Bryan Clark, a defence analyst at the Hudson Institute. The US has had several types of hypersonic weapons in development for the past two decades, but recent tests by both Russia and China have added pressure to the US military to hasten their production. Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added manoeuvrability making them harder to shoot down. Last year, The Washington Post newspaper reported that among the documents leaked by former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was a defence department briefing that confirmed China had recently tested an intermediate-range hypersonic weapon called the DF-27. While the Pentagon had previously acknowledged the weapon’s development, it had not recognised its testing. One of the US programmes in development and planned for the Zumwalt is the Conventional Prompt Strike. It would launch like a ballistic missile and then release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would travel at speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target. The weapon system is being developed jointly by the Navy and Army. Each of the three Zumwalt-class destroyers would be equipped with four missile tubes, each with three of the missiles for a total of 12 hypersonic weapons per ship. In choosing the Zumwalt, the Navy is attempting to add to the usefulness of a 7.5 billion US dollars (£5.9 billion) warship that is considered by critics to be an expensive mistake despite serving as a test platform for multiple innovations. The Zumwalt was envisioned as providing land-attack capability with an advanced gun system with rocket-assisted projectiles to open the way for Marines to charge ashore. But the system featuring 155mm guns hidden in stealthy turrets was cancelled because each of the rocket-assisted projectiles cost up to one million dollars (£790,000). Despite the stain on their reputation, the three Zumwalt-class destroyers: Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor and Lyndon B Johnson; remain the Navy’s most advanced surface warships in terms of new technologies. Those innovations include electric propulsion, an angular shape to minimise radar signature, an unconventional wave-piercing hull, automated fire and damage control and a composite deckhouse that hides radar and other sensors. The US is accelerating development because hypersonics have been identified as vital to US national security with “survivable and lethal capabilities”, said James Weber, principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies. “Fielding new capabilities that are based on hypersonic technologies is a priority for the defence department to sustain and strengthen our integrated deterrence, and to build enduring advantages,” he said.Mountains that reach to the skies complemented by cascading tresses of waterfalls and trees, and at its feet, hemmed like frills in a dress made for a fancy ball parade, the tiers of vegetable cultivation where one witnesses the producing of a diverse range of vegetation. Police personnel on horses doing their rounds across the city, more as an exercise for the animals than a security inspection, following a tradition that was enforced during British colonial rule where the identity of ‘Little England’ was established in Nuwara Eliya. Abandoned looking ponies and cows wandering aimless along the roads and often getting drenched in the rain and frisking about in the sun. The mist that wraps the mountain tops and the almost perpetual iconic Nuwara Eliya drizzle that seams up the skies with the earth, punctuated by the sharp bursts of sunshine that light up this marvellous district which boasts of the highest altitude in Shanthipura and the incredible view point in adjoining Kalapura which are comparatively lesser populated than the vicinities close to the Nuwara Eliya town. Nuwara Eliya is a vegetable and fruit cultivation base more than tea but there are locations where tea is grown such as near the Lovers Leap waterfall area and the above mentioned Kalapura and Shanthipura locations. Nuwara Eliya is a haven where city tired folk, Sri Lankan or otherwise, can feast their eyes upon and rejuvenate their spirits. Hikers around the world are attracted by hiking spots such as the Lovers’ Leap waterfall as they climb to the top which is non arduous for a seasoned mountaineer. The two chief income generating avenues for the residents of Nuwara Eliya are cultivation and tourism. Many families have home stays which are popular because of their cheaper rates and these attract both the local and foreign tourists alike. Nuwara Eliya has the potential to be one of the best competing idyllic tourist spots in the world. Now let us travel down the long road towards that potential and accost one of the most unpleasant sights that is the bane of Nuwara Eliya, beginning with the trash strewn, pothole ridden bus stand which is a terrible sight during rains. For someone who comes in