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Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoffSpecial counsel moves to dismiss election interference and classified documents cases against Trump

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President Joe Biden pledged another 600 million US dollars (£472 million) on Wednesday for an ambitious multi-country rail project in Africa as one of the final foreign policy moves of his administration. Mr Biden told African leaders the resource-rich continent of more than 1.4 billion people had been “left behind for much too long”. “But not anymore,” Mr Biden added. “Africa is the future.” Mr Biden used the third and final day of a visit to Angola – his long-awaited, first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president – to travel to the coastal city of Lobito and tour an Atlantic port terminal that’s part of the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment. Mr Biden described it as the largest US investment in a train project outside America. The US and allies are investing heavily in the project that will refurbish nearly 1,200 miles of train lines connecting to the mineral-rich areas of Congo and Zambia in central Africa. The corridor, which likely will take years to complete, gives the US better access to cobalt, copper and other critical minerals in Congo and Zambia that are used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies that Mr Biden said would power the future. China is dominant in mining in Congo and Zambia. The US investment has strategic implications for US-China economic competition, which went up a notch this week as they traded blows over access to key materials and technologies. The African leaders who met with Mr Biden on Wednesday said the railway corridor offered their countries a much faster route for minerals and goods – and a convenient outlet to Western markets. “This is a project that is full of hope for our countries and our region,” said Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, whose country has more than 70% of the word’s cobalt. “This is not just a logistical project. It is a driving force for economic and social transformation for millions of our people.” The leaders said the corridor should spur private-sector investment and improve a myriad of related areas like roads, communication networks, agriculture and clean energy technologies. For the African countries, it could create a wave of new jobs for a burgeoning young population. Cargo that once took 45 days to get to the US – usually involving trucks via South Africa – would now take around 45 hours, Mr Biden said. He predicted the project could transform the region from a food importer to exporter. It’s “something that if done right will outlast all of us and keep delivering for our people for generations to come,” he said. The announcement of an additional $600 million took the U.S.’s investment in the Lobito Corridor to 4.0 billion dollars (£3.15 billion). We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate. Last Updated: Are you sure you want to delete this comment?

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden has been briefed on the findings and that the White House “has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington on Tuesday rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed reporting.Russell 2000, Dow, S&P 500 All Achieve Record Highs In Wall Street's Historic Day; Bitcoin, Gold Tumble: What's Driving Markets Monday?

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Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoffPackers star RB Josh Jacobs gifts offensive line with custom diamond chains for Christmas READ MORE: Ex-NFL star mocks Brock Purdy after gifting his o-line with trucks By LEOCCIANO CALLAO Published: 21:56, 24 December 2024 | Updated: 21:57, 24 December 2024 e-mail View comments Green Bay Packers star running back Josh Jacobs was not afraid to splurge while gifting his offensive linemen for the holidays. Hours after the team clinched their playoff spot with the sixth seed in the NFC, Jacobs took to Instagram to show his flashy gifts for his offensive line. Jacobs panned through several custom pendants with each lineman's number bedazzled in diamonds. He tagged his o-lines Instagram handles on the bottom left corner and also included jeweler ZoFrost & Co. The Jewelry and watch manufacturer has worked with NFL stars such as Lamar Jackson, Earl Thomas, Kyler Murray, and Deebo Samuel. They have also made pieces for NBA stars Trae Young and Kyle Kuzma. Packers RB Josh Jacobs gifts diamond chains to his offensive line for Christmas pic.twitter.com/E0BNAX8AIs — Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 24, 2024 Josh Jacobs gifted his offensive linemen with custom diamond necklaces for Christmas Read More Fans all make the same cynical comment as star quarterback gifts Toyota trucks to his offensive line Jacobs' pricey presents for his comrades come as he is enjoying a bountiful season on the field. So far this season, the former Crimson Tide star has 278 carries for 1,216 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also made 35 receptions for 340 yards and a touchdown. The sixth-year veteran is tied for third in the NFL in carries and rushing touchdowns and is fourth league-wide in rushing yards. Jacobs joined Green Bay this year after five years with the Raiders, including their final season in Oakland. He arrived in Green Bay after signing a four-year, $48million deal in free agency. His deal also included a $12.5m signing bonus and $12.5m guaranteed. The Packers are 11-4 sitting third in the NFC North and are riding a two-game streak into their penultimate game of the season against the Vikings on the 29th. Green Bay got eliminated in the divisional playoff after losing to San Francisco, who went on to win the NFC. Green Bay Packers NBA Share or comment on this article: Packers star RB Josh Jacobs gifts offensive line with custom diamond chains for Christmas e-mail Add commentTurning tragedy into purpose: Gabby Petito's father advocates for missing Black and brown people

Longest-lived US president was always happy to speak his mind

Jannik Sinner leads Italy back to the Davis Cup semifinals and a rematch against AustraliaMinimum wage in Türkiye raised 30 pctNEW YORK (AP) — No ex-president had a more prolific and diverse publishing career than Jimmy Carter . His more than two dozen books included nonfiction, poetry, fiction, religious meditations and a children’s story. His memoir “An Hour Before Daylight” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002, while his 2006 best-seller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” stirred a fierce debate by likening Israel’s policies in the West Bank to the brutal South African system of racial segregation. And just before his 100th birthday, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation honored him with a lifetime achievement award for how he wielded “the power of the written word to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” In one recent work, “A Full Life,” Carter observed that he “enjoyed writing” and that his books “provided a much-needed source of income.” But some projects were easier than others. “Everything to Gain,” a 1987 collaboration with his wife, Rosalynn, turned into the “worst threat we ever experienced in our marriage,” an intractable standoff for the facilitator of the Camp David accords and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Carter, Rosalynn was a meticulous author who considered “the resulting sentences as though they have come down from Mount Sinai, carved into stone.” Their memories differed on various events and they fell into “constant arguments.” They were ready to abandon the book and return the advance, until their editor persuaded them to simply divide any disputed passages between them. “In the book, each of these paragraphs is identified by a ‘J’ or an ‘R,’ and our marriage survived,” he wrote. Here is a partial list of books by Carter: “Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President” “The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East” (With Rosalynn Carter) “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life” “An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections” “Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age” “Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems” (With daughter Amy Carter) “The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer” “Living Faith” “The Virtues of Aging” “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” “Christmas in Plains: Memories” “The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War” “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” “Faith & Freedom: The Christian Challenge for the World” “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” “A Remarkable Mother” “Beyond the White House” “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work” “White House Diary” “NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter” “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power” “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety”

jili super ace app download apk latest version YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — On a damp Wednesday night with temperatures dipping into the 30s, fans in sparsely filled stands bundled up to watch Buffalo beat Eastern Michigan 37-30 on gray turf. The lopsided game was not particularly notable, but it was played on one of the nights the Mid-American Conference has made its own: A weeknight. “A lot of the general public thinks we play all of our games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, not just some of them in November,” MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a telephone interview this week. “What it has done is help take what was a pretty darned good regional conference and has given it a national brand and made it a national conference.” When the conference has played football games on ESPN or ESPN2 over the last two seasons, the linear television audience has been 10 times larger than when conference schools meet on Saturdays and get lost in the shuffle when viewers have many more choices. The most-watched MAC game over the last two years was earlier this month on a Wednesday night when Northern Illinois won at Western Michigan and there were 441,600 viewers, a total that doesn’t include streaming that isn’t captured by Nielsen company. During the same span, the linear TV audience has been no larger than 46,100 to watch two MAC teams play on Saturdays. “Having the whole nation watching on Tuesday and Wednesday night is a huge deal for the MAC,” Eastern Michigan tight end Jere Getzinger said. “Everybody wants to watch football so if you put it on TV on a Tuesday or Wednesday, people are going to watch.” ESPN has carried midweek MAC football games since the start of the century. ESPN and the conference signed a 13-year extension a decade ago that extends their relationship through at least the 2026-27 season. The conference has made the most of the opportunities, using MACtion as a tag on social media for more than a decade and it has become a catchy marketing term for the Group of Five football programs that usually operate under the radar in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and New York. Attendance does tend to go down with weeknight games, keeping some students out of stadiums because they have class or homework and leading to adults staying away home because they have to work the next morning. “The tradeoff is the national exposure,” Buffalo coach Pete Lembo said. “You know November nights midweek the average fan is going to park on the couch, have a bowl of chips and salsa out in front, and watch the game from there." When the Bulls beat Ball State 51-48 in an overtime thriller on a Tuesday night earlier this month, the announced attendance was 12,708 and that appeared to be generous. There were many empty seats after halftime. “You watch the games on TV, the stadiums all look like this,” Buffalo fan Jeff Wojcicki said. “They are not packed, but it’s the only game on, and you know where to find it.” Sleep and practice schedules take a hit as well, creating another wave of challenges for students to attend class and coaches to prepare without the usual rhythm of preparing all week to play on Saturday. “Last week when we played at Ohio in Athens, we had a 4-four bus ride home and got home at about 3:30 a.m.,” Eastern Michigan center Broderick Roman said. “We still had to go to class and that was tough, but it's part of what you commit to as an athlete.” That happens a lot in November when the MAC shifts its unique schedule. During the first two weeks of the month, the conference had 10 games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays exclusively. This week, there were five games on Tuesday and Wednesday while only one was left in the traditional Saturday slot with Ball State hosting Bowling Green. Next week, Toledo plays at Akron and Kent State visits Buffalo on Tuesday night before the MAC schedule wraps up with games next Friday and Saturday to determine which teams will meet in the conference title game on Dec. 7 in Detroit. In all, MAC teams will end up playing about 75% of their games on a Saturday and the rest on November weeknights. When the Eagles wrapped up practice earlier this week, two days before they played the Bulls, tight end Jere Getzinger provided some insight into the effects of the scheduling quirk. “It's Monday, but for us it's like a Thursday,” he said. Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler said he frankly has a hard time remembering what day it is when the schedule shift hits in November. “The entire week gets turned upside down,” Loeffler said. “It’s wild, but it’s great for the league because there’s two days a week this time of year that people around the country will watch MAC games.” AP freelance writer Jonah Bronstein contributed to this report. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballBarclays PLC Has $1.43 Million Holdings in Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH)Game-changing holiday gifts for building fires, printing photos, watching birds and moreTrump Cabinet picks, appointees targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacks

Finding the perfect gift can be daunting. The only way to truly ensure you get it right would be to ask the recipient what they want, but that wouldn’t be much fun for either of you. Luckily, there’s another tactic to help you earn a “gift whisperer” reputation: seeking out unique, practical, game-changing gifts that will truly surprise and delight. But that’s about as easy as it sounds, which is to say it’s not easy at all. So, we’ve done the legwork for you. Start making your list with this compilation of some of the most innovative, functional and fun gifts of 2024. There’s something for every budget. This image provided by FinaMill shows the FinaMill Ultimate Spice Grinder Set. The new FinaMill Ultimate Spice Grinder set elevates the pedestrian pepper and spice mill in both function and style. A pepper grinder, really? Bear with me: The new FinaMill Ultimate Spice Grinder set elevates the pedestrian pepper and spice mill in both function and style. Available in three colors (Sangria Red, Midnight Black and Soft Cream), the rechargeable-battery unit grinds with a light touch rather than hand-tiring twists. That’s easier for everyone and especially helpful for those experiencing hand or wrist issues such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis. And it’s fun to use. The set includes a stackable storage tray and four pods that can be easily swapped as needed: The GT microplane grater for hard spices, nuts and chocolate; the MAX for large spices and dried herbs; the ProPlus for smaller and oily spices; and the Pepper Pod for, well, pepper. $110. To build a fire Campers and backyard firepit lovers who have experienced the heartbreak of wet wood will appreciate having a three-pack of Pull Start Fire on hand. Made of 89% recycled materials, including sanding dust, wax and flint, the food-safe, eco-friendly, 3-by-2-by-1-inch fire starters will light a fire quickly without matches, lighters or kindling. Just loop the attached green string around a log, incorporate it into a wood stack, and pull the attached red string to ignite. Each windproof, rainproof block burns for 30 minutes. $29.99. This image provided by Souper Cubes shows No Mess Utensils held upright on pot edges. The No Mess Utensil lives up to its name. The utensils, a serving spoon and a ladle, have innovative, S-shaped handles designed to rest on the edge of a pot. The place for a ladle is on the pot The No Mess Utensil Set from Souper Cubes , a company known for its portioned, silicone freezer trays, lives up to its name. The utensils — a serving spoon and a ladle — have innovative, S-shaped handles designed to rest on the edge of a pot, keeping them upright so they won’t slip in. The design also eliminates the need for a spoon rest or, worse, placing dirty utensils on the kitchen counter or stovetop between stirs. A silicone coating in a choice of Aqua, Charcoal, Cranberry or Blueberry keeps handles cool to the touch. $24.99. This image provided by FeatherSnap shows a female cardinal bird perched on a FeatherSnap Wi-Fi Solar Powered Camera Smart Bird Feeder. Equipped with an HD camera, the dual-chamber feeder enables up-close livestreaming of avian visitors, as well as species-logging via the free mobile app. Up your birdwatching with this feeder The FeatherSnap Wi-Fi smart bird feeder could turn anyone into an avid birdwatcher. Equipped with an HD camera, the dual-chamber feeder enables up-close livestreaming of avian visitors, as well as species-logging via the free mobile app. An optional premium subscription ($59.99 annually or $6.99 monthly) includes unlimited photo and video storage, AI identification with species-specific details, and the opportunity to earn badges for logging new visitors. Turn on notifications to get alerts sent to your phone whenever there’s activity at the feeder. $179.99. This image provided by FUJIFILM North America Corporation and FUJIFILM Corporation Tokyo shows a smartphone printer. Fujifilm Instax's Mini Link 3 smartphone printer offers a touch of nostalgia without sacrificing technology. Just load the printer with film and connect it to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth to print wallet-size photos. Printing old-fashioned photos via Bluetooth Fujifilm's Instax Mini Link 3 smartphone printer offers a touch of nostalgia without sacrificing technology. Just load the 4.9-by-3.5-by-1.3-inch printer with Instax Mini instant film and connect it to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth to print wallet-size photos. If you want to get fancy, you can adjust brightness, contrast and saturation, or apply filters, including 3D augmented-reality effects, via the free Instax Mini Link app. It can also make collages of up to six images, or animate photos to share on social media. Available in Rose Pink, Clay White and Sage Green. $99.95. This image provided by easyplant shows a Marxii Calathea plant in a small, beige, self-watering pot. The appropriately named easyplant is one of the best gifts you can give your houseplant-loving friends, regardless of their experience level. Houseplants don't get much easier than this The appropriately named easyplant is one of the best gifts you can give your houseplant-loving friends, regardless of their experience level. Select a pot color, size and plant (or get recommendations based on sunlight requirements, pet friendliness and other attributes) and fill the self-watering container’s built-in reservoir roughly once a month. 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And, importantly, cleanup is easy. Available in white and black. $400. This image provided by QelviQ shows a wine bottle chiller. For friends who prefer stronger beverages, the QelviQ personal sommelier uses "smart" technology to ensure wine is served at its ideal temperature. The perfect temperature for 350,000-plus wines For friends who prefer stronger beverages, the QelviQ personal sommelier uses “smart” technology to ensure wine is served at its ideal temperature. Unlike traditional wine refrigerators, this device doesn’t take up any floor space. It also doesn’t chill wine to just one or two temperatures based on its color. Instead — paired with the free QelviQ app — the tabletop chiller relies on a database of more than 350,000 wines to bring a bottle to its specific recommended serving temperature in as little as 20 minutes. It also suggests food-wine and wine-food pairings. Plus, the appliance serves as a great icebreaker to inspire dinnertime conversation. Available in Exciting Red, Dashing Black and Dreamy White. $495. Casting light on the grill after dark This image provided by Uncommon Goods shows a 2-piece LED Grilling Tool Set. Uncommon Good's 2-piece LED Grilling Tool Set puts illumination into the handles of its stainless-steel spatula and tongs. Grilling food after dark — and ascertaining its doneness — can prove challenging without outdoor lighting, and it’s nearly impossible to cook while holding a flashlight. But as is often the case, the simplest of solutions can make the biggest of impacts: Uncommon Good’s 2-piece LED Grilling Tool Set puts illumination into the handles of its stainless-steel spatula and tongs. After use, the lights can be removed and the utensils run through the dishwasher. $40. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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Sterling HoldCo moves ahead in recapitalisationCoronation Street star Georgia May Foote pleads to followers for help after major health struggle sees her bedridden for five daysWASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

Tetairoa McMillan, one of the best wide receivers in Arizona history, will skip his final year of eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media on Thursday. Projected as a top-10 draft pick, the 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan finished his illustrious career at Arizona with 3,423 receiving yards, breaking the mark set by Bobby Wade (3,351). In three seasons, the Hawaii native also posted the fourth-most catches (213) and third-most touchdowns (26) in school history. "Wildcat Nation, this journey has been everything I dreamed of and more," McMillan wrote on Instagram. "From the moment I committed to the University of Arizona, to every second spent wearing that Arizona jersey ... it's been an absolute honor. "The University of Arizona has provided me with the platform to grow and chase my dreams. ... Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To the best fans in the country, I appreciate you for all of the love and support you have given me these last 3 years. I will always be a Wildcat." In 2024, McMillan totaled 84 grabs (ninth in Division I) for 1,319 yards (third in Division I) and eight touchdowns for the 4-8 Wildcats. He also ranked third in Division I with 109.9 receiving yards per game. McMillan is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football. --Field Level Media

