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Offensively, Wu Qian showcased his versatility and scoring ability. Whether it was knocking down perimeter shots, finishing at the rim, or setting up his teammates for easy buckets, Wu Qian was a constant threat on the offensive end. His court vision and ability to make timely passes helped keep the Zhejiang offense ticking and prevented Guangzhou from mounting any serious comeback.

But Alibaba Games isn't stopping there. The company is also investing heavily in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, with the goal of creating truly immersive gaming experiences that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. By combining cutting-edge hardware with engaging content, Alibaba Games aims to push the boundaries of what is possible in gaming, creating experiences that are truly unforgettable.In conclusion, the collaboration between Zhou Haichao and Zhao Xiuchi at the Creative Classroom was a testament to the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration in advancing the business real estate industry. As the industry continues to evolve, learning from experienced professionals and staying abreast of the latest trends will be crucial for success in this competitive market.As they reach the summit of their quest, a sense of fulfillment washes over our heroes. The Three Samsung Monitors display a stunning vista of triumph, their screens aglow with colors and details that bring their victory to life. "The Lion King: Legend of Mufasa" narrates the tale of their conquest, immortalizing their bravery and valor for generations to come.

A recent advisory from the United States Surgeon General has made it clear — parents and caregivers are burned out. In a 2023 poll of more than 3,100 American parents, nearly 50 per cent reported experiencing debilitating levels of stress most days. Other recent surveys from Canada and the U.S. also found between 20 to 30 per cent of parents are experiencing moderate to severe levels of anxiety that could warrant a clinical diagnosis. When the tasks of the holidays are piled onto this baseline stress, it’s easy to see how the “season of joy” may feel more like the “season of overwhelm.” How can both our society as a whole and parents as individuals dial back the pressure? Structural changes are essential. But scientific insights about child development can also help parents prioritize what matters most and shift how they respond to things that may otherwise trigger anxiety. What’s causing parent stress? Much of what is making parents stressed these days is structural in nature: things are more expensive, it’s hard to find affordable child care, parents are more isolated, work is taking up more of parents’ time and children’s engagement with ever-evolving technology brings a range of serious health and safety concerns . These factors disproportionately affect parents who experience poverty, racism, violence or trauma. Addressing them will require substantial political and cultural shifts . But there are smaller factors to tackle as well. Parents today have more access to information than ever before. It’s not just a pediatrician or family member they can turn to for advice, but endless blogs, forums and social media platforms. While online sources can build community and confidence, they can also contribute to information overload as panic headlines and contradictory advice often compound parents’ feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed. These platforms also tend to showcase idyllic situations that lead parents to create unhelpful comparisons and unrealistic expectations, contributing to feelings of shame and guilt . To counteract these feelings, it’s helpful to remember a few things: children’s development is influenced by many things parents can’t control, there are many benefits to imperfect parenting and independent play and parent wellness matters more than most else. 1. It’s more than just parenting It’s common for people who haven’t experienced discrimination or unexpected challenges to attribute children’s behaviours and outcomes to parents’ choices and efforts. This is an example of “attribution bias,” a bias towards a particular kind of explanation . Developmental science helps dispel this bias by highlighting that children’s development is influenced by many factors other than parenting and beyond parents’ control. First among these is genetics. For example, twin studies have found that genetic factors explain 57-76 per cent of child/adolescent mental illness, 60-84 per cent of picky eating and 60-85 per cent of school achievement. Another is exposure to adverse or positive experiences , such as witnessing violence or being supported by friends and non-parental adults. These types of experiences have substantial effects on children’s physical and mental health. But they are inequitably distributed, based on factors such as income and race . There are big differences in children’s temperaments and how they respond to their environments . The same parenting strategy applied to two different children can lead to two very different outcomes, as you may have observed in siblings. This is why the next time you catch yourself feeling shame or judgment about a child’s behaviour, it’s important to remember parenting choices might not be to blame. 2. Parental imperfections are opportunities Psychologists and pediatricians often recommend certain parenting strategies to support children’s development. But rarely do these providers suggest parents must follow their advice 100 per cent of the time to achieve the desired effects. It’s what happens most of the time that matters. Even when parenting “imperfections” happen, like breaking routines or uncharacteristically snapping at children, they can be seen as opportunities. When “rupture” is followed up by “repair” in the form of acknowledgement, apologies, explanations and/or moments for restoring connection, it can benefit the parent-child attachment relationship and help children build their emotion-regulation skills. By using repair after the overwhelming moments that often happen during the holidays, parents can transform these moments from sources of shame to reasons for pride. 3. Benefits of independent play Over the past few decades, parents’ worries about children’s physical safety have grown , while children’s unsupervised play time has declined . Many parents are spending more time with their children , hovering or helicoptering over them rather than promoting independent play. No doubt, playing with the support of a responsive adult has many benefits for children’s learning and development . But when it comes to parent involvement in play, sometimes less is more. Research shows that unstructured play — play that isn’t organized by adults and doesn’t have defined goals — is a “ fundamental necessity ” for children’s well-being. Outdoor risky play has enormous benefits for children’s physical and mental health that outweigh many of the perceived safety risks. There are also many unique benefits of playing with peers for both academic and social skill development. With this in mind, if you are a parent who is regularly your child’s main playmate, it may be time to seek more opportunities to take a step back. The holidays can be a great time to start. 4. Parent well-being is paramount News and social media feeds are full of panic headlines that can make it seem that certain foods, toys or parenting habits are what make or break children’s life outcomes. It’s easy for parents consuming this media to feel anxious or even want to change their purchases or behaviours in response to every new study. But most headlines overstate the findings of weak studies or small effects. And if following the headlines comes at the cost of parental well-being, it could be doing more harm than good. This is because one of the most consistent and strongest predictors of children’s well-being is having safe, stable and nurturing relationships with caregivers — as both the Canadian and American Pediatric Societies have stated. Children need present and responsive caregivers more than they need any specific foods, presents or new parenting fads. This is why it may be worth considering what you can do to support yourself or other parents’ well-being this year. This could mean providing practical or social support to the parents around you or just making them feel heard and understood . With high parental stress , it’s more important than ever for everyone to replace judgment with empathy and advice with real support. And for parents, let’s try to distinguish what we can and can’t control, practise self-forgiveness in tough times, allow ourselves moments to do less and focus in on what matters most. It might help us experience more moments of joy in this holiday season and through all the seasons of parenthood. Nina Sokolovic has worked in several roles at non-profit and government organizations that support the well-being of children and parents, including her current as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Ontario Public Service. She previously received funding for her research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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NEW YORK — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. "He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten," his wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 because of what he said at the time were family health issues. Greg Gumbel, left, watches April 3, 2011, as then-Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun talks to Butler head coach Brad Stevens, right, prior to taping a television interview for the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game in Houston. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. He signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. "A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders, left, and running back Michael Irvin (88) share the Vince Lombardi trophy Jan. 28, 1996, as NBC commentator Greg Gumbel interviews the two after Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS' coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS' NFL studio show, "The NFL Today" from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network's lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season. Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, died, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2023. She was 100. Adan Canto, the Mexican singer and actor best known for his roles in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Agent Game” as well as the TV series “The Cleaning Lady,” “Narcos,” and “Designated Survivor,” died Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, after a private battle with appendiceal cancer. He was 42. Bud Harrelson, the scrappy and sure-handed shortstop who fought Pete Rose on the field during a playoff game and helped the New York Mets win an astonishing championship, died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. He was 79. The Mets said that Harrelson died at a hospice house in East Northport, New York after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a former star player in his native Serbia, died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, after suffering a heart attack, the team announced. He was 46. Jack Burke Jr., the oldest living Masters champion who staged the greatest comeback ever at Augusta National for one of his two majors, died Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Houston. He was 100. Mary Weiss, the lead singer of the 1960s pop group the Shangri-Las, whose hits included “The Leader of the Pack,” died Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 75. Norman Jewison, a three-time Oscar nominee who in 1999 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement, died “peacefully” Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, according to publicist Jeff Sanderson. He was 97. Charles Osgood, who anchored “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades, hosted the long-running radio program “The Osgood File” and was referred to as CBS News’ poet-in-residence, died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. He was 91. Melanie, a singer-songwriter behind 1970s hits including “Brand New Key,” died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. She was 76. Born Melanie Safka, the singer rose through the New York folk scene and was one of only three solo women to perform at Woodstock. Her hits included “Lay Down” and “Look What They've Done to My Song Ma.” Chita Rivera, the dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists, died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. She was 91. Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, facing-off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore,” died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. He was 76. Wayne Kramer, the co-founder of the protopunk Detroit band the MC5 that thrashed out such hardcore anthems as “Kick Out the Jams” and influenced everyone from the Clash to Rage Against the Machine, died Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, according to Jason Heath, a close friend and executive director of Kramer's charity, Jail Guitar Doors. Heath said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. He was 75. Actor Ian Lavender, who played a hapless Home Guard soldier in the classic British sitcom “Dad’s Army,” died Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. He was 77. Country music singer-songwriter Toby Keith, whose pro-American anthems were both beloved and criticized, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. He was 62. Henry Fambrough, the last surviving original member of the iconic R&B group The Spinners, whose hits included “It’s a Shame,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” and “The Rubberband Man,” died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, of natural causes, according to a statement from his spokeswoman. He was 85. Bob Edwards, right, the news anchor many Americans woke up to as founding host of National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” for nearly a quarter-century, died Saturday, Feb. 10, 20243. He was 76. He's shown here with sports announcer Red Barber. Don Gullett, a former major league pitcher and coach who played for four consecutive World Series champions in the 1970s, died Feb. 14. He was 73. He finished his playing career with a 109-50 record playing for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees. Lefty Driesell, the coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the college basketball map and enabled him to rebuild several struggling programs, died Feb. 17, 2024, at age 92. Germany players celebrate after Andreas Brehme, left on ground, scores the winning goal in the World Cup soccer final match against Argentina, in the Olympic Stadium, in Rome, July 8, 1990. Andreas Brehme, who scored the only goal as West Germany beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup final, died Feb. 20, 2024. He was 63. Despite the effort of Denver Broncos defensive back Steve Foley (43), Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Golden Richards hauls in a touchdown pass during NFL football's Super Bowl 12 in New Orleans on Jan 15, 1978. Richards died Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, of congestive heart failure at his home in Murray, Utah. He was 73. Richards' nephew Lance Richards confirmed his death in a post on his Facebook page. Comedian Richard Lewis attends an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Dec. 25, 2012. Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” died Feb. 27, 2024. He was 76. He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham. Former Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov attends a session of the Federation Council, Russian parliament's upper house, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 25, 2014. Ryzhkov, former Soviet prime minister who presided over failed efforts to shore up the crumbling economy in the final years before the collapse of the USSR, died Feb. 28, 2024, at age 94. Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico relationship, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mulroney died at the age of 84 on Feb. 29, 2024. Akira Toriyama is pictured in 1982. Toriyama, the creator of one of Japan's best-selling “Dragon Ball” and other popular anime who influenced Japanese comics, died March 1, 2024. He was 68. Iris Apfel, a textile expert, interior designer and fashion celebrity known for her eccentric style, died March 1, 2024, at 102. Andy Russell, the standout linebacker who was an integral part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ evolution from perennial losers to champions, died Feb. 29, 2024. He was 82. Russell won two Super Bowls during a 12-year NFL career between 1963-76 that was briefly interrupted by a stint in the military. Russell played in 168 consecutive games and spent 10 years as a team captain. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. Russell remained active in the Pittsburgh community after retiring, writing several books and launching the Andy Russell Charitable Foundation. Pittsburgh Pirates' Ed Ott slides across home late out of reach of Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey to score the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series at Baltimore, Oct. 11, 1979. Ott, a former major league catcher and coach who helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1979 World Series, died March 3, 2024. He was 72. He batted .259 with 33 homers and 195 RBIs in 567 major league games. Ott and Steve Nicosia were the main catchers when the Pirates won it all in 1979. In a photo supplied by ESPN, Chris Mortensen appears on the set of Sunday NFL Countdown at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn., on Sept. 22, 2019. Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died March 3, 2024. He was 72. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could “focus on my health, family and faith.” Singer Steve Lawrence, left, and his wife Eydie Gorme arrive at a black-tie gala called honoring Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas on May 30, 1998. Lawrence, a singer and top stage act who as a solo performer and in tandem with his wife Gorme kept Tin Pan Alley alive during the rock era, died Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at age 88. Gorme died on Aug. 10, 2013. Martin Luther King III, right, the son of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., walks with his daughter Yolanda, and Naomi Barber King, left, the wife of Rev. King's brother, A.D., through an exhibition devoted to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to King at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, in Atlanta. Civil rights activist Naomi Barber King died Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Atlanta, according to family members. She was 92. A Texas man who spent decades using an iron lung after contracting polio as a child died March 11, 2024, at the age of 78. Paul Alexander's longtime friend Daniel Spinks says Alexander died Monday at a Dallas hospital. Spinks called his friend one of the "bright stars of the world.” Friends of Alexander, who graduated from law school and had a career as an attorney, say he was a man who had a great joy for life. Alexander was a child when he began using an iron lung, a cylinder that encased his body as the air pressure in the chamber forced air in and out of his lungs. Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford stands near the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever during training Aug. 23, 1965, in the Gulf of Mexico. Stafford, who commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died March 18, 2024, at 93. New York Rangers' Chris Simon celebrates his second-period goal against the New York Islanders, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died. He was 52. Simon died March 18, 2024, according to a spokesperson for the NHL Players' Association. M. Emmet Walsh arrives at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards, March 1, 2014, in Santa Monica, Calif. Walsh, the character actor who brought his unmistakable face and unsettling presence to films including “Blood Simple” and “Blade Runner,” died March 19, 2024, at age 88, his manager said Wednesday. "Babar" author Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant-king, has died at 98 after being in hospice care for two weeks. De Brunhoff was a Paris native who moved to the U.S. in the 1980s. He died March 22, 2024, at his home in Key West, Florida. Just 12 years old when his father, Jean de Brunhoff, died of tuberculosis, Laurent drew upon his own gifts as a painter and storyteller and as an adult released dozens of books about the elephant who reigns over Celesteville, among them "Babar at the Circus" and "Babar's Yoga for Elephants." Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos has died at the age of 94. His family announced in a statement that Angelos, who had been ill for several years, died March 23, 2024. Angelos was owner of an Orioles team that endured long losing stretches and shrewd proprietor of a law firm that won high-profile cases against industry titans such as tobacco giant Philip Morris. Angelos’ death came as his son, John, was in the process of selling the Orioles to a group headed by Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein. Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million in 1993, at the time the highest for a sports franchise. His public role diminished significantly in his final years. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, left, and his running mate, vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, wave to supporters Oct. 25, 2000, at a campaign rally in Jackson, Tenn. Lieberman died March 27, 2024. He was 82 and died Wednesday of complications from a fall. Lieberman nearly won the vice presidency on Democrat Al Gore's ticket in the disputed 2000 White House race. Eight years later, he came close to joining the GOP ticket as John McCain’s running mate. The Democrat-turned-independent stepped down from the Senate in January 2013 after 24 years. His independent streak often irked Senate Democrats he aligned with. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years. Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” died March 28, 2024. He was 87. Gossett always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward, toward his Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman.” He also was a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964 and recently played an obstinate patriarch in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple.” Former cast members of SCTV, from left, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, foreground, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Martin Short, pose at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival on March 6, 1999, in Aspen, Colo. Flaherty, a founding member of the Canadian sketch series “SCTV,” died Monday, April 1, 2024 at age 82. John Sinclair talks at the John Sinclair Foundation Café and Coffeeshop, Dec. 26, 2018, in Detroit. Sinclair, a poet, music producer and counterculture figure whose lengthy prison sentence after a series of small-time pot busts inspired a John Lennon song and a star-studded 1971 concert to free him, has died at age 82. Sinclair died Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at Detroit Receiving Hospital of congestive heart failure following an illness, his publicist Matt Lee said. Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, right, tips his cap to fans as majority owner John Henry holds the 2013 World Series championship trophy during a parade in celebration of the baseball team's win, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, in Boston. Larry Lucchino, the force behind baseball’s retro ballpark revolution and the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from cursed losers to World Series champions, has died. He was 78. Lucchino had suffered from cancer. The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, his last project in a career that also included three major league baseball franchises and one in the NFL, confirmed his death on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Playwright Christopher Durang appears on stage with producers to accept the award for best play for "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" at the 67th Annual Tony Awards, on June 9, 2013 in New York. Also on stage are actors, background from left, Shalita Grant, Kristine Nielsen and Billy Magnussen. Durang died Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at his home in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, of complications from logopenic primary progressive aphasia. He was 75. In this Oct. 16, 1969 file photo, New York Mets catcher Jerry Grote, right, embraces pitcher Jerry Koosman as Ed Charles, left, joins the celebration after the Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the Game 5 to win the baseball World Series at New York's Shea Stadium. Grote, the catcher who helped transform the New York Mets from a perennial loser into the 1969 World Series champion, died Sunday, April 7, 2024. He was 81. In this July 8, 2003 photo, Lori, left, and George Schappell, conjoined twins, are photographed in their Reading, Pa., apartment. Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died April 7, 2024, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. They were 62. The University of Edinburgh says Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of a sub-atomic particle that came to be known as the Higgs boson, died April 8, 2024, at 94. Higgs predicted the existence of the particle in 1964. But it would be almost 50 years before the its existence could be confirmed at a particle collider in Switzerland called the Large Hadron Collider. Higgs’ work helps scientists understand of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago. Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, alongside Francois Englert of Belgium. A retired U.S. Army colonel who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War died April 8, 2024, at age 97. A funeral home says that Ralph Puckett Jr. died Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia. President Joe Biden presented Puckett with the Medal of Honor in 2021, more than seven decades after Puckett was seriously wounded leading an outnumbered company of Army Rangers in battle. Puckett refused a medical discharge and served as an Army officer for another 20 years before retiring in 1971. Puckett received the U.S. military's highest honor from President Joe Biden on May 21, 2021, following a policy change that lifted a requirement for medals to be given within five years of a valorous act. O.J. Simpson, left, grimaces June 15, 1995, in a Los Angeles courtroom as he famously tries on one of the leather gloves prosecutors say he wore the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered. Simpson, t he decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up in prison years later in an unrelated case, died April 10, 2024. He was 76. His family made an announcement Thursday in a statement on Simpson's X account. Simpson said last year that he was battling prostate cancer. Simpson’s gridiron legacy was forever overshadowed by the 1994 knife slayings of Brown Simpson and Goldman. A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable. Simpson's nine-year prison stint in Nevada was for the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. Francis Coppola and wife, Eleanor, pose July 16, 1991, in Los Angeles. Eleanor Coppola, who documented the making of some of her husband Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic films, including the infamously tortured production of “Apocalypse Now,” and who raised a family of filmmakers, has died. She was 87. Coppola died April 12, 2024, at home in Rutherford, California, her family announced in a statement. Eleanor, who grew in Orange County, California, met Francis while working as an assistant art director on his directorial debut, the Roger Corman-produced 1963 horror film “Dementia 13.” Their first-born, Gian-Carlo, quickly became a regular presence in his father’s films, as did their subsequent children, Roman, and Sofia. After acting in their father’s films and growing up on sets, all would go into the movies. Robert MacNeil, seen in February 1978, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s and co-anchored the show for with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died April 12, 2024, at age 93. Artist Faith Ringgold poses for a portrait in front of a painted self-portrait during a press preview of her exhibition, "American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold's Paintings of the 1960s" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, June 19, 2013. Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling, died Friday, April 12, 2024, at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 93. Alabama coach Bear Bryant, left, talks with his former star quarterback Steve Sloan, right, after practice in Miami for the Orange Bowl game New Years' night against Nebraska, Dec. 29, 1968. Former college coach and administrator Sloan, who played quarterback and served as athletic director at Alabama. has passed away. He was 79. Sloan died Sunday, April 14, 2024, after three months of memory care at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, according to an obituary from former Alabama sports information director Wayne Atcheson. Oakland A's pitcher Ken Holtzman poses for a photo in March 1975. Holtzman, who pitched two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs and helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series championships in the 1970s, died April 14, 2024. He finished with a career record of 174-150 over 15 season with four teams and was the winningest Jewish pitcher in baseball history. Carl Erskine, center, pictured with teammate Duke Snider, left, and manager Charley Dressen in 1952, after beating the Yankees 6-5 in Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York, Oct. 5, 1952. Erskine, who pitched two no-hitters for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20-game winner in 1953 when he struck out a then-record 14 in the World Series, has died. Among the last survivors from the celebrated Brooklyn teams of the 1950s, Erskine spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers. He helped them win five National League pennants from 1948-59. Erskine won Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, beating the Yankees 3-2. He appeared in five World Series, with the Dodgers beating the Yankees in 1955 for their only championship in Brooklyn. Erksine died April 16 in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, according to a hospital official. He was 97. St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog lets umpire John Shulock, right, know how he feels about Shulock's call on the tag attempt on Kansas City Royals Jim Sundberg by Cardinals catcher Tom Nieto, second from left, in the second inning of Game 5 of the 1985 World Series in St. Louis. Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. Herzog, affectionately nicknamed “The White Rat,” was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling an overall record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985. Under Herzog, the Cardinals won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987 and won the World Series in 1982, when they edged the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. He died April 15, 2024, and was 92. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., gestures as he answers questions regarding the ongoing security hearing on Capitol Hill, June 18, 2002, in Washington. Graham, who chaired the Intelligence Committee following the 2001 terrorist attacks and opposed the Iraq invasion, died April 16, 2024. He was 87. His family announced the death Tuesday in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham. Graham served three terms in the Senate and two terms as Florida's governor. He made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, emphasizing his opposition to the Iraq invasion. But that bid was delayed by heart surgery in January 2003, and he was never able to gain enough traction with voters to catch up. He didn’t seek re-election in 2004 and was replaced by Republican Mel Martinez. Guitar legend and Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts died April 18, 2024, at age 80. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer wrote the band's biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” Manager David Spero told The Associated Press that Betts died early Thursday at his home in Osprey, Florida. He says Betts had been battling cancer for more than a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a new genre: Southern rock. Acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Kid Rock were influenced by the Allmans’ music, which combined blues, country, R&B and jazz with ’60s rock. Contemporary Christian singer Mandisa, who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album “Overcomer,” died April 18, 2024. She was 47. Mandisa gained stardom after finishing ninth on “American Idol” in 2006. In 2014, she won a Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album for “Overcomer,” her fifth album. She spoke openly about her struggles with depression, releasing a memoir that detailed her experiences with severe depression, weight-related challenges, the coronavirus pandemic and her faith. David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator who was one of the state’s most beloved and active political figures, died April 20, 2024, at the age of 89. His son, former two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, says the Democrat died Saturday of natural causes in Little Rock surrounded by family. David Pryor was considered one of the Democratic party’s giants in Arkansas and remained active in public life after he left office, including serving on the University of Arkansas’s Board of Trustees. Roman Gabriel was known for his big size and big arm. He was the first Filipino-American quarterback in the NFL. And he still holds the Los Angeles Rams record for touchdown passes. Gabriel died April 20, 2024, at age 83. His son posted the news on social media. He says Gabriel died at home of natural causes. Gabriel starred at North Carolina State and was the No. 2 pick by the Rams in the 1962 draft. The Oakland Raider of the rival AFL made him the No. 1 pick. Gabriel signed with the Rams and later played with the Philadelphia Eagles. Andrew Davis, an acclaimed British conductor who was music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and orchestras on three continents, died April 20, 2024. He was 80. Davis died Saturday at Rusk Institute in Chicago from leukemia. That is according to his manager, Jonathan Brill of Opus 3 Artists. Davis had been managing the disease for 1 1/2 to 2 years but it became acute shortly after his 80th birthday on Feb. 2. Davis was music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1975-88, Britain’s Glyndebourne Festival from 1988-2000, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1989-2000, then was music director of the Lyric Opera from 2000-21. Former hostage Terry Anderson waves to the crowd as he rides in a parade in Lorain, Ohio, June 22, 1992. Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages, died April 21, 2024. Anderson was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years. Anderson, who was tortured and chained to a wall, wrote about his experiences in the best-selling memoir, “Den of Lions.” After returning to the United States in 1991, Anderson gave public speeches, taught journalism and, at various times, operated a blues bar, Cajun restaurant, horse ranch and gourmet restaurant. He also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. British army veteran Bill Gladden, who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle a few days later, wanted to return to France for the 80th anniversary of the invasion so he could honor the men who didn’t come home. It was not to be. Gladden, one of the dwindling number of veterans who took part in the landings that kicked off the campaign to liberate Western Europe from the Nazis during World War II, died April 24, his family said. He was 100. With fewer and fewer veterans taking part each year, the ceremony may be one of the last big events marking the assault that began on June 6, 1944. Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as “Rebel Rouser,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road" and “Cannonball” helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians, died April 30 at age 86. With his raucous rhythms, and backing hollers and hand claps, Eddy sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and mastered a distinctive sound based on the premise that a guitar’s bass strings sounded better on tape than the high ones. Author Paul Auster has died at age 77. Auster was a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1." Auster’s death on April 30 was confirmed by his literary representatives. Auster completed more than 30 books, translated into dozens of languages. He never achieved major commercial success in the U.S., but he was widely admired overseas for his cosmopolitan worldview and erudite and introspective style. Auster’s novels were a mix of history, politics, genre experiments, existential quests and self-conscious references to writers and writing. Co-pilots Dick Rutan, right, and Jeana Yeager, no relationship to test pilot Chuck Yeager, pose for a photo after a test flight over the Mojave Desert, Dec. 19, 1985. Rutan, a decorated Vietnam War pilot, who along with copilot Yeager completed one of the greatest milestones in aviation history: the first round-the-world flight with no stops or refueling, died late Friday, May 3, 2024. He was 85. Music producer Steve Albini, seen in his Chicago studio in 2014, produced albums by Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ Harvey. Albini died at 61. Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio, says Albini died after a heart attack May 7. In addition to his work on canonized rock albums such as Nirvana‘s “In Utero,” the Pixies’ breakthrough “Surfer Rosa,” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me,” Albini was the frontman of the underground bands Big Black and Shellac. He dismissed the term “producer” and requested he be credited with “Recorded by Steve Albini." San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame football player Jimmy Johnson, left, is honored by owner Jed York before a 2011 game between against the St. Louis Rams in San Francisco. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jimmy Johnson, a three-time All-Pro and member of the All-Decade Team of the 1970s, has died. He was 86. Johnson's family told the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he died May 8. Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. He played his entire 16-year pro career with San Francisco. He played in 213 games, more than any other 49ers player at the time of his retirement. San Diego Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs fires a throw to first from his knees but is unable to get Los Angeles Dodgers' D. J. Houlton at first during the third inning of a baseball game June 22, 2005, in San Diego. Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champion who won an Olympic gold medal and went on to a major league career that was interrupted by substance abuse, has died. He was 43. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s online records said Burroughs died Thursday, May 9, 2024, with the cause of death deferred. Producer Roger Corman poses in his Los Angeles office, May 8, 2013. Corman, the Oscar-winning “King of the Bs” who helped turn out such low-budget classics as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and gave many of Hollywood's most famous actors and directors an early break, died Thursday, May 9, 2024. He was 98. A.J. Smith, a longtime NFL executive who was the winningest general manager in Chargers history, has died. He was 75. His son, Atlanta assistant general manager Kyle Smith, announced in a statement released by the Falcons that his father died May 12. Kyle Smith said his father had been battling prostate cancer for seven years. The Chargers won five division titles during Smith’s 10 seasons as GM. The franchise’s 98 wins, including the playoffs, were the sixth most in the league from 2003-12. Saxophone player David Sanborn performs during his concert at the Stravinski hall at the "Colours of Music night" during the 34th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland on July 10, 2000. Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist who played lively solos on such hits as David Bowie's “Young Americans” and James Taylor's “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and enjoyed his own highly successful recording career as a leading performer of contemporary jazz, died Sunday, May 12, 2024, at age 78. Nobel laureate Alice Munro has died. The Canadian literary giant who became one of the world’s most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history’s most honored short story writers was 92. Munro achieved stature rare for an art form traditionally placed beneath the novel. She was the first lifelong Canadian to win the Nobel and the first recipient cited exclusively for short fiction. Munro was little known beyond Canada until her late 30s but became one of the few short story writers to enjoy ongoing commercial success. A spokesperson for publisher Penguin Random House Canada said Munro died May 13 at home in Port Hope, Ontario. Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie,” died May 16. He was 92. For two decades Coleman labored in movies and TV shows as a talented but largely unnoticed performer. That changed abruptly in 1976 when he was cast as the incorrigibly corrupt mayor of the hamlet of Fernwood in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” a satirical soap opera. He won a Golden Globe for “The Slap Maxwell Story” and an Emmy Award for best supporting actor in Peter Levin’s 1987 small screen legal drama “Sworn to Silence.” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi listens to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not in photo, during a joint news conference following their meeting at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Jan. 24, 2024. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others were found dead at the site of a helicopter crash site, state media reported Monday, May 20, 2024. Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as Mr. Raider for his durability through a litany of injuries, died May 19. He was 86. The cause of death was not immediately known. Otto joined the Raiders for their inaugural season in the American Football League in 1960 and was a fixture on the team for the next 15 years. He never missed a game because of injuries and competed in 210 consecutive regular-season games and 308 straight total contests despite undergoing nine operations on his knees during his playing career. His right leg was amputated in 2007. Ivan F. Boesky, the flamboyant stock trader whose cooperation with the government cracked open one of the largest insider trading scandals on Wall Street, has died at the age of 87. A representative at the Marianne Boesky Gallery, owned by his daughter, confirmed his death. The son of a Detroit delicatessen owner, Boesky was once considered one of the richest and most influential risk-takers on Wall Street. He had parlayed $700,000 from his late mother-in-law’s estate into a fortune estimated at more than $200 million. Once implicated in insider trading, Boesky cooperated with a brash young U.S. attorney named Rudolph Giuliani, uncovering a scandal that blemished some of the most respected U.S. investment brokerages. Boesky died May 20. Jan. A.P. Kaczmarek poses with the Oscar for best original score for his work on "Finding Neverland" during the 77th Academy Awards, Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. Polish composer Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the movie “Finding Neverland,” has died on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at age 71. Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation. Train bassist and founding member Charlie Colin has died at 58. Colin’s sister confirmed the musician's death Wednesday to The Associated Press. Variety reported Colin slipped and fell in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels. Train formed in San Francisco in the early ’90s. Colin played on Train's first three records, 1998’s self-titled album, 2001’s “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003’s “My Private Nation.” The track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned two Grammys. Colin left the band in 2003. He also worked with the Newport Beach Film Festival. Colin died May 22. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee whose most famous works skewered America’s food industry and who notably ate only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died of cancer. He was 53. Spurlock made a splash in 2004 with his groundbreaking film “Super Size Me,” and returned in 2019 with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” — a sober look at an industry that processes 9 billion animals a year in America. Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included zippy graphics and amusing music. Spurlock died May 23. Richard M. Sherman, one half of the prolific, award-winning pair of brothers who helped form millions of childhoods by penning classic Disney tunes, has died. He was 95. Sherman, along with his late brother Robert, wrote hundreds of songs together, including songs for “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” — as well as the most-played tune on Earth, “It’s a Small World (After All).” The Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died Saturday due to age-related illness. The brothers won two Academy Awards for Walt Disney’s 1964 smash “Mary Poppins.” Robert Sherman died May 25 in London in 2012. Basketball Hall of Fame legend Bill Walton laughs during a practice session for the NBA All-Star basketball game in Cleveland, Feb. 19, 2022. Walton, who starred for John Wooden's UCLA Bruins before becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the biggest stars of basketball broadcasting, died Monday, May 27, 2024, the league announced on behalf of his family. He was 71. “The Godfather” producer Albert S. Ruddy died May 25 at 94. The Canadian-born producer and writer won Oscars for “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” developed the raucous prison-sports comedy “The Longest Yard” and helped create the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes." A spokesperson says Ruddy died Saturday at the UCLA Medical Center. Ruddy produced more than 30 movies and was on hand for the very top and the very bottom. “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby” were box office hits and winners of best picture Oscars. But Ruddy also helped give us “Cannonball Run II” and “Megaforce,” nominees for Golden Raspberry awards for worst movie of the year. Larry Allen, one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the NFL during a 12-year career spent mostly with the Dallas Cowboys, died June 2. He was 52. The Cowboys say Allen died suddenly on Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. Allen was named an All-Pro six consecutive years from 1996-2001 and was inducted into the Pro Football of Hall of Fame in 2013. He said few words but let his blocking do the talking. Allen once bench-pressed 700 pounds and had the speed to chase down opposing running backs. Bob Hope and Janis Paige hug during the annual Christmas show in Saigon, Vietnam, Dec. 25, 1964. Paige, a popular actor in Hollywood and in Broadway musicals and comedies who danced with Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope and continued to perform into her 80s, died Sunday, June 2, 2024, of natural causes at her Los Angeles home, longtime friend Stuart Lampert said Monday, June 3. Parnelli Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner, died June 4 at Torrance Memorial Medical Center after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his son said. Jones was 90. At the time of his death, Jones was the oldest living winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rufus Parnell Jones was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1933 but moved to Torrance as a young child and never left. It was there that he became “Parnelli” because his given name of Rufus was too well known for him to compete without locals knowing that he wasn’t old enough to race. Boston Celtics' John Havlicek (17) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers' Chet Walker (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball playoff game April 14, 1968, in Boston. Walker, a seven-time All-Star forward who helped Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers win the 1967 NBA title, died June 8. He was 84. The National Basketball Players Association confirmed Walker's death, according to NBA.com . The 76ers, Chicago Bulls and National Basketball Retired Players Association also extended their condolences on social media on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The Rev. James Lawson Jr. speaks Sept. 17, 2015, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Lawson Jr., an apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as the Civil Rights Movement gained traction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 95. His family said Lawson died on Sunday after a short illness in Los Angeles, where he spent decades working as a pastor, labor movement organizer and university professor. Lawson was a close adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who called him “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” Lawson met King in 1957, after spending three years in India soaking up knowledge about Mohandas K. Gandhi’s independence movement. King would travel to India himself two years later, but at the time, he had only read about Gandhi in books. Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jerry West, representing the 1960 USA Olympic Team, is seen Aug. 13, 2010, during the enshrinement news conference at the Hall of Fame Museum in Springfield, Mass. Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive, and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died June 12, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, was an NBA champion who went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called West “one of the greatest executives in sports history.” Actor and director Ron Simons, seen Jan. 23, 2011, during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, died June 12. Simons turned into a formidable screen and stage producer, winning four Tony Awards and having several films selected at the Sundance Film Festival. He won Tonys for producing “Porgy and Bess,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” and “Jitney.” He also co-produced “Hughie,” with Forest Whitaker, “The Gin Game,” starring Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” an all-Black production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the revival of "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" and the original work “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” He was in the films “27 Dresses” and “Mystery Team,” as well as on the small screen in “The Resident,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Bob Schul of West Milton, Ohio, hits the tape Oct. 18, 1964, to win the 5,000 meter run at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Schul, the only American distance runner to win the 5,000 meters at the Olympics, died June 16. He was 86. His death was announced by Miami University in Ohio , where Schul shined on the track and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1973. Schul predicted gold leading into the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and followed through with his promise. On a rainy day in Japan, he finished the final lap in a blistering 54.8 seconds to sprint to the win. His white shorts were covered in mud at the finish. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1991. He also helped write a book called “In the Long Run.” San Francisco Giants superstar Willie Mays poses for a photo during baseball spring training in 1972. Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, died June 18. He was 93. The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, had been baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s top stars. The Giants retired his uniform number, 24, and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza. Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham , Alabama. Over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants but also including one in the Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice was named the Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times. His lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra base hit in the 1954 World Series remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history. For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ballplayer with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still the signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic — one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.” Actor Donald Sutherland appears Oct. 13, 2017, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. Sutherland, the Canadian actor whose wry, arrestingly off-kilter screen presence spanned more than half a century of films from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” died June 20. He was 88. Kiefer Sutherland said on X he believed his father was one of the most important actors in the history of film: “Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that.” The tall and gaunt Sutherland, who flashed a grin that could be sweet or diabolical, was known for offbeat characters like Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman's "M.A.S.H.," the hippie tank commander in "Kelly's Heroes" and the stoned professor in "Animal House." Before transitioning into a long career as a respected character actor, Sutherland epitomized the unpredictable, antiestablishment cinema of the 1970s. He never stopped working, appearing in nearly 200 films and series. Over the decades, Sutherland showed his range in more buttoned-down — but still eccentric — roles in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" and Oliver Stone's "JFK." More, recently, he starred in the “Hunger Games” films. A memoir, “Made Up, But Still True,” is due out in November. Actor Bill Cobbs, a cast member in "Get Low," arrives July 27, 2010, at the premiere of the film in Beverly Hills, Calif. Cobbs, the veteran character actor who became a ubiquitous and sage screen presence as an older man, died June 25. He was 90. A Cleveland native, Cobbs acted in such films as “The Hudsucker Proxy,” “The Bodyguard” and “Night at the Museum.” He made his first big-screen appearance in a fleeting role in 1974's “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." He became a lifelong actor with some 200 film and TV credits. The lion share of those came in his 50s, 60s, and 70s, as filmmakers and TV producers turned to him again and again to imbue small but pivotal parts with a wizened and worn soulfulness. Cobbs appeared on television shows including “The Sopranos," “The West Wing,” “Sesame Street” and “Good Times.” He was Whitney Houston's manager in “The Bodyguard” (1992), the mystical clock man of the Coen brothers' “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994) and the doctor of John Sayles' “Sunshine State” (2002). He played the coach in “Air Bud” (1997), the security guard in “Night at the Museum” (2006) and the father on “The Gregory Hines Show." Cobbs rarely got the kinds of major parts that stand out and win awards. Instead, Cobbs was a familiar and memorable everyman who left an impression on audiences, regardless of screen time. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding limited performance in a daytime program for the series “Dino Dana” in 2020. Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman speaks with the media Nov. 7, 2009, at his campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas. The singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other statewide offices, died June 27. He was 79 and had suffered from Parkinson's disease. Often called “The Kinkster" and sporting sideburns, a thick mustache and cowboy hat, Friedman earned a cult following and reputation as a provocateur throughout his career across musical and literary genres. In the 1970s, his satirical country band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys wrote songs with titles such as “They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed.” Friedman joined part of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1976. By the 1980s, Friedman was writing crime novels that often included a version of himself, and he wrote a column for Texas Monthly magazine in the 2000s. Friedman's run at politics brought his brand of irreverence to the serious world of public policy. In 2006, Friedman ran for governor as an independent in a five-way race that included incumbent Republican Rick Perry. Friedman launched his campaign against the backdrop of the Alamo. Martin Mull participates in "The Cool Kids" panel during the Fox Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Aug. 2, 2018, at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” died June 28. He was 80. Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and the starring role in its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight." His first foray into show business was as a songwriter, penning the 1970 semi-hit “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for singer Jane Morgan. He would combine music and comedy in an act that he brought to hip Hollywood clubs in the 1970s. Mull often played slightly sleazy, somewhat slimy and often smarmy characters as he did as Teri Garr's boss and Michael Keaton's foe in 1983's “Mr. Mom.” He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 movie adaptation of the board game “Clue,” which, like many things Mull appeared in, has become a cult classic. The 1980s also brought what many thought was his best work, “A History of White People in America,” a mockumentary that first aired on Cinemax. Mull co-created the show and starred as a “60 Minutes” style investigative reporter investigating all things milquetoast and mundane. Willard was again a co-star. In the 1990s he was best known for his recurring role on several seasons on “Roseanne,” in which he played a warmer, less sleazy boss to the title character, an openly gay man whose partner was played by Willard, who died in 2020 . Mull would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” a cult-classic character on a cult-classic show, and would be nominated for an Emmy, his first, in 2016 for a guest run on “Veep.” Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel, March 7, 2006, in New York. Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of "Shampoo," "The Last Detail" and other acclaimed films whose work on "Chinatown" became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles, died Monday, July 1, 2024, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said publicist Carri McClure. She declined to comment on any cause of death. Vic Seixas of the United States backhands a volley from Denmark's Jurgen Ulrich in the first round of men's singles match at Wimbledon, England, June 27, 1967. Vic Seixas, a Wimbledon winner and tennis Hall of Famer who was the oldest living Grand Slam champion, has died July 5 at the age of 100. The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced Seixas’ death on Saturday July 6, 2024, based on confirmation from his daughter Tori. In this June 30, 2020, file photo, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., speaks to reporters following a GOP policy meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma died July 9. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke during the July Fourth holiday and died Tuesday morning. Inhofe was a powerful fixture in state politics for decades. He doubted that climate change was caused by human activity, calling the theory “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” As Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator, he was a staunch supporter of the state’s military installations. He was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020 and stepped down in early 2023. The Oak Ridge Boys, from left, Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen and William Lee Golden hold their awards for Top Vocal Group and Best Album of the Year for "Ya'll Come Back Saloon", during the 14th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., May 3, 1979. Bonsall died on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Hendersonville, Tenn. He was 76. A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, which originally formed in the 1940s. He saw the band through its golden period in the '80s and beyond, which included their signature 1981 song “Elvira.” The hit marked a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100. The group is also known for such hits as 1982’s “Bobbie Sue." Shelley Duvall poses for photographers at the 30th Cannes Film Festival in France, May 27, 1977. Duvall, whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining,” died July 11. She was 75. Dr. Ruth Westheimer holds a copy of her book "Sex for Dummies" at the International Frankfurt Book Fair 'Frankfurter Buchmesse' in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007. Westheimer, the sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, died on July 12, 2024. She was 96. Richard Simmons sits for a portrait in Los Angeles, June 23, 1982. Simmons, a fitness guru who urged the overweight to exercise and eat better, died July 13 at the age of 76. Simmons was a court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. Simmons was a former 268-pound teen who shared his hard-won weight loss tips as the host of the Emmy-winning daytime “Richard Simmons Show" and the “Sweatin' to the Oldies” line of exercise videos, which became a cultural phenomenon. Former NFL receiver Jacoby Jones died July 14 at age 40. Jones' 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history. The Houston Texans were Jones’ team for the first five seasons of his career. They announced his death on Sunday. In a statement released by the NFL Players Association, his family said he died at his home in New Orleans. A cause of death was not given. Jones played from 2007-15 for the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He made several huge plays for the Ravens during their most recent Super Bowl title season, including that kick return. The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star whose life and career were roiled by tabloid stories, Shannen Doherty died July 13 at 53. Doherty's publicist said the actor died Saturday following years with breast cancer. Catapulted to fame as Brenda in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” she worked in big-screen films including "Mallrats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and in TV movies including "A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story," in which she played the "Gone with the Wind" author. Doherty co-starred with Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano in the series “Charmed” from 1998-2001; appeared in the “90210” sequel series seven years later and competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. Actor James Sikking poses for a photograph at the Los Angeles gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Organization for Women, Dec. 1, 1986. Sikking, who starred as a hardened police lieutenant on “Hill Street Blues” and as the titular character's kindhearted dad on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” died July 13 of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement. He was 90. Pat Williams chats with media before the 2004 NBA draft in Orlando, Fla. Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, died July 17 from complications related to viral pneumonia. The team announced the death Wednesday. Williams was 84. He started his NBA career as business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, then had stints as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers — helping that franchise win a title in 1983. Williams was later involved in starting the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. The league’s board of governors granted an expansion franchise in 1987, and the team began play in 1989. Lou Dobbs speaks Feb. 24, 2017, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. Dobbs, the conservative political pundit and veteran cable TV host who was a founding anchor for CNN and later was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, died July 18. He was 78. His death was announced in a post on his official X account, which called him a “fighter till the very end – fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country.” He hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox from 2011 to 2021, following two separate stints at CNN. No cause of death was given. Bob Newhart, center, poses with members of the cast and crew of the "Bob Newhart Show," from top left, Marcia Wallace, Bill Daily, Jack Riley, and, Suzanne Pleshette, foreground left, and Dick Martin at TV Land's 35th anniversary tribute to "The Bob Newhart Show" on Sept. 5, 2007, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Newhart has died at age 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died July 18 in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses. The accountant-turned-comedian gained fame with a smash album and became one of the most popular TV stars of his time. Newhart was a Chicago psychologist in “The Bob Newhart Show” in the 1970s and a Vermont innkeeper on “Newhart” in the 1980s. Both shows featured a low-key Newhart surrounded by eccentric characters. The second had a twist ending in its final show — the whole series was revealed to have been a dream by the psychologist he played in the other show. Cheng Pei-pei, a Chinese-born martial arts film actor who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17 at age 78. Her family says Cheng, who had been diagnosed with a rare illness with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, passed away Wednesday at home surrounded by her loved ones. The Shanghai-born film star became a household name in Hong Kong, once dubbed the Hollywood of the Far East, for her performances in martial arts movies in the 1960s. She played Jade Fox, who uses poisoned needles, in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which was released in 2000, grossed $128 million in North America and won four Oscars. Abdul “Duke” Fakir holds his life time achievement award backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles. The last surviving original member of the Four Tops died July 22. Abdul “Duke” Fakir was 88. He was a charter member of the Motown group along with lead singer Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton. Between 1964 and 1967, the Tops had 11 top 20 hits and two No. 1′s: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and the operatic classic “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Other songs, often stories of romantic pain and longing, included “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette” and “Just Ask the Lonely.” Sculptress Elizabeth Catlett, left, then-Washington D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon, center, and then-curator, division of community life, Smithsonian institution Bernice Johnson Reagon chat during the reception at the Candace awards on June 25, 1991 in New York. Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich, powerful contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died on July 16, 2024, according to her daughter's social media post. She was 81. John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, died July 22. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. A statement on Mayall's official Instagram page says he died Monday at his home in California. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s, pounding out his version of Chicago blues. Erica Ash, an actor and comedian skilled in sketch comedy who starred in the parody series “Mad TV” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” has died. She was 46. Her publicist and a statement by her mother, Diann, says Ash died July 28 in Los Angeles of cancer. Ash impersonated Michelle Obama and Condoleeza Rice on “Mad TV,” a Fox sketch series, and was a key performer on the Rosie O’Donnell-created series “The Big Gay Sketch Show.” Her other credits included “Scary Movie V,” “Uncle Drew” and the LeBron James-produced basketball dramedy “Survivor’s Remorse.” On the BET series “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” Ash played the ex-wife of Kevin Hart’s character. Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy '80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. He was 63. Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame golfer whose antics on the greens and inspiring life story made him among the sport’s most popular players during a long professional career, died Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Susan Wojcicki, the former YouTube chief executive officer and longtime Google executive, died Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after suffering with non small cell lung cancer for the past two years. She was 56. Frank Selvy, an All-America guard at Furman who scored an NCAA Division I-record 100 points in a game and later played nine NBA seasons, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. He was 91. Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, from complications with dementia. He was 88. Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son's tear-jerker “The Notebook,” died Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. She was 94. Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares,” died. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 He was 98. Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. He was 88. Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, died Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, after a long illness. He was 88. Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador, died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. He was 87. John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” died Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. He was 84. James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. He was 88. James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died. He was 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Sept. 9 at home. Jones was a pioneering actor who eventually lent his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader. Working deep into his 80s, he won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor. Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77. His family said in a post on the band’s website and social media accounts that Beverly died Sept. 10. In the post, which asked for privacy, the family said “he lived his life with a pure soul, as one would say, and for us, no one did it better.” The post did not say his cause of death or where he died. Beverly, whose songs include “Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl,” finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You Tour” in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has died. He was 92. The Lions said family informed the team Schmidt died Sept. 11. A cause of death was not provided. One of pro football’s first great middle linebackers, Schmidt played his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953-65. An eight-time All-Pro, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the college football version in 2000. Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt. Chad McQueen, an actor known for his performances in the “Karate Kid” movies and the son of the late actor and racer Steve McQueen, died Sep. 11. His lawyer confirmed his death at age 63. McQueen's family shared a statement on social media saying he lived a life “filled with love and dedication.” McQueen was a professional race car driver, like his father, and competed in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona races. He is survived by his wife Jeanie and three children, Chase, Madison and Steven, who is an actor best known for “The Vampire Diaries.” Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, died at age 70 on Sept. 15. Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet. The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They signed with Berry Gordy’s Motown empire in the 1960s. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s, including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.” John David “JD” Souther has died. He was a prolific songwriter and musician whose collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt helped shape the country-rock sound that took root in Southern California in the 1970s. Souther joined in on some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, such as “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight." The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee also collaborated with James Taylor, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt and many more. His biggest hit as a solo artist was “You’re Only Lonely.” He was about to tour with Karla Bonoff. Souther died Sept. 17 at his home in New Mexico, at 78. In this photo, JD Souther and Alison Krauss attend the Songwriters Hall of Fame 44th annual induction and awards gala on Thursday, June 13, 2013 in New York. Sen. Dan Evans stands with his three sons, from left, Mark, Bruce and Dan Jr., after he won the election for Washington's senate seat in Seattle, Nov. 8, 1983. Evans, a former Washington state governor and a U.S. Senator, died Sept. 20. The popular Republican was 98. He served as governor from 1965 to 1977, and he was the keynote speaker at the 1968 National Republican Convention. In 1983, Evans was appointed to served out the term of Democratic Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson after he died in office. Evans opted not to stand for election in 1988, citing the “tediousness" of the Senate. He later served as a regent at the University of Washington, where the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance bears his name. Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins as part of a star-studded backfield and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, died Sept. 21. He was 77. The team on Sunday confirmed the death of Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.” Morris was the starting halfback and one of three go-to runners that Dolphins coach Don Shula utilized in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both of those seasons. John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, died Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. He was 76. Maggie Smith, who won an Oscar for 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Sept. 27 at 89. Smith's publicist announced the news Friday. She was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench. “Jean Brodie” brought her the Academy Award for best actress in 1969. Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for “California Suite” in 1978. Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 88. Drake Hogestyn, the “Days of Our Lives” star who appeared on the show for 38 years, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. He was 70. Ron Ely, the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” died Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at age 86. Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. Frank Fritz, left, part of a two-man team who drove around the U.S. looking for antiques and collectibles to buy and resell on the reality show “American Pickers,” died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 60. He's shown here with co-host Mike Wolfe at the A+E Networks 2015 Upfront in New York on April 30, 2015. Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. He was 83. Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in her New Jersey home. She was 91. Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, her family said. She was 96. Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans, was found dead Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said. He was 31. Mitzi Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. She was 93. Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. He was 63. Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, died, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. He was 86. Phil Lesh, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at age 84. Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," died Tuesday, Oct 29, 2024. She was 79. Quincy Jones, the multitalented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, died Sunday, Nov 3, 2024. He was 91 Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, died Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. He was 86. Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Queen Woo,” was found dead at his home in capital Seoul, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. He was 39. British actor Timothy West, who played the classic Shakespeare roles of King Lear and Macbeth and who in recent years along with his wife, Prunella Scales, enchanted millions of people with their boating exploits on Britain's waterways, died Tuesday, Nov 12, 2024. He was 90. Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport, died Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. He was 82. Arthur Frommer, whose "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day" guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 95. Former Chicago Bulls forward Bob Love, a three-time All-Star who spent 11 years in the NBA, died Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. He was 81. Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. He was 83. Barbara Taylor Bradford, a British journalist who became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the saga "A Woman of Substance" and wrote more than a dozen other novels that sold tens of millions of copies, died Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. She was 91. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball's leadoff position, died Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. He was 65. Obituaries Newsletter Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox.