expectation of mother earth’s pristine beauty and finds instead at every yard abandoned, anonymous bags of garbage with mounds of burning plastic and food refuse strewn across the road, it will be clear that we Sri Lankans have to begin from scratch to develop a far thinking garbage clearance policy aimed at changing a national mindset that makes it a ‘normal’ everyday practice to just dispose of household refuse at whim anywhere, often in front of other people’s houses. We publish here self-explanatory photographs that will speak better than words of the urgency that is required for an authentically working central, district and provincial governance system that address this issue in a multi-pronged way. Any social issue is best explained by the voice of the people as they are told and we below cite them verbatim. We begin with the words of a woman around 70 years of age who was seen happily kicking at plastic strewn across a mountainous range that is bordered by crowded unplanned housing with weak sanitation. In many locations across Nuwara Eliya such as this it is a common sight for the residents who had populated the area on permit land (without legal deeds) to throw their garbage into the base of bordering waterfalls, mountain ridges or roadways. Are you not living in Sri Lanka? This is how the conversation and the interesting outburst of the woman went. A: No. Why should I have a problem? A: No. What should be the problem? A: No. What nonsense you are talking about. Are you not living in Sri Lanka? The whole of Sri Lanka is like this. A: Of course. This is how it is here. At this point I intervene that it is ignorance as opposed to wise action and use the terms ‘Nugath’ (ignorance) and ‘Gnana’ (wisdom) to juxtapose the mentality of a people destroying the mother earth bounty of a country that is probably one of the most diversely beautiful in the world. In a quite hilarious but potentially dangerous interlude that follows this woman is heard telling another woman, who also it is learnt daily burns her household refuse including batteries and plastic, as follows: “Kawda meki. Mekiwa Gahala Elawanna One.” (Who is this woman, she should be assaulted and thrown out). This of course led to this writer telephoning a senior police personnel on the interview list for this media research related to the garbage menace of Nuwara Eliya. He was thereby informed of the above mentioned verbal threat in case I need to make a formal police complaint if activated by this uncouth grandmother who had apparently misheard and confused the Sinhala word ‘Gnana’ – Wisdom with ‘Jana,” cells and thus understood as ‘Ignorant cells,” which I believe was taken as an insult to her family DNA heritage! Not quite knowing whether to laugh or to cry I then proceed to my next interview which is with Shashidaran Rasalingam whose livelihood is gained by driving a trishaw also referred to as three-wheeler. He is stationed along with about five other drivers in front of the Grama Sevaka office near the Gayathri Kovil eatery called Gayathri Mess. From last Saturday to last Monday the gate of the Grama Sevaka office was completely obstructed by garbage. Sights such as this are common to Shashidaran who is an exasperated young man. He is often found with mammootty in hand cleaning up garbage dumped daily in front of this three-wheeler park which can be also described as being dumped in front of the Grama Sevaka office. He gets abused in choice language when he objects to people dumping bags of trash on the adjoining roadside which are promptly torn out by dogs and where with the food, the plastic is also consumed. Then this meal of human despicability is shared by cows, ponies and horses alike. “Miss, there were times when I have received death threats when I protested against the throwing of rubbish here. Myself and the other boys here have given up. We just sit in our three-wheelers and shut our eyes and pray to the gods that our people will change. There are locations in the Lovers Leap area where one cannot step foot into. I will take you there next week and you can see for yourself.” By this time my eyes are sore. The sight of roadside garbage and the confetti of multifarious plastic that dots place only contributes to the rising blood pressure of an environmentally sensitive visitor who comes to the incredibly beautiful hilly areas of Sri Lanka to relax and then is confronted by the daily public rampage of indiscipline. “This is a problem that I have tried to address several times by mobilising the youth of the Daham Pasal (Sunday schools) run by this temple,” states Ven. Kotmale Dhammadhassi Thero, the current Chief Buddhist Monk of the Jethiyagiri Maha Viharaya of Shanthipura. Below is what this Venerable Thero has to say. “Shanthipura is a village that was established between 1960 and 1970 by William Fernando, a former store keeper of a tea estate who entered politics and rose to the level of