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Adam Jones ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Montana State ran over Montana 34-11 on Saturday to reclaim the Brawl of the Wild trophy. The Bobcats (12-0, 8-0 Big Sky Conference) wrapped up the 123rd meeting in this rivalry with 420 yards, 326 on the ground. Montana State capped its first unbeaten season and can match the school record for consecutive wins with a playoff win in two weeks. The Bobcats, ranked second in the FCS coaches poll, should be the top seed in the playoffs after top-ranked North Dakota State lost its finale to fifth-ranked South Dakota. Montana (8-4, 5-3), ranked 10th, is expected to add to its record 27 FCS playoff appearances but will not have a first-round bye in the 24-team bracket. Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott was 6-of-12 passing for 94 yards with a touchdown in poor conditions and added 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He has helped the Bobcats score at least 30 points in every game this season Mellott had a 5-yard touchdown run on MSU's first possession and Mellott found Jones for a 35-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 14-3 lead. Myles Sansted had two field goals in the final two minutes, including a 49-yarder as time expired for a 20-3 halftime lead. Jones dominated the second half and scored two short touchdowns. Eli Gillman scored on a 1-yard run for Montana's touchdown between the Jones' touchdowns. The Grizzlies had just 234 yards and went 2 of 12 on third down. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Every year, in the neighborhood of 40,000 people flock to Omaha for a chance to hear Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A -0.39% ) ( BRK.B -0.56% ) CEO Warren Buffett speak about stocks and the U.S. economy. This mecca for investors has been driven by the Oracle of Omaha's vast outperformance of the benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC -1.11% ) since taking over as CEO six decades ago. Whereas the S&P 500 has delivered an impressive total return, including dividends, of around 40,000% through the closing bell on Dec. 26, Buffett has steered his company's Class A shares (BRK.A) to a cumulative gain of 5,515,517% over the same span. Using Berkshire Hathaway's quarterly filed Form 13Fs to mirror Buffett's trading activity has been a path to riches for decades. But as we prepare to enter the new year, Wall Street's "Oracle" has given investors 166 billion reasons to be fearful. Buffett has been a persistent net seller of stocks for two years Perhaps the most famous of all Warren Buffett quotes is "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful." Even though Warren Buffett has reminded investors not to bet against America throughout the years, he's an unabashed value investor who isn't afraid to sit on his hands and wait for price dislocations to crop up. Based on Buffett's actions over the last two years, through the end of September, he's clearly fearful of what may be to come for Wall Street . Specifically, he and his team have sold more stock than they've purchased for eight consecutive quarters (Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2024): Q4 2022 : $14.64 billion in net-equity sales Q1 2023 : $10.41 billion Q2 2023 : $7.981 billion Q3 2023 : $5.253 billion Q4 2023 : $0.525 billion Q1 2024 : $17.281 billion Q2 2024 : $75.536 billion Q3 2024 : $34.592 billion Collectively, this works out to $166.22 billion in net stocks sales over two years , and it's increased Berkshire Hathaway's cash balance, including U.S. Treasuries, to north of $325 billion. It's certainly not something you'd expect to see from one of Wall Street's most revered long-term optimists. Stocks are historically pricey, and the Oracle of Omaha is struggling to find a good deal During Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting in early May, he intimated that some of his recent selling activity may be for tax purposes . With his company sitting on sizable unrealized gains from Apple and Bank of America ( BAC -0.47% ) , and the corporate income tax rate at its lowest level since 1939, he opined that locking in some gains would, in hindsight, be viewed as a smart move by Berkshire's shareholders. But there may be more to this selling than just minimizing Berkshire Hathaway's tax bill. Namely, stocks are historically pricey, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for Buffett to find a good deal. In an interview with Fortune magazine back in 2001, the Oracle of Omaha referred to the market cap-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio as "probably the best single measure of where valuations stand at any given moment." This ratio quickly became known on the Street as the "Buffett Indicator" -- and it's been making history of late . Since 1970, the aggregate value of all publicly traded companies divided into U.S. GDP has averaged around 85% (0.85). In October 2024, it crested 200% for the first time ever and hit an all-time high above 209% in December, as measured by dividing the Wilshire 5000 Index into U.S. GDP. Although the Buffett Indicator isn't particularly helpful in determining when downturns will take place in the S&P 500 and other broad-market indexes, it has acted as a warning of eventual downside in the stock market . The Buffett Indicator peaked at 144% prior to the dot-com bubble bursting, 107% before the financial crisis, 166% immediately ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 195% prior to the 2022 bear market taking shape. These events were respectively followed by S&P 500 declines of 49%, 57%, 34%, and 28%, on a peak-to-trough basis. The tea leaves couldn't be clearer that Buffett is locking in gains ahead of 2025 and being fearful when others are being greedy in a historically pricey market. Buffett also has more than 5.5 million reasons for investors to be optimistic Based on Berkshire Hathaway's 13Fs over the previous eight quarters, it's evident that Buffett and his top advisors, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, aren't finding much in the way of value. However, this doesn't change the Oracle of Omaha's long-term thesis of not betting against America and expecting wonderful businesses to increase in value over time. Even though Buffett's short-term actions may not always line up with the long-term ethos he preaches, the greater than 5,500,000% cumulative gain in his company's Class A shares since he took over as CEO isn't an accident. It's the result of Berkshire's chief staying true to his roots and remaining a value-focused investor who pounces during periods of Wall Street fear and turbulence. Shortly after the financial crisis, Buffett invested $5 billion in Bank of America (BofA) to shore up its balance sheet. While the preferred stock Berkshire received provided a healthy 6% yield ($300 million in annual dividend income), it's the warrants to purchase up to 700 million shares of BofA stock at $7.14 per share that proved far more valuable. When these stock warrants were fully exercised in mid-2017, it instantly made Buffett's company a small fortune. Warren Buffett has been taking advantage of price dislocations like this for decades. Though one may not exist right now, it's just a matter of time before he and his team put some of Berkshire's growing cash hoard to work. To quote the Oracle of Omaha's letter to shareholders in 2009 following the height of the financial crisis, "Big opportunities come infrequently. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble."

German politicians criticise Elon Musk for backing AfD ahead of electionBOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Adam Jones ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Montana State ran over Montana 34-11 on Saturday to reclaim the Brawl of the Wild trophy. The Bobcats (12-0, 8-0 Big Sky Conference) wrapped up the 123rd meeting in this rivalry with 420 yards, 326 on the ground. Montana State capped its first unbeaten season and can match the school record for consecutive wins with a playoff win in two weeks. The Bobcats, ranked second in the FCS coaches poll, should be the top seed in the playoffs after top-ranked North Dakota State lost its finale to fifth-ranked South Dakota. Montana (8-4, 5-3), ranked 10th, is expected to add to its record 27 FCS playoff appearances but will not have a first-round bye in the 24-team bracket. Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott was 6-of-12 passing for 94 yards with a touchdown in poor conditions and added 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He has helped the Bobcats score at least 30 points in every game this season Mellott had a 5-yard touchdown run on MSU's first possession and Mellott found Jones for a 35-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 14-3 lead. Myles Sansted had two field goals in the final two minutes, including a 49-yarder as time expired for a 20-3 halftime lead. Jones dominated the second half and scored two short touchdowns. Eli Gillman scored on a 1-yard run for Montana's touchdown between the Jones' touchdowns. The Grizzlies had just 234 yards and went 2 of 12 on third down. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

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Carry Deck Crane Market Emerging Trends and Forecast 2024-2031 11-23-2024 07:22 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: SkyQuest Technology The Carry Deck Crane Market is a dynamic and rapidly growing sector, driven by technological advancements in hardware, software, and digital infrastructure. It covers a diverse range of services such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. The increasing need for digital transformation across industries is propelling market growth. Emerging technologies like 5G, blockchain, and IoT are further unlocking new opportunities. With continuous innovation, the IT sector is poised for significant expansion in the coming years, particularly in the areas of automation and remote work solutions. Download a detailed overview: https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/carry-deck-crane-market Market Size and Growth: Global Carry Deck Crane Market size was valued at USD 695.54 Million in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 724.75 Million in 2023 to USD 1007.24 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.2% in the forecast period (2024-2031). The most valuable investment indicators are insights into key market trends, making it easier for potential participants to make informed decisions. The research seeks to identify numerous growth opportunities that readers can consider and capitalize on by utilizing all the relevant information. By closely analyzing critical factors that influence growth, such as pricing, production, profit margins, and value chain dynamics, future market expansion can be predicted with greater precision. Key Market Players: Liebherr Manitowoc Cranes Grove Tadano Kato Works Hiab Fassi Zoomlion XCMG DMW Marine Group M-W Marine, Inc Region-wise Sales Analysis: This chapter presents market data by region, including revenue, sales, and market share breakdowns. It also offers forecasts for sales growth rates, pricing strategies, revenue, and other key metrics for each analyzed regional market. Regions covered include: North America: United States, Canada, Mexico Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy Asia-Pacific: China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia South America: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa Discover Key Trends, Speak with Our Experts @: https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/carry-deck-crane-market Segments covered in the Carry Deck Crane Market include: Capacity Less than 5 Tons, 5 Tons To 10 Tons, 10 Tons To 15 Tons, 15 Tons To 20 Tons, 20 Tons To 50 Tons, and Above 50 Tons Application Construction & Infrastructure, Manufacturing Industries, Mining, and Others Carry Deck Crane Market Size and Scope The Carry Deck Crane market has shown significant growth in recent years, fueled by rising demand for power electronics across industries such as automotive, telecommunications, and renewable energy. This market is set to grow further as the global adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy increases. Carry Deck Crane are highly valued for their superior thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and mechanical strength, making them essential components in power modules and electronic devices. With ongoing technological and manufacturing advancements, the applications of Carry Deck Crane are expected to expand, encompassing a broader range of uses in the near future. For a Comprehensive Report on the Carry Deck Crane Market 2024, Visit @: https://www.skyquestt.com/report/carry-deck-crane-market Frequently Asked Questions: 1. What are the global trends in sales, production, consumption, imports, and exports across regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa)? 2. Who are the leading manufacturers dominating the global market? 3. What is their production capacity, sales, pricing, cost, and revenue structure? 4. What are the risks and opportunities in the market? About Us: SkyQuest is an IP-focused Research and Investment Bank and Technology Accelerator. We offer access to technologies, markets, and financing across sectors like Life Sciences, CleanTech, AgriTech, NanoTech, and Information & Communication Technology. We collaborate closely with innovators, entrepreneurs, companies, and investors to help them leverage external R&D sources and optimize the economic potential of their intellectual assets. Our expertise in innovation management and commercialization spans North America, Europe, ASEAN, and Asia Pacific. Contact: Mr. Jagraj Singh Skyquest Technology 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886, USA (+1) 351-333-4748 Visit our website: Skyquest Technology This release was published on openPR.

Trump taps Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law, as envoy to FranceMEXICO CITY — In recent days, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has touted her country’s largest-ever seizure of fentanyl and highlighted multiple crackdowns on migrants headed toward to the United States. She was speaking to the press, but her most important audience is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Her campaign is widely seen as a desperate effort to head off his pledge to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican goods when he takes office next month. “The timing is no coincidence,” said Eduardo Guerrero, a security analyst in Mexico City. “President Sheinbaum’s agenda has changed radically with the triumph of Trump and with the threats he directed at Mexico.” There is deep anxiety here about the potentially devastating impacts of tariffs on an already sluggish economy that is heavily dependent on trade. The United States accounts for more than 80% of Mexico’s exports. “They were clearly not prepared for Trump winning the way he won, and Trump saying the things he has said since the election,” said Jorge Castañeda, a former foreign secretary. “So they are doing what they can to catch up, a little on the fly. To make Trump and the Americans in general feel like she is trying to do things to make Trump happy.” A telephone conversation between the two leaders didn’t seem to help. An elated Trump reported after the call on social media that Sheinbaum had “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico” and had committed to “effectively closing our Southern Border.” Sheinbaum disputed that, saying that Mexico’s position was not to close borders, but “to build bridges between governments and communities.” Mexican officials have been enlisting U.S. corporations, politicians and others to help dissuade Trump from imposing tariffs. “It’s better for Mexico to know about the tariff threat beforehand,” said Sofía Ramírez, who heads the economic think tank México, ¿cómo vamos? “This way they can at least formulate a response.” Officials even launched a highly publicized offensive against contraband goods from Asia, raiding a shopping center in downtown Mexico City and seizing thousands of toys and other products — an operation widely seen as a preemptive strike to discourage Trump from trying to punish Mexico for serving as a conduit for Chinese merchandise headed to the United States. Sheinbaum “realized that China is a big deal for Trump, and if she wants to stay on his good side, Mexico has to do more to prevent China from using Mexico as a back door to get into the U.S. market,” said Denise Dresser, a columnist and political scientist at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. The president has denied that she is simply trying to placate Trump. Mexicans, she recently told reporters, “can be sure that we are never going to bow our head or be ashamed.” Sheinbaum must walk a fine line between her constituents, who don’t want to see Mexico humiliated — or go broke — and the unpredictable, impetuous Trump. Few expect Sheinbaum, a scientist of austere demeanor, to secure the kind of rapport with Trump enjoyed by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a folksy, old-school populist who showered Trump with praise at every opportunity. “She is not going to go and campaign for Trump in the Rose Garden,” said Dresser, recalling López Obrador’s 2020 visit to the Trump White House. “He’s not going to call her, ‘Mi amiga Claudia,’ or sit and drink tequilas with her.” Trump views tariffs as a way to pressure countries to do what he wants. In issuing his threat against Mexico last month in a post on his social media platform, he wrote: “The Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” It didn’t take long before Sheinbaum started trotting out accomplishments in those areas. On Dec. 4 — nine days after the tariff threat — Sheinbaum announced the seizure of more than a ton of fentanyl in two raids in the state of Sinaloa, a notorious cartel bastion and manufacturing hub for the synthetic opioid. The haul could have produced 20 million doses of fentanyl and yielded more than $400 million for organized crime, she told reporters. The operation, she said, had been planned for some time, countering suggestions in the Mexican media that it had been stage-managed to win over the Trump team. Completely shutting down the fentanyl trade is probably not possible, according to experts. Smugglers ship precursor chemicals from China to Mexico, where the opioid is produced in clandestine labs, before being transported across the U.S. border. It’s not clear whether Trump will be willing to compromise. “We don’t really know what Trump wants other than these blanket statements to ‘stop the drugs,’ ” Castañeda said. “Does he want to send in more DEA guys? More military? To go after kingpins again? Or go after shipments of the precursor chemicals coming in from China?” On migration, Sheinbaum has said that northbound migrant caravans were being “dealt with” — Mexican authorities have been breaking up the groups in southern Mexico. Mexico has been detaining more than 5,000 migrants a day, almost 50% more than during the final months of her predecessor’s term. This year, Mexico has reported more than 1.2 million apprehensions of migrants — a record for Mexico that even tops the total arrests by the U.S. Border Patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border during the same period. Will that be enough to mollify Trump? No one knows. “Both governments are kind of condemned to deal with each other,” Castañeda said. “There’s not much choice. She can’t make Trump go away and he can’t make her go away. So they will eventually get along.”GREEN BAY, Wis. — While other teams around the NFL are seeing their injury lists grow as the season winds down, the Green Bay Packers appear to be getting healthy at just the right time. Not only is quarterback Jordan Love looking like himself after dealing with early-season left knee and groin injuries, but the rest of the roster is getting better, too. "I think every team that can realize their potential needs to be as healthy as they can be. And injuries are a part of this business," coach Matt LaFleur said. "It is what it is in terms of the next man up, but obviously, you want the guys that are your starters to be available — especially as you get closer to the end of the year." Love certainly has been rolling of late, completing 67.1% of his passes for 904 yards with six touchdowns and one interception (118.8 passer rating) over the past four games, owing some of his hot streak to simply being healthy again. "The name of the game is trying to stay as healthy as possible, especially late into the season," Love said. "There's definitely injuries that stack up and guys being out. To have everybody relatively healthy and to be able to have our top guys out there would be huge for us." The Packers (9-4) head into their Sunday night matchup with the Seahawks (8-5) in Seattle with only one player having been unable to take part in Wednesday's practice at all: safety Javon Bullard. LaFleur said Bullard was week-to-week with an ankle injury he suffered in the team's Dec. 5 loss at Detroit. The Packers got full participation from Jaire Alexander, who has missed four of the team's past five games with a knee injury suffered at Jacksonville on Oct. 27, and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who has missed the past two games with a concussion he suffered against San Francisco on Nov. 24. Although Alexander had practiced on a limited basis in recent weeks, he has missed the past three games and pulled himself out of the team's Nov. 17 win at Chicago because of his knee. Getting Alexander back to face Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba would give a major lift to the Packers' pass defense, currently ranked 21st with 222.2 yards per game allowed. "When I was watching him, he looked like he was moving around well, and we'll just see how it transpires throughout the course of the week," LaFleur said. "Hopefully, he'll be ready to roll." LaFleur said Doubs and rookie safety Evan Williams, who left the Packers' 34-31 loss to the Lions because of a concussion, still were in the concussion protocol. But Williams was able to practice on a limited basis. Meanwhile, tight end Luke Musgrave, who hasn't played a snap since injuring his left ankle during a Sept. 29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has been designated for return from injured reserve. Musgrave took part in practice for the first time since undergoing surgery in early October to repair a torn ligament in the ankle. He said he only did individual drill work Wednesday, making it unlikely he would be activated this week. "Just going to ease back into it, but I feel good," Musgrave said. "Still getting the cutting back, but overall, it feels good." Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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NoneThe most important thing isn’t whether or not you resist. These political conditions are growing out of poor soil. Before you can grow crops, first you have to plant grass to nourish the soil. As the soil’s fertility improves, you can cultivate better things. This is what Ruan Xiaohuan was doing. [ Chinese ] In a seven-minute session on Friday, Shanghai’s High Court confirmed the seven-year prison sentence for inciting subversion passed in February 2023 against blogger Ruan Xiaohuan, or "program-think" ( Biānchéng suíxiǎng , 编程随想). CDT Chinese editors highlighted the occasion with the above quote from Ruan’s wife, Bei Zhenying , taken from an interview by the WOMEN Chinese-language Substack newsletter earlier this year. Ruan posted for 12 years until his sudden disappearance in May 2021. He built a large and devoted following through his posts on technology, politics, and especially their intersection with guides to circumventing the Great Firewall. He had hidden his identity as program-think even from his wife, who has become a vocal advocate for her husband and subsequently come under official pressure herself . On X, Bei described Friday’s verdict as " a deep stain on Shanghai’s judicial system ," but added that her husband had appeared in good spirits, and that "no matter what age we are living in, no matter what our circumstances, we cannot allow ourselves to lose hope!" In November, Ruan was nominated for Reporters Without Borders’ Courage prize , which ultimately went to Waël al-Dahdouh, head of Al Jazeera’s Gaza desk . In 2021, CDT Chinese editors chose program-think as their Person of the Year . CDT translated some selected excerpts from Ruan’s work soon after his detention, including a piece on the “Princeling Network Map” he published on Github; an essay on the origins of the meme “ Zhao family member ,” used to describe CCP cadres and those embedded in the power structure; and an account of how Ruan managed to elude the authorities and maintain his anonymity for over a decade. Categories : CDT Highlights , China & the World , Law , Level 2 Article , Politics , Sci-Tech , Society Tags : activists , bloggers , censorship , Great Firewall , inciting subversion of state power , Internet censorship , legal system , prison , sentencing , Shanghai Related Posts Words of the Week: “Aim the Rifle an Inch Higher” (枪口抬高一厘米, qiāngkǒu táigāo yī límǐ) Two Years After Zero-COVID, A Rare White Paper Remembrance Censors Remove Reflections on Democracy Inspired by Korean Crisis Frank Speeches by Economists Gao Shanwen, Fu Peng Result in Mass Online Censorship, WeChat Bans Translations: Latest Consumer Backlash Takes Aim at Serious Quality Defects in Chinese Sanitary Pads Can “Journey to the West” Help Explain A Spate of Killings in China? Netizen Voices: “The ‘Lords’ Stay Safe, As Always” After Third Mass-Casualty Attack Hong Kong Sentences 45 Pro-Democracy Figures to up to Ten Years in Prison Xi Jinping Demands More Control After Zhuhai Attack China’s Cyber Sovereignty Norms Spread Abroad Translation: Essays by Two Reporters on the Rewards and Pitfalls of Investigative Journalism in China Translation: Anodyne Winners of 34th China Journalism Awards Prompt Declaration That “News is Dead” Word of the Week: “Xianzhong,” The Ming Rebel Cited as Emblem of Modern Massacres