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panalo999 vip login The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Jacob Hutson’s 20 points helped Northern Iowa defeat Southern Illinois 78-67 on Sunday. Hutson shot 7 of 10 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line for the Panthers (8-5, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Tytan Anderson added 15 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line while he also had 10 rebounds. Max Weisbrod went 4 of 7 from the field (2 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. Jarrett Hensley finished with 20 points and six rebounds for the Salukis (5-8, 0-2). Ali Abdou Dibba added 10 points for Southern Illinois. Drew Steffe had eight points. Northern Iowa took the lead with 1:02 remaining in the first half and never looked back. Hutson led his team in scoring with 10 points in the first half to help put them ahead 38-34 at the break. Northern Iowa turned a 13-point second-half lead into a 27-point advantage with a 14-0 run to make it a 73-46 lead with 8:38 left in the half. Hutson scored 10 second-half points in the matchup. Both teams next play Wednesday. Northern Iowa hosts Belmont and Southern Illinois takes on Evansville at home. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Pitt running back Rodney Hammond to sit out remainder of season, use redshirt year

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday made history by becoming the first Defence Minister to visit Mhow in 24 years, where he lauded the Indian Army's training institutes for their outstanding contributions. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday made history by becoming the first Defence Minister to visit Mhow in 24 years, where he lauded the Indian Army's training institutes for their outstanding contributions. Singh's visit was a significant milestone, as he acknowledged the crucial role these institutes play in shaping the military strategies and warfare skills of Indian Army personnel. He was on a visit to the three Premier Training Institutes of the Indian Army - Army War College (AWC), Infantry School and Military College of Telecommunication and Engineering (MCTE) - in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, accompanied by the Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officers of the Indian Army. Singh was briefed by the Officiating Commandant on the establishment of the Advanced Incubation and Research Centre and the various MoUs towards enabling the absorption and transformation of technologies. He visited the Army Marksmanship Unit to witness their contribution towards national sports. Singh also visited the Infantry Museum, where he was briefed on the history of the Infantry as well as the induction of modernised equipment into the Infantry. Addressing the troops, he commended the courage and vigilance of the Indian Army personnel in safeguarding the borders and ensuring national security. "Your dedication and devotion to duty are an inspiration to all of us. It is due to your hard work and commitment that our country and its borders are becoming increasingly secure and strong," he said. Singh called upon the Armed Forces to continue keeping a vigilant eye on the current geopolitical scenario, and always remain alert and ready to deal with any kind of threats. During his address at Mhow Military Station, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, " Our jawans are not ordinary but very special. Whenever you want to do something you don't calculate but instead you think that no matter what we need to do it. This dedication of yours inspires the entire citizens of this country...as the Defence Minister, I want to say that we will have to keep ourselves alert always..." He emphasised that there are times when India faces challenges on the borders as well as on the internal front, which makes it imperative for the soldiers to keep a close eye on the activities of the adversaries and take timely and effective steps against them. Singh asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government's aim is to make India a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047, and the Armed Forces will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. "You are the protectors of our borders and the forerunners in nation-building. I am sure that you will continue securing our borders with courage and dedication, and contribute to realising the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047," he said. Earlier, the Defence Minister visited the Bhim Janm Bhoomi, a memorial dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar in Mhow, and paid homage to the Bharat Ratna and the architect of the Indian constitution at his birthplace. He described Dr BR Ambedkar as an epitome of selfless service, who dedicated his life to social equality and empowerment. Stay informed on all the latest news , real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.Tice, Otieno lead Quinnipiac to 75-69 OT win over Hofstra

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Matt Morrissey threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Calwise Jr. that ended the scoring midway through the fourth quarter and Eastern Kentucky beat North Alabama 21-15 on Saturday for its fifth straight win. TJ Smith drove North Alabama to the EKU 45-yard line before he threw an interception to Mike Smith Jr. to end the game.

Unique among ‘Person of the Year’ designees, Donald Trump gets a fact-check from Time magazine

Declassified files show the note to former MP John Spellar also said the republican party had ignored the “visceral component of sectarianism” in responding to a new government good relations strategy. Mr Spellar, then a Northern Ireland Office minister, had launched a consultation on the “A Shared Future” document, an attempt to address community divisions, segregation and sectarianism in the region at a time when the devolved powersharing institutions were suspended. A file at the Public Record Office in Belfast shows that OFMDFM official Chris Stewart wrote to the minister in July about a response to the document from Sinn Fein representative Bairbre de Brun. Mr Stewart told Mr Spellar that Ms de Brun’s letter had been critical of the document and was clearly intended to “mark your card”. He said among a number of points raised by de Brun was that “the promotion of equality is the key to improving community relations”. His memo adds: “Sinn Fein is clearly seeking to position or align the issue of community relations within its equality and human rights agenda. “This general Sinn Fein position has resulted in a simplistic analysis of community relations, which is flawed in its description of the causes and necessary policy response. “There is of course, no doubt that a lack of equality has been a contributing factor to poor community relations. “However, Sinn Fein ignores the many other factors, not least the violent conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths. “Sinn Fein also portrays poor community relations (for nationalists) as being a purely rational response to the political situation. “This ignores the more visceral component of sectarianism, which is all too prevalent in both communities.” Mr Stewart continues: “To suggest, as Sinn Fein does, that the promotion of equality should be the key component of good relations policy is to ignore the key message in A Shared Future, that indirect approaches alone are insufficient to deal with sectarianism and the abnormal relationship between sections of the Northern Ireland community.” The official recommended the minister invite representatives of Sinn Fein to a meeting to discuss the policy. The file also contains a note about Mr Spellar’s meeting with DUP representatives Maurice Morrow and Peter Weir the following month to discuss the document. The note says: “Morrow said he had no problem with sharing the future and suggested that the first step to that would be an election to decide who spoke for whom – though he was quick to say he didn’t want politics to dominate the meeting.” It adds: “Weir said that the biggest step towards improving community relations would be the creation of a political environment that had the broad support of both unionism and nationalism, and the GFA (Good Friday Agreement) could not create that environment.”5 Automation Strategies Every Small Business Should FollowElijah Precciely, 17, the youngest ever Southern University graduate, receives his diploma from Dr. Lealon Martin during the school's fall commencement at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Friday, December 13, 2024. Javier Gallegos Elijah Precciely, 17, the youngest ever Southern University graduate, stands up to wave at his family during Southern University fall commencement at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Friday, December 13, 2024. Javier Gallegos Elijah Precciely at age 11 in May of 2018 when he becomes a full-time student on a full-ride scholarship at Southern Univeristy. ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FEIG Elijah Precciely, 17, the youngest ever Southern University graduate, walks on stage to receive his diploma during Southern University fall commencement at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Friday, December 13, 2024. Javier Gallegos Elijah Precciely, 17, the youngest ever Southern University graduate, walks toward the exit while holding up his diploma during Southern University fall commencement at F.G. Clark Activity Center on Friday, December 13, 2024. Javier Gallegos Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save When Elijah Precciely was handed his diploma Friday morning, under the lights inside Southern University's Minidome, the 17-year-old became the youngest graduate in the university's 144-year history. Precciely, 17, has now completed his journey at Southern, one that officially started at 11 years old when he was awarded the full Joseph S. Clark Presidential scholarship. He leaves the university with bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics, hundreds of hours of class credit and research time, and strong claims to being the youngest university graduate in Louisiana history and across all historically black colleges and universities in the nation. But in many ways, Precciely is like any other graduating teenager, proud of his years of hard work and ready to finally have some time to relax. His parents, Steve and Pamela Precciely, tried to get their son to understand the full weight of what he has accomplished. To them, this is not simply a once-in-a-lifetime success for Elijah. It is more, because most people don't reach this level of achievement so early in life. "I said, Elijah, in the whole state of Louisiana how many people got moved up a grade or two? You'll probably have thousands," Steve Precciely said. "How many started college early? You will probably have some hundreds, maybe. But if you ask how many started college at 11 years old? I said that will only be one ... and that one is you." Early learning signs A community of family, friends, advisers and professors have worked to make this opportunity possible for Elijah, and each did so because they saw his potential. "When he was maybe 3 or 6 months old, a family member prophesied that he would attend college at 12 years old," Steve Precciely said of a premonition felt by Elijah's aunt, Rosetta James. Pamela Precciely finished the story, "First she said he'd attend at 12 years old, then she paused, and said 'no ... it'll be at 11.'" There was good reason to trust James' prophecy: Elijah's two older sisters also achieved accelerated placement during their schooling. As he developed, the signs began to mount. First, at Trinity Christian Academy preschool, where by the time Elijah was 18 months old the attendants said they had nothing left to teach him and asked the Preccielys if they could move him to learn with the older toddlers. Then, as Elijah grew, he increasingly came to his parents with questions that surprised them, some they even struggled to answer for him. How many bones were in the body? What were taxes and how did they work? How did magnets move on their own? The couple had been at a similar point with their daughters, "but we didn't know what to do with them, and we weren't in contact with anyone else who knew what to do with them," Pamela Precciely said. She was determined to find the right resources for Elijah, fighting to get him accepted into a program for gifted elementary students before he was old enough. When she eventually won that fight, Elijah immediately was jumped three grade levels. Most of his early education was done at the home school the Preccielys ran for their daughters and other students alongside Elijah. Here, the Preccielys taught using the guiding phrase that students could "go as fast as they wanted, but never as slow as they wanted." "It was quite phenomenal to see him to have that space and that liberty to explore and to learn at a very young age," Steve Precciely said, "We did not chop that learning up or stop it. We did not block it, and that's what happens with most children." During this time, Pamela Precciely had kept her eye on a summer program at Southern University for gifted students. But a session hadn't opened in the previous few years. "I kept waiting and kept waiting. I said, 'I need this young man. I cannot leave him where he is,'" Pamela Precciely said. One day, in her desperation, she woke Elijah, had him get dressed, and drove him to Southern's campus, certain that if she could just get him in front of the right people, they would see his capabilities. As soon as the professor who ran the summer sessions finished his interview with 8-year-old Elijah, he told Pamela Precciely, "He must start classes now." From that day on, Elijah was a Jaguar, even if he didn't start earning credit for the classes he attended until three years later when he was officially enrolled and awarded a full academic scholarship. His parents were even able to use home schooling credits alongside Elijah's college transcript to fulfill his high school education requirements, all by the time other children were entering middle school. 11-year-old on campus Soon, Elijah was in his first lecture: college algebra and physical science. His mother would bring him to class each day, with a lunch packed for both of them, and supervise Elijah in his classes. It wouldn't be until he was 13 that Elijah would attend classes alone. During these early semesters, Pamela Precciely was still unsure about how a young boy's presence would disturb a college class. She asked Elijah to not ask as many questions. The students' responses surprised her, however, with many wanting Elijah in their class, motivating them to remember that learning should be fun. To the Preccielys, the "billion dollar question" they often hear is how other parents can accelerate their own children like Elijah. The couple is working on a book to compile what they have learned from all of their children's experiences. "We didn't put any brakes on him, saying 'oh no, let him stay here this is his age,'" Steve Precciely said. Determined to find success For years his routine continued at Southern, getting up, going early to class, reviewing during passing period or taking a power nap, then heading home to pursue the research project he was working on. The pace was relentless. "No one will ever be able to understand the level of determination," Elijah said of the past six years. "You won't understand the weight until you bear it on your own shoulders." But Elijah did find one man who understood his burden, Dr. Jamar Montgomery, a Southern grad who Elijah met while Montgomery was studying business and law. Montgomery himself had accelerated schooling, graduating with a mechanical engineering degree at 19. "He saved me 20 years," Elijah said about his mentor. "He's helped me not be so hard on myself, because when people have been hard on you your whole life, you believe that you're failing even when you're not." They also bonded over living outside of the traditional high school or college experience. Both have dealt with finding friends outside of class or having friends who weren't close to their ages. Elijah did have many of the same opportunities as a traditional high schooler. He played sports when he was younger and even attended a Baton Rouge prom. Elijah said he is often confused when people ask him about the high school or college "experience" and its importance, because to him, this is the only life he has lived. And if you ask Elijah or Montgomery, both will tell you the journey is worth it. "I think some of the opportunities that I have had have been not necessarily because I was young or because I had been accelerated, but the fact I had been accelerated was proof that I could handle basically anything you could throw at me," Montgomery said. This is how Elijah understands the benefits of his accelerated schooling. It isn't just having the knowledge early that makes him exceptional; it is being able to self-motivate to learn and to keep learning outside of the reward system set up by traditional school. Elijah is proudest of his research, from carbon nanotubes to self-repairing concrete, all real technologies that he studied alongside Southern's professors. "I want my work to speak for me, not just my age," he said. For the future, Elijah hinted at a vast plan for many more years within academia, maybe venturing outside of his degree into biology. But for now, he is content to tackle his next big project: Getting his driver's license before he turns 18 in March.

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He has made a monumental history; breaking barriers and shattering shells not just as the current richest man globally but the wealthiest man to ever walk the surface of Planet Earth! By crossing the hitherto unreachable threshold of $400 billion (£345 billion) and going ahead to hit a staggering net worth of a mouth-watering $500 billion as at December 2024 he is richer than both Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with their combined net worths that is according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI). Reading through these recent epochal achievements the million-naira question that gripped the mind of yours truly concerns what he has done differently to achieve these feats. That one unique man under discourse is none other than Elon Musk, the South African -American business icon whose rare innovations in cutting -edge technologies through Space X, Tesla, Neuralink and the Boring Company have revolutionalised the way we live. While Space X, his private aerospace engineering company is a game – changer and pioneering space exploration and satellite internet, Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturing company is raking in the dollars due to expanding patronage. There are certainly several significant lessons to glean from Musk as individuals, who want to be better at our various businesses and professional ventures, more so in the new year of 2025. One of such important factors is to understand that all the veritable ideas of the life – changing inventions and innovations that have led to the production of electricity, air conditioner, refrigerator, television, traffic light, motorcycles, cars, aeroplane, cell phone, lap top, internet connectivity and such others as even tooth brush, all emanated from man’s mindset. The mind, according to the famous motivator, Norman Vincent Pearle is made of two parts- the subconscious and the conscious. Whereas, thoughts, ideas, wishes, and dreams are like seeds sown into the fertile field of the subconscious mind, the eventual decisions and actions taken are products of our conscious mind. The lesson hereby is the imperative of having a firm control of our mindset, as Musk has done. Once that is achieved one is able to open the horizon of the mindset. That of course, is what transpired in that of great scientists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Pythagoras, Marie Curie, and our own Silas Adekunle and Prof. Philip Emeagwali. To them and other creative minds including artists, poets, novelists, film makers and creative chefs the word impossible does not exist. Not at all! That perhaps, explains why Musk thinks that going to Planet Mars is a possibility, travelling from New York City to London through an underground tunnel, taking but a few hours is a possibility. So, it is up you to come to terms with the difficulties you have had in the past years, including 2024 and muster the mental will to break the limitations that have held you captive. If Elon Musk could think about spaceships that travel much faster than those currently in place and work on the ideas, why not you? What it means therefore is to master your mind, but do so with a Positive Mental Attitude ((PMA) as Vincent Pearle admonished. With such a PMA you should be able to identify your God-given talents, skills and passion. What is it that you do so effortlessly while others find it an uphill task to achieve? What gives you that inner joy, contentment. and eventual fulfilment in life? What, as the renowned American media mogul, Oprah Winfrey asked is that passion you can easily display even without being paid for it? Whatever it might be that is what you should identify and cash on to make not just a living but a reasonable one at that. Is it to be a tailor, hair dresser, teacher to the ignorant, nurse to sick, and lawyer to defend the defendless? Is it to clean the dirty environment? Or perhaps, you love to play football as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman do? What about finding it engaging to repair to repair broken down vehicles, television sets, and cell phones? It does not matter what. Even it could be to be a comedian and crack other people ‘s ribs. Recall that our own popular actress, Mercy Johnson once hawked pure water along some Lagos streets, while the now world acclaimed singer, Patorankin also hawked rat killers in the same city streets. Even ace comedian Ali Baba once trekked all the way from Ikorodu to Victoria Island in search of a white-collar job. But unknown to them they had tremendous talents hidden deep within them. So, like gold and diamond that are not found floating on the surface of the soil, we all have to dig deeper to bring out the pearls within, hone them from their rustic appearance to glow and shine for the world to see, admire and learn from. Year 2025 is the time to do so. Yet, to succeed you to do away with all forms of negativity. Say goodbye to doubts, don’ts, discouragement and delays. Those are the devilish doctrines that often lead to frustrating failures in life. That is the salient reason great scientists turn deaf ears to such demeaning and dehumanising principles. For instance, Isaac Newton was told by one of his science teachers that he was a failure and would amount to nothing in life. Similarly, Charles Darwin the man whose father laughed at as only good at chasing rabbits in the field did not listen to his bearer when he came up with his brilliant scientific research on the ‘Origin of Species’ and the history making ‘Evolution Theory’ way back in 1859. Even the Wright Brothers who were told by friends to forget the “crazy idea” of flying their airplane, that it would never work defied all negativity when they did what was then thought as impossible at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, precisely on December 17, 1903. What it means therefore, is not to listen to discouraging remarks of the traducers. They are nothing but destiny destroyers. Doing away with all forms of discouragement is one step forward towards achieving your goals come 2025. After that is the deployment of the unfailing principles of positivity, ‘can do it’ spirit, team work with those who believe in your vision, focus, and being a problem -solver with your creativity and innovations. Yes, you can! It takes vision of what exactly you want to achieve as your goals and within set timeframe, in addition to the practical application of the four C principles of character, courage, confidence, and commitment. Not left out are the 3 H philosophies of honour, honesty of purpose, humility, integrity, in addition to continuous learning and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of life. As Benjamin Franklin rightly noted: ” Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning”. For all these to come to pass there is the need to make sacrifices of energy, time and valuable resources. And that is because success is not served a la carte or on a platter of gold. That brings to the fore the significance of the persistent pursuit of your set goals. You must therefore, never give up. Instead, turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones, as the late Chinese Kung Fu actor, Bruce Lee once admonished, to lift you to higher grounds. To do that you must muster the courage to keep going forward, against all odds. For instance, the legendary American politician, Abraham Lincoln ( of blessed memory ) failed twice in business, several times as a politician but he did not give up. Eventually, fate smiled on him as he was sworn in as America’s 16th president. In a similar spirit of doggedness, the scientists who worked on producing Dolly, the first ever cloned sheep failed 277 times! What could have happened if they gave up at the 276th attempt? The answer is obvious. It would also be recalled that Elon Musk ‘s fortunes fell to $137 billion in 2022 but he did not cave in. Today, he is the history maker. The message is crystal clear- never give up. As Ray Kroc the man who bought the franchise of Mc Donald aptly stated: ” persistence pays”. So, as 2025 is placed before us as an empty canvas before a painter, what we make of it would be determined by our vision, passion, self-belief in our dreams, experiences and how well we deploy our senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, thinking and the critical decisions we make. But one unfailing principle in our choices is that of being problem-solvers with the power of creativity. Interestingly, that is exactly what Elon Musk has done with 13% share in Tesla, and 42% share in Space X, which as at December 2024 was valued at $350 billion. In addition, he owns 79% share in X Corp by his $ 44 billion acquisition in 2022. Going forward, we must be futuristic in the running of our businesses, upgrading the processes with cutting -edge technologies as Musk has wisely done. But firstly, ” know thyself and to thyself be true.” Welcome to 2025, your best year ever!