Governor. In 1960 there were only six families and now there are hundreds. There are 31 guest houses in this village. I doubt how many of these would have a responsible way of segmenting between biodegradable and non-biodegradable and then disposing of trash in a manner where it can be recycled. When the license of operation is given to these guest houses it should be determined very clearly that they take necessary action to dispose of garbage in a responsible manner with the necessary awareness and monitoring. The burning of plastic which happens daily should be stopped.” I travel to this Buddhist temple with Karen Knipp-Rentrap, a German national working in the development sector in Austria whose career has involved much experience in African countries where there are international projects and awareness on recycling, merged with aspects such as empowerment of women and community integration.” Karen, a friend of a friend and an ardent hiker enthralled with the beauty of this country carried a chocolate wrapper across several Lankan districts and not finding a dustbin texted me en route to Nuwara Eliya as to where she can find one and finally was triumphant that she found a small public bin. Keen to learn about Buddhism she wanted to meet a Buddhist monk and was very happy to travel with me and meet Ven. Dhammadassi who availed himself freely of his time and what resulted was a vibrant sharing of ideas, concepts and solutions to a problem that the world faces equally; how man can live in harmony with this generous planet earth without poisoning and polluting it. As Karen shared her experiences in countries such as Uganda and Rwanda where small community groups take strong leadership to combine entrepreneurship promotion with sustainability factors, she also added in how Austria and Germany are moving into cardboard, hardboard and paper packaging for food items and supporting research that will promote reducing environment pollution. And she pointed to a moving photograph – that of a tortoise with a straw up its nose that is used in Europe through billboards to sensitise people on the impact each plastic item we discard unthinkingly has upon this planet. The discussion then goes on for over three hours on how each action of an individual has a snowballing effect in ‘normalising’ such an action and how a world religion such as Buddhism could be directly used as a global lesson in sustainability promotion. Discussing how it is ‘normal’ now, for nationals in countries across Europe to carry their cloth bags to the market (Karen brought hers to Sri Lanka) we look at the many integrated ways that the reverse of throwing out household refuse indiscriminately on the road can impact change making. Ven. Dhammadhassi goes on to point out that officials such as Public Health Inspectors (PHI) and Grama Sevakas should take their duties beyond their desks. “A PHI has to be continually on the field. It is by being daily on the field that he has to ensure that public health is protected. Garbage on the road is not only an unpleasant sight but it also directly or indirectly impacts public health. We have to develop integrated awareness among children, youth, career persons of diverse strata, and old persons that what we have been accustomed to our entire lifetime in this country is not according to our Buddhist wisdom. The Lord Buddha’s journey to seeking the truth was inveigled with the natural world. When he left the palace as a prince it was the forest that housed him, nurtured him and was his first university in seeking wisdom. It is in this backdrop that we study the Buddha’s advice to fellow monks on how to use the robe sustainably – first to cover the body, then as a cover to aid sleeping comfortably, then when it is worn further and torn, as a foot-mat or for cleaning and finally to be churned in with clay for sustainable housing construction. Buddhism equals nature and in a world where nature is threatened we must revive these teachings,” he notes. The conversation shifts to ancient wisdom such as those of the Celts and the Driuds, who lived in isolated mountainous and nature based locations across Europe, before the Roman armies vanquished them and had their beliefs labelled as sorcery. We discuss how these ancient earth integrated traditions could be compared and contrasted with philosophies such as Buddhism and then used to understand the need to merge the ancient with the modern and save our planet from our age of development. Ven. Dhammadhassi, an activist in mobilising youth in his area to prevent public littering, details out how the divisional and district secretariats and the municipal councils should adopt grass root based approaches. Approaches that will develop small steps towards policy hallmarks aimed at comprehensively resurrecting Sri Lanka from mindless garbage disposal. And thereby discipline the nation to sort their garbage diligently and thereafter encourage