Massive Demand Poised to Propel Taiwan Semiconductor Forward Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s premier third-party chip producer, is no stranger to booming growth cycles. Echoing the setup it experienced back in 2020, TSMC is once again poised for a potential breakout, driven by the evolution of its chip technology and surging market demands. Strategic Technological Advancements Back in 2020, TSMC launched its groundbreaking 5nm chips, leading to a significant uptick in demand. In a parallel scenario, the company is now developing its highly anticipated 2nm chips, expected to debut by the end of 2025. This advancement will markedly enhance chip density and processing power, aligning perfectly with the increasing need for advanced technology in AI-driven applications. Surging Demand for AI Chips As the demand for AI technologies skyrockets, TSMC plans to capitalize on this trend. Management previously projected the AI chip segment to grow at a compound annual rate of 50% over five years. Astonishingly, actual growth is outpacing projections, with AI revenue expected to triple in 2024 and capture a significant share of the company’s earnings in 2025. Valuation and Market Performance The stock’s valuation is drawing comparisons to its levels in early 2020, setting the stage for potential gains reminiscent of its past performance. Although the stock price nearly doubled in 2024, TSMC now finds itself trading in a range familiar to investors from 2020, attracting attention as it seeks to maintain robust growth momentum. The question remains: will TSMC repeat its past success? While a doubling in stock price isn’t guaranteed, the current landscape suggests that the company is positioned to outperform the market in 2025. Is TSMC Unstoppable? Insights into Taiwan Semiconductor’s Strategic Conquests and Future Outlook In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) stands on the brink of transformative growth, powered by its strategic advancements and surging demand in the AI technology sector. As the world’s leading third-party chip producer, TSMC has harnessed strategic advancements, setting the stage for a promising future defined by its prowess in cutting-edge chip technology. Innovations in Chip Technology: Tapping into Unseen Potential TSMC’s commitment to innovation is underscored by its groundbreaking transition to 2nm chips anticipated by 2025. This technological leap is expected to enhance processing power and chip density, pivotal for meeting the growing demands of AI-driven applications and the Internet of Things (IoT). These chips are poised to deliver unprecedented efficiency, setting new standards in the semiconductor industry and cementing TSMC’s role as a technology leader. Pros and Cons of TSMC’s Technological Leap Pros: – Enhanced Performance: The 2nm chips will provide greater processing power, catering to the demands of next-gen AI applications. – Market Leadership: Continual innovation keeps TSMC at the cutting edge, reinforcing its market leadership. Cons: – High R&D Costs: Developing such advanced technology demands significant R&D investments. – Production Challenges: Scaling up production for new technology presents logistical and technical hurdles. AI Chip Demand: An Unstoppable Surge With AI technologies gaining rapid traction across industries, TSMC is expected to capitalize on this wave like never before. The AI chip segment is projected to triple its revenue by 2024, far exceeding initial forecasts. TSMC aims to capture substantial earnings in 2025 from AI applications, which could significantly boost the company’s profitability and market share. Reviews and Market Resilience TSMC’s market performance draws intriguing comparisons with its dynamics in early 2020, a period marked by robust growth. While stock prices experienced substantial gains in 2024, TSMC is currently navigating familiar trading ranges reminiscent of those past highs. Investors are watching to see if the company will maintain its growth trajectory, with market analysts largely optimistic about its performance in the coming years. Predictive Trends and Industry Insights Industry experts predict that TSMC’s advancements in chip technology are a harbinger of further growth, potentially outpacing other players in the semiconductor domain. The move towards more efficient and powerful chips is not only a response to market demand but also a strategic positioning that will likely yield substantial long-term benefits. Conclusion: TSMC’s Path Forward In conclusion, TSMC’s strategic advancements in chip technology and its ability to harness the booming AI demand are setting the company on a promising path. While the challenges are substantial, so too are the opportunities. As the semiconductor industry continues to evolve, TSMC’s innovations position it well to potentially outperform the market. For more information on TSMC, visit the official website here .

Veterinary Telemedicine Market Overview, Latest Trends, Growth Drivers, Opportunities, Key Segments, Leading Players, and Recent Developments 12-16-2024 11:22 PM CET | Health & Medicine Press release from: ABNewswire The major players in the veterinary telemedicine market include Vettriage (US), JustAnswer (US), Airvet (US), PetDesk (US), Pawsquad (UK). FirstVet (Sweden), Vetster (Canada), TeleVet (US) Browse 125 market data Tables and 38 Figures spread through 178 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Veterinary Telemedicine Market by Type (Telephone, Internet), Component (Software & Services, Hardware), Application (Diagnosis & Treatment, Prescription, Follow-up, Consultation, Education), Animal Type (Companion, Livestock) - Global Forecast to 2028 Veterinary Telemedicine Market [ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/veterinary-telemedicine-market-84791668.html?utm_source=abnewswire.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=paidpr ] in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $530 million in 2023 and is poised to reach $1,230 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 18.3% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets Trademark . Growth in this market can primarily be attributed to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in pets which led to a growing demand for veterinary telemedicine as a valuable tool for managing these conditions. Telemedicine enables remote monitoring of pets' chronic conditions through wearable devices and remote communication, allowing veterinarians to assess their condition and adjust treatment plans as needed. Regular virtual check-ins help veterinarians address concerns, answer questions, and ensure effective management of chronic diseases. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=84791668 [ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=84791668&utm_source=abnewswire.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=paidpr ] The internet segment holds the major share of the veterinary telemedicine market. Based on type, the veterinary telemedicine market is segmented into telephone and internet. The internet segment holds the major share of the veterinary telemedicine market. A large share of the internet segment can be attributed to the simple image and video transmission, which can provide veterinarians with more information about the pet's health. The software & services segment holds the major share of the veterinary telemedicine market. Based on component, the veterinary telemedicine market is segmented into software & services and hardware. The software & services segment holds the major share of the veterinary telemedicine market. A large share of the software & services segment can be attributed to the growing demand for cloud-based and on-demand services. Cloud computing and on-demand services have several advantages over traditional software and services, including cost effectiveness, scalability, and flexibility. North America segment accounted for the largest share of the veterinary telemedicine market. The global veterinary telemedicine market is segmented into North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2022, North America dominated the veterinary telemedicine market in 2022. The large share of North America in the global market is attributed to the convenience of telemedicine. Telemedicine can be a more affordable option for pet owners, especially those who live in rural areas or who have difficulty traveling. Telemedicine allows pet owners to get veterinary care without having to leave their homes. This can be especially convenient for busy people. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=84791668 [ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=84791668&utm_source=abnewswire.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=paidpr ] Veterinary Telemedicine Market Dynamics: Drivers: * Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in animals Restraints: * High costs associated with the services Opportunities: * The advancement of technology Challenges: * Lack of reimbursement Key Market Players: The major players in the veterinary telemedicine market include Vettriage (US), JustAnswer (US), Airvet (US), PetDesk (US), Pawsquad (UK). FirstVet (Sweden), Vetster (Canada), TeleVet (US), Anipanion (US), VitusVet (US), Whiskers Worldwide (US), WellHaven Pet Health (Canada), AskVet (US), Petriage (US), BI X GmbH (Germany), GuardianVets (US), TeleTails (US), Activ4Pets (US), BabelBark (US), Linkyvet (France), VetChat (Australia), VetCT (US), VetoClock (Spain), VetNow (US), Vetsource (US). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=84791668 [ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=84791668&utm_source=abnewswire.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=paidpr ] Media Contact Company Name: MarketsandMarkets Trademark Research Private Ltd. Contact Person: Mr. Rohan Salgarkar Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=veterinary-telemedicine-market-overview-latest-trends-growth-drivers-opportunities-key-segments-leading-players-and-recent-developments ] Phone: 18886006441 Address:1615 South Congress Ave. Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445 City: Florida State: Florida Country: United States Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/veterinary-telemedicine-market-84791668.html This release was published on openPR.adventtr Introduction Quantum computing companies like D-Wave Quantum Inc. ( NYSE: QBTS ) have been popping off in the last couple of weeks, so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. It is a very promising technology; however, it is still Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

NoneNEW ORLEANS — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. People are also reading... The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Michelle Cheramie, founder of Zeus' Rescues, at her office in New Orleans on Dec. 9 with a whiteboard index of sheltered cats and dogs and a Scrim look-alike recuperating in the background. Jack Brook, Associated Press 'I'm a travelin' dog and I've made a lot of stops/All over this town...' Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. Scrim on Oct. 24 at the Metairie Small Animal Hospital in Metairie, La. Brett Duke, The New Orleans Advocate '...And at every stop I own the heart, of at least one lovely...' People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. Neighbor Tammy Murray had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues van toward reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim came to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter for stealth. Michelle Cheramie, director of Zeus' Rescues, left, walks with Scrim on Oct. 24 at the Metairie Small Animal Hospital in Metairie, La. Brett Duke, The New Orleans Advocate '...If you're ever in the 9th Ward stop and see/My cute little mini poodle...' Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something," she said. "He's doing that, too.” Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim rests in a kennel Oct. 24 at the Metairie Small Animal Hospital in Metairie, La. Brett Duke, The New Orleans Advocate '...and my Shar-Pei doll down in old Treme/Waits for my return...' Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and nets Scrim sits in the arms of Zoey Ponder on Oct. 24 at Metairie Small Animal Hospital in Metairie. Brett Duke, The New Orleans Advocate A Scrim sticker for sale Dec. 9 at Zeus' Rescues office to raise money for the shelter in New Orleans. Jack Brook, Associated Press A homemade portrait of Scrim hangs Dec. 9 in the Zeus' Rescues shelter in New Orleans. Jack Brook, Associated Press Scrim spends some time outside Oct. 24 with Michelle Cheramie, director of Zeus' Rescues, in a fenced-in area at Metairie Small Animal Hospital in Metairie. Brett Duke, The New Orleans Advocate Scrim at the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana. Valerie Robinson, Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter Stay up-to-date on what's happening

Syrian insurgents reach the capital's suburbs. Worried residents flee and stock up on supplies BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria is gaining speed with news that they have reached the suburbs of the capital of Damascus. The government on Saturday was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels’ moves around Damascus were reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander. They came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions. The factions are by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has formally reopened its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. The five-year restoration is widely seen as a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline, and brings a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers gathered on Saturday evening for the celebrations under the cathedral's soaring arches. The celebration was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For Catholics, Notre Dame’s rector said the cathedral “carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.′′ Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Donald Trump to Paris with a full a dose of presidential pomp. And they held a hastically-arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that's mixing pageantry with attention to pressing global problems. The president-elect's visit to France is part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire. Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is making threats, traveling abroad, and negotiating with world leaders. He has more than a month-and-a-half to go before he’s sworn in for a second term. But the president-elect is already moving aggressively to not only fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but also to try to achieve his priorities. In recent days, Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest trading partners. That led to emergency calls and a visit. And he's warned of “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas doesn't release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol has avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law. Most of Yoon's ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea. A survey suggests a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party. But the party also apparently fears losing the presidency to liberals. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has opened the door for many people to vent their frustrations and anger over the insurance industry. The feelings of exasperation, anger, resentment, and helplessness toward insurers aren’t new. But the shooting and the headlines around it have unleashed a new wave of patients sharing such sentiments and personal stories of interactions with insurance companies. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic. Many say they hope the new amplified voices can bring about change for companies often accused of valuing profits over people. 100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing 83 years ago PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The bombing of Pearl Harbor 83 years ago launched the United States into World War II. Two survivors are planning to return to the Hawaii military base on Saturday for a remembrance ceremony on the attack's anniversary. They are each over 100 years old. They will join active-duty troops, veterans and members of the public for a remembrance ceremony hosted by the Navy and the National Park Service. A third survivor was planning to join them but had to cancel due to health issues. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire has rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments. The cause of the disaster is unclear. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, but could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. Dutch authorities have deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to find victims. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre found parallels between himself and his character while filming his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which opens in theaters Dec. 20. He took the reigns as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa’s origin story.

Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (“Northport”), a member of MMC Group has signed an agreement to acquire four units of Super Post Panamax Container Handling Ship-To-Shore Gantry Crane (“Quay Cranes”) from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (“ZPMC”). The agreement was signed by Northport’s Chief Executive Officer, Fakhrul Azhar Tajudin and ZPMC’s President, Zhu Xiaohuai, during a signing ceremony held at Northport on 16 December 2024. Senior management teams from both Northport and ZPMC were present to witness the signing event. The signing seals Northport’s commitment to enhancing its terminal handling capabilities to efficiently serve larger and more advanced container vessels. Two of these new Quay Cranes boast a 24-container outreach, twin-lift capability, and a lifting capacity of 65 tonnes, adding to Northport’s existing cranes capable of handling Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV). For the record, on 20 May 2024, Northport welcomed the MV OOCL Japan, a ULCV with a capacity of 21,413 TEUs, the largest ever container vessel to berth at its facilities. Meanwhile, the other two new Quay Cranes feature an 18-container outreach, twin-lift handling capability and a lifting capacity of 55 tonnes. Manufacturing by ZPMC is set to commence in December 2024, with delivery to Northport expected in the second quarter of 2026. “The acquisition of these new Quay Cranes complements the ongoing upgrading of Northport’s Wharf 9, which is expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2026. This strategic investment will significantly enhance our handling capacity and operational efficiency, while reinforcing our commitment to technological innovation and safety,” said Fakhrul. He added, “Our partnership with ZPMC aligns with our strategic goals under the ‘Reinventing Northport’ programme to continuously upgrade our infrastructure and facilities, ensuring the Company remains relevant and capable of meeting our customers’ evolving needs”. The ‘Reinventing Northport’ programme, initiated in 2016 following the takeover of Northport by MMC Corporation Berhad, aims to enhance terminal facilities, upgrade equipment and strengthen Northport’s competencies to improve customer satisfaction and drive business growth. (from left to right) Azman Mohamed, General Manager, Corporate Services of Northport, Fakhrul Azhar Tajudin Chief Executive Officer of Northport, Zhu Xiaohuai President of ZPMC and Xu Sheng, General Manager, Sales and Marketing Management of ZPMC during a signing ceremony of the agreement to acquire four units of Super Post Panamax Container Handling Ship-To-Shore Gantry Crane on 16 December 2024. Among the completed projects under the programme are the acquisition of six new quay cranes from ZPMC, fully delivered in 2019, the acquisition of 34 units of new Rubber-Tyred Gantry (“RTG”) cranes, including 11 Electrified Rubber-Tyred Gantry (“E-RTGs”) in 2023, and an additional 12 units of new E-RTGs to be fully delivered by the first quarter of 2025. Other completed projects include the construction of Northport Distripark Sdn Bhd (NDSB) 2 warehouses, a modern facility spanning 349,771 square feet in 2021, and the development of a new container yard, Block J, in 2023. In September this year, Northport announced the completion of its latest container yard, Block K, to enhance its terminal capacity. This initiative is a crucial part of Northport’s strategy to increase terminal capacity to accommodate growing business demands and improve operational efficiency. ZPMC is a heavy equipment manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company operates six production bases in Jiangsu Province, covering a total area of 6.7 million square meters with over 10 kilometres of coastline. ZPMC’s business encompasses multiple sectors, including port machinery, marine heavy industries, major steel structures and offshore wind power. ZPMC’s products have been deployed in 108 countries and regions, supported by 8 regional hubs and 28 overseas offices. “We greatly appreciate the unwavering support of the MMC Group and Northport, which has been instrumental in strengthening our partnership over the years. Northport is one of our valued and trusted partners, and we look forward to deepening this collaboration. Together, we aim to contribute to Malaysia’s economic growth and advance trade across Southeast Asia,” said Zhu Xiaohuai. “Our continued commitment on enhancing port infrastructure and facilities demonstrates our unwavering dedication to growth, efficiency and customer service. With these new Quay Cranes, we are not only addressing today’s shipping challenges but also preparing for future demands. This ensures that Northport remains competitive in the global maritime ecosystem,” said Fakhrul. Source: NorthportChance of direct attack by Russia ‘remote’, says UK armed forces chief

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FARGO — North Dakota State football got a late boost to its 2025 recruiting class. Omaha Central (NE.) defensive end Alijah Wayne announced his commitment to the Bison Sunday night. ADVERTISEMENT Wayne is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, who had originally committed to South Dakota State back in June. Wayne announced last week that he de-committed from the Jackrabbits. Wayne was on-site at the Fargodome last week prior to NDSU’s win over Missouri State. Regular Season Highlights!!🦅 https://t.co/KVWS37Siua @RingsNthingsCA @TerrenceMackey2 @CentralEaglesFB pic.twitter.com/ZYKC76Ixa7 "What sold it for me was how genuine the coaching staff and players were. On my official visit it felt like I was already apart of the team." Wayne said. "I felt welcomed, prioritized and throughout the weekend I kept envisioning myself being there, and being apart of this amazing program." Change of plans, headed in a new direction! #Committed #AGTG 🤘🦬 @NDSUfootball @CoachTimNDSU @NickGoeser @RingsNthingsCA @TerrenceMackey2 @CentralEaglesFB #RememberYano pic.twitter.com/BQUawJEIS8 Wayne earned an offer from Oregon State in September to go on top of offers from Air Force, Southern Illinois, SDSU and North Dakota. Rivals.com ranks Wayne as a three-star prospect. NDSU originally offered Wayne on May 15. ADVERTISEMENT Wayne added: "On my visit I could sense the relationship these coaches have with their players and I knew I wanted to be apart of that. NDSU also has a great program for sports management which is what I intend to major in. Overall NDSU doesn’t lack anything in what i’m looking for not only in the next four years but as well as the rest of my life." Wayne had 39 tackles, 3 for loss and one sack in eight games this season. He finished with 131 tackles and six sacks during his career. Omaha Central plays in the top class of Nebraska high school football, the Eagles season ended in the opening round of the playoffs to Papillion-La Vista. Wayne becomes the 31st commitment for the Bison Class of 2025 and the third from Nebraska. Thank you @NDSUfootball for having me for Junior Day this past Friday! I appreciated the opportunity! @CoachLJ38 @NickGoeser @CoachJakeLandry @CoachOlsonNDSU @RingsNthingsCA @FMPMentoring pic.twitter.com/hRs0JrS28Q Thomas Roberts from Boone Central High School and Mikhale Ford from Lincoln East committed over the summer. ADVERTISEMENT Wayne plans to sign on Dec. 4 on National Signing Day.