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President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday he would work to end the "inconvenient" custom of moving clocks forward one hour every spring, which he said was imposing an unnecessary financial burden on the United States. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time (DST) is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation," Trump posted on his website, Truth Social. DST was adopted by the federal government during World War I but was unpopular with farmers rushing to get produce to morning markets, and was quickly abolished. Many states experimented with their own versions but it wasn't reintroduced nationwide until 1967. The Democratic-controlled US Senate advanced a bill in 2022 that, like Trump's plan, would bring an end to the twice-yearly changing of clocks, in favor of a "new, permanent standard time." But The Sunshine Protection Act called for the opposite switch -- moving permanently to DST rather than eliminating it -- to usher in brighter evenings, and fewer journeys home in the dark for school children and office workers. The bill never made it to President Joe Biden's desk, as it was not taken up in the Republican-led House. It had been introduced in 2021 by a Republican, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is about to join the incoming Trump administration as secretary of state. He said studies had shown a permanent DST could benefit the economy. Either way, changing to one permanent time would put an end to Americans pushing their clocks forward in the spring, then setting them back an hour in the fall. Colloquially the practice is referred to as "springing" forward and "falling" back. The clamor has increased in recent years to make DST permanent especially among politicians and lobbyists from the Northeast, where frigid conditions are normal in the early winter mornings. "It's really straightforward. Cutting back on the sun during the fall and winter is a drain on the American people and does little to nothing to help them," Rubio said in a statement ahead of the vote. "It's time we retire this tired tradition." Rubio said the United States sees an increase in heart attacks and road accidents in the week that follows the changing of the clocks. Any changes would be unlikely to affect Hawaii and most of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which do not spring forward in summer. ft/nroBIOVAXYS ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF FIRST TRANCHE OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT AND ANNOUNCES DEBT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Jacob Hutson's 20 points helped Northern Iowa defeat Southern Illinois 78-67 on Sunday. Hutson shot 7 of 10 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line for the Panthers (8-5, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Tytan Anderson added 15 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line while he also had 10 rebounds. Max Weisbrod went 4 of 7 from the field (2 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. Jarrett Hensley finished with 20 points and six rebounds for the Salukis (5-8, 0-2). Ali Abdou Dibba added 10 points for Southern Illinois. Drew Steffe had eight points. Northern Iowa took the lead with 1:02 remaining in the first half and never looked back. Hutson led his team in scoring with 10 points in the first half to help put them ahead 38-34 at the break. Northern Iowa turned a 13-point second-half lead into a 27-point advantage with a 14-0 run to make it a 73-46 lead with 8:38 left in the half. Hutson scored 10 second-half points in the matchup. Both teams next play Wednesday. Northern Iowa hosts Belmont and Southern Illinois takes on Evansville at home. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have teamed up to create the "X-ble Shoulder," a wearable robot designed to enhance industrial efficiency and reduce musculoskeletal injuries and fatigue. The X-ble Shoulder is designed to assist workers performing overhead tasks – like a mechanic under a car – by augmenting upper arm strength and endurance. It can decrease shoulder load by up to 60% and deltoid muscle strain by 30%. The best part of all is that it's not an electrically powered system. It's a lightweight, carbon composite "non-powered torque generation structure" that only weighs about 4.2 lb (1.9 kg). It generates assistive force through its multi-link "muscle compensation module," therefore requires no charging. It's durable as well, with an expectation of performing 700,000 folding and unfolding actions per year. The vest easily detaches from the mechanical components making it easy to manage and clean as well as compatible with the attire of workers across many differing industries. There are two versions of the X-ble Shoulder: basic and adjustable. The former is designed for flexibility and provides up to 6.39 lbf (2.9 kgf) of assistive force while the latter is designed for repetitive tasks where workers repeat the same movement. The adjustable wearable exoskeleton can be adjusted for maximum torque, providing up to 8.16 lbf (3.7 kgf), meaning the robotic shoulder is capable of lifting just over 8 lb (3.7 kg) with minimal arm effort on the worker's behalf. The X-ble Shoulder, per Hyundai and Kia's suggestion, could be used in a variety of industries from construction, automotive and aviation to shipbuilders and agriculture. Anything that could use some and stamina from your arms would benefit. The car company says that the wearable robot and exoskeleton market is worth around US$2.5 billion today and expects it to be closer to $10.25 billion by 2029. The X-ble Shoulder will be used in Kia and maintenance and production lines in the first half of 2025 before going into the overseas market by 2026. The two companies are also working on called the X-ble Waist to assist in lifting heavy loads and lessen the chance of back and waist injuries, and the X-ble MEX, a medical robot for rehabilitation of those who are . Hyundai and Kia aren't the first car companies to debut this type of technology. Audi, with the help of and Skelex, five years ago and we haven't seen this tech go mainstream yet. In fact, Hyundai also touted an earlier version of their shoulder-helping exoskeleton five years ago – it used springs for assistance. The new X-ble Shoulder appears to be an updated version. Hyundai owns roughly 34% of Kia and the partnership allows them to share technology while remaining two distinct companies. There's no listed price for the robo-shoulder as of yet. Source:European authorities have made a major breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime by shutting down the underground hacker marketplace known as Manson Market. This operation resulted in the arrest of two key operators of the illicit platform and the seizure of funds exceeding 250,000 euros. The takedown of Manson Market marks a significant victory in the ongoing battle to combat online criminal activities.panalo999 referral code 。

At the age of 32, the once highly sought-after player, whose name was once synonymous with skill and talent on the pitch, has seen his market value dwindle from a staggering ₤150 million to a mere ₤6 million. This shocking decline in worth serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of football and the fleeting nature of success in the sport.Amazon doubles down on AI startup Anthropic with $4 billion investment

Jharkhand election: 8 factors that helped JMM-led alliance to beat out the BJPJack Ma's comeback to Ant Group brings a sense of nostalgia and anticipation among employees and stakeholders. As the visionary behind the company's inception and early success, his leadership has been pivotal in shaping Ant Group into a global powerhouse. His return signifies a symbolic moment for the company, signaling a potential shift in strategy and a renewed focus on innovation and growth.

Conservative professors and students are suing California’s community colleges, and winningElection workers defamed by Giuliani pen scathing letter accusing him of an ‘obvious attempt to intimidate’Title: "Glory of the Ming Dynasty in Overseas Promotion: Spectacular Visuals, Dazzling Martial Arts Moves on Display!"

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1. Detox diets: The idea of detoxifying the body through strict dietary regimens or juice cleanses has gained popularity in recent years. However, many detox diets lack scientific evidence to support their claims and can be detrimental to your health. These extreme diets may deprive your body of essential nutrients, leading to fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, and even metabolic imbalances. Instead of embarking on a drastic detox plan, focus on consuming a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to support your body's natural detoxification processes.

The reports of illness ranged from mild symptoms such as dizziness and nausea to more severe cases of respiratory distress and skin irritation. Concerned citizens took to social media to share their experiences, warning others to avoid the bath center until the cause of the illnesses was identified and rectified.The winter transfer window is rapidly approaching, bringing with it the promise of new signings and exciting additions to football squads around the world. However, for two of the biggest clubs in European football, Real Madrid and Manchester City, the task of securing suitable players may prove to be more challenging than anticipated. Both clubs are known for their high standards and ambitious transfer policies, but the current market conditions and restrictions may limit their ability to bring in the players they desire.

State governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have called on President Bola Tinubu to review his administration’s economic policies to address current hardship in the land. The governors made the call in a communique issued in Jos, Plateau State, after their two-day meeting, which ended on Saturday. The Communique signed by Senator Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor, who is the chairman of the Governor’s forum, read, “The Forum empathizes with Nigerians who are groaning under the oppressive economic hardship foisted on the nation by the policies and decisions of the APC-led Federal Government. “The Forum calls on the President to urgently review both macroeconomic and fiscal policies that will address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians. “The Forum wishes to pledge that all PDP Governors will continue to aggressively pursue policies and programs that will reduce the hardship and ensure progress and development.” The meeting, held at the Plateau State Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, was attended by the principal organs of the party: l NWC, PDP-GF, BOT, NASS Forum, Former Governors Forum, Former Ministers’ Forum and other leaders of the party. The communique added, “The Forum notes the concerns of Nigerians, PDP founding fathers, elders and members of our great Party of seeming divisions within the ranks and files. The Forum wishes to state categorically that it remains resolute in its determination to ensure unity and cohesion of this great Party that Nigerians have come to trust as the best platform for democratic governance. “The Forum is constrained to accept the latest postponement of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Party in empathy with our colleague, H.E. Governor Eno Bassey, whose late dear wife will be buried on the same day earlier scheduled for NEC. Once again, the Forum wishes to commiserate with our colleague and pray that God will grant him and the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Related News Tinubu, wife depart Brazil after G20 summit Osinbajo’s ex-aide urges Obasanjo to stop mocking successive presidents N’Assembly under fire as Nigeria’s debt hits N138tn “The Forum is strongly advising the NWC to call NEC by the first week of February 2025 to allow for elaborate consultations with critical stakeholders of the Party. The period between November and February is to address the existential problems confronting the Party, with a deliberate timeline of activities within the period under review to address issues of leadership and litigations confronting the Party. “The Forum notes with concern the rape of democracy in Edo Governorship elections. It is clear to everyone with a conscience that INEC manipulated results in favour of the APC candidate when, in fact, the majority of lawful votes were won by the PDP candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Meanwhile, we are still examining the documents in the Ondo elections, where the APC manipulated results after openly buying votes. The Forum calls on the judiciary to save Nigerian democracy and the National Assembly to look into our electoral laws to make it difficult for institutional sabotage of the will of the people. “The Forum recognises the good work that the majority of members of NASS are doing. NASS is therefore called upon to critically interrogate all bills to ensure fairness, equity, national balance and even development nationally. “The Forum commiserates with the Government and people of Plateau State on the recent Katako market fire incident, which destroyed properties worth millions of Naira. The Forum also commiserates with the Government and people of Jigawa State on the recent tanker expulsion whereby scores of people lost their lives, and several others were injured. “The Forum expresses its gratitude to the Government and People of Plateau State for not only hosting the meeting but extending to all the participants the hospitality for which Jos is reputed. In particular, the meeting commends the Government of the State for the visible and laudable transformation in social services, tourism and transportation that have taken place and ensures all Nigerians look forward, with GENUINE HOPE, to the replication of this not only presently but after 2027 when the party would reclaim its rightful position in the Nigerian political scene.” Our Correspondent reports that the Governors who attended the meeting included Senator Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State) – Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum; Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau State) – Host Governor; Agbu Kefas (Taraba State); Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa State); Seyi Makinde (Oyo State); and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara State). The Delta and Enugu state governors were represented by their deputies, Monday Onyeme and Ifeanyi Ossai, respectively.Overall, the new rule limiting Tencent Video memberships to one device has sparked a heated debate among users, highlighting the complexity of balancing copyright protection with user convenience. As Tencent continues to navigate this issue, it will be essential for the company to take into account the feedback and concerns voiced by its user base to ensure a positive viewing experience for all.

The embezzlement came to light after discrepancies were noticed in the company's financial records, prompting an internal audit that ultimately uncovered the fraudulent activities of the treasurer. Subsequent investigations by law enforcement agencies confirmed the suspicions and led to the treasurer's arrest and subsequent prosecution.BACK ROADS BILL: on bathing and taking medicine outside

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panalo 999 net DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump's hush money case while upholding conviction( MENAFN - Caribbean News Global) DUBAI, UAE – In a groundbreaking development for road safety and infrastructure maintenance, Dareesoft, a pioneering South Korean Technology company, has introduced its state-of-the-art AI camera system, ARA, to the United Arab Emirates. This innovative solution promises to revolutionize how cities monitor and maintain their road networks, including critical infrastructure such as airport runways and taxiways. ARA, an advanced AI-powered camera system, is designed to scan roads in real-time, detecting and providing immediate feedback on hazards such as potholes, cracks, and debris. This summer, in collaboration with local accelerator partner AGCC and in partnership with a well-known regional unicorn, Dareesoft conducted a proof of concept (POC) in Dubai, yielding remarkable results that underscore the system's efficiency and potential impact on urban infrastructure management. During a six-week trial period, a single ARA camera identified in real-time over 1,700 road hazards across a limited area of Dubai's roads. The system's ease of deployment is equally impressive, with installation taking a mere 15 minutes. These results highlight the potential for rapid, widespread implementation of the technology across the UAE. The importance of road condition monitoring cannot be overstated when it comes to safety. According to global statistics, poor road conditions contribute significantly to traffic accidents, with some estimates suggesting that road-related factors are involved in up to 30% of all crashes. By providing real-time data on road conditions, ARA enables authorities to address potential hazards swiftly, potentially saving lives and reducing accident-related costs. Comparative analysis between Dubai's roads and those in Hanam City, South Korea, revealed significant insights. Dubai showed a higher frequency of potholes and cracks, with 31.7 percent of road defects being potholes compared to 10.2 percent in the Korean city. Additionally, Dubai had a lower percentage of fixed roads at 2.4 percent versus 16.3 percent in Korea. These statistics underscore the urgent need for advanced road monitoring and maintenance systems in Dubai to improve overall road safety and quality. The introduction of ARA aligns perfectly with the UAE's vision of becoming a global leader in smart city technologies and infrastructure innovation. As the country continues to invest in cutting-edge solutions to enhance the quality of life for its citizens and visitors, technologies like ARA play a crucial role in maintaining the highest standards of safety and efficiency in urban environments. For a forward-thinking nation like the UAE, which consistently strives to be at the forefront of innovation, Dareesoft's cameras represent more than just a maintenance tool. It embodies the country's commitment to leveraging advanced technologies to ensure the well-being of its residents and guests. By adopting such sophisticated systems, the UAE further cements its position as a global hub for smart, safe, and sustainable urban development. As Dareesoft expands its presence in the UAE and the wider GCC region, the company looks forward to partnering with local authorities and organizations to implement the cameras across various cities. This collaboration promises to set new benchmarks in road safety and infrastructure management, contributing to the region's reputation as a pioneer in urban innovation and technological advancement. With its proven effectiveness, rapid deployment capabilities, and potential for widespread impact, Dareesoft's ARA system stands poised to transform the landscape of road safety and maintenance, ushering in a new era of smart, proactive infrastructure management. The post AI-powered road safety revolution: Dareesoft's camera transforms UAE infrastructure maintenance appeared first on Caribbean News Global . MENAFN29122024000232011072ID1109040092 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