to innovate on entrepreneurship and invention models linked around this. We discuss how garbage clearing has to be systemised very strictly with different days for plastic, paper, food items and batteries and for special attention on hospital waste. The topic moves to why we have government ministries and ministers. We discard the squandered 76 years and instead look to the future. The Ven. Thero then cites an experience at the general hospital in Nuwara Eliya where the reception and the mortuary are side by side and where the smell emanating from decaying bodies assail the nostrils of those still alive. He draws attention to how Sri Lanka has no mechanism to deal with hospital waste and how overall all substances including injections are disposed of in the normal way. “Who would take responsibility if an injection used on a patient with a communicable disease accidentally pricks a worker who cleans this garbage?” he queries. “These are the things that we have accepted as normal. At least now these should change and we must collectively not be apathetic anymore,” he states emphatically. In a different location in Nuwara Eliya I am accosted by a woman who runs after me and breathlessly tells me to come to her house. Someone has seen me interviewing some municipal workers and she wants to tell me how nameless people dump garbage in boxes and bags in front of her gate. “There are pampers and used sanitary wear. When we open the gate these are there. There are fights with neighbours when I go to ask who could have done this. The municipal lorries come once a week to our areas. This is not enough. They do not come up mountains. We need easily accessible public dustbins so that we can learn to separate what we discard from our households and put them away easily. There are many garbage fights everywhere where those across the road accuse each other and where neighbours accuse each other.” Our next week’s edition will focus on a list of recommendations and interviews with those such as entrepreneurs and inventors of Sri Lanka who have tried to solve the problem of unsustainable living with their talent but who have hitherto been ignored by respective regimes.

LONDON — Pooches in pullovers paraded past Buckingham Palace on Saturday for a gathering of dogs in Christmas sweaters to raise funds for rescue charities. People and dogs take part in the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade on Saturday outside Buckingham Palace in central London. About 130 pets, and their owners, walked Saturday from St. James's Park and along the Mall, the wide boulevard that leads to the royal palace as part of the Christmas Jumper Parade. Flossie the dog barks Saturday during the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade in central London. Prizes were awarded for best-dressed pets, with contenders including canine Santas, puppy elves and a French bulldog dressed in a red beret and pink jacket adorned with red bows. People and dogs take part in the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade on Saturday in central London. The event was organized by Rescue Dogs of London and Friends to raise money for charities that rehome dogs from overseas. People take part in the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade on Saturday in central London. Christmas sweater animal parades have become something of an annual tradition in London. People and dogs take part in the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade on Saturday outside Buckingham Palace in central London. There are more to come this year, including an event for corgis — the late Queen Elizabeth II's favorite breed — on Dec. 7 and the dachshund-friendly Hyde Park Sausage Walk on Dec 15. From bags of kibble in the grocery store to modern home sizes, things are getting smaller—and evidently, Americans are starting to look for furry friends that match. Small breeds like terriers and toys have largely dethroned the retrievers that once dominated the most popular breed rankings. This is a continuation of a trend that began in 2022 when the Labrador retriever lost its 31-year-long streak as #1 to the French bulldog, according to the American Kennel Club. This shift may be partially attributable to the rising costs of pet products and veterinary care since smaller dogs are more economical for tighter budgets. Moreover, as remote work and nomadic living become increasingly more common, smaller dogs may appeal to those looking for pets that require less space and are easier to transport. In fact, only two sporting dog breeds are the most popular in any American state—and neither is a Labrador retriever. The most popular dog overall represents 4% of all dogs in the country—constituting over 2.3 million out of 58 million households with dogs. Ollie used data from U.S. News & World Report to further explore which dog breeds are the most popular in which states and what factors may drive