Revolution in AI: B2B Takes the Lead. Uncover the Next Tech FrontierMotown fans gain new appreciation of Temptations hit 'My Girl' on its 60th anniversaryCOLLEGE PARK, Md. — Iowa rushed the ball 58 times for 268 yards to secure a 26-13 road win over Maryland in fourth-string quarterback Jackson Stratton’s first career start on Saturday. The commitment to the ground game allowed the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) to win the time of possession battle 37:41-22:19. Iowa also limited the Terrapins, the Big Ten's No. 2 passing offense entering Saturday, to a season-low 129 passing yards. Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson (2) celebrates his touchdown during Saturday's game against Maryland in College Park, Md. Stephanie Scarbrough Head coach Kirk Ferentz told the Hawkeye Radio Network the win was a real team effort during a postgame interview. “The defense did a great job, played smart, played competitively,” Ferentz said. “That was a team effort, good pass rush, trying to disrupt the thrower, and being opportunistic in the back end. “The other component was, especially in the first half, being able to keep the ball in our hands ... that minimized the wind and ... I know this, they cannot score if they are over on their sideline.” Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson (2) celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Stephanie Scarbrough Running back Kaleb Johnson, who rushed for 164 yards on 35 attempts, surpassed Shonn Greene for sole possession of the Hawkeyes' single season rushing touchdown record with his 21st of the season in the second quarter. “Not only did I break the record, but I played another game with my boys,” Johnson told Big Ten Network. “We got one more game. My focus is on Nebraska ... . I always want to chase greatness. I am not satisfied just because I had a little record. I just want to keep going.” Stratton finished 10-of-14 for 76 yards and a 117 passing efficiency rating in the win. “He really, I thought, played with great poise,” Ferentz said. “Also, awareness, for a guy who has never started a game ... it did not seem to affect him at all. He really did a good job of preparing himself and did a really nice job of inserting himself. I thought he really played a good game.” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz watches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Stephanie Scarbrough Iowa set the tone early and often in the first half against the Terrapins (4-6, 1-7 Big Ten) with three straight drives of 12 or more plays, which each lasted longer than six minutes. On its opening drive, the Hawkeyes marched 57 yards in 12 plays to the Maryland 23-yard line before a botched exchange between Stratton and running back Kamari Moulton gave the ball to the Terps. After Iowa’s defense forced a punt on the ensuing Maryland drive, Stratton led Iowa 59 yards back down the field over the course of 13 plays before Drew Stevens put Iowa in front 3-0 with a 27-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter. A three-and-out on Maryland’s second drive set up Iowa’s third long, sustained drive of the game. Stratton piloted the offense 77 yards in 14 plays on a drive that lasted 7:26 and ended with a two-yard touchdown run from Johnson. Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) is sacked during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Stephanie Scarbrough Stevens added a 54-yard field goal with a minute remaining in the first half to send Iowa to the break with a 13-0 lead. Stevens made it 16-0 with a 50-yard field goal to cap the Hawkeyes first drive of the second half. Trailing by two scores, the Terps managed to find the end zone for the first time with an 11-play, 70-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback MJ Morris to Tai Felton. Maryland attempted a two-point conversion but failed allowing Iowa to remain in front by two scores, 16-6. After trading punts, Iowa answered with Stevens’ fourth field goal of the game, a 49-yard boot, to push the lead to 19-6 at the end of the third quarter. Maryland found the end zone once more on a 12-yard connection between Morris and Felton with 11:05 to play in regulation, trimming the lead to 19-13. A 68-yard rushing touchdown from Moulton on the subsequent Hawkeye drive, back-to-back Morris interceptions and a 26-yard field goal from Stevens allowed Iowa to swell its final advantage to 29-13. Stevens finished with a school-record 5-of-5 on his field goal attempts. Iowa will wrap up the regular season against Nebraska on Black Friday at 6:30 p.m. with broadcast coverage provided by NBC. “They are a tough, competitive football team,” Ferentz said. “So, nothing easy, there is nothing east. Nothing is easier today, but that is how college football is supposed to be.” According to Ferentz, he expects Stratton to start against Nebraska. "He is the leader of the group right now," Ferentz said. 5 Takeaways from Iowa’s bounce back win over Maryland Iowa QB breaks silence, reaffirms commitment to Hawkeyes Iowa coaches send congratulations, find common ground with retiring UNI head coachslot super ace jili games downloadable content 。

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Fears of AI-generated misinformation ran rife ahead of this historic election year. With more than half of the global population expected to head to the polls, including voters in the U.S., U.K., India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, media outlets and experts warned deepfakes, fake audios, and other AI-manipulated content might deceive and sway voters. Many expected an "AI armageddon." But this did not materialize. AI misinformation proved far less widespread than expected, making up less than one percent of fact-checked content on Meta platforms and just 1.35 percent of Logically Facts' total of 1,695 fact-checks. As the election year ends, Logically Facts assesses the pertinent question: how did AI influence voters worldwide, if at all? AI amplified existing partisan sentiment in the U.S. In the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election, AI-generated images were prevalent, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in particular targeted by fabricated visuals. Notable examples included AI-manipulated photos depicting Harris alongside controversial figures like Jeffrey Epstein and Diddy and AI-generated claims alleging Harris's history as a sex worker . Though some posts leaned towards satire or dark humor rather than attempting to deceive, they reflected the underlying misogyny Harris was subjected to throughout the campaign. Screenshots showcasing AI-generated images targeting Kamala Harris. (Source: X/ Modified by Logically Facts) As such, AI tools were used less for outright misinformation and more as a means to ridicule and amplify partisan sentiment, entrenching already existing beliefs. "AI makes it easier to create these illustrations, but I don't see it as a game changer, and it won't sway voters," Dr. Sacha Altay, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Zurich's Digital Democracy Lab, told Logically Facts. "I've seen much more AI slop, AI jokes, AI art, and AI porn than genuine AI-driven election misinformation," Altay continued. "Many of these are problematic, especially the non-consensual porn, but most are ultimately harmless." These AI-generated images were often shared by accounts known for regularly spreading misinformation, signaling that rather than intending to sway committed voters, these depictions of Harris largely reinforced already existing biases. Why do some people fall for these often poorly executed visuals? "The biggest stumbling block for people is their own biases and emotions," Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise, a digital media literacy initiative, told Logically Facts. "It's easy to fall for poorly made AI images if you're angry or vindicated." Fake celebrity endorsements emerged as another prolific strain of AI-generated misinformation during the run-up to the election. One example was amplified by Donald Trump, who reposted a series of AI-generated images portraying Taylor Swift fans wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts. However, a month later, Taylor Swift publicly endorsed Kamala Harris. According to a YouGov poll , 53 percent of surveyed Americans believed Swift's endorsement of Harris could help her campaign. While measuring the electoral impact of individual AI-generated media or narratives is difficult, polls during the Harris-Trump race showed no significant shifts or sudden drops in support for either candidate, suggesting limited influence. Screenshot of Donald Trump's post amplifying fake Taylor Swift endorsement. (Source: TruthSocial/ Modified by Logically Facts) Deepfakes, the cause of most AI-related concerns leading up to the election year, proved less prevalent than expected. The most high-profile deepfake was Joe Biden's " robocalls " in February 2024, aimed at dissuading voters from participating in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. This was quickly debunked. Speculation about an "October surprise" involving a convincing deepfake circulated in the media , but these fears did not materialize. Although meager, AI misinformation wasn't just domestic—evidence also points to some foreign interference. Logically Facts debunked an AI-manipulated video of a supposed former aide to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, falsely alleging government plans to rig the election for Kamala Harris. The video was traced to a group linked to former Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Meanwhile, the U.S. government seized 32 internet domains used in Russian government-directed influence campaigns, which relied on AI-generated content, influencers, and advertisements to undermine Harris' campaign and boost Donald Trump. In an election security update 45 days before the election, the U.S. government stated that Russia had produced the most AI content related to the presidential race among foreign actors. Some social media companies took proactive steps to limit the spread of deepfakes, with Meta among them. In the month leading up to election day, Meta blocked 590,000 attempts to use its Imagine AI generator for deepfakes targeting figures such as Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and Joe Biden. OpenAI also said it had disrupted 20 influence operations and deceptive networks that attempted to use its models globally since the beginning of the year. European and U.K. elections saw little meaningful AI misinformation In Europe, the EU vigorously prepared for June's European Parliament elections, anticipating an "AI armageddon." Yet again, the actual impact of AI misinformation was minimal—a Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) report identified just 11 viral cases in the EP and French elections combined. In August 2024, two months after the election, the European Union's AI Act—the first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence—officially took effect. Emmie Hine, a Research Associate at the Yale Digital Ethics Center, told Logically Facts that this legislation may have incentivized platforms to take rapid action on AI misinformation. "While the AI Act didn't explicitly prohibit the use of AI in elections, it emphasized the responsibility of platforms to combat election-related misinformation and disinformation," Hines said. Similarly, the July 4 general election in the United Kingdom demonstrated a limited influence of AI-driven misinformation. Traditional forms of misinformation, such as spreading unsubstantiated rumors or fabricating fake articles , dominated instead. According to the same report by CETaS, only 16 confirmed instances of AI-generated disinformation or deepfakes went viral during the election period. Logically Facts debunked nine false claims throughout the campaign, with just three involving verifiable AI-generated content, focusing on key voter issues like immigration and religious tensions . Similarly to AI-generated misinformation in the U.S., AI was used to visually communicate the sentiment of some voters across the U.K., not necessarily to mislead others. A screenshot of an AI-generated image showing Muslims praying by the U.K. Prime Minister's office. The emphasis is placed on expressing criticism rather than ensuring photorealistic accuracy. (Source: X/ Modified by Logically Facts) Indian enforcement authorities fail to take action on electoral AI India's seven-phase general election, running from April 19 to June 1, saw the country of 1.4 billion people with 820 million active internet users go to the polls - with concerns about AI disinformation impacting the elections running rife. During the campaign, AI was used in many ways, including real-time translations , AI-powered hyper-personalized avatars , and speeches by deceased leaders . However, in a report by the Washington Post from April 2024, Divendra Singh Jadoun, a prominent AI deepfake creator in the country, has said that more than half of the requests he received by political parties for AI content were "unethical". This included fake audios of opponents making gaffes on the campaign trail, pornographic images of opponents, and some campaigns requesting low-quality fake videos of their own candidates to cast doubts on real videos of these candidates with negative consequences. Examples of AI deepfake videos during the Indian elections of popular actors and news anchors supporting a particular party or announcing false results. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts) This maelstrom operated with little to no intervention from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the autonomous constitutional authority that monitors and conducts elections. The ECI sent a letter to political parties warning against the use of misleading AI content and urging parties to take posts down within three hours if they are found to be AI. However, the body failed to bring in any specific regulations against misleading deepfakes. A report by an Indian digital rights body, the Internet Freedom Foundation, noted that action against political actors for violating the electoral code of conduct was "delayed and inadequate." The Delhi High Court has also expressed its concerns about AI this year while hearing two public interest cases about the non-regulation of AI. In October 2024, the court observed that with India's population, it will face problems with AI in the absence of legislation or regulation. It has since asked the central government to create a panel to examine the regulation of deepfakes. Prateek Waghre , a tech policy researcher, says that AI is "another layer" to an already "extremely problematic information ecosystem" in the country that will only be exacerbated with time. According to him, enacting new laws when existing systems are already weak and subject to misuse by political powers is not the way forward. "Where legislation has come in, anti-disinformation and anti-fake news legislation, they have often been used to target political opponents or dissidents or activists or journalists," Waghre told Logically Facts. He points to an example from the recently concluded Maharashtra state elections in November 2024, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party shared a fake AI audio of political opponent Supriya Sule discussing misusing funds from a cryptocurrency fraud to influence the state elections. This went viral before being debunked, but the ECI has taken no action as of December 9. The South Asian situation: How elections went for India's neighbors Pakistan and Bangladesh both saw general elections this year amid a volatile political climate - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in August 2023, engendering widespread protests, while Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted after violent protests in August of this year. In the case of these two countries, local fact-checkers told Logically Facts that AI disinformation, while not a major issue, was used for negative campaigning purposes. Sameen Aziz , a senior fact-checker and producer at Soch Media, Pakistan's only IFCN signatory, told Logically Facts that the major narratives centered on deepfakes attributed to political representatives, especially calling for election boycotts just before voting. The biggest challenge with these videos was their rapid dissemination and the lack of tools to combat them. Screenshots of viral AI-generated claims from the Pakistan elections of PTI leaders, Basharat Raja (left) and Imran Khan (right), announcing election boycotts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts) Screenshots of viral AI-generated claims from the Pakistan elections of PTI leaders, Basharat Raja (left) and Imran Khan (right), announcing election boycotts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts) "Detecting altered audio required specialized tools and expertise that were not always readily accessible; the same thing also happened with deepfakes," Aziz said. "Fact-checkers also encountered resistance from partisans who dismissed corrections as biased." The lack of reliable technology also presented issues in Bangladesh, according to Sajjad Chowdhury , the Operations Lead and Senior fact-checker at RumorScanner. "One of the most significant challenges involved the claims of leaked phone records of political and administrative figures," Chowdhury told Logically Facts. "Due to the absence of reliable technology for audio detection, verifying these claims was not possible." Aziz is also concerned that amended legislation aiming to combat online misinformation could limit individual freedoms if misused by the government. "Balancing regulation with freedom of expression will be critical in navigating this complex issue," she said. AI misinformation: an ever-present threat Ultimately, the disinformation apocalypse with an AI harbinger did not come to pass in 2024's general elections. Traditional methods of disinformation were still preferred by most actors and made up the mass of disinformation on platforms. However, AI disinformation remains a threat in countries without the framework in place to protect the common voter from manipulation. While regulation and education could enhance information quality on social media, Altay emphasizes that "the problem lies more with the actors than the technology." AI is simply another tool to illustrate existing misconceptions, not the source of misinformation—although Mahadevan worries this could change as technology advances. "I am worried that this tech will allow bad actors to target individuals more precisely with AI-generated content tailored to their hopes and fears," he said. Altay, however, has higher hopes. "Instead of focusing exclusively on the potential negative effects of AI, I think we should find ways to use AI to promote the quality and diversity of public discourse," he told Logically Facts. This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com , and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.