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Helen Flanagan on 'love' for Tulisa and who she wants to win I'm a CelebrityGantt 0-0 0-0 0, Solomon 7-12 1-4 15, Abee 9-20 0-0 27, Banks 5-16 2-4 17, Marsh 5-11 4-4 14, K.Taylor 1-6 1-1 3, Rubio 1-3 0-0 3, Davis 2-3 0-0 4, Clarke 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-71 8-13 83. Evbagharu 5-10 8-11 18, Fagbemi 7-12 3-4 19, L.Taylor 8-16 2-2 19, Cato 8-13 4-4 23, Seixas 0-4 1-2 1, Etim 2-3 2-2 6, Fox 1-3 1-2 4, McCormick 1-4 0-1 2, Turner 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-66 21-28 92. Halftime_Cent. Arkansas 38-30. 3-Point Goals_UNC-Asheville 15-40 (Abee 9-19, Banks 5-12, Rubio 1-3, Marsh 0-3, K.Taylor 0-3), Cent. Arkansas 7-27 (Cato 3-7, Fagbemi 2-5, Fox 1-3, L.Taylor 1-6, McCormick 0-1, Evbagharu 0-2, Seixas 0-3). Fouled Out_Marsh, Davis. Rebounds_UNC-Asheville 36 (Solomon 15), Cent. Arkansas 36 (Cato 9). Assists_UNC-Asheville 17 (Marsh 6), Cent. Arkansas 20 (Fagbemi, L.Taylor 7). Total Fouls_UNC-Asheville 23, Cent. Arkansas 16. A_655 (5,320).New Syrian de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television channel that he wants relations with Iran and Russia, but he insisted any ties must be based on mutual "respect." Russia and Iran were major allies of Syria under the regime of President Bashar al-Assad until the totalitarian leader was ousted by rebels in early December. The West is closely watching the new ruler's actions, including the depth of any future ties with Tehran and Moscow. "Syria cannot continue without relations with an important regional country like Iran," Sharaa told Al Arabiya in a wide-ranging interview on December 29. But relations "must be based on respect for the sovereignty of both countries and noninterference in the affairs of both countries," he added. Sharaa urged Tehran to rethink its regional policies and interventions and pointed out that opposition forces protected Iranian positions during the fighting to oust Assad, even though rebels knew Iran was a major backer of the president. Sharaa said he had expected positive overtures from Iran following these actions but said they have not been forthcoming. Sharaa, previously known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, said that while he expects Moscow to withdraw its forces from Syria, he also spoke of "deep strategic interests" with the "second most powerful country in the world." "We don't want Russia to exit Syria in a way that undermines its relationship with our country,” he told Al-Arabiya, without providing details. "All of Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts.... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish," he said. According to flight data analyzed by RFE/RL, Russia is reducing its military footprint in Syria and shifting some of its assets from the Middle Eastern country to Africa. To offset the potential loss of its air base in Hmeimim and naval base in Tartus, Russia appears to be increasing its presence in Libya, Mali, and Sudan, although experts say the loss of Syrian bases is a major blow to the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Sharaa also said that organizing elections in the country could take up to four years and that a new constitution could require three years to be finalized. The leader expressed hope that the new U.S. administration under Donald Trump -- set to take office on January 20 -- would lift sanctions on his country. "We hope the incoming Trump administration will not follow the policy of its predecessor," Sharaa said. The rebels who ousted Assad were led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group, a U.S. and EU-designated terrorist organization. Sharaa has publicly pledged to adopt moderate policies regarding women's rights, national reconciliation, and relations with the international community, although world leaders say they remain wary of the new rulers pending concrete actions. Italy’s Foreign Ministry said journalist Cecilia Sala, who was in Iran to carry out "journalistic activities," has been detained by Tehran police authorities. The ministry said in a statement on December 27 that Sala, who has a podcast called Stories that covers life in places around the world, was detained on December 19. It gave no reason for the detention, but said in a statement that the ambassador from Italy's embassy in Tehran had paid a consular visit "to verify the conditions and state of detention of Sala." "The family was informed of the results of the consular visit. Previously, Sala had the opportunity to make two phone calls with her relatives," it said. Sala posted a podcast from Tehran on December 17 about patriarchy in the Iranian capital. Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. Earlier this month, Reza Valizadeh , a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, was handed a 10-year sentence by Tehran's Revolutionary Court on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government." Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22. His two court sessions, held on November 20 and December 7, reportedly lacked a prosecution representative, with the judge assuming that role. Sources close to the journalist claim he fell into a "security trap" despite receiving unofficial assurances from Iranian security officials that he would not face legal troubles upon returning to Iran. Iran is among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Russia on January 17, state-controlled media in Iran and Russia reported on December 26. Quoting Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, Iran's Tasnim news agency said that “the president will visit Russia on January 17 and a cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed during the visit." Russia and Iran both are under severe financial sanctions imposed by Western nations and have stepped up bilateral cooperation on many fronts in recent years. The West has accused Iran of providing weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran has denied the allegations despite evidence widespread use of Iranian-made drones in the war. Israel carried out large-scale air strikes on the main airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on December 26 as it steps up attacks on the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in what Tehran called a “violation” of peace and security. Huthi rebels said three people were killed and 14 were injured or missing following the Israeli attacks on the airport and other sites in Yemen, including port facilities. "Fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attacks followed recent rocket launches by the Huthi fighters against the Tel Aviv area, although little damage was reported. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes on Yemen, calling them "aggressions" that it claimed were "a clear violation of international peace and security." It said they represented "an undeniable crime against the heroic and noble people of Yemen," who had "not spared any effort to support the oppressed people of Palestine." The Israeli military has said air strikes in Yemen are targeting Huthi sites that have been used to receive Iranian weapons, which are then often transported to other Tehran-linked groups in the Mideast -- mainly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, while Hezbollah has also been deemed a terrorist group by Washington. The EU blacklists its military arm but not its political wing. The U.S. State Department designated the Huthis as a terrorist group at the start of this year. Hamas and Hezbollah have been severely weakened following massive Israeli military strikes on their respective sites in Gaza and Lebanon, and most of their leaders have been killed in Israel's military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue against the Huthi rebels, who have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea, claiming they are in solidarity of Hamas fighters in Gaza. "We are determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil. We will continue until the job is done," Netanyahu said in a video statement. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -- head of the World Health Organization who was at the Sanaa airport during the Israeli attack -- said he was safe but that "one of our plane's crew members was injured.” Iran’s council on safeguarding the Internet has voted to lift bans on the WhatsApp messenger and the Google Play apps, state media reported. The Supreme Cyberspace Council voted unanimously in favor of lifting restrictions on some foreign-owned applications, including WhatsApp and Google Play, during a meeting on December 24, state news agency IRNA said. "Today, we took the first step toward lifting Internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus," Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said on X. It was not immediately clear when the decision would come into force. The Supreme Cyberspace Council holds its meetings behind closed doors and its members' votes are not made public. IRNA reported that the members of the council voted to lift restrictions while at the same time " emphasizing the importance of rule-of-law governance in cyberspace." The two apps were restricted in 2022 following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that were severely suppressed. The Supreme Cyberspace Council, which was established by order of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also emphasized "supporting domestic platforms." On the eve of the council’s meeting, Mehr News Agency published a document indicating that, based on a Supreme Cyberspace Council plan, an "advertising support package" is to be allocated to domestic messaging services. The document states that the “first phase” of the council’s plan will include “building infrastructure” for domestic content platforms. While the bans on WhatsApp and Google Play were lifted by the council, other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X, Telegram, and YouTube remain blocked in Iran. Critics of the restrictions have argued that the controls have been costly for the country. "The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people's lives," social and political activist Ali Rabiei said on X on December 24. Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif added that President Masud Pezeshkian believes in removing restrictions and does not consider the bans to be in the interest of the people and the country. “All experts also believe that this issue is not beneficial to the country's security," Zarif said on December 24. Others, however, warned against lifting the restrictions. The reformist Shargh daily reported on December 24 that 136 lawmakers in Iran's 290-member parliament sent a letter to the council saying the move would be a "gift” to Iran's enemies. The lawmakers called for allowing access to restricted online platforms only "if they are committed to the values of Islamic society and comply with the laws of" Iran. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at the hands of rebels, including Ankara-backed factions, has effectively made Turkey the dominant foreign actor in Syria at the expense of Iran and its ally Russia . Turkey and Iran have competed for years for influence in the South Caucasus, and this rivalry appears to have now extended to the Levant. "The Islamic republic has had significant misgivings about Turkish influence in Syria, be it economic, political, or military, long before the fall of Assad. But with the loss of Iran's sole state ally in the region, these concerns are set to be magnified exponentially," said Behnam Taleblu, an Iran analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Still, experts say Turkey's rising profile in Syria to the detriment of Iran does not necessarily mean Ankara-Tehran relations will be significantly impacted. What Is Turkey After? Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran and Russia backed Assad while Turkey supported rebel groups opposed to his rule. Iran needed Assad to remain in power so that it could use Syria as a staging ground to fund and arm its proxies and partners, especially the Lebanese group Hezbollah. For Russia, Assad's rule meant Moscow could maintain its Hmeimim air base and naval base in Tartus, which gave it easier access to the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Sea. Ankara wanted a government in Syria more aligned with its regional vision and policies, especially those that would restrain Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria. A coalition of Kurdish parties, including the Democratic Union Party (PYD), heads the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. PYD's armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), leads the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). "Turkey has had three core concerns in Syria: fighting the YPG/PYD, enabling the return of Syrian refugees to Syria, and preventing further refugee flows into Turkey," said Daria Isachenko, a Turkey expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Assad's downfall on December 8 has stemmed the influx of refugees into Turkey, but the "first two concerns remain," Isachenko added. Syria is now effectively ruled by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey , Iran's rival. Isachenko says Turkey's growing influence in Syria could further strengthen its position in the Mediterranean Sea if Ankara signs a Libya-style maritime deal with the new authorities in Damascus. The Road Ahead Turkey's growth in stature and Iran's weakened position in Syria could have ramifications for developments in the South Caucasus, where Iran, Russia, and Turkey vie for influence. Experts say while the Astana talks -- a format sponsored by the three countries to end the conflict in Syria -- may be dead, it still served as a platform for managing different interests. "Coordination and consultation on conflict management between Turkey and Iran as well as Russia on the Middle East and the South Caucasus should not be ruled out," Isachenko said. She adds that even in Syria, Turkey and Iran may find some of their interests aligned, such as finding a common adversary in Israel, which has moved into Syrian territory since the fall of Assad. Still, some argue that Tehran will seek to undermine Turkey in Syria in the hopes of returning the country into its so-called axis of resistance -- Iran's loose network of regional allies and proxies. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will look for ways to claw back influence in Syria," said Taleblu of FDD. "Downtrodden, disposed, and spurned local actors are easy to co-opt, particularly in states where central authority is weak." The Kurdish Question U.S. support for the Kurdish-led SDF has weakened in recent years due to a combination of factors, including the withdrawal of a majority of U.S. troops in 2018 and 2019 and pressure from Washington's NATO ally, Turkey. Ankara, which launched an incursion into northern Syria in 2019 against Kurdish forces, is now in a strong position to further challenge the Kurds, experts say. Since Assad's fall, Ankara-backed rebel groups have clashed with Kurdish forces and seized the previously Kurdish-controlled cities of Manbij and Tarafat near the border with Turkey. Wladimir van Wilgenburg, an Iraqi Kurdistan-based analyst who has co-authored books on Syrian Kurds, says the presence of the 900 remaining U.S. troops might offer some protection to the Kurds but the situation remains precarious. "The new administration in Damascus likely will prefer relations with Turkey over the SDF," he said. "The situation is difficult for the Kurds unless they reach an agreement with HTS." HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa , previously known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, wants to unify all armed groups in Syria under one banner. But if the SDF were to join, it would effectively end Kurdish autonomy in Syria, Wilgenburg says. The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on Syrians to resist the emerging rebel-led government after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, saying the uprising was orchestrated by the West. Speaking in an address on December 22, Khamenei said Syrians, especially the country's youth, "should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity." Assad left the country in the late hours of December 8 after the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey -- overran government forces in a blitz offensive. While Assad was granted political asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin after more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by his family, the HTS has since moved quickly to establish an interim government, and its leader, Riad al-Asaad, has said he is confident the factions that helped topple Assad will unite as one force. HTS and the transitional government have insisted the rights of all Syrians will be protected, but Khamenei said he believes a group aligned with the Islamic republic's government would end up prevailing in Syria. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on December 22. Details of the meeting were not immediately released, but Turkey has long been seen as a backer of HTS as it looked to remove Assad. The toppling of Assad was seen by many as another blow to Tehran, which has seen regional groups aligned with it -- parts of the so-called axis of resistance -- suffer major setbacks in the past 14 months. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has been decimated by Israel, which launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip and Hamas fighters in October 2023 crossed into Israel and killed 1,200 people while taking another 250 hostage. That conflict spread to Lebanon, home of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament. Israel has severely weakened Hezbollah -- killing its longtime leader and many of its top officials -- after the group launched attacks on Israel that it said was in support of Hamas. A U.S.-brokered deal to end hostilities in Lebanon took effect last month. Khamenei downplayed the links to Iran, saying they have fought against Israel on their own beliefs. "They keep saying that the Islamic republic lost its proxy forces in the region. This is another mistake. The Islamic republic does not have a proxy forces," he said. “If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force,” he added. Despite sitting atop the world's second-largest natural gas reserves, energy shortages have become a feature of winters in Iran. Iran grapples with air pollution all year, but air quality significantly worsens during winter when power plants are forced to burn low-quality heavy fuel oil -- mazut -- to compensate for the lack of gas. A rare cold snap in recent weeks has exposed the extent of Iran's struggles to meet the rising demand for gas, with school classes forced to go online and government offices ordered shut to conserve energy. Highlighting the severity of the crisis, President Masud Pezeshkian last week appealed to the public to turn their thermostats down by 2 degrees Celsius to help address the energy deficit. Other government officials have followed suit with similar pleas, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi telling his staff to wear warmer clothes at work. Temperatures have plunged as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Iran in recent days. "The situation is bad due to very cold weather, especially in Tehran and the northern provinces, but it's exacerbated by the structural trend toward runaway consumption over the last two to three years without an accompanying increase in production," said Gregory Brew, an Iran and energy analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group. Old Infrastructure, Poor Management Energy subsidies in Iran mean energy bills are generally low, which has promoted overconsumption. But making matters worse is a devastating combination of mismanagement and outdated infrastructure that has significantly contributed to Iran's inability to meet the rising demand for gas. Gas flaring -- the burning of gas that comes out of the ground when drilling for oil -- is a major problem. Iran does not have the technology to collect it, so it is wastefully burned. World Bank data shows that Iran ranked second globally in 2023 in terms of the volume of gas flaring, burning around 21 billion cubic meters. That is more than double that of the United States, which ranked fourth, and enough to supply 40 percent of the gas demand in neighboring Turkey, which has a population similar to Iran's. Iran's major gas reserves are in the south, southwest, and offshore, so an expansive and powerful grid is needed to transport gas to the north. To do that, Iran needs to invest heavily both in expanding its aging infrastructure and increasing production, said Brew. "But that's difficult to do without investment constrained by both a weak economy and international sanctions," he added. The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear and missile programs. The sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy and dented Tehran's ability to sell oil and gas, its key exports. They have also prevented Iran from accessing foreign investment and technology. The South Pars Field in the Persian Gulf is the world's largest natural gas field, and Iran shares it with Qatar, where it is referred to as the North Dome. While Qatar has signed lucrative deals with international energy companies to develop its section of the gas field, Iran has had to rely on lackluster domestic capabilities to exploit it. Iran's seemingly never-ending struggle with gas shortages in winter has led many to question the rationale behind exporting gas to neighboring Iraq and Turkey. "Given how constrained it is by sanctions, Iran has to find and exploit any means of increasing exports, which increases pressure on supply at home," Brew said. The stand-off with the West over Iran's nuclear program means the odds of sanctions being lifted are slim, and with Donald Trump returning to the White House in January, the pressure will increase even further, experts said. The U.S. State Department condemned the 10-year sentence handed down by Iranian authorities against Reza Valizadeh , a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "We strongly condemn this sentencing and call for his immediate release and the release of all political prisoners in Iran," a spokesperson told Radio Farda on December 17. "The Iranian government has repeatedly suppressed press freedom through threats, intimidation, detentions, forced confessions, and the use of violence against journalists in Iran," the spokesperson added. According to court documents sent to the journalist's lawyer on December 10 and subsequently reviewed by RFE/RL, Valizadeh was sentenced by Tehran's Revolutionary Court on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government." In addition to the prison term, Valizadeh was banned for two years from living in Tehran and adjacent provinces, from leaving the country, and from joining political or social organizations following the completion of his sentence. Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22. His two court sessions, held on November 20 and December 7, reportedly lacked a prosecution representative, with the judge assuming that role. Sources close to the journalist claim he fell into a "security trap" despite receiving unofficial assurances from Iranian security officials that he would not face legal troubles upon returning to Iran. The State Department earlier condemned Valizadeh's detention, calling it "unjust" and inconsistent with international legal standards. Press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, urged Iranian authorities to release Valizadeh immediately. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus also called for Valizadeh to be released, saying the charges against him, his conviction, and sentence were unjust. "Time and again, the Iranian regime has attempted to spread its malign influence around the world, trampling on human rights at every opportunity," Capus said in a statement. "Clearly, this regime feels threatened by the forces of freedom, including independent journalism." Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. In September 2023, Iran released five Americans jailed in Iran in a prisoner swap. Valizadeh is the first U.S. citizen known to have been arrested since that deal. Iran is also among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. Iran closed government offices and shifted school classes online on December 16 due to freezing temperatures and a severe gas shortage. Northern provinces have experienced temperatures plunging to -20°C (-4°F) in recent days, accompanied by widespread gas supply disruptions. President Masud Pezeshkian called on citizens last week to lower their thermostats by 2 degrees Celsius to conserve energy. Other government officials have made similar pleas online. Despite sitting on the world’s second-largest proven gas reserves, Iran’s aging infrastructure has struggled to meet increasing demand during winter. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . Iranian police released singer Parastoo Ahmadi in the early hours of December 15 following a brief detention after she performed without the mandatory head scarf, her lawyer has confirmed. Ahmadi caused a stir on social media earlier this week after recording a performance with her hair uncovered and wearing a dress. The performance, recorded with a crew of male musicians, was uploaded to YouTube. The police on December 14 claimed she was released after a "briefing session" but a source close to the family told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that she remained in custody. Her lawyer Milad Panahipur also denied the police claim, writing on X that the authorities were "lying" about her release. The following day, Panahipur confirmed Ahmadi, who had been detained in her home province of Mazandaran, was released at 3 in the morning. Two of her bandmates, Soheil Faqih-Nasri and Ehsan Beyraqdar, were also detained briefly. Ahmadi’s Instagram account is no longer accessible, but her YouTube account remains active. The video of her performance, dubbed "an imaginary concert" because female performers cannot sing solo in front of an audience, has received around 1.6 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on December 11. On December 12, the authorities said legal proceedings had been launched against Ahmadi and her bandmates for the "illegal concert." Ahmadi, who gained prominence during the 2022 nationwide protests after singing a song in support of demonstrators, has been widely praised for her performance. On social media, many have hailed her for fighting "gender apartheid" and showing "bravery, resilience, and love." A rising number of women have been flouting the mandatory hijab in public since the 2022 protests, which gave rise to the Women, Life, Freedom movement. The authorities have tried to crack down and recently passed a law enhancing the enforcement of the hijab by introducing hefty fines, restricting access to basic services, and lengthy prison sentences. The new hijab and chastity law, which has been widely criticized by even conservative figures, is scheduled to go into effect this month, but at least two lawmakers have said its implementation has been postponed by the Supreme National Security Council. An Iranian court has sentenced Reza Valizadeh , a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, to 10 years in prison on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government." According to court documents sent to the journalist’s lawyer on December 10 and subsequently reviewed by RFE/RL, Valizadeh was sentenced by Judge Iman Afshari of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, Branch 26. In addition to the prison term, Valizadeh was banned for two years following the completion of his sentence from living in Tehran and adjacent provinces, from leaving the country, and from joining political or social organizations. Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22 . His two court sessions, held on November 20 and December 7, reportedly lacked a prosecution representative, with the judge assuming that role. Sources close to the journalist claim he fell into a "security trap" despite receiving unofficial assurances from Iranian security officials that he would not face legal troubles upon returning to Iran. The U.S. State Department earlier condemned Valizadeh’s detention, calling it "unjust" and inconsistent with international legal standards. Press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, urged Iranian authorities to release Valizadeh immediately. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus also called for Valizadeh to be released, saying the charges against him, his conviction, and sentence were unjust. "Time and again, the Iranian regime has attempted to spread its malign influence around the world, trampling on human rights at every opportunity," Capus said in a staetment. "Clearly, this regime feels threatened by the forces of freedom, including independent journalism." Valizadeh remains in Tehran’s Evin prison under severe restrictions, with limited access to legal representation and family. Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. In September 2023, Iran released five Americans jailed in Iran in a prisoner swap. Valizadeh is the first U.S. citizen known to have been arrested since that deal. Iran is also among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. The husband of prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been detained by security forces, according to their daughter. Mehraveh Khandan said on Instagram that her father, Reza Khandan, was arrested on December 13 at her home in Tehran. The circumstances of Khandan's arrest and the charges against him were not known. Mohammad Moghimi, a lawyer, said on X that the reason for the arrest was likely related to a six-year prison sentence in a case in which he represented Reza Khandan and activist Farhad Meysami. The sentence against Reza Khandan was handed down in February 2019 by Tehran's Revolutionary Court. Meysami also faced a similar sentence in the case. Reza Khandan had been charged with "assembly and collusion against national security," "propaganda against the state," and "spreading and promoting unveiling in society." The sentence against Reza Khandan also banned him from membership in political parties and groups, leaving the country, and using the Internet and other media and press activities. Sotoudeh, a vocal advocate for numerous activists, has been arrested several times since 2010. Her detention has included periods of solitary confinement, highlighting the challenges faced by human rights defenders in Iran. Sotoudeh was arrested last year during the funeral of 17-year-old Armita Garavand, who died of injuries suffered in an alleged confrontation with Iran's morality police in the Tehran subway over a violation of Iran’s compulsory head scarf law. Reza Khandan said at the time of his wife's arrest in October 2023 that she started a hunger and medication strike after she was severely beaten when she was taken into custody. Sotoudeh was released about two weeks later. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in his first public comments since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted , accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the rebel uprising that toppled the regime over the weekend. Khamenei on December 11 also implicitly blamed Turkey for the lightning push of Syrian rebels who reached Damascus from their strongholds in the northwest with little resistance. "It should not be doubted that what happened in Syria was the product of a joint American and Zionist plot," he said. "Yes, a neighboring government of Syria plays, played, and is playing a clear role...but the main conspirator, mastermind, and command center are in America and the Zionist regime," Khamenei added. The U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey -- ousted Assad on December 8, less than two weeks after launching their offensive. Syria under Assad served as a crucial part of a land corridor connecting Iran to the Levant, which was considered the logistical backbone of the so-called axis of resistance -- Iran's loose network of regional proxies and allies. Iran spent billions of dollars and sent military advisers to Syria to ensure Assad remained in power when civil war broke out in 2011. Russia -- where the ousted Syrian leader has been granted political asylum -- also backed Assad, while Turkey has supported rebel groups who aimed to topple the regime. A Khamenei adviser once described Syria as the "golden ring" in the chain connecting Iran to its Lebanese partner, Hezbollah. With the ring broken and Hezbollah's capabilities degraded after a devastating war with Israel, experts say the axis has become severely weak. Khamenei said only "ignorant and uninformed analysts" would assess that the axis has become weak and vowed that its reach "will expand across the region more than before." Reza Alijani, an Iranian political analyst based in France, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Khamenei's comments were more "trash talk" than anything else. "The axis may not have been defeated, but it has suffered a serious blow and the Islamic republics arms in the region have been deal major hits," he said. Alijani argued that factions within the Islamic republic's core support base may be starting to question Khamenei's policies and vision after the recent setbacks, which he said is a cause for concern among the clerical establishment's top brass. Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and I'm back after a reporting trip in Taiwan. I'm off again for the holidays but will be back here with another newsletter at the end of the year. Here's what I'm following right now. Beijing Watches Assad Fall The full effects from the swift collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria is still playing out on the ground, but his sudden fall is set to shake up the Middle East and beyond. Here's what it means for China. Finding Perspective: China has been aligned with Assad since Syria's civil war began in 2011 but largely through its close ties to Russia and Iran, which backed the Syrian leader. At the United Nations, Beijing has often voted with Moscow, blocking condemnations of Assad as well as cross-border aid. Beijing supported the Assad regime with eight vetoes at the UN, which is half the total vetoes China has ever used. Beijing significantly reduced its presence in Syria amid the conflict, though it kept building close ties with Assad, eventually culminating in his state visit to China in 2023. Chinese investment in Syria was scarce, and beyond a strategic partnership agreement and a pledge to join the Belt and Road Initiative there has been essentially no Chinese investment in Syria and no major contracts with Chinese firms in the country since 2010. So why did Beijing throw its weight behind Assad? Revisiting The Arab Spring: For Beijing, the biggest issue was the symbolism and appearance of stability that Assad represented, especially given he was first threatened by a popular uprising that then set the Syrian civil war in motion. The spread of revolutions in the Arab world in 2011 was alarming for the Chinese Communist Party. Inside China at the time, popular grumbling with corruption at various levels of government was common, and the party was concerned the protests across the Middle East could inspire its own population, especially given simmering tensions in Tibet and Xinjiang at the time. Added to that was the rise of the Islamic State in Syria. The war led to thousands of Uyghurs, the predominantly Muslim group from western China, traveling to Syria to fight against the Syrian government. Many of those fighters said they were there to learn how to use weapons and then return to China, and fears over the return of battle-hardened fighters to Xinjiang was one of the pretexts Xi expressed to top party brass to launch the crackdown and camp system in western China that targeted the Uyghur population, according to a set of leaked internal government documents obtained by the New York Times. Why It Matters: From this logic, Beijing's support for Assad makes sense, but it's a big bet that hasn't paid off. The fall of Assad is also a reflection of the weakened regional power of two of its main partners: Iran and Russia. Their inability to prop up Assad indicates they've been consumed by the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine, which may be a concern for Beijing looking ahead. The rapid collapse of the Syrian government is also an unwelcome message at home for Beijing, which was reflected in the way Chinese media covered the events for Chinese viewers. As images circulated around the world of jubilant crowds and the toppling of statues, Chinese state media's coverage on CCTV mostly centered around a fixed live shot of Damascus without a crowd in sight. Three More Stories From Eurasia 1. China Flexes Its Muscles Around Taiwan Beijing said it is taking "necessary measures" to defend the country's sovereignty and will not tolerate "separatist" activities, as Taiwan reported another rise in Chinese warplanes and ships near the island. The Details: Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China was deploying its largest navy fleet in regional waters in nearly three decades, posing a threat to Taiwan that is more pronounced than previous Chinese war games. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, had been expected to launch drills to express its anger at President Lai Ching-te's tour of the Pacific that ended last week, which included stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam. Without any announcement from China on military drills, Taiwan officials are calling the ongoing activity a training exercise and warned it could be used to further violate Taiwan's territorial boundaries. China, which views Lai as a separatist, held major military exercises around Taiwan following his inauguration in May and his National Day speech in October. It also held a major drill after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in 2022. 2. The California Connection A Chinese company that owns a California electronics distributor has sent hundreds of shipments of restricted dual-use technology to Russia since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, including to sanctioned companies with ties to the Russian military, my colleagues Mike Eckel and Mark Krutov report . What You Need To Know: The findings further highlight the difficulty Western countries have had in trying to choke off the Russian military's access to Western technology for use in its weapons and operations as its war on Ukraine continues. At least one component manufactured by the company, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology Company Limited, was found in a Russian weapons guidance system recovered from the battlefield in Ukraine, according to a public database maintained by the Ukrainian military. Yangjie Technology, located in the city of Yangzhou northwest of Shanghai, has sent more than 200 shipments of specific goods to Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to customs records obtained by C4ADS, a Washington-based, nonprofit data-analysis and global-research organization. The listed contents of those shipments -- totaling at least 238 -- included electronic components categorized as "high-priority" by the United States due to their potential use in Russian weapons systems, according to the data obtained by C4ADS and shared with RFE/RL, which independently corroborated more than 150 such shipments. 3. China And Serbia Eye New Cooperation On Extraditions Serbia has extradited five Chinese citizens in the past five years, according to data obtained by my colleague Mila Manojlovic from RFE/RL's Balkan Service. What It Means: The data shows extraditions are already taking place. That cooperation is also set to grow as Serbia's Justice Ministry prepares to submit to parliament a draft extradition law with China that, if passed, would expand the scope of cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade. That extradition deal, which would regulate the bilateral extradition of citizens charged with crimes, is seen by experts as a response to the influx of tourists and Chinese nationals to Serbia that have corresponded with high-profile Chinese investments and loans for projects through the BRI. According to data from Serbia's National Employment Service, more than 45,000 work permits have been issued to Chinese citizens since 2016, the year the ruling Serbian Progressive Party started intensifying relations with Beijing and expanding BRI projects. Serbia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL there are currently 3,433 Chinese citizens registered in the country. Across The Supercontinent Looking at 2025: Here's my look at what's on Taiwan's agenda as we prepare to enter 2025, as part of a wider lookahead from across RFE/RL coverage region. My segment begins at 7:25. Train Links: The first train carrying goods from China to Afghanistan arrived in Mazar-e Sharif on November 23 after crossing through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Taliban said 55 containers arrived in Afghanistan after a 22-day journey, marking the inauguration of the first direct train link between China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The New Normal: From attacks in Pakistan to new episodes in Tajikistan, my colleagues Bashir Ahmad Gwakh and Frud Bezhan look at how new violence in South and Central Asia could affect Chinese investment projects across the region. A Late Warning: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on December 2 warned her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Beijing's support for Russia would "impact" ties with Europe. One Thing To Watch According to a draft sanctions package obtaind by RFE/RL, the European Union has proposed for the first time to target Chinese companies and individuals with visa bans and asset freezes over their dealings with Russian firms linked to Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. The draft version of the sanctions package was first shared with EU countries on November 22 and would still need to be approved before the end of the year by all 27 member states in order to come into effect. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have. Until next time, Reid Standish If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here . It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday. Syria's interim prime minister took power with the support of the rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad as outside powers -- including Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Israel -- maneuvered to protect their geopolitical interests in the war-torn Middle East nation. In an address on recently captured state TV, Muhammad al-Bashir said he would lead Syria's interim authority through March 1 as the new rulers, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants, looked to solidify control after deposing Assad over the weekend. Little-known Bashir, born in Idlib Province in 1982 and an engineering graduate, had once worked for Syria's state gas entity and has served as head of the rebel's so-called Salvation Government for the past year. HTS has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. In recent years, the group severed ties with Al-Qaeda and sought to remake itself as a pragmatic alternative to the Syrian government, although Western powers and rights groups remain cautious. Meanwhile, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, on December 10 told NBC News that Moscow is providing sanctuary to Assad after transporting him there "in the most secure way possible." He didn't provide further details. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 9 that President Vladimir Putin made the decision personally to grant asylum to Assad and his family. Earlier on December 10, loud explosions were heard amid reports Israel has been systematically striking Syrian military installations following the ouster of Assad’s brutal regime. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the military had struck several Syrian sites and had hit its naval vessels in overnight strikes. "The [military] has been operating in Syria in recent days to strike and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel. The navy operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet with great success," Katz said. Katz said Israel’s military has been ordered to create a weapons-free zone in southern Syria "to prevent the establishment and organization of terrorism] in the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Israel had "destroyed the most important military sites in Syria," including “airports and their warehouses, aircraft squadrons, radars, military signal stations, and many weapons and ammunition depots in various locations in most Syrian governorates." The reports came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "transforming the face of the Middle East" and defeating its enemies "step by step" in what he called an "existential war that has been imposed upon us." Netanyahu said Assad's regime had been a "central element of Iran's axis of evil," accusing it of facilitating a "weapons pipeline" between Iran and the Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, which has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States. Israel has launched a monthslong air campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah. Washington has also conducted some 75 air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants, who still have a presence in Syria, in recent days to prevent the group from taking advantage of the turmoil that followed Assad's fall. "You can expect that kind of activity will continue. We don't want to give [IS] an opportunity to exploit what is going on," White House national-security spokesman John Kirby said on December 10. The United States has about 900 troops in Syria as part of its decade-long fight against IS. "[IS] will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities, to create safe havens," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on December 9. "As our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate, we are determined not to let that happen." Washington said it is seeking ways to engage with Syrian rebel groups and is reaching out to partners in the region, including Turkey, to initiate informal contacts. "We have the ability to communicate with the opposition groups, and we'll continue to do that," Kirby said in his briefing. The Syrian Observatory also said IS militants killed at least 54 government soldiers who were fleeing advancing rebels "during the collapse of the regime" in the Sukhna area of Homs Province. The report could not immediately be verified. Meanwhile, satellite imagery by Planet Labs showed Russian naval ships have left their Syrian base at Tartus, with some dropping anchor offshore. Imagery showed at least three vessels -- including two guided missile frigates -- some 13 kilometers off the coast. Russia has an estimated 7,500 troops and multiple military sites in Syria, including an air base at Hmeimim along with the strategic naval facilities at Tartus, which are also used to support the Kremlin's actions in North and sub-Saharan Africa. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government has ties to many of the rebel groups involved in the takeover, said Ankara will act against anyone seeking to compromise its Syrian territory. "From now on, we cannot allow Syria to be divided again.... Any attack on the freedom of the Syrian people, the stability of the new administration, and the integrity of its lands will find us standing against it," he said. Turkey has claimed U.S.-backed Syrian-Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria to be "terrorists" linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been designated as a terrorist group by Ankara, as well as by Washington. Tehran, which was also a long-standing backer of Assad, on December 10 said some 4,000 Iranian citizens have left Syria over the past three days. Iranian proxies are thought to have multiple military sites inside Syria, some of which have been hit by Israeli air attacks, but the government has so far been relatively muted in its response to Assad's fall. On December 9, the UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on the situation in Syria called by Russia, which together with Iran, has been a main backer of Assad's regime. "The Council, I think, was more or less united on the need to preserve the territorial integrity and unity of Syria, to ensure the protection of civilians, to ensure that humanitarian aid is coming to the population in need," said Russia's UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, in a statement released after the meeting. The HTS-led rebels announced on December 9 that they were granting amnesty to all military personnel conscripted during Assad's rule, which began in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had seized power in 1970. Ahmad al-Sharaa, 42, previously known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, has become the public face of HTS, which itself was formerly known as the Al Nusra Front, among other names. Several European states on December 9 announced they were suspending the granting of asylum requests from Syrians as they awaited developments. The flood of Syrian refugees during the country's 14-year civil war has often been used by far-right politicians in Europe to inflame passions and bolster their support among voters. The EU has urged a peaceful political transition in Syria, saying that "it is imperative that all stakeholders engage in an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned dialogue on all key issues." But EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said the bloc was "not currently engaging with HTS or its leaders, full stop." The Syrian civil war began after Assad's regime unleashed a brutal crackdown in March 2011 against peaceful demonstrators inspired by the wave of protests known as the Arab Spring that were sweeping the Middle East at the time. Beginning in 2015, Russia intervened in the civil war on Assad's side, unleashing a massive bombing campaign against the rebel groups, including Islamist militants, causing numerous civilian casualties and prompting tens of thousands to flee. The fall of the Assad regime marks a major geopolitical setback for the Kremlin, which, along with Iran, has propped up his government, experts say. Iran spent decades building the so-called axis of resistance, its network of regional armed proxies, Tehran-backed militant groups, and allied state actors. The network was the lynchpin of Tehran's efforts to deter Israel and the United States and exert its influence across the Middle East. But the fall of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Tehran, has done irreparable damage to the network, analysts say. For Iran, Syria provided a crucial land corridor to the Levant that was considered the logistical backbone of the axis. The corridor, also known as the Shi'ite Crescent, connected Tehran to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, a key ally and an integral part of the axis. "There is no axis without access," said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "The resistance is not done, but losing the ability to logistically support Hezbollah means the loss of Iran's strategic depth." Broken Corridor Underscoring Syria's importance, Iran spent billions of dollars to keep Assad in power. Tehran intervened militarily in Syria's civil war in 2013 and played a key role in shoring up Assad's forces. It deployed hundreds of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers to recruit and train tens of thousands of local and foreign Shi'ite fighters. After the loss of the land corridor connecting axis members from Iran to Lebanon, "we are likely to see a much-diminished resistance in the coming months and years," said Farzan Sabet, senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. The axis, he said, will have "a considerably lower capacity to rebuild or conduct military operations in the future." At its height, the axis was active in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, and was meant to give Iran the ability to hit its enemies outside its own borders while allowing it to maintain a position of plausible deniability. But the axis has suffered a series of debilitating setbacks in recent months. Syria is now effectively ruled by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey, Iran's rival. The HTS seized power in Damascus on December 8. Hezbollah has been severely weakened after a bruising, yearlong war with Israel, which killed the group's longtime leader , Hassan Nasrallah. Meanwhile, Israel's devastating war in the Gaza Strip has diminished the capabilities of U.S.-designated Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, another axis member. Events in Syria "will certainly place significantly more restraints on Iran’s ability to maintain its regional influence," said Raz Zimmt, senior researcher at the Israeli-based Institute for National Security Studies. Iran's 'Very Bad' Options Weakened regionally, Iran now has tough decisions to make, including reconsidering its deterrence strategy and possibly developing a nuclear bomb, experts say. Zimmt says Iran has two "very bad options" -- to do nothing and recognize that its deterrence against Israel has been compromised, or weaponize its nuclear program and expose itself to the possibility of an Israeli attack. Things look equally grim for Iran’s axis of resistance, according to Sabet, who says Tehran will be under pressure to pull back its regional activities. Sabet says Iran will seek to exploit any potential chaos in the region, including in post-Assad Syria, to reassert its influence. "If the civil war in Syria is not quickly settled and a new order created, it might become precisely the type of environment where the Islamic republic has historically thrived," Sabet said. The collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime sparked nationwide celebrations, as scenes of jubilation and chaos unfolded across the country. In the early hours of December 8, videos emerged on social media showing groups of people gathering on Umayyad Square in Damascus, a key landmark in the capital. Thousands more joined them throughout the day, with some participants climbing atop a tank. Social media footage verified by RFE/RL showed people exiting the central bank building in Damascus carrying bags and boxes. Looting was reported in the capital and in other cities across the country, according to multiple eyewitness accounts. At the gates of the presidential palace in Damascus, video footage captured jubilant men cheering and firing weapons into the air. People were seen entering the palace freely throughout the day after Assad fled the country. Russian state media reported later on December 8 that he and his family had arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum. Video footage from inside the palace showed crowds milling around, as well as people carrying out furniture and valuables, leaving trashed rooms behind them. Verified video footage obtained by RFE/RL also showed the building of the Syrian Interior Ministry's immigration and passport department ablaze in Damascus. Statues of Assad's late father, Hafez al-Assad, who created the authoritarian system his son inherited, were dismantled nationwide after a lightning-fast rebel offensive. On Arwad Island, off the coast of Tartus and around 10 kilometers from a Russian naval base, jubilant crowds toppled a statue of the elder Assad, who died in 2000, and climbed onto the monument in celebration. In Latakia, a coastal town that was a stronghold of the Assad family, another statue of Hafez al-Assad was torn down and dragged through the streets behind a truck as revelers rode atop it. Images also showed the aftermath of the storming of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, which appeared to have been abandoned earlier on December 8. Iranian media reported that diplomats had already evacuated the premises. President-elect Donald Trump said Russia and Iran are in a "weakened state" and called on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine. Trump made the comments in a post on Truth Social on December 8 as Syrian rebels captured Damascus , ending the half-century rule of the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad family. The incoming U.S. president said Russia and Iran couldn't come to the support of Syrian dictator Assad because they were in a "weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success." Russia has lost about 600,000 soldiers since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Trump said, adding that Ukraine has lost about 400,000 defending its territory. "There should be an immediate cease-fire and negotiations should begin," Trump said. "I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!" The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Trump's comment. Paris Meeting Trump said in the post that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy "would like to make a deal." Trump held talks with Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on December 7 to discuss the war. Zelenskiy called the trilateral talks "good and productive" and said the leaders discussed the potential for "a just peace." Trump and Zelenskiy were among world leaders who gathered in Paris on December 7 to mark the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. "We talked about our people, the situation on the battlefield, and a just peace for Ukraine. We all want to end this war as quickly and fairly as possible," Zelenskiy said in a December 7 post on Telegram . "President Trump, as always, is determined. We are thankful for that," he added. Macron said , "Let us continue joint efforts for peace, security." Trump , who will take office on January 20, has criticized the tens of billions of dollars the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. He has claimed he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Experts say it will be difficult to hammer out a peace deal quickly because there are so many aspects, including security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions relief for Russia. In the meantime, the outgoing Biden administration has been accelerating weapons shipments to Ukraine ahead of the transfer of power to Trump to bolster its defenses. Washington said on December 7 that it is preparing a $988 million package of arms and equipment to Ukraine, funds taken from the remaining $2.21 billion available in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The funds will be used to buy precision missiles for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and for drones, the Pentagon said. European countries are also stepping up aid in case the Trump administration ends U.S. support for Kyiv. Zelenskiy announced on December 7 that Ukraine had received a second shipment of sophisticated F-16 fighter jets from Denmark. Copenhagen announced last year it would deliver a total of 19 aircraft to Ukraine. "The second batch of F-16s for Ukraine from Denmark is already in Ukraine. This is the leadership in protecting life that distinguishes Denmark," he wrote on Telegram . Syrian rebels led by Islamist militants have entered the central city of Homs as they close in on Damascus while the country’s main allies -- Russia and Iran -- scrambled to protect the regime of authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad and their own assets in the country. Abu Mohammad al-Golani, a leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, said late on December 7 that the insurgent fighters were "in the final moments of liberating" Homs, a city of 775,000 people. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Experts said the future of the Assad regime was hanging in the balance -- and that, if it fell, it would also represent a major geopolitical setback for the Kremlin which, along with Tehran, has supported the Syrian government through many years of civil war. Media reports said many residents of Damascus were stocking up on supplies as thousands were attempting to leave the country through the border with Lebanon -- itself a war-torn nation in the increasingly chaotic Middle East. As fighting on the ground and rebel gains intensified, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey held emergency talks in Doha, Qatar, on December 7 calling for an end to hostilities in the most serious challenge to Assad’s rule in years. The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that Washington was closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Syria. A spokesperson said the United States and its partners and allies urged that civilians, including members of minority groups, be protected. The spokesperson said it was time to negotiate an end to the Syrian conflict consistent with principals established in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The spokesperson added that the refusal of the Assad regime to engage in the process has directly led to the current situation. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ) said that “Assad regime forces have collapsed and Assad’s backers do not appear willing to bolster the Syrian Arab Army by rapidly deploying additional forces.” Russia has multiple military sites in Syria, including an air base at Hmeimim and strategic naval facilities at Tartus, which are also used to support the Kremlin’s actions in Africa. The ISW said that Moscow had not yet begun to evacuate the base, “but it remains unclear whether Russia will keep its vessels at the port as Syrian rebels continue to advance swiftly across regime-held territory.” The American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats blog said the Assad regime “faces an existential threat given the widespread collapse of regime forces and lack of sufficient external backing to bolster these forces.” It added that “Russia will face logistic challenges that will undermine its Africa operations if it loses its footprint in Syria.” Mark Katz, a professor emeritus at George Mason University who focuses on Russia and the Middle East, told RFE/RL that the Kremlin risks losing its air assets in Syria if it can’t agree with Turkey on the use of its airspace. “In one sense, the Turkish government might be happy to grant permission as the more the Russian Air Force is out of Syria, the happier Ankara will be,” he said. "Russia would also face difficulties relocating its warships because they would need Turkey's permission to get into the Black Sea. They would have to go through NATO waters," he added. Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the United States “should have nothing to do” with the war in Syria, where a small contingent of U.S. forces remain deployed in some areas. "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” he wrote on the Truth Social platform. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Fast-moving developments on the ground were difficult to confirm, but media outlets quoted witnesses as well as rebel and Syrian army sources as saying militant fighters were continuing to make large gains on December 7 in their effort to topple Assad. Some reported signs of panic in Damascus, with shortages of critical supplies, although the government said Assad was at work as usual in the capital. Government forces and their Russian allies appear to have failed in their attempt to halt the rebel push toward Homs, which stands at an important intersection between the capital, Damascus, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus. Homs is 140 kilometers from the capital. Witnesses and army sources told Reuters and other news agencies that rebels had entered Homs amid reports that government forces had pulled out. Celebrations were reported in some areas of the city. Homs Province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. The city is also home to one of Syria’s two state-run oil refineries. The AFP news agency quoted security sources as saying hundreds of Syrian government troops, some injured, had fled across the border into Iraq. The surprising offensive was launched last week by a coalition of rebel groups led by the Islamist HTS faction. Besides HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive, though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said civilians were fleeing from Homs toward the Mediterranean coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government and the site of the Russian air and naval bases. Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to comment on the fate of the Russian bases, saying he “wasn’t in the business of guessing.” The United Nations said on December 6 that almost 300,000 people in Syria had already been displaced since late November by the fighting, and that up to 1.5 million could be forced to flee as the rebels advance and inflict losses on Assad, as well as his Russian and Iranian allies. Assad has relied on Iran and Russia to remain in power since the conflict erupted in 2011. Following the foreign ministers' meeting in Doha, Lavrov said -- referring to HTS rebels -- that it was "inadmissible to allow terrorist groups" to take control of Syrian territory and that Russia would oppose them with all means possible. Since the rebels seized control of Aleppo a week ago, they have moved on to capture other major cities with Assad’s forces providing little resistance. Besides capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center, and Deir al-Zor in the east, rebels rose up in southern Suweida and Deraa, saying on December 6 they had taken control of the two cities and posting videos showing insurgent celebrations there. Taking Deraa and Suweida in the south could allow a concerted assault on the capital, Damascus, the seat of Assad's power, military sources said. Video posted online showed protesters in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana chanting and tearing down a statue of Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, when his son took power. Golani, the HTS leader, told CNN in an exclusive interview on December 5 from Syria that Assad’s government was bound to fall, propped up only by Russia and Iran. “The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he said. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.” Iran is poised to significantly increase the production rate of highly enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned in a confidential report. The IAEA report said the effect of the change "would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent," according to news agencies quoting the report on December 6. This means the rate of production will jump to more than 34 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per month at its Fordow facility alone, compared to 4.7 kilograms previously, the report to the IAEA's board of governors says. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who spoke to reporters about the report on the sidelines of an international conference in Bahrain, said the increase would represent “seven or eight times or even more," calling the development very concerning. “They were preparing, and they have all of these facilities sort of in abeyance and now they are activating that. So we are going to see,” he said, adding that it would be a “huge jump” if Iran begins increasing its enrichment. The report also said Iran must implement tougher safeguard measures such as inspections to ensure Fordow is not being "misused to produce uranium of an enrichment level higher than that declared by Iran, and that there is no diversion of declared nuclear material." Iran's decision to accelerate production of enriched uranium is in response to recent censure by the IAEA, Grossi told the AFP news agency. "This is a message. This is a clear message that they are responding to what they feel is pressure," the UN nuclear watchdog's head said. Tehran was angered by a resolution last month put forward by Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, and the United States that faulted Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Britain, Germany, and France have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, in particular since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia. In addition, there was little progress last week when European and Iranian officials met to determine whether they could enter serious talks on the nuclear program before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and is now appointing hawks on Iran to his planned administration. While Iran maintains its program is peaceful, Iranian officials increasingly threaten to potentially seek a nuclear bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile. But experts war that the enrichment of uranium at 60 percent is just a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent, and they say there is no justification for enriching uranium to such a high level under any civilian program. The news of Iran's decision to increase uranium enrichment came just hours after Tehran claimed it had conducted a successful space launch with its heaviest payload ever. Official media reported that the launch of the Simorgh rocket took place at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan Province located about 220 kilometers east of Tehran. Western governments have expressed concern that the Tehran’s ballistic missile program is coming closer to having the ability to launch a weapon against distant foes like the United States. The Simorgh carried what Iran described as an “orbital propulsion system” and two research systems to a 400-kilometer orbit above the Earth. It also carried the Fakhr-1 satellite for Iran’s military, the first time Iran’s civilian program is known to have carried a military payload. Iran has said its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes.