residents' preferences. Named after the northern Mexican state from which it originates, the Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed and one of the oldest, with a lineage that dates as far back as the ninth century. Today, the breed makes up a remarkable 4% of all dogs in the United States and is the most popular overall in 21 states. It ranks within the top five most common breeds in 42 states in total. Requiring just 200 to 250 calories per day but boasting a lifespan of 14 to 16 years, the Chihuahua offers owners low-cost longevity and is known for its adaptability and amusing personality. The French bulldog is a compact companion known for being friendly yet quiet, making it suitable for a range of lifestyles and homes. The breed has roots in the English bulldog, which was bred to a smaller size to accompany its working English owners, many of whom were artisans. As such trades closed amid the Industrial Revolution, these workers and their little bulldogs moved to France, where the breed's popularity began. The French developed a more standardized appearance which was iterated upon in the U.S. to develop the iconic bat ears. The breed has recently seen a massive increase in popularity, with AKC registrations surging by 1,000% between 2012 and 2022. Now, the French bulldog is the most popular dog in Florida, California, and Hawaii and is in the top five most common dogs in nearly half the remaining states. With webbed paws and an affinity for water, golden retrievers are lucky pups to be the favored breed of the Midwest. They are the most popular dogs in states bordering the Great Lakes—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio; the entirety of the New England region minus Rhode Island; plus North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Virginia. The iconic golden breed was developed in 19th-century Scotland to retrieve both from land and water during hunts, hence its swimming-related adaptations. Golden retrievers are known for their affectionate nature and eagerness to please, making them well-suited for service and other working dog roles. As loyal as they are intelligent, German shepherds are among the favored breeds for guide, military, police, and search and rescue roles. The breed, which first arrived in America in the early 20th century, also enjoys peak popularity in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Athletic in nature, the breed requires lots of exercise, making them well-suited for homes with or near lots of open land. They are also well-adapted to cold temperatures and harsher climates due to their thick double coats of fur. The shih tzu, whose name means "lion" in Chinese, is king of the Empire State (New York) as well as Iowa, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Roughly a quarter of New York state residents live in apartments, making the dog that averages 9 to 16 pounds perfect for compact households. Despite being known for its playfulness, the breed does not require much physical activity or space. The breed dates back over 1,000 years but was first brought to America surprisingly recently, following World War II. According to the American Kennel Club, every shih tzu alive today has direct lineage to just 14 shih tzus that were saved when the breed nearly went extinct during the Communist revolution. Maxing out at just 7 pounds, the Yorkshire terrier is the most popular breed among Maryland and Washington D.C. residents. This is not necessarily surprising considering the housing stock of the nation's capital is comprised mostly of apartment units, making the pint-sized pup perfect for metropolitans. The toy breed was bred to chase rats out of mines and mills in 19th-century England, arriving in North America in the 1870s and gaining official recognition by the AKC in 1885. Now, the breed is among the top five most common dogs in 26 states. The breed is a true terrier at heart, known for its feisty yet affectionate nature.' Additional research by Eliza Siegel. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. This story originally appeared on Ollie and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Representing the best of both worlds, the golden retriever and poodle hybrid is known for its friendly, sociable demeanor and trainability. Bred to be guide dogs in the 1960s, the hybrid is not recognized as an official breed by the AKC, so there is no breed standard. Goldendoodles can thus range from mini-sized to about 90 pounds and may have fur that is curly, straight, or somewhere in between. While not official, the family-friendly dog has left paw prints all over the country, ranking in the top five most popular dogs in 37 states. In Idaho and Utah, the goldendoodle is the most popular overall. 