By Abby Badach Doyle, NerdWallet It won’t be impossible to buy a house in 2025 — just be prepared to play on hard mode. According to a November 2024 report from ICE Mortgage Technology, the monthly principal and interest payment on an average-priced home is $2,385. While that’s not the highest it’s ever been, it’s still a sharp increase — nearly 80% — from just three years ago. In November 2021, when mortgage rates averaged 3%, the monthly principal and interest on an average-priced home was $1,327 per month. So here’s the key to buying in 2025: Look ahead, not back. Regret won’t help you budget for today’s new normal. And with this year’s election also in the rearview mirror, so is some uncertainty among buyers and sellers that historically slows the market during every presidential election cycle. “People have just been kind of sitting waiting to see what’s going to happen,” says Courtney Johnson Rose, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, an industry group for Black real estate agents. “I’m hopeful that the new year will bring more attention to real estate, more excitement to real estate, and more opportunities for first-time home owners to get in the game.” Check the forecast Preparing to buy a house is a lot like dressing for the weather. It’s easier when the outlook is sunny — but with some planning, you can gear up to face any condition. Here’s what housing market experts are forecasting for the upcoming year. First, home prices: We’ll likely see more modest growth in 2025, a change from skyrocketing prices in recent years. After 16 consecutive months of year-over-year price increases, the median existing-home sales price hit $407,200 in October, according to the National Association of Realtors. In 2025, with more supply trickling in to temper price increases, NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun forecasts a median existing-home sales price of $410,700, up just 2% over this year. Next, housing inventory: Demand still outpaces supply. While we don’t expect a return to a buyer’s market, competition should be less cutthroat. Realtor.com forecasts a balanced market in 2025 with an average 4.1-month supply of homes for sale, up from an average 3.7-month supply so far in 2024. That would make 2025 the friendliest market for buyers since 2016, which had an average 4.4-month supply. Finally, mortgage rates: After topping 8% in October 2023, the 30-year mortgage rate has slowly eased into the 6.5%-7% range this year. Rate cuts from the Federal Reserve have helped nudge that downward. Despite earlier optimism, forecasters’ latest consensus is for rates to effectively plateau above 6% throughout 2025. That said, every year has its wild cards. In 2025, it’s still uncertain how President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican-led Congress might shake up regulations and tax policies that affect the U.S. housing market. Set a budget National forecasts don’t analyze what matters most: Your personal cash flow. To get ready to buy, first meet with a financial advisor or use an online calculator to determine how much house you can afford . You can also get free or low-cost advice from a housing counselor sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Next, look into down payment and closing cost assistance from state housing finance agencies, local governments, nonprofits and mortgage lenders. Your employer or labor union might offer assistance, too. First-time buyers with income below their area median have the most options, but repeat or higher-income borrowers can qualify for some programs as well. “I think that there’s a lot of free money being left out there,” Rose says. Find a buyer’s agent Your not-so-secret weapon for buying in 2025 just might be an experienced buyer’s agent. “Anybody can write a contract,” says Sharon Parker, associate broker with Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty in Rye, New Hampshire. “But you need somebody who’s seen the market, the ups and downs, who knows how to get creative because every transaction is different.” Following a settlement with the NAR , buyers can now negotiate their agent’s compensation up front. (Previously, home sellers took on that task.) While new norms are still shaking out, Rose says she hasn’t seen too much drama since the change took effect in August. “So as long as buyers remember that we have to talk about this in the beginning of our relationship, everything typically works out fine,” she says. Shop and negotiate Finally, it’s time to shop for a mortgage. To get the best interest rate, get a quote with at least three different lenders. You could also delegate the shopping to a mortgage broker, who can compare quotes and even negotiate a lower rate on your behalf. Though brokers charge a fee, their access to more mortgage options and lower rates can often mean net savings overall. With a mortgage preapproval in hand, it’s go time. And you don’t have to wait until spring: If you’re ready to buy now, buyers have less competition and more negotiating power from December through February, so you could snag a deal. “The people who are selling and the people who are buying in the off season are very serious,” Parker says. “They’re not just lookie-loos.” However, lower inventory means fewer choices for buyers. So start your search prepared to compromise — a “good enough” house will still help you build equity. Should you buy a house in 2025? If a down payment or monthly mortgage payment is financially out of reach, there’s no shame in postponing your search to pad your savings. And owning a home isn’t the right lifestyle choice for everyone, with the ongoing commitment of money and time. But once you’re ready to buy — whether for the first time, or to upgrade or downsize — avoid the trap of waiting for a dip in mortgage rates. “Nobody can predict what the market, or the world, is going to do,” Parker says. “There is no better time than right now.” Mortgage rates will always fluctuate, and if they drop significantly, you can refinance. For first-time buyers, homeownership is a major financial glow-up — and the sooner you jump in, the longer you’ll have to build home equity. “Time value of money is really, really critical when it comes to real estate,” Rose says. “So I would always encourage somebody to buy as soon as you can and get the clock ticking.” More From NerdWallet How Much House Can I Afford? Is It a Good Time to Buy a House? Should I Buy a House? How to Tell If You’re Ready Abby Badach Doyle writes for NerdWallet. Email: abadachdoyle@nerdwallet.com. The article Buying a House in 2025: Your How-To Guide originally appeared on NerdWallet .ROSEN, A GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED LAW FIRM, Encourages Celsius Holdings, Inc. Investors to Secure ...

The PlayStation 5 has entered the latter stage of its lifecycle, Sony announced back in February. The fourth anniversary of the console has been marked by impressive victories and surprising setbacks . 2024 felt like an inflection point for the PS5, with Sony unofficially turning the page on the PS4 and paving the way for the next era of its first-party blockbuster exclusives. It was another lowkey great year for what is increasingly becoming the default high-end gaming console. There were excellent updates to the PS5 home screen UI, a slew of great exclusive games from second- and third-party partners, and an entire update to the console in the form of the $700 PS5 Pro. PS VR2 became platform agnostic, a 30th Anniversary celebration unveiled nostalgic accessories for longtime fans, and the base tier of PS Plus continued to deliver plenty of premium freebies. The lack of a new big-budget first-party game and the abysmal failure of Concord sent up red flags, but not major hurdles to a platform that soared to 65.5 million units sold last month. All of this as an executive shakeup saw Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan replaced by co-CEOs Herman Hulst and Hideaki Nishino , reporting up to Sony COO Hiroki Totoki. Highly respected long-time PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida, one of the last familiar faces in the top ranks of the console maker , also announced he was leaving in a year when PlayStation went very quiet, with just a few State of Play livestreams and no major summer showcase. The next phase of PlayStation is coming, and 2024 showed that even seeming “off years” can still deliver for players in spades. The Hardware After tons of reporting, rumors, and speculation, 2024 was the year Sony finally launched the PS5 Pro . Its hefty price tag promised no-compromises gaming, with upscaled 4K resolution at 60fps thanks to a more powerful GPU and new machine learning technology called PSSR. The results so far have been good to mixed, with some games looking more gorgeous than ever while certain third-party releases struggle to play nice with PSSR and studios race to amend their PS5 Pro updates in the face of unexpected visual downgrades . This has put the device, at least early on, firmly into the “nice but unnecessary” category of upgrades. Denser visual detail at higher framerates and greater ray-tracing options bring the PS5 console experience into closer parity with mid-level PC gaming, but don’t quite offer the “oh shit!” moments that might make even longtime fans feel the need to run out and immediately pick one up. That’s especially the case when even the base PS5 continues to perform so well and feel perfectly adequate in the near-term. This could be another indication that the console arms race is slowing to a crawl, with future generations yielding even more granular improvements. But the PS5 Pro’s PSSR tech also provides a glimpse at where console manufacturers could leverage AI to try to make up ground. Sony recently announced a partnership with AMD called Project Amethyst to “support broad work and machine learning across a variety of devices” in an effort that would pay dividends for other companies as well. The company is also reportedly already working with AMD on the PS6. For now, the PS5 still isn’t getting a price drop. In fact, it actually became more expensive this year in certain regions, including Japan. The DualSense controller also received a stealth price hike. A temporary Black Friday sale took the PS5 all-digital price down to $375, only $25 less than what it launched at in 2020. The PS5 got better in 2024, but not cheaper. The Software The PS5 interface received a notable refresh this year in the form of a new customizable welcome hub . The default module when you start up the console comes with new backgrounds and a bunch of tiles that can be swapped in with various widgets, from trophies and controller battery life to news about wishlisted games, console storage, and who’s online. It’s a seemingly small touch that goes a long way toward making the PS5 ecosystem easier to parse, navigate, and engage with, and it might just be the start of a bold new era for the system’s UI. There were a few other updates to the firmware in 2024. Adaptive charging made the console more energy-efficient for newer PS5 models, including the Slim and Pro, and party share now lets you circulate session invites directly on social media and other messaging apps. There’s still no great way to directly share screenshots and gameplay footage on social media after Sony cut integration with X (formerly known as Twitter), though the PlayStation App is getting closer to being the remote second screen for the PS5 it deserves to be. But the biggest software update of all this year didn’t come to the PS5 at all—it came to the PlayStation Portal. The not-quite-a-gaming-handheld peripheral can now play a growing list of games directly from the cloud rather than needing to stream them from a home console strictly as a remote play device. This change essentially doubles the value of the $200 accessory, and potentially serves as a bridge to a future in which a full-fledged Sony handheld reportedly in development can play new games natively as well. The Networks and Services This portion of our annual PlayStation report card usually focuses almost exclusively on the services portion of the equation, but 2024 showcased some significant lapses in network functionality. While it still pales in comparison to the infamous 2011 PSN outage, the services were down intermittently for almost a full day back in the fall . It was a reminder of how much of the platform relies on constant connectivity to deliver on its promise, from multiplayer-only games to always-online single-player campaigns. Any outage, no matter how brief, is also notable in the context of Sony charging $10 a month for the ability to play online. PlayStation Stars , a smaller rewards initiative incorporated into the PS app rather than the console itself, nevertheless raised questions when it was offline for multiple weeks over the summer with no real explanation from Sony as to why the service had gone down. Coupled with issues with activity cards and various high-profile firmware bugs, the normally quite stable PS5 platform wobbled more than usual in 2024. PS Plus’ Netflix-like library of downloadable games was on much firmer footing, however. PS Plus Premium, the most expensive of the service’s three tiers at $160 per year, added a bunch more PS classics to help round out its back catalog. Subscribing fans finally got access to the Sly Cooper trilogy, the first two Legacy of Kain games, Dino Crisis , and a bunch of other old-school favorites. For the program’s price, though, there still really needs to be a better alternative for accessing the vast reservoir of PS3 exclusives. Insomniac’s WW2 alien shooter trilogy Resistance also arrived on Premium, but only via streaming. And while the middle tier—PS Plus Extra—continues to be hit-or-miss with what great games are added or rotated out , the base PS Plus catalog continues to be full of bangers. 2024 saw the addition of A Plague Tale: Requiem , Nobody Saves the World , Immortals of Aveum , Tunic , Sifu , Borderlands 3 , Streets of Rage 4 , Little Nightmares II , and the Dead Space remake, just to name a few. At the same time, we’ve gotten fewer and fewer high-profile day-one PS Plus releases. Animal Well was a GOTY contender but Foamstars and Quidditch Champions were both duds. Still, the cumulative library competes with the best of what Extra has and offers a great way to catch up on many of the best games of recent years. The Games Sony’s impressive first-party studios mostly took a backseat in 2024 with two important exceptions: Astro Bot and Concord . The first, from Asobo Studio, married the whimsy and creativity Sony’s Japan Studio was once synonymous with to the high bar of quality and production values showcased by the company’s more recent big-budget blockbusters. Astro Bot was announced in May and won best game at The Game Awards 2024 just seven months later. It’s a top-tier action platformer that also shows how the DualSense controller’s haptic gimmicks can transform the feel of otherwise familiar gameplay. Coupled with Lego Horizon Adventures , Sony demonstrated a new family-friendly range outside of the grim, violent prestige games that have defined its brand in years prior. Concord , meanwhile, was an Icarus moment for Sony’s first-party live service initiative. The hero shooter from Firewalk Studios had a development budget of over $200 million, sources told Kotaku earlier this year , which culminated in a fine but forgettable multiplayer experience which failed to attract players so spectacularly at launch that Sony yanked the plug less than two weeks later with full refunds and a complete server shutdown. The company closed the studio it had purchased only the year prior and promised to incorporate the learnings from the debacle into its ongoing strategy. How Sony, renowned since the middle of the PS4 generation for quality checks and proactive player feedback, failed to spot any warning signs and instead ploughed full speed ahead either speaks to the overall challenge, complexity, and random luck of making live-service hits or to serious blindspots within PlayStation Studios. 2024 also saw the shutdown of London studio and mobile game maker Neon Koi, as well as the cancellation of multiple unannounced projects and hundreds of cuts across various studios, including Bungie. It all comes as the larger game industry grapples with high costs and delayed development timelines in a release climate that’s more competitive than ever. Yet where Concord crashed, Helldivers 2 soared . Arrowhead Game Studios’ squad-based, ragdoll-physics alien shooter is one of the bestselling games of the year, especially on PC. Despite controversies around the required PSN login on Steam, nerfs to fan-favorite builds and battle pass gear, and a mid-year slowdown in new content, the game has delivered a fascinating, evolving storyline like a sci-fi D&D campaign made up of millions of players, all while continuing to push out regular new updates . It was a game worth buying a PS5 for, and not because it relied on the typical Sony blockbuster’s mix of expensive cinematic narratives and lush production values. What might have seemed like an otherwise quiet year for the PS5 was bolstered by other console exclusives both big and small, like Granblue Fantasy: Relink , Rise of the Rōnin , Stellar Blade , Silent Hill 2 , and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth . The mix of action adventure, open world, RPG, and survival horror went a long way to rounding out an otherwise sparser release calendar compared to the post-covid high-water mark set by 2023. Xbox’s multiplatform strategy also saw critically acclaimed hits like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment arrive on PS5 alongside multiplayer juggernaut Sea of Thieves and the open-world survival sim Grounded . and the biggest 2024 game that wasn’t available on PS5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , will still arrive their early next year. The PS5 might be heading into the latter stage of its lifecycle, but it feels like the best years are still in front of it. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsuhima 2, titled Ghost of Yotei , was revealed earlier this year for a 2025 release, and Naughty Dog finally teased its first new, non- Last of Us project in a long time. It’s called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and promises a bold new sci-fi direction for the premier PlayStation studio that may also see it return a bit to its action-adventure roots. Fans are also still waiting on reveals for Santa Monica’s new not- God of War project, and leaks suggest Bend Studio will offer Sony’s next risky experiment in live-service gaming. Plus a multiplayer Horizon Zero Dawn game could be arriving as early as next year, and Insomniac’s Wolverine has been dark for a while as well. Sony recently promised at least one new single-player blockbuster every year. 2024 didn’t have one, and it still turned out to be a great year for the platform. .

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Flag football uses talent camps to uncover new starsI'M A Celebrity fans have branded the latest episode as the 'most emotional ever' and a 'hard watch'. Typically, the celebrities' emotions run high after spending three weeks in the Australian jungle. 7 GK Barry reunited with mum Loretta Credit: Eroteme 7 McFly's Danny Jones reunited with his wife and son Credit: Eroteme 7 Coleen Rooney was surprised by her mother and two of her boys Credit: Eroteme Viewers were left in tears during Friday's (December 6) episode as the stars shared emotional reunions with their loved ones. One person wrote on X: "I actually think this is the most emotional reunion episode ever, between them getting to see their kids and Oti's husband wow." Another added: "These families, they should be proud of them, aka this year's cast. "They have worked so hard and seeing them reunite, even for a second..." Read more on I'm A Celeb PARENT'S GRIEF I'm A Celeb star reveals how spirit of late daughter was with him in jungle sussed it I'm A Celebrity fans work out real reason Barry and Maura got the boot GK Barry shrieked when she found her mum Loretta sitting by the creek. The social media star declared: "I've missed you guys so much!" Meanwhile, Loretta told her daughter that everyone sent their love and she was doing "so well". She also described fellow campmate Reverend Richard Coles as a "calming influence" on GK. Most read in I’m A Celebrity 2024 RE-ROONION Moment Coleen breaks down in tears as she enjoys surprise reunion with her sons GAGGING WAG Watch I'm A Celeb's Coleen almost VOMIT as she drinks crocodile anus PRICE-LESS We had I’m A Celeb’s only REAL romance...I'm sad we don’t speak, says Katie Price roo-union Coleen Rooney set for emotional I'm A Celeb reunion with youngest sons TONIGHT Referring to one of the duo's more memorable chats, Loretta joked: "Did you really have to talk about scissoring? "Everyone knows about that now!" I'm A Celebs fans in hysterics as Coleen Rooney's son makes very cheeky comment about her during emotional reunion_1 A shocked Richard said as he reunited with his brother Will: "We've met in some funny places, haven't we? "But this is really the funniest of them all!" Will continued as he told Richard that his partner, Dickie, sent his love. While Richard opened up about his experience: "The people are great, we've had a really, really good time and everything that's worked, has worked because we've all come together." McFly's Danny Jones found his wife Georgia and excited son Cooper waiting for him. Cooper said: "I'm really excited to see my dad!" While Georgia added: "He's been doing amazing, he said he wanted to make you proud didn't he and show you how to be brave. "We think he's achieved that." Danny took the opportunity to wish Georgia a happy birthday, thrilled he could spend some time with her. A visibly emotional Danny later said: "That was the best surprise I think I've ever had in my life, just the best feeling." 7 Corrie star Alan Halsall met up with brother Stephen Credit: Eroteme 7 Oti Mabuse emotionally reunited with husband Marius Credit: Eroteme Elsewhere, a shocked Oti Mabuse stopped in her tracks as she found husband Marius. To mark their ten year anniversary, Marius had bought Oti a new ring - which she couldn't wait to try on. She responded: "This is exactly what I needed to spur me on until the end." As the couple parted ways, Oti said: "I love you." Coronation Street's Alan Halsall was treated to a visit from his older brother Stephen. With his daughter on his mind, one of the actor's first questions was: "How's Sienna?" To which Stephen replied: "Everyone's proud of you, Sienna's especially, she's watching every night." When it came time to say goodbye, Alan gave his brother a long final hug. He added: "Obviously give everyone my love but make sure you speak to Sienna and just tell her I miss her." Coleen Rooney walked out of the Bush Telegraph to find her mother Colette and sons Kai and Cass waiting for her in camp. I'm A Celebrity 2024 i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year.. Coleen Rooney - Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney , has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever. Tulisa - The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year's I'm A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal. Alan Halsall - The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities. Melvin Odoom - The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet - the Aussie jungle . GK Barry - The UK's biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers. Dean McCullough - A rising star amongst this year's bunch of celebs , Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live. Oti Mabuse - The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV's Dancing On Ice . Danny Jones - The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle , after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he's now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice , along with bandmate Tom Fletcher. Jane Moore - The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge - having recently split from her husband . It will be Jane's first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past. Barry McGuigan - Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer . He told The Late Late Show in 2021: "She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache." Maura Higgins - The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard . Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year. Rev. Richard Coles - Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity , and he's ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star , said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: "Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth." Upon hugging his mum, cheeky Kai remarked: "She stinks!" Afterwards, the media personality wasted no time giving her loved ones a tour of camp - including the dunny and her bed. Read more on the Scottish Sun DARR-ARGH! Weather maps reveal exact date Storm Darragh to hit Scots with rain, wind & SNOW 'SICK BEYOND BELIEF' Cops probe footage 'showing Scots woman having sex with XL Bully dog' In an emotional goodbye, Coleen told her sons it was only a couple more days - and then the countdown to Christmas . I'm A Celebrity continues on ITV1 and ITVX. 7 Reverend Richard Coles and his brother Will Credit: Eroteme 7 The campmates discussing their emotional reunions Credit: Eroteme