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.Andre Szmyt, who last played for the St. Louis Blackhawks of the UFL, was signed by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse. Dan Labbe, cleveland.com Cleveland — The Browns gave kicker Dustin Hopkins a game off against the Chiefs in Week 15 and now, after Hopkins missed an extra point against the Bengals on Sunday, they are adding a kicker to their practice squad once again. Andre Szmyt was added to the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. He is officially in his first NFL season out of Syracuse. Originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2023, he spent 2024 with the St. Louis Blackhawks of the UFL. Hopkins, who was signed to a three-year contract extension in the offseason after a strong 2023, has struggled in his second season with the Browns. He has made just 16 of 25 field goal attempts and he missed his third extra point of the season on Sunday, his only kick of the day. “It’s been a battle this year, so it’s absolutely frustrating,” Hopkins said after the game . “It feels like a lot of work down the drain for the opportunity you get is what it feels like. So I got to dig deep into the tool bag again and get myself to a place where I believe in it again, believe in the swing, and then go out there and try again next week.” The Browns sat Hopkins against the Chiefs after he missed two kicks against the Steelers in Week 14. They signed Riley Patterson to the practice squad and elevated him for Week 15 but turned back to Hopkins after the Falcons signed Patterson away from them. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has remained firm in his support for Hopkins through his struggles, including on Sunday. “We’ve just got to continue to work through it and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said after the game. Following a 2023 season in which Hopkins saved the Browns' kicking game after it had to move on from fourth-round pick Cade York, Hopkins lost whatever magic allowed him to make 33 of 36 attempts, including all eight of from 50 yards. He made game-winning kicks in back-to-back weeks against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. After starting this season by making 10 of 12 field goals in his first six games, he has made just 6 of 13 in his last eight and 2 of 7 in his last five games. Szmyt made 85 of 105 attempts in six seasons at Syracuse and led the FBS in makes, attempts and points as a redshirt freshman in 2018, when the former walk-on won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s best kicker. He is Syracuse’s all-time leader in points.

Since its implementation on 1 December 2020, the Export Control Law of the People’s Republic of China (the Export Control Law), has established a comprehensive framework for China’s export control system. To further streamline this framework, the State Council approved the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items (the Regulation”) on 18 September 2024, which came into effect on 1 December 2024. The Export Control Law imposes stringent controls on dual-use items, including goods, technologies, and services that serve both civil and military purposes or enhance military capabilities. This is particularly pertinent for items that can be used in the design, development, production, or deployment of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Additionally, the law encompasses technical materials and other data relating to the dual-use items. This alert briefly outlines key features of the new Regulations that impacted businesses and individuals should keep top of mind. UNIFIED LEGAL FRAMEWORK APPLIES TO EXPORT OF DUAL-USE ITEMS Except for monitored chemicals, the Regulations establish a unified administrative system for regulating the export of dual-use items and replace the previously fragmented regulations governing the export control on dual-use items. Additionally, China’s export control framework relies on various export control lists. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Commerce are currently developing a unified export control list for dual-use items, which will be implemented alongside the Regulations. WHAT’S NEW? Under the new regime, export operators no longer need to apply for dual-use item export operator registration in advance. Instead, they can apply directly for export permits. When applying for an export license for dual-use items, operators must submit documents related to the end user and the intended use(s) of the items. If there is any change in the end user or intended use, the export operator must immediately halt exports, report the change to the competent authorities, and undergo a new verification process. To ensure proper verification, the Regulations establish a “list of concerned entities” system. This system stipulates that importers and end users who do not cooperate with the regulatory requirements can be included in a list of concerned entities and prohibited from enjoying various licenses. EXTRATERRITORIAL REACH The Regulations stipulate that if overseas organizations and individuals transfer or provide certain goods, technologies, and services to specific destination countries, regions, organizations, and individuals outside the People’s Republic of China, they may be required to comply with these Regulations. This includes: To avoid violations, impacted Chinese enterprises and overseas institutions should conduct comprehensive risk assessments of exported products that fall within the scope of these new Regulations.None