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A SEASIDE spot was voted by tourists as the UK's "most depressing town" - but locals insist it is "gorgeous". The damning title was awarded to Falmouth, in Cornwall, by satirical website ILIVEHERE in February this year. 6 Falmouth has been voted the UK's most depressing town Credit: Alamy 6 The town is situated in Cornwall, southwest England Credit: Alamy 6 St Mawes is a small town opposite Falmouth, on the Roseland Peninsula on the south coast of Cornwall Credit: Alamy It was decided by polling readers - with Falmouth beating the usual winner, Peterborough, by 27 votes. Also in the top 20 were Aberdeen and Alloa in Scotland and Tiverton in Devon. Despite Falmouth's vibrant art scene, the tongue-in-cheek outlet ruled that it had a "soul-destroying mediocrity with a gaping cultural void". After revealing the list, it said: "The power of social media and word of mouth is what propelled Falmouth to No.1. Read more UK News FRESH START New Year’s Day weather forecast revealed as SNOW warning issued for parts of UK XMAS 'MURDERS' Christmas Day 'killer' in court after 'stabbing two women to death' "Falmouth was a reader entry and rapidly started to challenge the mighty Peterborough, beating the Cambridgeshire synonym for depression by just 27 votes in the last 12hrs of voting." However, residents of the edgy seaside town have clapped back, praising Falmouth's "friendly" community and great food scene. One snapped: "Who believes these soul destroyers?" Another said: "The coastal walks are epic, it's fairly diverse class-wise and even in the summer when it's packed, it's still a pleasant place to be (unlike Looe and St Ives which while they are both beautiful places to visit, parking is a total nightmare)." Most read in The Sun SUSPECT NICKED Man arrested and charged over 'crossbow disturbance' in busy Scots street AIR CARNAGE ‘Berserk’ plane passenger tied up with SEATBELTS after trying to smash window BUG FEARS Hospital visits stopped as Scots health board says winter bug rocketing in region RAIL TRAGEDY Person hit by train on busy line as ScotRail axes services amid travel chaos Responding to the wave of confusion, the ILIVEHERE judges said although they'd never visited the town, they suspected its beauty might be surface-level. They said: "We have to admit, we know absolutely nothing about Falmouth. Drone views over Falmouth as it's unofficially named the UK's dullest place "We googled it, it looks picturesque but we’re sure it’s a façade it trades on, and who are we to question the wisdom of the crowd?" Continuing to rile up their Cornish readers, the judges added that the town had fallen victim to gentrification. They said: "Hell we might even take a trip to this Cornish port and stay in an AirBnB that is now owned by a London landlord that a local family once lived in, to take in what we imagine is a sterile socially cleansed fishing theme park for DFLs." Despite being described as the most depressing town in the UK, the average house price in Falmouth is around £395,00. Meanwhile, detached houses can cost as much as £620,000. Top 20 most depressing towns in 2024 Falmouth, Cornwall Peterborough, Cambridgeshire Aberdeen, Scotland Alloa, Scotland Tiverton, Devon Yeovil, Somerset Ellesmere Port, Cheshire Portsmouth, Hampshire Paignton, Devon Crawley, West Sussex Luton, Bedfordshire Croydon, London Swindon, Wiltshire Widnes, Cheshire Torquay, Devon Teignmouth, Devon Blackpool, Lancashire Wells, Somerset Basingstoke, Hampshire Chatham, Kent 6 View of the estuary of the river Fal, Falmouth, Cornwall, August Credit: Alamy 6 The picturesque village of St Mawes on the Roseland Peninsula near Falmouth in Cornwall Credit: Alamy 6 Falmouth locals have defended the town Credit: Alamy

APPLE is working with Broadcom to develop its first server chip specially designed for artificial intelligence (AI) processing, the Information reported on Wednesday (Dec 11), citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The reported move would align the iPhone maker with other big technology companies that have developed their own chips to power compute-heavy AI services and reduce reliance on Nvidia’s pricey and short-in-supply processors. Apple’s AI chip is internally code-named Baltra and is expected to be ready for mass production by 2026, the report said. To make the chip, the company is planning to use one of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s most advanced manufacturing processes, known as N3P, the report said. Apple and Broadcom did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Broadcom shares rose 5 per cent after the news. Last year, Apple had signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the chipmaker to develop 5G radio frequency components. Apple had said at its annual developer conference in June that it plans to use its own server chips to help power AI features on its devices. The company has had success in recent years in developing in-house chips for its devices, including the M-series of processors that replaced Intel chips in its Mac laptops. Still, some big