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The world according to Jim: • As we approach the latest edition of USC vs. UCLA – in other words, a 5-5 team against a 4-6 team, their game Saturday at the Rose Bowl shunted to a 7:30 Pacific time slot so people in the Eastern half of the country who don’t have a bet on the game need not bother – the question must be asked: Are there people in those athletic departments who have buyers’ remorse over the move to the Big Ten? And will that remorse only increase as the travel horror stories involving non-football programs’ conference travel pile up? ... • Here’s a reminder of the reason for this displacement, as well as the only thing that seemingly makes it make sense: The L.A. schools are getting full shares of the Big Ten media pie, somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million a year, as the first programs to jump the Pac-12 ship on the final day of June, 2022. Given the way former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff subsequently botched the conference’s media rights negotiations, which began the mass exodus, the L.A. schools’ move in retrospect was understandable if regrettable. ... • Hey, it is more expensive to live in L.A., right? ... • Oregon and Washington, among the last to defect, get half shares for the balance of the Big Ten contract, which runs through the spring of 2030 (although Phil Knight’s largesse almost certainly helps offset the difference at Oregon). The teams that scattered to the Big XII and Atlantic Coast Conference similarly received reduced shares from their new conferences. Oregon State and Washington State have been living off the Pac-12’s surplus and a stopgap TV deal and teamed with Octagon this week in search of a new media rights agreement for the rebuilding conference. ... • On the football field, at least, it has been an unqualified triumph for Oregon, undefeated and currently at the top of the College Football Playoff pecking order. Washington is 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten. The L.A. schools are reduced to playing for bowl scraps. And the idea that Washington, USC and UCLA are respectively eighth, 12th and 13th in their conference is its own special kind of culture shock. ... • We’ve had more than a year to get used to it, but I still miss the old Pac-12 and its regional rivalries. That’s not going to change for a good, long while. ... • Meanwhile, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin said the quiet part out loud the other day, as he is prone to do. His team’s on a heater – 8-2 overall, 4-2 in the SEC, No. 9 in the last College Football Playoff rankings and winner of three in a row, including a 28-10 thumping of then-No. 3 Georgia. Yet in an expanded SEC that – like the Big Ten – no longer has divisions and sends its first- and second-place teams to the conference championship game, Kiffin said he wanted no part of that 13th game and a potential third loss that would knock his team out of playoff contention. He indicated other SEC coaches had similar feelings. ... • In other words: The bloated nature of the current Power Four conferences – and, as former colleague Mark Whicker noted in his Substack column, the realization that contenders don’t all play each other because of that bloat – has already made the 12-team playoff unwieldy and borderline obsolete. Nice work, guys. ... • And let the empha$i$ on the bottom line, both among athletic programs and among those players getting NIL money, be one more reminder that the NCAA’s insistent reference to “student athletes,” parroted by its member schools, is as big a fallacy as ever and maybe more so. Reverse the order of that phrase and it’s closer to the truth. ... • The other aspect of what at first glance seems to be a diminished crosstown rivalry – at least until the game starts and the emotions on the field take over – is that one coach, UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, is digging out from the Chip Kelly era, and his team has already displayed progress this season. The other, USC’s Lincoln Riley, is drawing comparisons to predecessor Clay Helton among some alumni – and that’s not good. ... • The Rams will be honoring their 1999 team, which won the franchise’s first Super Bowl for St. Louis, at Sunday evening’s game against Philadelphia at SoFi Stadium. And if you are an L.A. Rams fan, all in on the team once again, do you really care about the ’99 champs, never mind willing to celebrate them? Or is there still a void between the team’s departure for St. Louis in 1995 and its return to Los Angeles in 2016? ( The Reddit conversation from this past May, “What Is Your Opinion of Georgia Frontiere,” indicates where longtime L.A. Rams fans stand on this.) ... • From the “things I wish I’d written” file, Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins’ wonderful description of the monstrosity that was the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson “fight” a week ago: “Was Jake Paul’s not the most punchable face in the history of punched faces? It was a face with all the character and lived experience of a canned ham. It was the consummate face of an influencer, with all the smirky grifting in search of the lux life that term suggests. There wasn’t a hint of true toughness — much less truth — in it. Just blandness cloaked in a poseur-pharaoh’s beard and topped by some box-color bleached curls, and God did you ever want Mike Tyson to put his very real fist in it.” Priceless. ... • The ball from Freddie Freeman’s World Series Game 1 walkoff grand slam, grabbed by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman of Venice – who was told he was leaving school early that Friday to go to a orthodontist’s appointment only to have his dad take him to Dodger Stadium instead – is going to be auctioned off by SCP Auctions from Dec. 4-14. It should fetch seven figures, easy, maybe even more than the $4.392 million top bid last month for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run (which is currently held up by a dispute over who actually had the right to auction it). ... • If I could afford to make the winning bid on Freeman’s ball – and if I actually could, you wouldn’t be reading this column – I’d lend it to the Dodgers to prominently display among their MVP and Cy Young and Silver Slugger trophies, with the stipulation that it would eventually go to the Hall of Fame. That’s where it belongs. Now if someone could just find the Kirk Gibson ball from 1988. ... jalexander@scng.com

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WILMINGTON, DE — SUP Miner is transforming the cryptocurrency mining industry by introducing zero-cost cloud mining, making it more accessible to a broader audience. This innovative platform helps users overcome the prohibitive costs and technical hurdles typically associated with traditional mining methods. Cryptocurrency mining has evolved from a simple task manageable on personal computers to a complex process requiring advanced equipment and significant energy consumption. With rising energy costs, traditional mining has become largely inaccessible, paving the way for cloud mining as a viable alternative. Cloud mining allows users to rent mining power from remote facilities, eliminating the need for expensive hardware and its upkeep. Founded in 2021 and licensed in the U.S., SUP Miner has quickly emerged as a leader in the cloud mining sector. Its cutting-edge facilities in Kazakhstan and Iceland support over 600,000 users worldwide. SUP Miner’s platform is designed to be user-friendly, requiring no technical knowledge, thus enabling anyone to mine Bitcoin with ease. Paul Sublett, CEO of SUP Miner, stated, “In this fast-growing cryptocurrency market, mining opportunities are shining like stars. We are committed to providing a safe and reliable mining environment so your investment can yield considerable returns. Our focus is not only on advancing technology but also on enhancing user experience and satisfaction.” Starting with SUP Miner is straightforward, making it ideal for beginners and seasoned investors alike. Users can sign up on the platform, which offers a $20 bonus to new users, and begin mining Bitcoin without any initial investment. This approach allows users to experience cloud mining risk-free and start earning immediately. SUP Miner provides a range of mining contracts to fit diverse financial goals and budgets. Users earn daily returns, with the option to withdraw or reinvest once their balance reaches $100. This flexibility, coupled with the platform’s zero-cost entry and daily payouts, makes SUP Miner an attractive option for passive income generation. SUP Miner’s affiliate program offers further earning potential, granting a 5% commission on referrals. This feature provides an additional income stream for users with networks interested in cryptocurrency mining. In summary, SUP Miner’s zero-cost cloud mining platform offers a simplified, cost-effective entry point into cryptocurrency mining, reinforcing its position as a leader in the industry. As the cryptocurrency landscape continues to grow, SUP Miner remains committed to providing accessible and profitable mining opportunities for all users. For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN .

Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

The Big Ten Conference released its 2025 football schedule on Wednesday afternoon, handing UCLA some new Big Ten opponents as well as some familiar competition from the Pac-12. The Bruins will close out the season on Nov. 29 with a rivalry game against USC at the Coliseum with hopes of taking back the Victory Bell. UCLA lost, 19-13, at the Rose Bowl in this season’s edition of the rivalry. The second Big Ten Conference schedule for the Bruins includes away games against Northwestern, Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State and USC. Home conference games will come against Penn State, Maryland, Nebraska and former Pac-12 foe Washington. UCLA has played Northwestern only once since 1970 and hasn’t squared up with Maryland since 1955. The Bruins will alternate home and away games on a weekly basis, as opposed to a 2024 slate that featured back-to-back road games on two different occasions. Although head coach DeShaun Foster said the team had gotten the hang of Big Ten travel, the 2025 schedule could alleviate some travel fatigue. The nonconference schedule includes a season opener at home against Pac-12-turned-Big-12 opponent Utah, followed by a game at UNLV and another home game against New Mexico before a bye week. The timing of the bye week could be another benefit for UCLA and allow the Bruins to prepare and rest ahead of its Big Ten schedule. UCLA had a bye immediately after its first game this season and resumed its schedule with five straight losses. 2025 UCLA football schedule (*indicates Big Ten game) Aug. 30 vs. Utah Sept. 6 at UNLV Sept. 13 vs. New Mexico Sept. 27 at Northwestern* Oct. 4 vs. Penn State* Oct. 11 at Michigan State* Oct. 18 vs. Maryland* Oct. 25 at Indiana* Nov. 8 vs. Nebraska* Nov. 15 at Ohio State* Nov. 22 vs. Washington* Nov. 29 at USC*Hangman Page Responds to Fan Comments That He Run for Office

S&P/TSX composite rises Wednesday while U.S. markets move lower

S&P/TSX composite rises Wednesday while U.S. markets move lower

By JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated , conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate . Related Articles President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bended to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations. “Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Friday’s 61st anniversary is expected to be marked with a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m. in Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy’s motorcade was passing through when he was fatally shot. And throughout this week there have been events marking the anniversary. When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas , they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next year, they had gone to Texas on political fence-mending trip. But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested 24-year-old Oswald and, two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer. A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades. In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president. Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had boasted that he’d allow the release of all of the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some still remain unseen. The documents released over the last few years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time, and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas. Mark S. Zaid, a national security attorney in Washington, said what’s been released so far has contributed to the understanding of the time period, giving “a great picture” of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA. Posner estimates that there are still about 3,000 to 4,000 documents in the collection that haven’t yet been fully released. Of those documents, some are still completely redacted while others just have small redactions, like someone’s Social Security number. There are about 500 documents where all the information is redacted, Posner said, and those include Oswald’s and Ruby’s tax returns. “If you have been following it, as I have and others have, you sort of are zeroed in on the pages you think might provide some additional information for history,” Posner said. Trump’s transition team hasn’t responded to questions this week about his plans when he takes office. From the start, there were those who believed there had to be more to the story than just Oswald acting alone, said Stephen Fagin, curator of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the story of the assassination from the building where Oswald made his sniper’s perch. “People want to make sense of this and they want to find the solution that fits the crime,” said Fagin, who said that while there are lingering questions, law enforcement made “a pretty compelling case” against Oswald. Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his interest in the assassination dates back to the event itself, when he was a child. “It just seemed so fantastical that one very disturbed individual could end up pulling off the crime of the century,” Sabato said. “But the more I studied it, the more I realized that is a very possible, maybe even probable in my view, hypothesis.”

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As Jalen Suggs watched from the bench in the second half of Saturday’s contest between the Magic and the Pistons at Kia Center , the fourth-year pro noticed something in particular about his team. “When you look at those really good teams around the league, those playoff teams, veteran-led teams, no matter how the game flow goes, first quarter, second quarter,” he told reporters in the locker room. “There’s never a thought or feel that they’re going to lose those games. “We’re starting to garner that,” he added about coach Jamahl Mosley ‘s squad that won its eighth in the last nine games. Suggs, who exited Orlando ‘s 111-100 win early in the second quarter due to a sore left hamstring, was the latest Magic starter to suffer a injury this season following Paolo Banchero (torn right abdominal muscle) and Wendell Carter Jr. (left foot plantar fasciitis), who haven’t played in weeks. But even without that core trio on the court, the Magic (11-7) found a way to extend its second half lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit (7-11) and remain undefeated (8-0) at home. “Knowing we walk into these games hurt, tired, long-stretch, a lot going on, there was never a believe that this team was going to come in and beat us,” Suggs said. “Which isn’t a discredit to them. They’ve got some good basketball players over there and really been playing good this year. “And they were down Cade [Cunningham] which, I hope he gets well, but [the result] more speaks on us and the growth and maturity that we’re applying over here,” he added. “Everyone stepped up.” Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic handled business vs. visiting Pistons And the Magic guard is right. As has been the case since Banchero’s injury, Franz Wagner continued to score with ease (30 points on 50% shooting from the field) and had help from the Magic’s bench that outscored Detroit’s 55-45. That help included 18 points and 7 rebounds from his older brother, Moe Wagner, and 12 rebounds and 3 blocks from Jonathan Isaac, who added 5 points. There was also Anthony Black, who had 11 points with 5 assists and 2 steals after starting the second half in place of Suggs. And Franz Wagner will need more of the same from his supporting cast when Orlando travels to Charlotte (6-10) on Monday, especially if Carter isn’t available. Suggs declined to speak at length about his hamstring injury but told reporters in the locker room he’s “good.” “I’m solid,” he said. “I’m good. Good win [Saturday night].” Orlando’s initial injury report for the Charlotte game confirmed his post-game comments. Suggs wasn’t even listed on the report, meaning he’s expected to be available despite missing most of Saturday’s contest. Carter, who’s again considered questionable to play, continued to do some work pre-game on the court but was ruled out for his 11th consecutive contest. “He’s gone through some pretty, pretty strenuous workouts so we’re going to continue to see how he responds to those and we’ll go from there,” Mosley said of the Magic center, who hasn’t played since Nov. 3 at Dallas. Regardless, Orlando’s mindset doesn’t change entering the game at the Hornets, whom the Magic defeated by 25 points at home two weeks ago. “We talk about doing it by committee,” Mosley said. “One guy goes down and each guy knows the next person is able to step up and make the right plays for this team.” Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.comEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — If the Giants' franchise-record 10th straight loss proved anything, it's that New York could use a young franchise quarterback. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. showed what a young QB can do on Sunday against the Giants, who need to learn from it. The No. 8 overall pick in the draft, Penix played a nearly flawless game in his first career start to help the Falcons thrash the woeful Giants 34-7 in their best performance in weeks. The Giants gambled in 2019 that Daniel Jones would be their franchise QB and it really never panned out. The one exception was the 2022 season, when the No. 6 overall pick had a career year and led New York to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff berth in the first season after Joe Schoen was hired as general manager and Brian Daboll was named coach. The Giants even won a playoff game. With the release of Jones last month, the Giants (2-13) are now a team without a quarterback who can perform at the level required of an NFL starter. Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock have split the last four starts but neither has provided much of a spark for the league's worst offense. Lock handed the Falcons the game with two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. To turn things around next season, the Giants must find a quarterback. “I’d say it’s very important,” Daboll said Monday. New York is going to have a high pick in the draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in late April. It could even be the No. 1 overall selection. Choosing the right quarterback is going to be hard. There isn't a can't-miss choice in 2025 draft and forcing one early would be a mistake. Unless the Giants are convinced that Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe or someone else is the next franchise player, they have have so many needs that it would be better to wheel and deal and fill as many holes as possible. Even if the Giants take a quarterback in the second round, there's bound to be someone available who has a chance to be better than what they have now. The calendar. The season ends in less than two weeks. The franchise is in disarray, and a shakeup appears likely. Daboll's future as the coach is not bright, considering the current skid and two straight losing seasons. Schoen has to share the blame and so do co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, who hired the GM and coach. LB Darius Muasau. The sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA has started the last three games since Bobby Okereke (back) was hurt and eventually put on injured reserve last week. Muasau had 11 tackles Sunday along with a quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss. He made the defensive calls after LB Micah McFadden left with a neck injury. Lock. In his starts, Lock has had three interceptions returned for touchdowns. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack at Atlanta. Lock sustained a shoulder injury during the game and had an MRI on Monday. Besides Lock and McFadden, S Jason Pinnock (eye) also left the game. C John Michael Schmitz and RB Tyrone Tracy were evaluated for ankle injuries on Monday. 1 — Thanks to the Raiders' victory over the Jaguars, the Giants will have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft with two more losses. For the ninth and final time, the Giants will try to find a way to win at MetLife Stadium. New York is 0-8 heading into Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Its only other winless season at home was in 1974 when New York played at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, while Giants Stadium was being built. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflAVAPOW's Black Friday Event: Essential Automotive Tools At Exclusive Prices