IN a glitzy new-look tournament, a grimy old-school game. This was ramshackle football in tumbledown surroundings, 90 minutes as ugly as the damp-streaked concrete of the Maksimir’s unloved stands. 3 Celtic picked up another point in the Champions League Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Bill Leckie reckons Celtic fans should be proud of their players Credit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow But if beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, then none of this will matter to Celtic . Because in the context of their season, this result might turn out like finding a diamond in a dungheap. This was a priceless Champions League point, plotted with patience and managed manfully, the kind of performance that playing away in Europe always used to be about. That it was their second away 0-0 on the bounce speaks volumes for how much they are — finally, finally — maturing at this elite level. read more football stories FINAL FEARS Johnston gives injury update after he emerges as doubt for Rangers cup final MEGA OFFER Get £50 in free bets to spend on football when you stake £10 with Betfred That it takes their unbeaten run in the competition to four, their longest since 1986, is huge credit to manager Brendan Rodgers and his players. The fact that there were plenty who moaned at full-time that they should have been winning? Well, they should take that as a compliment, not a criticism. Remember, they’d lost on all three previous visits here. Remember, they’re haunted by a catalogue of fives and sixes and sevens shipped in Paris and Madrid and Barcelona and back again. Most read in Football 'S****' My dad is Scotland’s greatest ever player but he rinsed my career at my OWN wedding FINAL FEARS Johnston gives injury update after he emerges as doubt for Rangers cup final WORRYING SCENES FA Trophy clash ABANDONED after player rushed away in ambulance MAN BYS Celtic player ratings vs Dinamo Zagreb: How Rodgers' Hoops ranked in Euro stalemate So put this result, off the back of the one against Europa League champs Atalanta in Italy last month, in that perspective and it surely can only be seen as a positive one. Since a battling 1-1 at home to Club Brugge a fortnight ago, they’ve won three league games on the spin to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership to nine points, haven’t lost a goal along the way, and are in good shape for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers . Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers turns on Lennoxtown Xmas lights As for the biggest trophy of all? Beat the whipping boys of Bern in front of a baying Parkhead on January 22 and they’d surely be into the play-offs with a shot at earning a glamour-dripping, money-spinning last-16 tie. That’s a successful first half of the season in anyone’s language , even if this game in itself was a four-letter-ing bore. Three shots on target all night, one from Celtic , was the lowest tally in any Champions League group stage game this season. Long before the end, you got the feeling Callum McGregor was marshalling a unit quite happy for it all to drift away into nothing-nothingness. Yet maybe even that tedium is a clear sign of their growing maturity at this level. After that 7-1 hammering in Dortmund on matchday two, they were faced with a clear choice — either to put their fingers in their ears and keep on leaving themselves wide open, or sacrifice their natural instincts and get a little bit meaner. Atalanta and now Zzzzzzzz-agreb tell the world for sure which they plumped for. They didn’t try to force the game here, didn’t go out of their way to make things happen. HOW THEY RATED By DEREK MCGREGOR KASPER SCHMEICHEL: Off his line to gather at the feet of Sandro Kulenovic as Dinamo tried to break the deadlock. Tipped over a header from Marko Pjaca late in the game 6 ALISTAIR JOHNSTON: Caught late by Marko Rog in front of the dugouts as the Dinamo star landed a booking. Canada star never fully recovered and was replaced at break 5 CAMERON CARTER-VICKERS: Looked uneasy after his Club Brugge own goal and had problems keeping his footing in first half. Close-range shot deflected well over 6 AUSTON TRUSTY: Good header out of the six-yard box early on then repeated the feat from Dinamo inswinging free-kick. Great block from Pjaca’s shot 6 GREG TAYLOR: Early yellow card for a late challenge in the Dinamo box. Heaved a huge sigh of relief when his miscue on the edge of his own box wasn’t punished 5 CALLUM McGREGOR: Captain’s 100th Euro game for the Hoops. Had the ball pinched off his toe by Lukas Kacavenda as the game started to become stretched after the hour 5 PAULO BERNARDO: In ahead of Arne Engels and flashed early free-kick just off target. Near-post corner also caused chaos. Couldn’t tame ball into box from Daizen Maeda 6 REO HATATE: Great ball from own half freed Kuhn down right. Lost footing as he tried to drill in a shot — which was his final act as Brendan Rodgers shuffled midfield 5 NICOLAS KUHN: Hit the byeline on the halfway mark but delivery was slapped away for a corner. Cut in on to his left foot after break but shot was deflected over top 6 DAIZEN MAEDA: Was booked for late challenge on Maxime Bernauer as tensions began to rise late in first half. Showed trademark energy going both ways but couldn’t find spark 5 KYOGO FURUHASHI: Great energy as he constantly pressed goalkeeper Daniel Zagorac. Didn’t get a real glimpse of goal and rested late on ahead of Sunday’s cup final 5 Anthony Ralston (4) half-time sub for injured Johnston, booked. Luke McCowan (4) tested keeper. Arne Engels (4) got last half-hour. James Forrest (3) lashed shot off target. Adam Idah (3) on as Celts chased late winner. They didn’t try to force the game here, didn’t go out of their way to make things happen. They just played steadily, stayed organised, probed when they went forward and got into shape when Dinamo forced them back the way. On the one occasion when he was properly called into action, Kasper Schmeichel once again proved himself calm in a crisis, flying high and stretching elastically to tip Marko Pjaca’s back-post header over from right under his crossbar. Off the back of the half-a-dozen big stops that had spared his mates from serious complications at home to Hibs on Saturday, the great Dane had set up his fourth clean sheet in ten days. And, as it went, he very nearly inspired them to snatch all three points at the death , too, when three of the subs Rodgers had promised came so close to combining for a brilliant winner. James Forrest picked out a brilliant reverse ball down the left to Arne Engels , who flashed a fabulous ball across the front post , where Adam Idah was only denied by a magnificent sliding challenge from Kevin Theophile-Catherine. Now that would’ve been the perfect climax to a hugely imperfect night. Instead, German ref Felix Zwayer brought it to end soon after, and Rodgers marched on to the turf to congratulate a bunch who seem to have bought 100 per cent into his thinking, both tactical and mental. After that win over Hibs , the performance as shambolic and shoddy as the scoreline was eventually convincing, he spoke about how the ability to “win and win and win” was as much in the mind as it was in the boots . 3 Here, amid the unspeakable pile that is Croatia’s national stadium, that same mindset came into play once again. Once again, Celtic were far short of their fast, flowing, imposing and imperious best. But unlike on so many European away nights of the past, they used their brains to pick their way through a tricky test and come out the other end unscathed. The Maksimir really is unspeakable, too. One whole side lying disused ever since an earthquake hit the city in 2020, fans behind each goal hover a good 30 feet above the action because of massive boundary walls, the main stand a mess of rickety press facilities, a perilous-looking TV gantry and an impossibly-steep batch of seats open to the elements. I’ve never met anyone who likes playing there. Not Dinamo, not the Croatia national team — and certainly not any visitors. Read more on the Scottish Sun SCOT MY FIRST RODEO! Popular music festival coming to three Scots cities for first time CHILL OUT Scots to be gripped by grim -10C freeze as weather map reveals temperature plunge To be honest, it’s not fit to stage football at this level. No, not even football this dull . . . Keep up to date with ALL t h e latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football pageUS Sanctions Chinese, Russian Tech Companies for Human Rights ViolationsIron Castings Market: 68% Growth to Originate from APAC, with AI Driving Market Transformation - Technavio

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Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan will be taking audiences to mythical Greece with his latest project. Universal Pictures announced this week that Nolan will be directing a cinematic adaptation of " The Odyssey ," an ancient poem believed to be written by Homer between 750 and 650 BCE centering on the character Odysseus' 10-year trek home after the Trojan War. Nolan's forthcoming adaptation is described as "a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology," according to the studio's announcement posted to their X page Monday. Zendaya, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson along with Oscar-winners Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron are reportedly set to star in the film. Holland recently spoke about signing onto the project, saying on "The Dish" podcast last week that the film hasn't started shooting yet. He added that Nolan only "loosely pitched" it to him when they met to discuss the project, but that he still didn't know all the details. The "Spider-Man" actor also touched on working with his girlfriend Zendaya, joking that "studios love it" when they're on the same project because they only have to pay for "one hotel room." Pattinson, Damon and Hathaway have all previously appeared in Nolan's films, including "Tenet," "Interstellar" and "Oppenheimer." Nolan is also behind epic films including "Inception," "The Dark Knight," "Dunkirk" and his most recent film "Oppenheimer," which scored big at last year's Oscars when it took home the trophy for Best Picture. Nolan won that award as a producer and also took home the Academy Award for Best Director. According to Universal's social media announcement this week, "The Odyssey" will bring Homer's "foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time" and will open in theaters on July 17, 2026.Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Heart Hospital has expanded its use of surgical robots in coronary artery bypass grafting (Robotic CABG) surgeries. Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries aim to enhance natural blood flow to the heart muscle and offer a less invasive and more precise alternative to traditional procedures, enabling faster recovery and reducing the risk of complications for patients. The advanced surgeries are performed under the supervision of a specialised surgical team that includes Dr Abdulwahid al-Mulla, Senior Consultant and Head of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at Heart Hospital, alongside Dr. Ali Kindawi, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon; Dr. Mohamed Latif Wani, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon; and Dr. Mohamed al-Kahlout, Specialist Cardiothoracic Surgeon, said HMC in a press statement Sunday. Dr. Abdulwahid al-Mulla said: "Heart Hospital has introduced minimally invasive techniques for coronary artery bypass and mitral valve surgeries to ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare services to patients in Qatar and to remain at the forefront of global surgical advancements. This aligns with HMC's Healthcare Strategy 2024-2030, the National Health Strategy 2024-2030, and Qatar National Vision 2030." "Integrating advanced technologies like robotics into cardiothoracic surgeries significantly improves patient experience, shortens the patient's recovery time, and minimises complications. Patients are carefully selected for these procedures based on their health status to ensure suitability for this type of surgery and optimal patient outcomes," added Dr al-Mulla. Dr. Mohamed al-Kahlout highlighted the significance of introducing robotics in coronary artery procedures. This procedure is performed through a small incision, no longer than 6 centimetres, on the left side of the chest, replacing the traditional sternotomy. However, other surgical steps, such as placing the patient on a heart-lung machine and temporarily stopping the heart, remain unchanged. He added that robotic-assisted cardiac surgeries reduce recovery times and hospital stays by approximately one-third compared to conventional open-heart procedures. "In 2024, we successfully treated over 10 cases involving more than one bypass. We aim to increase this number to 25 cases in 2025. It is important to highlight that this is an exceptionally advanced procedure, performed by only a handful of specialised centres worldwide, which places Heart Hospital among the leading medical institutions in the field of cardiothoracic surgery," said Dr al-Kahlout. Heart Hospital initially began performing coronary artery surgeries on a limited scale about 15 years ago, focusing on single-artery bypasses. However, with advancements in surgical techniques, particularly in early 2024, the hospital expanded to multi-artery procedures. Related Story HMC bags CIPD Middle East Award for Best Wellbeing Program HMC surgeons save limbs from amputation through new method

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Queen Letizia of Spain is chic in sleek black gown - as she joins her husband King Felipe VI at gala dinner during state visit to Italy Spain's Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI enjoyed a gala dinner this evening READ MORE: Benvenuto in Italia! Queen Letizia is pretty in pink as she and King Felipe meet Giorgia Meloni in Rome on state visit By ELMIRA TANATAROVA Published: 23:30, 11 December 2024 | Updated: 23:31, 11 December 2024 e-mail 16 shares View comments Queen Letizia of Spain was effortlessly glamorous in a sleek black gown as she joined her husband at gala dinner hosted by the Italian president. The royal stunned in the simply elegant monochrome dress as she and King Felipe VI were welcomed by Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace during their state visit to the nearby European nation. The sleeveless frock featured a tulle bodice that transformed into a slim-fitting maxi skirt. The mother-of-two, 52, kept her accessories minimal, stunning with a chunky set of glitzy bangles. Her chestnut tresses were styled in voluminous waves, made all the more striking with a side part. She opted for a smokey make-up look which accentuated her eyes, teamed with a dark lipstick. Elsewhere, Felipe, 56, was dapper in a sophisticated tuxedo as he beamed while toasting at the dinner table. The King, who looked to be in great spirits as he was welcomed with a stunning banquet, also made a speech at the event. Queen Letizia of Spain was effortlessly glamorous in a sleek black gown as she joined her husband at gala dinner hosted by the Italian president The royal stunned in the simply elegant monochrome dress as she and King Felipe VI (left) were welcomed by Sergio Mattarella (right) at the Quirinal Palace during their state visit to the nearby European nation Elsewhere, Felipe, 56, was dapper in a sophisticated tuxedo as he beamed while toasting at the dinner table The King, who looked to be in great spirits as he was welcomed with a stunning banquet, also made a speech at the event Felipe toasted with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, during the gala dinner The mother-of-two, 52, kept her accessories minimal, stunning with a chunky set of glitzy bangles 'We are the Mediterranean; we are Latin and we are the lingua franca; we are the classical world and the Renaissance; we are humanism; we are vibrant urban life, municipalism, commerce, freedoms,' he said. 'And we are the Enlightenment, science, academia; the desire to travel and to learn, the curiosity for discoveries; the ethical commitment to a fairer and better world .' The President's daughter, Laura Mattarella, was also in attendance. Earlier today, Letizia donned a pale pink skirt suit as she and Felipe, met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. The Spanish royal couple's meeting with Ms Meloni in the Italian capital took place on the first full day of their two-day state visit. The Queen looked stylish in a pastel, embroidered skirt suit, which she paired with pointed toe high heels and a handbag in the same shade. The royal's suit jacket had puff sleeves and embroidery featuring pearls down the front. Cinched at the waist, the jacket kicked out, while Letizia's fitted pencil skirt fell just below the knee. The mother-of-two wore her dark brown hair in a classic blow dry and tucked behind her ears to reveal a pair of gold and diamond earrings. Letizia's sleeveless frock featured a black tulle bodice that transformed into a slim-fitting maxi skirt Her chestnut tresses were styled in voluminous waves, made all the more striking with a side part. Pictured left to right: Felipe, Letizia, President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella Letizia opted for a smokey make-up look which accentuated her eyes, teamed with a dark lipstick Letizia accessorised her gown with black heels, and kept her hair down for the occassion this evening Felipe was sophisticated with a bowtie as he shook hands with attendees at the gala on Wednesday To wrap up warm for the outside, Letizia had a matching black coat to complement her gown on Wednesday evening Letizia's wore little make-up besides a warm bronze eyeshadow on her lids and a rose coloured tint on her lips. King Felipe, meanwhile, looked dapper in a dark suit paired with a white shirt and a pale blue tie. The smiling 56-year-old monarch was photographed with Letizia and Ms Meloni on the steps of villa Doria Pamphili, which forms part of the government headquarters. Felipe and the Italian Prime Minister were also pictured sharing a joke, with Ms Meloni throwing her head back as she laughed. Ms Meloni, 47, was ready for business in a beige trouser suit featuring a double-breasted jacket and a pair of wide-leg trousers. She wore her blond hair in loose waves and brightened her complexion with gold eyeshadow. On Tuesday evening Letizia and Felipe visited an art school - the Royal Academy of Spain - to meet with the Hispanitas Italiano Association for its 50th anniversary. There, they met with fellows of the Academy and viewed works created by students from the previous academic year. The Hispanitas Italiano Association was founded in 1973 with the aim of promoting exchanges and meetings between Italian researchers who are dedicated to studying the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. Read More Benvenuto in Italia! Letizia is pretty in pink as she and King Felipe meet Giorgia Meloni in Rome Letizia channelled the festive season in an all-white outfit consisting of a trench coat, trouser suit, and a scarf. Complementing her ivory tones were golden heels and a metallic clutch - while Felipe, 56, opted for a simple black coat and charcoal grey suit. The event ended with a reception for Spanish community at the Montorio Palace, the residence of the Spanish Embassy in Italy . Some 500 Spanish citizens were in attendance, including businessmen, teachers, artists, athletes and scientists. The King thanked everyone for coming 'to our – and your – embassy in Rome, for this warm welcome to a country so close, near and dear, where, without a doubt, you have integrated and where you feel welcomed'. He concluded: 'We are very happy to be able to meet you and greet you personally and we are looking forward to you sharing your experiences here with us.' According to Il Mattino , a news outlet based in Italy, Letizia and Felipe will continue their state visit in Naples on Thursday. Once there, King Felipe will reportedly give a lecture at the Teatro San Carlo as part of the celebratory events program for the 800th anniversary of the University of Naples Federico II. The Spanish king will also receive an honorary degree in Social Sciences and Statistics, according to the publication. Italy Spain Share or comment on this article: Queen Letizia of Spain is chic in sleek black gown - as she joins her husband King Felipe VI at gala dinner during state visit to Italy e-mail 16 shares Add comment

Poem has won the Australian PR business for Google and will lead the company’s publicity retainer and earned creative campaigns for 2025. The creative comms agency will support in managing upcoming launches, announcements and retained comms activity across Google’s diverse product device offering, AI and consumer news, including Google Search, Gemini, YouTube and Google Maps, and beyond. Google joins Poem’s already impressive roster of consumer technology clients, including Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation), Sonos, DJI and Withings. “We were immediately drawn to Poem’s ethos of culture-led creativity, always seeking to put people and helpfulness first in their approach whether that’s through publicity or non-traditional creative campaigns,” Katrin Maurer , director of communications, Google Australia and New Zealand, said. “We’re thrilled to be working with a partner that shares our passion for innovation and spirit of creative curiosity.” Poem landed Google Researcher, Simon Carlile, a spot at TEDxSydney to share how AI is revolutionising accessibility and hearing devices Katie Raleigh , Poem managing director said: “Working with Google is a great privilege for the agency, and we’re beyond delighted to partner with such an iconic brand and talented team. Rhania Farah , Poem general manager added: “In just a couple of months, we have already put a Google Researcher centre stage talking about the future of AI at TEDxSydney, partnered with Queensland University to promote the power of AI in supporting whale conservation, and engaged renowned Aussie artist, Mulga to bring Google Australia’s most searched trends for 2024 to life in a way that’s caught the attention of press and social media alike. “I can’t wait to see what the year ahead will bring.” Google joins Poem’s wider client portfolio including Tourism Australia, Nespresso, Uber, Cashrewards and Place Making New South Wales. Spot the trend! Poem enlisted Australian artist, Mulga (Joel Moore) to create an artwork representing some of the top trending searches in Australia in 2024 Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.Economic effects of corruption

The American Athletic Conference is the only league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. The final week of the regular season will determine pairings for the other eight conferences. Here's a look at the possible matchups in the Power Four and Group of Five. All championship games are Dec. 7 except in the AAC, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Dec. 6. ACC at Charlotte, North Carolina SMU vs. Miami or Clemson. Miami is in if it beats Syracuse. Clemson is in if Miami loses. Big Ten at Indianapolis Oregon vs. Ohio State, Penn State or Indiana. Ohio State is in if it beats Michigan or if Penn State and Indiana lose this week. Penn State is in if it beats Maryland and Ohio State loses. Indiana is in if it beats Purdue and Ohio State and Penn State lose. Big 12 at Arlington, Texas Arizona State vs. Iowa State if both win this week. Multiple scenarios including BYU, Colorado and other teams exist otherwise. SEC at Atlanta Georgia vs. winner of Texas-Texas A&M game. American Athletic at TBD Army vs. Tulane. Conference USA at Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville State vs. Liberty, Western Kentucky or Sam Houston. Liberty is in with a win over Sam Houston. WKU is in with a win over Jacksonville State and a Liberty loss. Sam Houston is in with a win over Liberty and a Jacksonville State win. Mid-American at Detroit Miami, Bowling Green and Ohio are tied for first place and control their destinies. Miami-Bowling Green winner is in, as is Ohio if it beats Ball State. Other scenarios exist that include those teams and Buffalo. Mountain West at Boise, Idaho Boise State vs. UNLV or Colorado State. If UNLV and CSU both win or lose their final regular-season games, the tie would be broken by either College Football Playoff rankings or results-based computer metrics. Sun Belt at TBD Louisiana-Lafayette at Marshall if both win their games this week. Other scenarios exist if one or both lose. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and The Associated Press

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Carlos Santana returns to Cleveland on 1-year deal, first baseman's third stint with GuardiansIt's the first present she puts under the tree every Christmas, and the last she packs away. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue The present Gail Ward bought for her son 24 years ago has never been opened, as he died before Christmas, on December 8, 2000. This year, as she brought it out as usual, she noticed the wrapping paper was starting to get tatty. The gift is so much a part of her yearly ritual that she wanted, most of all, to rewrap it in the same paper. But the paper is in a generic and slightly dated style, and she couldn't for the life of her remember where she got it. So on Christmas Day, she turned to the Canberra Notice Board on Facebook. And boy, did it deliver. The response to her post was so overwhelming - more than 1000 likes and nearly 70 responses - that she had to turn off her notifications the next day. Canberra bus driver Gail Ward, with the gift her son never opened. Picture by Gary Ramage "I was just so overwhelmed, it was unreal," she said. Dozens of people reached out with advice, tips and even offers to recreate the paper's design themselves. Ms Ward said the gift itself - a drinking board game that would have amused an 18-year-old boy - was inconsequential, except that her son, Greg, never got to open it. He died by suicide, but she has been determined to make Christmas a happy time ever since. She works as a Transport Canberra bus driver, and brings her own decorations to festoon her buses each year. She covers her home in lights, and puts up a five-foot-high star made of plywood attached to a cross she made herself the year after Greg died. And, most important of all, she brings out the gift he never got to open. The importance of the gift and its deteriorating wrapping paper wasn't lost on the Canberra Notice Board community. Even with her responses turned off, people still wanted to reach out, including a 12-year-old boy in Yass who couldn't believe what he had found. He had been going through his mother's box of wrapping paper scraps, and came across a particularly beautiful piece featuring rocking horses. It was only a small piece, but he could tell it was somehow special. Later that day, he happened to be scrolling on Facebook and came across Ms Ward's message. "He realised it was the same paper he was looking at," Ms Ward said. "And when he spoke to his mother, she said, then that must have been the reason she was keeping it, for this reason, and she's happy to pass it over to me." The two have made contact, and he plans to bring the paper to Canberra in coming weeks. Another commenter has offered to recreate the paper's design in the exact dimensions of the gift, an offer Ms Ward has gratefully accepted. She's also taken on board others' advice that she put the new wrapping over the old paper, to keep the memories as intact as possible. It's all part of the magic of Christmas that Ms Ward insists on each December. "I was talking to a young fella yesterday, we were talking about Christmas, and I said, I understand how some people don't like Christmas, because they're grieving, or they've got some sort of sadness about it around that area, around that time, and they don't celebrate it. "And I said, I sort of try to look at it the other way," she says. But what these commenters and well-wishers probably didn't know was that Ms Ward had had a particularly tough year in the lead-up to December. "I've had a really crap year, with a relationship breakup, I went through a financial situation, legally, where I nearly lost my house. My dog has had major ankle surgery ... and emotionally, I just broke. I didn't think I could ever do that," she says. READ MORE: Big Splash owner breaks silence, reveals intentions for the site How a quiet Sunday boat tour descended into a police rescue operation on the lake 'Devastating': Sailor killed in Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race identified "But once the first of December came and I turned my lights on, it was like you put a Band-Aid on everything for a while. "Like the feeling you get when you sit there and you watch people come and look at your lights and the atmosphere just brings people together, and the joy on people's faces just makes you feel good that you can do something for other people." She says the wrapping paper experience has restored her faith in the world, and given her a strength she hadn't thought possible earlier in the year. "It was just beautiful. I was just so overwhelmed about the response. It was just absolutely amazing," she says. "The community, I know they rally together, but it makes me feel that I'm going into the new year now with more strength, after the year we've had. "I just feel like I'm a stronger person and that I've got support around. "It's just given me a different outlook on life, I think." Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Sally Pryor Features Editor As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in. As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in. More from Canberra More details revealed of Geocon's plans for the Phillip Pool redevelopment 25m ago No comment s Trump wins the election and now liberals can't stand to watch the news 25m ago No comment s Voters across the world are resentful and angry and are lashing out 25m ago No comment s Red tape and fine print won't make the world a better place for not for profits 25m ago No comment s When a heartbreaking Christmas tradition was about to fall apart, the community stepped up 25m ago No comment s Thought that friendly 'Desert Wave' was dead? Not quite yet 25m ago Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... WEEKDAYS The lunch break Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Loading... 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By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.No. 5 UCLA stuns No. South Carolina, ends 43-game streak