tech companies have found it hard to cut reliance on Nvidia despite in-house efforts, barring Google, which also works with Broadcom for its AI chips. The push by big cloud providers to diversify their supply chains has turned Broadcom into one of the biggest beneficiaries of the generative AI boom. Its shares have gained 54 per cent in 2024, after almost doubling in value last year. Broadcom’s central competitor in this space is Marvell. The total market for custom chips could grow to about US$45 billion by 2028 and be split between the two companies, Marvell chief operations officer Chris Koopmans said earlier this month. REUTERSClosing marks second significant acquisition from RA Capital's Raven incubator in 2024, and first acquisition of a company built by Raven from a technology platform in-licensed from a large pharmaceutical company BOSTON , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RA Capital Management, LP (RA Capital), a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare, life sciences, and planetary health companies, today announced that AbbVie has closed its $1.4 billion acquisition of RA Capital's portfolio company Aliada Therapeutics. Aliada's lead investigational asset is ALIA-1758, an anti-pyroglutamate amyloid beta (3pE-Aβ) antibody, which is in development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. ALIA-1758 utilizes a novel blood-brain barrier-crossing technology that enhances delivery of targeted drugs into the central nervous system. Johnson & Johnson (through its venture capital arm, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.), RA Capital, and Raven (RA Capital's healthcare incubator) co-founded Aliada and co-led the series seed financing in 2021 to advance the MODELTM platform created by Johnson & Johnson scientists that was licensed to Aliada at its inception. "Congratulations to the Aliada and AbbVie teams and our fellow investors on the close of this transaction," said Joshua Resnick , MD, Senior Managing Director at RA Capital Management and former board director at Aliada. "The acquisition of Aliada is the second significant acquisition of a Raven-grown company this year, joining Novartis' $1 billion upfront acquisition of radiopharmaceutical developer Mariana Oncology in May." "Delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier with a low-volume, subcutaneous injection would be revolutionary for treating Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders, and has long been a dream in the field," said Laura Tadvalkar , PhD, Managing Director at RA Capital Management and former board chair at Aliada. "We look forward to following ALIA-1758's progress through the clinic, as AbbVie advances this important medicine for Alzheimer's disease patients." About Raven Raven is RA Capital Management's healthcare incubator. Raven's experienced team of scientists, operators, and innovators bring deep sector expertise, insight and executional capabilities across therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and services. Raven builds companies: from originating and incubating new ideas to accelerating compelling innovations and rejuvenating promising assets. About RA Capital Founded in 2004, RA Capital Management is a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare, life sciences, and planetary health companies. RA Capital creates and funds innovative companies, from private seed rounds to public follow-on financings, allowing management teams to drive value creation from inception through commercialization and beyond. RA Capital's knowledge engine is guided by our TechAtlas internal research division, and Raven, RA Capital's company creation team, offers entrepreneurs and innovators a collaborative and comprehensive platform to explore the novel and the re-imagined. RA Capital has more than 175 employees and over $10 billion in assets under management. The companies presented herein were selected to demonstrate a potential successful outcome of a company being incubated within our Raven incubator. They are not intended to represent a complete picture of RA Capital's portfolio, its exposures, risks or potential for positive or negative returns. Past performance is not indicative of future results. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ra-capital-management-announces-close-of-1-4-billion-acquisition-of-aliada-therapeutics-by-abbvie-302329567.html SOURCE RA Capital Management, LPPooches in pullovers strut their stuff at London's canine Christmas sweater paradeFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Josh Hoover threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and JP Richardson had 149 all-purpose yards and a 38-yard touchdown reception to lead TCU over Arizona 49-28 on Saturday. On the first play from scrimmage, Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita was intercepted by Bud Clark. TCU scored five plays later on Trent Battle’s 4-yard run.