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Those who plan to make the Salvation Army of Metro Detroit part of their donations during this holiday season may want to offer their support Tuesday. As part of the Giving Tuesday campaign, all donations up to $25,000 will be doubled, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. Donations will be matched dollar for dollar and donations may be made by the following methods: • Texting GIFT to 24365 • Donating money via online kettle, Paypal, Venmo or through Tap to Give. • Visiting SAmetrodetroit.org . • Call 877-SAL-MICH Proceeds will provide critical social services and programs to those in need, including feeding and sheltering, outdoor and educational opportunities for at-risk youth, anti-human trafficking initiatives, a free legal aid clinic, emergency disaster services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and more. — MediaNews Group staffEvery 18 months or so, the Moon perfectly aligns with our view of the Sun, obscuring the face of the star. Although it lasts for a few minutes, a total solar eclipse is the perfect opportunity for scientists to probe the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona, which is usually hidden by the star’s light. An upcoming mission aims to recreate this naturally occurring event on a much more regular basis, with one spacecraft covering the Sun for the other. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 is gearing up for launch on Wednesday at 5:38 a.m. ET. The double-satellite mission will liftoff from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, riding on board the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) PSLV-XL rocket. The launch will be live-streamed on ESA Web TV , with the ISRO broadcast beginning around 30 minutes before liftoff. Why are there two satellites? While the two satellites will launch together, the pair are set to separate about 18 minutes after liftoff to begin an extremely precise demonstration of formation flying. The satellites will launch to an extremely elliptical orbit around Earth, flying at a distance of 492 feet (150 meters) from one another. The satellites must maintain that distance with an accuracy down to a single millimeter to pull off the mission. “Proba-3 is very different because our satellites will be flying just one and a half football fields away from each other during active formation flying. And their relative positions will be maintained precisely to just a single millimetre for six hours at a time,” Damien Galano, Proba-3 mission manager, said in a statement . The two spacecraft will form one giant virtual telescope, with one casting a precisely controlled shadow on the other, blocking out the Sun’s light from view so that the other spacecraft, equipped with an optical instrument, can view the star’s corona. The mission’s active formation flying will take place at the top of its orbit, around 37,282 miles (60,000 kilometers) away from Earth. At that distance, Earth’s gravity won’t have as big of an effect on the spacecraft and less fuel will be required to shift their positions. “Early simulations showed we would need to make so many positioning adjustments with our thrusters that our propellant would be exhausted swiftly; the mission would have been over in about half an hour!” ESA’s Frederic Teston said in a statement . The spacecraft will take 19 hours and 36 minutes to complete one orbit around Earth, carrying out observations of the corona during a six-hour window of each orbit. Proba-3’s elliptical orbit takes it as close as 372 miles (600 kilometers) to Earth, going around in an elongated loop to expend as little fuel as possible during maneuvers. Ideally, the mission would be situated in one of the Sun-Earth Lagrange points, where the gravitational forces of the two bodies keeps an object in place in its orbit. But that would have required a larger budget; Proba-3 is considered a low-cost mission, according to ESA. Why do we study the Sun’s corona? The corona is a million times fainter than the Sun. The outermost region of the Sun’s atmosphere extends millions of miles into space, and hides the biggest mystery surrounding Earth’s host star. The solar corona heats up to around 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (around 1 million degrees Celsius), which is roughly 200 times hotter than temperatures on the surface of the Sun. The high temperatures of the corona are rather counterintuitive, and astronomers are not sure how the outer layers of the Sun are heated. Aside from its mysteries, the Sun’s corona also drives solar wind and coronal mass ejections, two main components that govern space weather. The charged particles in the corona escape into space, and can sometimes have an effect on satellites in orbit, as well as communication systems on Earth . What are the Proba missions? The Proba missions derive their name from a Latin word that implies the phrase, ‘let’s try,’ and also stands for PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy. The low-cost, small satellite missions seek to test new technologies and concepts in spaceflight. ESA has launched three other Proba missions thus far, with one currently observing the Sun. Proba-2 launched in 2009, and was originally meant to spend two years in a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit but is still going more than 15 years later. Similarly, Proba-3 has an expected lifespan of two years. The limiting factor for the mission is propellant, with its cold gas thrusters required to make small pulses every 10 seconds during the satellites’ six-hour active formation flying phase. For a technology demonstration mission, the team has high hopes for the pair of tiny spacecraft. “When I first heard about it, Proba-3 seemed like science fiction technology,” Andrei Zhukov, principal investigator of Proba-3’s main instrument, said in a statement. “But the real-life design will truly deliver excellent science.”The Israeli security cabinet approved an American-mediated ceasefire proposal aimed at de-escalating tensions with Hezbollah on Tuesday evening. The agreement, brokered by US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein, stipulates that Hezbollah will retreat north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, Israeli troops will withdraw from the region, and Lebanese army forces will be deployed in their place. The plan outlines a 60-day period for both sides to withdraw and for the Lebanese army to establish its presence. As part of the agreement, a control mechanism will be established to monitor and prevent violations, with the United States taking the lead and France and the United Kingdom also participating. While the ceasefire approval is seen as a significant step toward reducing hostilities, concerns remain over the terms and their implementation. The ongoing negotiations reflect the complexity of achieving lasting peace in the region, with the international community closely watching the outcome of this arrangement. The approval of the ceasefire comes amid escalated violence, with Israeli airstrikes targeting key sites in Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and other southern regions. A raid struck the Nuwairi area in Beirut, with other attacks hitting the southern suburbs, threatening over 20 buildings. Meanwhile, resistance operations by Palestinian groups continued, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip, with the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claiming responsibility for detonating a booby-trapped building east of the Jabalia camp, killing and injuring several Israeli soldiers. They also reported targeting two Israeli “Merkava” tanks with “Yassin 105” shells and explosives. The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, announced that it had launched 107 missiles at Israeli artillery positions at the Fajja military site, east of Gaza. As the fighting continues, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with the arrival of winter exacerbating conditions. Rain has flooded hundreds of displaced Palestinians’ tents, particularly in Gaza City’s western areas, which are overcrowded with refugees. The entire population of Gaza faces extreme hardship due to the ongoing conflict. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that Palestinians in Gaza lack sufficient food and clean water. Louise Waterridge, the agency’s spokesperson, noted that many people in Gaza are living without shelter and face severe shortages of basic necessities. In the latest update from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours resulted in three massacres, with at least 14 people killed and 108 injured. The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression, which started on 7 October 2023, has now risen to 44,249 deaths and over 100,000 injuries. Many victims remain trapped under rubble, with emergency crews unable to reach them due to the ongoing hostilities.

Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations

The propaganda campaigns started even before rivalry weekend began. Then, after Miami lost its grip on a College Football Playoff spot , so many coaches, players and pundits crammed into the spin room that surely some fire code is being broken. We wouldn’t be having this debate if enough teams built their case on the field, but we knew playoff expansion risked watering down the bracket, so we’re left with a handful of teams with flawed résumés arguing for the final spot in a 12-team playoff. No coach works the spin room more vociferously than Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin . He turned his social media feed into a running pitch for his 9-3 Rebels, and he fired a direct shot at South Carolina, another 9-3 team under consideration. “It wasn’t even close,” Kiffin said Sunday, in reference to his team’s 27-3 win on Oct. 5 at South Carolina. "We could still be playing the game, (and) they still might not have scored a touchdown.” Direct hit from the spin room! OK, but what of Alabama, another 9-3 SEC team? The committee ranked Alabama ahead of Ole Miss last week. Both teams won rivalry games against bad opponents by two touchdowns last weekend. That suggests Alabama, at least, blocks Ole Miss’ path, but should it? Let’s unpack this. BOWL PROJECTIONS: Alabama back into the playoff as Texas, SMU move up RE-RANK: Texas moves up, Ohio State tumbles in NCAA 1-134 ranking Bubble watch: Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Miami Four teams populate the debate for the final playoff spot: Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Miami. A fifth team, SMU, would join the mix if Clemson beats the Mustangs in the ACC championship. For the sake of this exercise, assume the Mustangs wins the ACC and eliminates the Tigers. CFP bracket debate depends on what committee values most How you rank this quartet of bubble teams depends on how you value playoff credentials: Fewest losses earns the bid? If you favor the loss-counting contest, then Miami qualifies over three-loss SEC teams, but here’s where I struggle with the Hurricanes : Miami’s résumé ranks worse than that of Brigham Young, another two-loss that placed third in the Big 12. The committee consistently undervalued BYU, to the point that the Cougars aren’t in the playoff conversation. This despite BYU beating the ACC’s best team, SMU, on the road and owning a better strength of schedule than Miami. In the fewest-loss metric, BYU should earn the bid , but the committee shows no interest in that. Team with best wins earns the bid? Alabama owns the best collection of victories, counting pelts against three ranked teams – Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri – plus a trouncing of LSU in Tiger Stadium. Ole Miss also beat Georgia and blew out South Carolina. It lacks a third signature triumph. South Carolina headlines its résumé with wins against Clemson, Missouri and Texas A&M. Miami lags behind in this category, with best wins against Duke, Louisville and Florida. In the best collection of wins metric, Alabama should earn the bid . Reward the hot hand? This becomes South Carolina’s best argument. The Gamecocks won their last six games behind a stiff defense and an improving freshman quarterback, LaNorris Sellers. Miami lost two of its last three. (Can we just eliminate Miami already? Consider it done.) Ole Miss lost on Nov. 23 at Florida, the same day Alabama got blown out at Oklahoma. Nobody in this mix outplayed South Carolina in the second half of the season. In this metric, South Carolina should earn the bid . Value head-to-head results? Here’s where Kiffin shouts, “Scoreboard!” and where I struggle with the Gamecocks. Alabama beat South Carolina 27-25 on Oct. 12 in Tuscaloosa. Alabama used a fourth-quarter rally to win a game that wasn’t decided until the final play. That close result shouldn’t cripple the Gamecocks, but consider what occurred a week earlier, when Ole Miss stormed into South Carolina’s stadium and flat whipped the Gamecocks. Selecting South Carolina over a team from the same conference with an equal record that disemboweled the Gamecocks would diminish the idea that head-to-head results matter. And the committee says they do matter. Head-to-head results are one of the few measures stated explicitly among the CFP’s selection criteria . In a strict evaluation of head-to-head results, Ole Miss should earn the bid . Who has the ‘best’ losses? South Carolina’s three losses came against opponents who are either 8-4 or 9-3. Not bad, right? Well, two of those losses occurred at home. Alabama’s three losses all occurred on the road, but that includes a brutal 24-3 faceplant just two weeks ago to Oklahoma, a team that beat only one other SEC opponent. Alabama also lost to Vanderbilt. Ole Miss lost three games by a total of 13 points. However, its home loss in September to Kentucky (now 4-8) aged like milk left on a pool deck. I struggle to declare a “winner” in this category . Ole Miss lost to the worst team. Alabama lost to two 6-6 teams. South Carolina lost twice at home. How about the eye test? The committee says its duty is to select the best teams, with the caveat that five bids must go to conference champions. If there some straightforward could determine the best teams, we wouldn’t need a committee. Different sets of eyeballs value different teams. My eyes tell me that when each of these bubble teams fires its best fastball, Ole Miss slings the most heat, with a reliable defense and a (usually) competent offense. The Rebels dominated Georgia and smashed South Carolina. No other bubble team looked that good against such a caliber of opponent. By this metric, Ole Miss should earn the bid . Final verdict Unless the committee gets drunk on hurricanes, Miami has no case. If the committee values a two-loss team for the final spot, then pick BYU. That’s not happening, though. In the debate between Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina, each touts an argument, but holes mangle every résumé. Each team failed to earn its way on the field and that leaves them trying to talk their way in through the spin room's back door. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer . The "Topp Rope" is his football column published throughout the USA TODAY Networ k. Subscribe to read all of his column s.

Looking back, 2024 offered some fun shows, but too often, the good stuff was drowned out by endlessly rebooted IP.None

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AU President Jonathan Alger and Mr. Astin will celebrate the Class of 2024 on Dec. 15 WASHINGTON , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American University is proud to present Sean Astin --fondly known to many as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Rudy Ruettiger in the sports classic Rudy, and Bob Newby in the Netflix's hit series Stranger Things--as the keynote speaker for fall commencement. Astin is also a recent graduate of the School of Public Affairs, earning his master's degree in public administration and policy. During the ceremonies, Astin will be awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Though many are familiar with his onscreen work, Astin is also known for his stewardship and leadership with his union, SAG-AFTRA. Serving on the National and Los Angeles Local Boards as well as on many committees, such as the Executive, Strike Preparedness, Government Affairs and Public Policy, and Government Rules. Astin served on the 2023 TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee, which oversaw the historic 118-day summer strike, —one of the longest labor outages in Hollywood history, which resulted in $1 billion in gains for SAG-AFTRA and new protections around AI technology. The native Angeleno also served under six cabinet secretaries in two presidential administrations as a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. Astin was appointed to serve as a nonpartisan on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. "Through his longtime career as an actor, his civic engagement, and his work as a mental health advocate, Sean Astin exemplifies what it means to be a lifelong learner and community-builder, which are both important parts of what we do and who we are at American University ," said AU President Jonathan Alger . "And, as an Eagle himself, Sean will inspire our graduates with his journey and his continued quest to build change in our world." Astin regularly speaks to universities, corporations, and nonprofit organizations on various subjects, including leadership, acting, and with a special emphasis on mental health. His dedication to advancing the conversation around mental health continues the legacy of the late Patty Duke , who was a champion for those who are impacted. "I have always had a passion for public policy and administration. Completing my degree at American University this year is the realization of a lifelong dream. At this moment in the history of our country, nothing is more important than affirming the value of the skill, talent, and dedication of our civil servants," Astin said. "Starting during COVID, the American University online program was an incredible guide. From the curriculum to my cohort, my academic journey was rigorous and fulfilling. I am thrilled at the opportunity to be delivering this year's commencement address. I believe that my mission is to offer praise and appreciation for everyone's accomplishments and to share some thoughts on our path forward." Sean Astin and President Alger will celebrate approximately 1,475 graduates, who will receive their degrees from all eight of AU's schools during ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the AU campus. Students will also hear from fellow graduates at each of the ceremonies: This is American University's 148 th commencement. Sean Astin joins other notable American University fall commencement speakers such as Abby Phillip , CNN senior political correspondent and anchor of NewsNight , Andrea Mitchell , host of MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports , and recently Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy . ABOUT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY : American University leverages the power and purpose of scholarship, learning, and community to impact our changing world. AU's faculty, students, staff, and alumni are changemakers who shape the future from sustainability to social justice to the sciences. Building on our 130-year history of education and research in the public interest, we say "Challenge Accepted " to addressing the world's pressing issues. Our Change Can't Wait comprehensive campaign creates transformative educational opportunities, advances research with impact, and builds stronger communities. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-university-to-welcome-recent-graduate-sean-astin-spampap-24-as-commencement-speaker-for-fall-commencement-302320024.html SOURCE American University

Cardinals' sudden 3-game tailspin has turned their once solid playoff hopes into a long shot

One of my top shows of 2024 actually premiered in 2021. That’s because it took a couple of years for the Australian series “The Newsreader” to make its way Stateside. Alas, it was only legal to stream in the U.S. for a handful of weeks in September and then — pffft! — it was gone before most people had even heard of it. Well, I have great news. The show will be available once again, this time via Sundance Now (accessible through the AMC+ streaming platform), which has licensed the first season. Premiering Dec. 19, it stars Anna Torv (“Fringe”) and Sam Reid (“Interview with the Vampire”) as TV reporters in Melbourne, circa 1986. At the outset, Reid’s character exudes big loser energy, which is such an amusing contrast to his work as Lestat. The show is unexpectedly funny and terrifically Machiavellian in its portrayal of small-time office politics, and I’m thrilled audiences in the U.S. will get another shot at watching it. Overall, 2024 offered a modestly better lineup than usual, but I’m not sure it felt that way. Too often the good stuff got drowned out by Hollywood’s pointless and endless pursuit of rebooting intellectual property (no thank you, Apple’s “Presumed Innocent” ) and tendency to stretch a perfectly fine two-hour movie premise into a saggy multi-part series (“Presumed Innocent” again!). There were plenty of shows I liked that didn’t make this year’s list, including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ “Ghosts” (it’s heartening to see the network sitcom format still thriving in the streaming era), as well as Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside” (Ted Danson’s charisma selling an unlikely premise) and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown” (a high-concept parody of racial stereotypes and cop show tropes, even if it couldn’t sustain the idea over 10 episodes). Maybe it just felt like we were having more fun this year, with Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” (Nicole Kidman leading a traditional manor house mystery reinterpreted with an American sensibility) and Hulu’s “Rivals” (the horniest show of 2024, delivered with a wink in the English countryside). I liked what I saw of Showtime’s espionage thriller “The Agency” (although the bulk of episodes were unavailable as of this writing). The deluge of remakes tends to make me cringe, but this year also saw a redo of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” on Netflix that was far classier than most of what’s available on the streamer. Starring Andrew Scott, I found it cool to the touch, but the imagery stayed with me. Shot in black and white, it has an indelible visual language courtesy of director of photography Robert Elswit, whether capturing a crisp white business card against the worn grain wood of a bar top, or winding stairways that alternately suggest a yawning void or a trap. As always, if you missed any of these shows when they originally premiered — the aforementioned titles or the Top 10 listed below — they are all available to stream. Top 10 streaming and TV shows of 2024, in alphabetical order: The least cynical reality show on television remains as absorbing as ever in Season 4, thanks to the probing questions and insights from the show’s resident therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik. Everything is so charged. And yet the show has a soothing effect, predicated on the idea that human behavior (and misery) isn’t mysterious or unchangeable. There’s something so optimistic in that outlook. Whether or not you relate to the people featured on “Couples Therapy” — or even like them as individuals — doesn’t matter as much as Guralnik’s reassuring presence. Created by and starring Diarra Kilpatrick, the eight-episode series defies categorization in all the right ways. Part missing-person mystery, part comedy about a school teacher coming to grips with her impending divorce, and part drama about long-buried secrets, it has tremendous style right from the start — sardonic, knowing and self-deprecating. The answers to the central mystery may not pack a satisfying punch by the end, but the road there is as entertaining and absorbing as they come. We need more shows like this. A comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez (of the antic YouTube series “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”), the show has a sensibility all its own, despite a handful of misinformed people on social media calling it a ripoff of “Abbott Elementary.” There’s room enough in the TV landscape for more than one sitcom with a school setting and “English Teacher” has a wonderfully gimlet-eyed point of view of modern high school life. I’m amused that so much of its musical score is Gen-X coded, because that neither applies to Alvarez (a millennial) nor the fictional students he teaches. So why does the show feature everything from Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” to Exposé’s “Point of No Return”? The ’80s were awash in teen stories and maybe the show is using music from that era to invoke all those tropes in order to better subvert them. It’s a compelling idea! It’s streaming on Hulu and worth checking out if you haven’t already. A one-time tennis phenom accuses her former coach of coercing her into a sexual relationship in this British thriller. The intimacy between a coach and athlete often goes unexplored, in real-life or fictional contexts and that’s what the show interrogates: When does it go over the line? It’s smart, endlessly watchable and the kind of series that would likely find a larger audience were it available on a more popular streamer. There’s real tenderness in this show. Real cruelty, too. It’s a potent combination and the show’s third and strongest season won it an Emmy for best comedy. Jean Smart’s aging comic still looking for industry validation and Hannah Einbinder’s needy Gen-Z writer are trapped in an endless cycle of building trust that inevitably gives way to betrayal. Hollywood in a nutshell! “Hacks” is doing variations on this theme every season, but doing it in interesting ways. Nobody self-sabotages their way to success like these two. I was skeptical about the show when it premiered in 2022 . Vampire stories don’t interest me. And the 1994 movie adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt wasn’t a persuasive argument to the contrary. But great television is great television and nothing at the moment is better than this show. It was ignored by Emmy voters in its initial outing but let’s hope Season 2 gets the recognition it deserves. Under showrunner Rolin Jones, the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novels is richly written, thrillingly inhabited by its cast and so effortlessly funny with a framing device — the interview of the title — that is thick with intrigue and sly comedy. I wouldn’t categorize the series as horror. It’s not scary. But it is tonally self-assured and richly made, rarely focused on the hunt for dinner but on something far more interesting: The melodrama of vampire existence, with its combination of boredom and lust and tragedy and zingers. Already renewed for Season 3, it has an incredible cast (a thrilling late-career boost for Eric Bogosian) and is well worth catching up with if you haven’t already. It’s been too long since the pleasures of banter fueled a romantic comedy in the spirit of “When Harry Met Sally.” But it’s all over the place in “Nobody Wants This,” one of the best shows on Netflix in recent memory. Renewed for a second season, it stars Kristen Bell as a humorously caustic podcaster and Adam Brody as the cute and emotionally intelligent rabbi she falls for. On the downside, the show has some terrible notions about Jewish women that play into controlling and emasculating stereotypes. You hate to see it in such an otherwise sparkling comedy, because overall Bell and Brody have an easy touch that gives the comedy real buoyancy. I suspect few people saw this three-part series on PBS Masterpiece, but it features a terrific performance by Helena Bonham Carter playing the real-life, longtime British soap star Noele “Nolly” Gordon, who was unceremoniously sacked in 1981. She’s the kind of larger-than-life showbiz figure who is a bit ridiculous, a bit imperious, but also so much fun. The final stretch of her career is brought to life by Carter and this homage — to both the soap she starred in and the way she carried it on her back — is from Russell T. Davies (best known for the “Doctor Who” revival). For U.S. viewers unfamiliar with the show or Gordon, Carter’s performance has the benefit of not competing with a memory as it reanimates a slice of British pop culture history from the analog era. The year is 1600 and a stubborn British seaman piloting a Dutch ship washes ashore in Japan. That’s our entry point to this gorgeously shot story of power games and political maneuvering among feudal enemies. Adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 novel by the married team of Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, it is filled with Emmy-winning performances (for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada; the series itself also won best drama) and unlike something like HBO’s far clunkier “House of the Dragon,” which tackles similar themes, this feels like the rare show created by, and for, adults. The misfits and losers of Britain’s MI5 counterintelligence agency — collectively known as the slow horses, a sneering nickname that speaks to their perceived uselessness — remain as restless as ever in this adaptation of Mick Herron’s Slough House spy novels. As a series, “Slow Horses” doesn’t offer tightly plotted clockwork spy stories; think too deeply about any of the details and the whole thing threatens to fall apart. But on a scene-by-scene basis, the writing is a winning combination of wry and tension-filled, and the cumulative effect is wonderfully entertaining. Spies have to deal with petty office politics like everyone else! It’s also one of the few shows that has avoided the dreaded one- or two-year delay between seasons, which has become standard on streaming. Instead, it provides the kind of reliability — of its characters but also its storytelling intent — that has become increasingly rare. Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.None

super jili ph Healey: Proscription status of Syria’s new rulers is not a matter for now

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its position in Leggett & Platt, Incorporated ( NYSE:LEG – Free Report ) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,536,495 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,803 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 3.38% of Leggett & Platt worth $61,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Leggett & Platt by 426.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 14,042,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,923,000 after buying an additional 11,373,507 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Leggett & Platt by 1,098.0% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,005,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,838,009 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board bought a new position in Leggett & Platt in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,380,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Leggett & Platt by 1,109.0% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 238,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,733,000 after purchasing an additional 218,786 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Leggett & Platt during the second quarter worth $1,948,000. 64.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets LEG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Leggett & Platt from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Leggett & Platt from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Leggett & Platt from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $11.00 to $13.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Leggett & Platt currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.67. Leggett & Platt Stock Performance Shares of LEG stock opened at $12.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of -2.09 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.26. Leggett & Platt, Incorporated has a 12-month low of $10.11 and a 12-month high of $27.58. Leggett & Platt ( NYSE:LEG – Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Leggett & Platt had a negative net margin of 18.53% and a positive return on equity of 14.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Leggett & Platt, Incorporated will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Leggett & Platt ( Free Report ) Leggett & Platt, Incorporated designs, manufactures, and sells engineered components and products in the United States, Europe, China, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Bedding Products; Specialized Products; and Furniture, Flooring & Textile Products. The company offers steel rods, drawn wires, specialty foam chemicals and additives, innersprings, specialty foam for use in bedding and furniture, private label finished mattresses, ready-to-assemble mattress foundations, static foundations, and adjustable beds, as well as machines for producing innersprings; industrial sewing and quilting machines; mattress-packaging; and glue-drying equipment for various industrial users of steel rod and wire, manufacturers of finished bedding, bedding brands and mattress retailers, E-commerce retailers, big box retailers, department stores, and home improvement centers. Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Leggett & Platt Which Wall Street Analysts are the Most Accurate? The Latest 13F Filings Are In: See Where Big Money Is Flowing How to Use Stock Screeners to Find Stocks 3 Penny Stocks Ready to Break Out in 2025 Conference Calls and Individual Investors FMC, Mosaic, Nutrien: Top Agricultural Stocks With Big Potential Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LEG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Leggett & Platt, Incorporated ( NYSE:LEG – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Leggett & Platt Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Leggett & Platt and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Putin Launches BRICS AI Alliance, Expects Global Participation

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The National Savings Bank (NSB) showcased robust financial performance in the third quarter of 2024, propelled by the short-term advantages of liability reprising and a surge in fee-based income. The nation’s premier savings bank reported a remarkable net interest income of Rs. 53.4 billion for the nine months ending 30 September 2024, reflecting a remarkable growth of 191% compared to Rs. 18.3 billion recorded during the same period last year. This outstanding achievement was realised despite a decline in both gross income and interest income of 8.7% and 9.1%, respectively, over the period under review. The decline in interest income was primarily attributed to the sustained reduction in interest rates on Government securities as well as loans and advances when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. “The past nine months have presented significant challenges, as we have strived to maintain margins while growing our portfolios in an interest rate reducing scenario. Although we are witnessing signs of recovery, the lingering effects of the worst economic crisis continue to impact both our borrowers and depositors. Despite these obstacles, our resilience and strategic focus have allowed us to navigate these turbulent times, ensuring that the bank remains on a path to sustained growth and stability,” NSB Chairman Dr. Harsha Cabral, PC commented. Fee and commission income surged by 44%, primarily driven by higher revenue from card operations, mobile app transactions, and internet banking activities compared to that of 3Q2023. Meanwhile, the net gain on derecognition of financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income soared by an impressive growth, bolstered by realised gains from Treasury bonds and Treasury bills totalling Rs. 442 million. Operating expenses rose by 28%, largely attributed to increased personal and other operating expenses. NSB achieved a remarkable profit before tax (PBT) of Rs. 25.5 billion, reflecting strong growth compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. This impressive performance was realised despite a 28% rise in operating expenses and a significant surge in taxes compared to the same period last year. During the nine-month period of the year, the bank contributed Rs. 18.4 billion in taxes to the Government, encompassing Value Added Tax (VAT) on financial services, the Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) on financial services, and Income Tax. NSB reported a remarkable profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 15.3 billion, a significant increase compared to Rs. 4.9 billion in the same period last year. NSB General Manager/CEO Shashi Kandambi commented: “As we look ahead, the growth in private sector credit during the September quarter in the banking industry underscores a renewed sense of optimism and opportunity within the economy. This acceleration reflects a mutual confidence between the bank and our borrowers, driven by improving economic conditions and easing interest rates. With this positive momentum, we are committed to further supporting the private sector by responsibly expanding our lending activities. This strategic approach not only strengthens our role as a catalyst for economic growth but also reaffirms our confidence in the resilience and repayment capacity of our valued borrowers. Together, we are well-positioned to harness these opportunities and drive sustainable growth for the future.” Profitability metrics showed marked improvement in the nine months ending 30 September 2024, surpassing the figures recorded at the close of 2023. The Net Interest Margin (NIM) rose by an impressive 242 basis points, reaching 4.21%, while Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) stood at 2.01% and 22.89%, reflecting increases of 175 basis points and 1,353 basis points, respectively. This remarkable growth is a direct result of well-timed, strategic decisions. The bank’s liquidity metrics were well above regulatory requirements. The Regulatory Liquidity Coverage Ratio (Rupee), Liquidity Coverage Ratio (All Currency), and Net Stable Funding Ratio stood at 348.45%, 343.78%, and 184.89%, respectively, all comfortably exceeding the 100% minimum threshold. By the end of 3Q2024, the Tier I and Total Capital Adequacy Ratios were 18.00% and 20.54%, respectively, both significantly surpassing the regulatory minimums of 8.5% and 12.5%. Regarding asset quality, the bank’s ratio of impaired loans (Stage 3) stood at 4.05% at the end of September 2024, compared to 2.41% at the end of September 2023. However, the Impairment (Stage 3) to Stage 3 Loans Ratio (%) decreased to 42.06%, from 53.28% reported at the end of 2023.Art Cashin , the legendary director of floor operations at UBS and a revered figure at the New York Stock Exchange , has died at 83. Known for his unmatched market insights and storytelling prowess, Cashin was a cornerstone of Wall Street for over six decades, CNBC reports. Cashin’s career began in 1959 at Thomson McKinnon , and by 23, he had already become a member of the NYSE. His rise was fueled by a combination of sharp intelligence, quick wit and an unshakable dedication to the trading floor, where he became a steadfast presence through decades of market evolution. In 1980, he joined PaineWebber , which was later acquired by UBS. Throughout his career, Cashin earned universal respect across Wall Street's diverse landscape. He was an enduring presence on CNBC for over 25 years, delivering sharp analysis and reflections on market behavior, according to CNBC. His daily commentary, "Cashin's Comments," tied historical events to market dynamics, making complex trends relatable to investors of all levels. Also Read: Stellantis Market Value Halves In 2024: Why CEO Tavares’ Exit Could Take Things From Bad To Worse A key moment in Cashin's career came in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when he played a leadership role in the NYSE Fallen Heroes Fund, which supported the families of first responders. Reflecting on that time, Cashin described walking through streets choked with ash and debris as a moment that underscored the resilience and camaraderie of New Yorkers. Cashin's influence was not just about trading but also about understanding human behavior in markets. His insights on overreaction and panic remain valuable lessons for traders, emphasizing the importance of measured responses to volatility. Despite the rise of electronic trading, which transformed the NYSE, Cashin cherished the floor's human element and the values of integrity and trust it represented. Read Next: S&P 500 At 6,666 In 2025? Bank Of America Predicts ‘Another Good Year For Equities’ Image created using artificial intelligence via Dall-E. This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Donald Trump has transferred all of his nearly 115 million shares in Trump Media into a trust (Alex Brandon/AP) Shares of Trump Media and Technology Group slid in midday trading on Friday after US President-elect Donald Trump transferred all his shares into a revocable trust, according to a regulatory filing. Mr Trump transferred all of his nearly 115 million shares — worth around four billion dollars (£3.2 billion) on paper — in the parent company of social networking site Truth Social as a “bona fide gift” to the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, the Securities and Exchange Commission filing on on Thursday said.The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the third week in a row, a welcome trend for prospective homebuyers during what’s typically a less competitive time of the year for the housing market. The rate dropped to 6.6% from 6.69% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.95%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate, also eased this week. The average rate fell to 5.84% from 5.96% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.38%, Freddie Mac said. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at its lowest level since Oct. 24, when it was at 6.54%. “The combination of mortgage rate declines, firm consumer income growth and a bullish stock market have increased homebuyer demand in recent weeks,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “While the outlook for the housing market is improving, the improvement is limited given that homebuyers continue to face stiff affordability headwinds.” Elevated mortgage rates and rising home prices have kept homeownership out of reach of many would-be homebuyers. U.S. home sales are on track for their worst year since 1995. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including the moves in the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans. The yield, which was below 3.7% as recently as September, has mostly hovered around 4.2% this month. It was at 4.3% at midday Thursday. The recent decline in rates follows a mostly upward climb since the average rate on a 30-year mortgage slid to a two-year low of 6.08% in late September after the Federal Reserve cut its main interest rate from a two-decade high. While the central bank doesn’t set mortgage rates, its actions and the trajectory of inflation influence the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield. Many economists and traders on Wall Street expect that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again at its policy meeting next week. Home shoppers and homeowners seeking to refinance their existing mortgage to a lower rate are taking advantage of the recent pullback in home-loan borrowing costs. Mortgage applications rose 5.4% last week from a week earlier, the fifth straight increase, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Refinance loan applications climbed 27%. “Purchase applications have increased on an annual basis every week except for one over the past three months, a positive sign for the mortgage market to close out this year,” said MBA CEO Bob Broeksmit. With home prices near all-time highs and still rising nationally, albeit more slowly, many prospective homebuyers are likely holding out for mortgage rates to ease further in coming months. But there may not be much relief, given that many housing economists predict the average rate on a 30-year mortgage will remain above 6% next year.

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(Corrects keyword for media clients, with no changes to text) Dec 12 (Reuters) - Apple is planning to switch to a homegrown chip for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections for its devices starting next year, a move that will phase out some parts currently supplied by Broadcom, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The chip, code-named Proxima, has been under development for several years and is now slated to go into the first iPhones and smart home devices produced in 2025, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The iPhone maker's in-house chips will be produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co , the report added. At its annual developer conference in June, Apple said that it plans to use its own server chips to help power artificial intelligence features on its devices. The move is separate from Apple's reported plans to launch its long-awaited series of cellular modem chips next year, which will replace components from longtime partner Qualcomm , the report added. However, the two parts will eventually work together, Bloomberg said on Thursday. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The company is working with Broadcom to develop its first server chip, which is internally code-named Baltra, specifically designed for AI processing, the Information reported on Wednesday. The iPhone maker, along with some other big technology companies, has found it hard to cut reliance on Nvidia's pricey and short-in-supply processors despite in-house efforts to develop their own chips to power compute-heavy AI services. Last year, Broadcom, a major supplier of wireless components to Apple, had signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with the company to develop 5G radio frequency components. (Reporting by Priyanka.G in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)Labour Party heads to court, wants defectors’ seats declared vacant

By Chibuike Oguh and Medha Singh NEW YORK (Reuters) -An index of global stock markets edged higher in choppy trading on Thursday as investors digested lackluster revenue forecasts from artificial-intelligence chipmaker Nvidia and bitcoin approached the $100,000 milestone. Shares of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company and a major contributor to the gains this year in the benchmark S&P 500, hit a record high early in the session but retreated to end up 0.53%. The chipmaker forecast its slowest revenue growth in seven quarters. “(Nvidia’s) results are still good but I think the disappointment came from maybe not quite as much of an upward guide on the Q4 number for the top line,” said Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers in Boston. On Wall Street, the three main indexes finished higher in a choppy session led by gains in utilities, financials, consumer staples and industrials. Communication services stocks were the biggest drag, driven by losses in Alphabet, which ended down about 6%. U.S. prosecutors argued on Wednesday that Alphabet must divest its popular Chrome browser to end Google’s search monopoly. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.06% to 43,870.35, the S&P 500 rose 0.53% to 5,948.71 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.03% to 18,972.42. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe was up 0.38% to 851.05 after losing ground early in the session. European shares were up 0.41%, buoyed by a rally in energy and technology stocks. “The market seems to be looking for a narrative right now and is in a little bit of a void for any news that can shape the direction of things,” Melson added. Bitcoin soared and is closing in on the $100,000 milestone. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has gained more than 40% since Donald Trump won the Nov. 5 election, driven by expectations that his administration will be crypto-friendly. It gained 3.75% to $98,005.00. Ethereum rose 8.77% to $3,350.80. Markets are also eyeing Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, who will play a key role in implementing his agenda of tariffs, tax cuts and deregulation. The dollar rose in choppy trading as investors assessed declining weekly jobless claims, suggesting labor-market strength, and comments from two Federal Reserve governors on the path of interest rates. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.62% to 154.45 but it strengthened 0.29% to 0.887 against the Swiss franc. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro,rose 0.37% to 107, reaching a 13-month high. The euro down 0.41% at $1.0479. Oil prices settled up about 2% after Russia and Ukraine exchanged missiles, raising crude-supply concerns. Brent crude futures rose 1.95% to $74.23 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures increased 2% to $70.10. Spot gold rose, on track for the fourth-consecutive session of gains after hitting a more than one-week high. Spot gold rose 0.8% to $2,671.28 an ounce. U.S. gold futures settled 0.9% higher at $2,674.90. (Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by William Maclean, Kirsten Donovan, Rod Nickel and Cynthia Osterman) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );KIRKLAND LAKE - A snowy December night delivered an unforgettable experience for a Northern family and paramedics. On Dec. 7, Kirkland Lake’s Bella Batisse, who was 38 weeks pregnant, went to the hospital with contractions. She was checked over by a doctor, who decided to transfer her by ambulance to the Temiskaming Hospital in New Liskeard. En route, paramedics Brandi Ouellette and Natasha Albert of the District of Timiskaming Social Services Administration Board (DTSSAB) realized that the baby would arrive before arriving in New Liskeard. “The call came in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. We were travelling down Highway 11 with lights and sirens blazing, it was a Code 4 emergency,” Ouellette said in a joint statement to TimminsToday with Albert. A Code 4 is defined as a life-threatening situation which requires paramedics to drive with lights and sirens on to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. “It quickly became clear that the little one wasn’t going to wait for the hospital. We made the decision to pull over on the side of the highway, keeping our lights on for safety,” the paramedics said. “Thanks to the skilled support of nurse Ana, who happened to be travelling with us, we were able to safely deliver a healthy baby boy right there on the roadside.” Weighing in at five pounds six ounces, the yet-to-be-named baby boy arrived in the world at 12:36 a.m. on Dec. 8 near Aidie Creek Falls, about halfway to New Liskeard from Kirkland Lake. “As paramedics, we are trained to handle emergencies and prepare for everything that could go wrong. Often, we’re faced with severe injuries, illnesses, and loss. But this past weekend, everything went right,” the paramedics said. “It’s a rare experience to assist in the birth of a baby, and this was a first for both Natasha and me.” It was a rollercoaster of emotions for the paramedics. “Everyone came together seamlessly. Most importantly, mom did an incredible job, and we were fortunate to have such a positive outcome,” they said. Mary-Ann Toppi, the great aunt of the newborn, shared that Batisse and her baby are doing well and expressed the family’s immense gratitude. “We are forever grateful for Ana and the paramedics,” she said. “We’re just all so relieved that although everything unfolded so eventfully, everyone is safe and healthy.” The DTSSAB shared Batisse’s birth story in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec. 10), which has been getting a lot of attention. Kirkland Lake’s Bella Batisse delivered her son during a snowstorm on the way to the New Liskeard hospital. Supplied photo Toppi said the positive feedback on the post has been heartwarming. “I am happy to see the positive feedback for our first responders on the social media post. They do hero work on a daily basis. They deserve the recognition and appreciation,” she said. “Our family is forever grateful for them and the service they provide for our community.” Ouellette and Albert said this experience serves as a reminder for drivers to slow down when you see the lights of a first responder. “You never know what critical situation might be unfolding inside that vehicle,” they said. Toppi said Batisse and her baby boy, whose name has yet to be decided, are now home in Kirkland Lake adjusting to life as a family of four.