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“We had another outstanding quarter with record revenue and positive Adjusted EBITDA...We are very excited with our VSDHOne release and onboarding clients to increase our growth pace” - Shane Madden, CEO of Hydreight VANCOUVER, British Columbia and LAS VEGAS, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hydreight Technologies Inc. (“ Hydreight ” or the “Company ”) ( TSXV: NURS )( OTCQB: HYDTF )( FSE: SO6 ), a fast-growing mobile clinical network and medical platform which enables flexible at-home medical services across 50 states in the United States, is pleased to announce its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. All financial information is presented in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. Summary of Q3, 2024 Financial Highlights: Q3, 2024 GAAP revenue was $4.53 million an increase of 47% compared to Q3, 2023. Q3 2024 Topline1 record revenue of $6.12 million, an increase of 54% compared to Q3, 2023. Q3, 2024 Adjusted EBITDA1 was $48K compared to ($265K) in the comparative quarter. Q3, 2024 gross margin of $1.53 million compared to $1.27 million in Q3, 2023. The company has never raised or borrowed any additional capital since the original going public transaction in December 2022. The Company’s cash position at September 30, 2024 is $1.21 million. The first 9 months of 2024 GAAP revenue was $12.00 million, an increase of 48% compared to the first 9 months of 2023. The first 9 months of 2024 Topline1 revenue was $16.58 million, an increase of 37% compared to the first 9 months of 2023. Hydreight Ranked Number 56 Fastest-Growing Company in North America on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500TM and 9th in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 Program Winners in Canada for 2024 In partnership with two other companies, Hydreight launched VSDHOne, a telemedicine and e-Commerce solution, that helps companies launch a direct to consumer (“DTC”) healthcare brand in all 50 States. Within the first 90 days, VSDHOne sold over 200 licenses across 50 States. Announced a normal course issuer bid on August 28, 2024, covering the period from Oct 4, 2024, to October 3, 2025. Signed a partnership with a company that works with US Government agencies for service and healthcare contracts. Shane Madden, CEO of Hydreight commented, “We had an outstanding quarter with record revenue, Adjusted EBITDA1 and Adjusted Revenue1. We are very excited for our “VSDHONE” products expansion and cashflow from that in the upcoming year”. Madden continues "Our balance sheet and P&L reflect a provision for US sales and use tax where we have taken the most conservative approach in recognizing a liability of uncertain timing and amount based on our internal and preliminary assessment of sales and use tax nexus under the most expansive taxability assumptions. Given the complexity of our corporate structure and State excise tax laws and regulations, we have engaged external tax professionals to prepare a detailed review of our corporate structure to determine the Company’s liability for sales and use tax by revenue stream at the State-by-State level. We anticipate the liability to be settled at an amount materially less than the provision. The Company believes the following Non-GAAP 1 financial measures provide meaningful insight to aid in the understanding of the Company’s performance and may assist in the evaluation of the Company’s business relative to that of its peers: 1 Refer to Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures The table below sets out a summary of certain financial results of the Company over the past eight quarters and is derived from the audited annual consolidated financial statements and unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements of the Company. The Company has experienced dramatic user growth over the past two years as can be seen by the consistent revenue growth over the past eight quarters. The Company continues to deliver on its mission of building one of the largest mobile clinical networks in the United States. Through its medical network, pharmacy network and proprietary technology platform that adheres to the complex healthcare legislation across 50 states, Hydreight has provided a fully integrated solution for healthcare providers to become independent contractors. Hydreight remains focused on its strategic priorities of (1) Profitability (2) adding more product and service offerings for its customers, (3) introducing Hydreight story with more potential shareholders (4) driving white label partnerships and Nurses to the platform and (5) looking for strategic tuck in M&A opportunities to scale and grow the business quickly and efficiently . Hydreight will continue to invest into its technology to ensure continuous improvements, advancements and updates adhering to changes within the healthcare industry. Please see SEDAR + for the Company's condensed interim consolidated unaudited financial statements and MD&A for the three and six months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 and for the Company’s audited annual consolidated financial statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. About VSDHOne - Direct to Consumer Platform In a partnership with two other parties, Hydreight Technologies launched the VSDHOne (Read as VSDH-One)platform. VSDHOne simplifies the entry challenges for companies and medi-spa businesses to enter the online healthcare space compliantly. This platform will help all businesses to launch a direct-to-consumer healthcare brand in a matter of days in all 50 states. Compliant offerings include: GLP-1s (semaglutide, tirzepatide), peptides, personalized healthcare treatments, sermorelin, testosterone replacement therapy (“TRT”), hair loss, skincare, sexual health and more. Hydreight invested in technology, legal and infrastructure to launch this platform. The VSDHOne platform offers a complete, end-to-end solution for businesses looking to launch direct-to-consumer healthcare brands. From compliance and telemedicine technology to nationwide doctor and pharmacy networks, VSDHOne provides all the tools needed for a seamless entry into the online healthcare space. The platform is designed to significantly reduce the time and costs associated with launching such services, making it possible for businesses to go live in days instead of months. About Hydreight Technologies Inc. Hydreight Technologies Inc. is building one of the largest mobile clinic networks in the United States. Its proprietary, fully integrated platform hosts a network of over 2500 nurses, over 100 doctors and a pharmacy network across 50 states. The platform includes a built-in, easy-to-use suite of fully integrated tools for accounting, documentation, sales, inventory, booking, and managing patient data, which enables licensed healthcare professionals to provide services directly to patients at home, office or hotel. Hydreight is bridging the gap between provider compliance and patient convenience, empowering nurses, med spa technicians, and other licensed healthcare professionals. The Hydreight platform allows healthcare professionals to deliver services independently, on their own terms, or to add mobile services to existing location-based operations. Hydreight has a 503B pharmacy network servicing all 50 states and is closely affiliated with a U.S. certified e-script and telemedicine provider network. On behalf of the Board of Directors Shane Madden Director and Chief Executive Officer Hydreight Technologies Inc. Contact Email: ir@hydreight.com ; Telephone: (702) 970 8112 This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures: This release contains references to non-GAAP financial measures Adjusted Revenue (also referred to as Topline Revenue), Adjusted Gross Margin, and Adjusted EBITDA. The Company defines Adjusted Revenue as gross cash income before adjustment for the deferred portion of business partner contract revenue and gross receipts from Hydreight App service sales. The Company defines Adjusted Gross Margin as GAAP gross margin plus inventory impairment plus the deferred portion of business partner contract revenue. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and before (i) transaction, restructuring, and integration costs and share-based payments expense, and (iii) gains/losses that are not reflective of ongoing operating performance. The Company believes that the measures provide information useful to its shareholders and investors in understanding the Company’s operating cash flow growth, user growth, and cash generating potential for funding working capital requirements, service future interest and principal debt repayments and fund future growth initiatives. These non-GAAP measures may assist in the evaluation of the Company’s business relative to that of its peers more accurately than GAAP financial measures alone. This data is furnished to provide additional information and does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP. Accordingly, it should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP and is not necessarily indicative of other metrics presented in accordance with GAAP. Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains statements which constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, path to profitability, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar expressions and includes information regarding expectations for the Company's growth and profitability in 2024. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects the Company’s management’s expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the ability to obtain requisite regulatory and other approvals with respect to the business operated by the Company and/or the potential impact of the listing of the Company’s shares on the TSXV on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; and the diversion of management time as a result of being a publicly listed entity. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company and market conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. 1 See Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

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panalo999 app download Taoiseach Simon Harris said he also wanted to tell Nikita Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh, that her case had prompted an increase in women coming forward to ask for support. Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in the Irish capital on Friday. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,714.31). Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal against the decision. That post has since been deleted. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Harris said he told Ms Hand of the support she has from people across Ireland. “I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. “I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday – that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita’s bravery.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case has had a “profound effect” on the people the charity supports, and that over the first 10 days of the High Court case, calls to its national helpline increased by almost 20%. It said that first-time callers increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, and were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence who were distressed and anxious from the details of case and the views people had to it. Mr Harris said: “I wanted to speak with her and I wanted to wish her and her daughter, Freya, all the very best night, and I was very grateful to talk with Nikita today. “Her bravery, her courage, her voice has made a real difference in a country in which we must continue to work to get to zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. “I don’t want to say too much more, because conscious there could be further legal processes, but I absolutely want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her courage, for using her voice.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. She said: “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Mr Harris and Ms McEntee stressed the importance of the DPP’s independence on whether to prosecute. “There are obviously structures in place where the DPP can meet a victim and can outline to them their reasons for not taking the case,” Mr Harris said. “But there’s also always an opportunity for the DPP in any situation – and I speak broadly in relation to this – to review a decision, to consider any new information that may come to light, and I don’t want to say anything that may ever cut across the ongoing work of the DPP.” Ms McEntee stressed that there should “never be any political interference” in the independence of the DPP’s decisions. “I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs,” she said.SALT LAKE CITY — An encouraging upgrade in his availability status didn’t result in Miles McBride’s return to the Knicks lineup. The backup guard was listed as questionable but still missed his fifth straight game Saturday night against the Jazz with what the Knicks now are calling “patella femoral syndrome” in his left knee. “He’s out,” Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “He’s close. He’s doing more, but he’s not quite there. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.” The Knicks’ five-game road trip continues Monday against the Nuggets in Denver, and then concludes with stops in Dallas (Wednesday) and Charlotte (Friday). McBride, who is averaging 10.7 points in 26.4 minutes as sixth man in 11 appearances off the bench, hasn’t played since a Nov. 13 loss to the Bulls at the Garden. According to the Mayo Clinic, patella femoral pain syndrome is defined as “pain at the front of the knee, around the kneecap,” and it also is known as “runner’s knee.” It’s more common in people who run and play sports that involve running and jumping. Thibodeau called All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, who leads the Jazz with 18.8 points per game, “a terrific player” before the game. “Terrific,” Thibodeau said. “Multiple positions, highly skilled. Can shoot it, can put it on the floor, can post, can move without the ball, creates matchup problems. Gets better every year. So he’s very impressive. Everyone liked him I think coming out of college, and he’s proven to be even better than what everyone thought.” Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) remains out for the Knicks, while rookie forward Kyle Filipowski was out for the Jazz with a sprained right ankle. Jordan Clarkson (plantar fasciitis), Collin Sexton (finger) and Walker Kessler (hip) also were on Utah’s pregame injury report but were available to play.

NoneSTONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) — Derek Robertson threw for a school-record 536 yards and three touchdowns, and Monmouth wrapped up its season with a wild 55-47 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday. Robertson completed 28 of 45 passes with touchdowns of 3 yards to Marcus Middleton, 51 yards to Tra Neal and 42 yards to Max James. Neal, a wide receiver, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jack Neri that gave the Hawks (6-6, 4-4 Coastal Athletic Association) a 55-44 lead in the fourth quarter. The PAT was blocked, keeping Stony Brook within 11 points. FCS No. 20 Stony Brook (8-4, 5-3) trailed 42-30 at halftime but was within 49-44 after Jasiah Williams threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dez Williams, also on a wide-receiver pass play. Tyler Knoop threw for 408 yards on 37-of-53 passing for Stony Brook. He had three TD passes and was intercepted once. Dez Williams had 134 yards receiving with two touchdowns and Jayce Freeman had 93 yards. TJ Speight had 151 yards receiving for Monmouth. The teams combined for 1,007 passing yards and 1,249 total yards. __ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll 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-football

What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industryThe NBA coaching carousel has started spinning a little earlier than usual in 2024. On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania first reported that the Kings were moving on from head coach Mike Brown less than 24 hours after the Kings' 114-113 home loss to the Detroit Pistons . Sacramento has had a tough start to the season as they're in the middle of a 5-game losing streak and sit at 13-16 overall, including a 6-12 record at home. But Brown is coming off two straight winning season including a Coach of the Year performance (his second) in the 2022-23 season, his first with the Kings. That year also marked the end of a 16-season NBA Playoffs drought. Here's everything you need to know about the Kings' decision to fire Brown. Why did the Kings fire Brown? Although it's early in the season, the Kings' disastrous start to the 2024-25 season left ownership searching for answers, especially of late. Sacramento started out the season consistently staying above -.500 until mid-November. The Kings fell to 9-12 on Dec. 1, and lost six out of their last 10 games. Currently, Sacramento is 13-18 and 12th in the Western Conference. According to various reports, Sacramento's home record may be a big reason. Say what you want about Vivek, he just ate 30 plus million to try and right the ship. Mike Brown may in fact be the unnecessary scapegoat, but you don’t lose games like that at home with these expectations and survive. You knew it was coming, and you pretty much knew if they... Sacramento lost 114-113 to the Pistons the night before Brown was fired. As Detriot trailed by three, Jaden Ivey hit a three-pointer and was fouled by Kings guard De'Aaron Fox. Ivey hit the free throw to give Detroit the win, capping off a 19-point rally in the second half. After the game, Brown appeared to call out Fox postgame, albeit not by name: Mike Brown got himself fired after he threw De'Aaron Fox under the bus after the loss last night. pic.twitter.com/FJOZPko6DL On Friday, this video of Brown and Fox made the rounds on social media and had many speculating this was the two saying goodbye, which was apparently taken shortly before Brown's firing: This moment between Kings head coach Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox at today's practice will certainly be dissected and analyzed. pic.twitter.com/x6dYwZ1zf8 The Kings opened the season with +3500 odds to win the NBA Championship. But with stars like Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings seemingly had a shot to at least make it to the playoffs. Brown led the Kings to the first-round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006 in the 2022-23 season. Sacramento surprisingly went up 2-0 in the series against Golden State , but ultimately lost in seven games. Sacramento is no stranger to cycling through coaches. Since Rick Adelman was the head coach from 1998-2006, there have been zero Kings coaches who have lasted longer than three seasons. Sacramento has hired 10 coaches since 2006. Mike Brown contract The timing of Brown's firing is particularly interesting, given that the head coach signed a multiyear extension with the Kings in June. Brown's contract extension paid him $8.5 million annually through the 2026-27 season, making it a 3-year, $25.5 million deal that can be worth up to $30 million if incentives are hit. Brown's original 4-year contract with the Kings was slated to expire after the 2024-25 season. It sounds like the Kings fired Brown on Friday after he led the team through a full practice, and as it was set to board a plane to Los Angeles. The Sacramento Kings just fired Mike Brown right before the team boarded a flight to LA. He just ran a full practice and spent 15 minutes talking to the media. Just bad man. Bad bad bad. Brown even went through media availability shortly before his firing: Again, just minutes ago we spoke with Mike Brown for 15 minutes. Part of what he talked about was handling the pressure as the head coach of an underperforming team. Here was his answer minutes before being fired: pic.twitter.com/LvcZmUmeIN Per Charania, current Kings assistant Doug Christie and former Sacramento guard will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. This is a breaking news story that will be updated.

NEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked chess player is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for . Lamenting the contretemps, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement Sunday that he’d let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code. He said Carlsen’s stand — which culminated in his quitting the tournament Friday — highlighted a need for more discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” Carlsen, meanwhile, said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship when it begins Monday. “I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz — a fast-paced form of chess — and wanted fans to be able to watch, and that he was encouraged by his discussions with the federation after Friday’s showdown. “I think we sort of all want the same thing,” he suggested in the video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. “We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.” The events began when Carlsen wore jeans and a sportcoat Friday to the Rapid World Championship, which is separate from but held in conjunction with the blitz event. The chess federation said Friday that longstanding rules prohibit jeans at those tournaments, and players are lodged nearby to make sartorial switch-ups easy if needed. An official fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change pants, but he refused and wasn’t paired for a ninth-round game, the federation said at the time. The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed and continued to play. Carlsen has said that he offered to wear something else the next day, but officials were unyielding. He said “it became a bit of a matter of principle,” so he quit the rapid and blitz championships. In the video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he had indeed broken a rule and said changing clothes would have needlessly interrupted his concentration between games. He called the punishment “unbelievably harsh.” “Of course, I could have changed. Obviously, I didn’t want to,” he said, and “I stand by that.” Jennifer Peltz, The Associated PressTaoiseach Simon Harris said he also wanted to tell Nikita Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh, that her case had prompted an increase in women coming forward to ask for support. Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in the Irish capital on Friday. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,714.31). Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal against the decision. That post has since been deleted. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Harris said he told Ms Hand of the support she has from people across Ireland. “I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. “I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday – that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita’s bravery.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case has had a “profound effect” on the people the charity supports, and that over the first 10 days of the High Court case, calls to its national helpline increased by almost 20%. It said that first-time callers increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, and were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence who were distressed and anxious from the details of case and the views people had to it. Mr Harris said: “I wanted to speak with her and I wanted to wish her and her daughter, Freya, all the very best night, and I was very grateful to talk with Nikita today. “Her bravery, her courage, her voice has made a real difference in a country in which we must continue to work to get to zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. “I don’t want to say too much more, because conscious there could be further legal processes, but I absolutely want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her courage, for using her voice.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. She said: “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Mr Harris and Ms McEntee stressed the importance of the DPP’s independence on whether to prosecute. “There are obviously structures in place where the DPP can meet a victim and can outline to them their reasons for not taking the case,” Mr Harris said. “But there’s also always an opportunity for the DPP in any situation – and I speak broadly in relation to this – to review a decision, to consider any new information that may come to light, and I don’t want to say anything that may ever cut across the ongoing work of the DPP.” Ms McEntee stressed that there should “never be any political interference” in the independence of the DPP’s decisions. “I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs,” she said.

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panalo999 download app Bridge Defense Announces Strategic Investment in Federated ITThe Election Commission of India has announced the final results for all 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has emerged victorious, claiming 34 seats and marking a significant win in the region. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to secure 21 seats, coming in second, while Congress obtained 16 seats, further influencing the state's political landscape. The results demonstrate a diverse electorate with various parties making contributions. Smaller parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with four seats, and others like CPI(ML)(L), AJSU Party, LJPRV, JD(U), and JLKM capturing a seat each, add to the political mosaic of Jharkhand, indicating a dynamic and competitive political environment. (With inputs from agencies.)The decision by Georgia’s woke district attorney to prioritize political agendas over justice for 17-year-old Laken Riley is an affront to accountability. Instead of delivering the justice her grieving family deserves, Deborah Gonzalez, a George Soros-backed prosecutor, argued that pursuing harsher penalties could lead to “collateral consequences to undocumented defendants.” This twisted rationale sends a chilling message to criminals: Their actions carry little consequence. For Hispanics who value law and order, this decision is especially infuriating. As one of the nation’s fastest-growing, hardest-working communities, Hispanics overwhelmingly believe in justice, fairness and accountability. Many came to this country legally, enduring long waits and countless sacrifices, driven by the promise of an America where the rule of law reigns supreme. Woke prosecutors like Gonzalez betray these principles, putting political correctness over the safety and dignity of victims. This tragedy is not an isolated case. Across the nation, innocent lives are lost due to policies that prioritize shielding criminals over enforcing justice. Laken Riley’s murder follows a pattern seen in cases like Kathryn Steinle in California, killed by an illegal alien with multiple deportations, and Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa, whose life was stolen by another undocumented criminal . These names are not mere statistics — they are human beings, families devastated by preventable crimes. Instead of standing with victims, the radical Left and woke prosecutors create a two-tiered justice system. On one side are law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants who face the full weight of the law. On the other, criminals are shielded by the failed open-border policies of the Biden-Harris administration. This double standard undermines the very foundation of America’s justice system. The woke narrative has a devastating impact, especially on the Hispanic community. Sanctuary city policies protect predators who often victimize their neighbors, while weak border enforcement empowers drug cartels and human traffickers to wreak havoc on our families. In Massachusetts, ICE recently arrested two illegal immigrants charged with child rape, including one who was released at the U.S. border in 2022 and later found hiding in the state. These horrific incidents prove that weak immigration policies and lack of enforcement disproportionately harm the very communities woke leaders claim to protect. Yet, radical leaders refuse to take accountability. Even when tragedies like Laken Riley’s murder occur, Democrats like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their allies double down. They apologize not for the policies that allow criminals to enter and reenter the United States, but for using terms like “illegal immigrant” to describe those who break the law. This denial of reality shows a blatant disregard for victims, their families, and the rule of law . For many Hispanic families, this is personal. We know what is at stake because we have lived it. We came to America seeking a better life, not to see our neighborhoods plagued by lawlessness or our values dismissed by out-of-touch elites. Hard work, faith, family and justice are pillars of our community, and policies that sacrifice these principles for political agendas are unacceptable. The America First movement stands firm against this betrayal. We believe in securing the border , enforcing immigration laws and ensuring equal justice for all regardless of race, ethnicity or status. Upholding these principles honors the millions of immigrants who followed the rules to pursue the American dream and ensures a safe, prosperous future for all. The America First movement also offers hope and a clear path forward. President-elect Donald Trump and his administration will implement strong border security measures that prioritize the safety of our communities. Trump’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and closing loopholes will send a clear message: criminal behavior will not be tolerated, and the rule of law will be upheld. His leadership will ensure that law enforcement has the tools and support necessary to prevent tragedies like Laken Riley’s and to dismantle the networks of cartels and traffickers exploiting open-border policies. Democrat mayors who embrace sanctuary city policies have brought these problems into their own communities. By housing illegal aliens, diverting significant taxpayer dollars to provide them with assistance and refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement, they have turned their cities into magnets for crime and chaos. These policies have strained public services, endangered law-abiding citizens, and betrayed the hardworking families who play by the rules. Hispanics have united to say: “No more.” No more prioritizing criminals over victims. No more appeasing radical ideologies at the expense of justice. And no more allowing woke leaders to silence our voices and sacrifice our safety. By supporting strong leadership and America First policies, we will honor the legacy of victims like Laken Riley, protect the sacrifices of millions of legal immigrants, and secure the promise of America for generations to come. The time to act is now – because every life, every victim and every family deserves justice. Jorge Martinez serves as Hispanic outreach strategist and Spanish spokesperson for America First Works. He previously served as press secretary for the U.S. Department of Justice. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Syria's Assad: the president who led a bloody crackdownRed Sox new-look bullpen taking shape, but questions remain

Macron to name new French PM Friday after days of deadlockRuben Amorim said he has inherited a "difficult position" at and described his new side as "a massive club but not a massive team." Having racked up 20 top-flight titles, United are English football's most successful club, domestically. But their impressive history has not been mirrored by results on the pitch over the last decade. Amorim has arrived at Old Trafford with United, who haven't won the title since 2013, in the bottom half of the table and they head into Saturday's game six points behind opponents -- who were playing in the Championship as recently as 2022. "We're a massive club but we're not a massive team and we know it so it is no problem to say it," Amorim told a news conference on Friday. "Our players have to understand that it's a very difficult position. "We're not one of the best teams in the league and we have to say and think that clearly but our past, our club is maybe the best one in the league. "So here we have a problem and we have to focus on the little things and little details." Amorim has had little time on the training pitch since taking over from Erik ten Hag because of a packed fixture list. The 39-year-old has been careful to play down expectations while the squad gets to grips with a new tactical set-up. However, he insists one non-negotiable is the amount of effort put in by his players and warned them they had to "run like mad dogs" if they want to be successful. "I think the way we sprint back, the way we sprint forward, the way we fight, we have to be very clear with the team, this is the first point we have to address then the tactical and technical aspects come later," Amorim said. "What I see is that they're making an effort and there's a lot of room to improve. Changing that thing you can sometimes say is simple because it's just running but it's something in the head of the players. "If you want to win we have to do it. Even with the best starting XI on the planet without running they will not win anything, that is very clear. If we want to win the we have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to."

The Japanese car giants Nissan and Honda have signed a document to begin discussions that could potentially see the two companies merge. The heads of both brands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a non-binding agreement that could lead to the two companies partnering in order to exchange financial and technical support . Makoto Uchida, President of Nissan , noted that Mitsubishi Motors , who have been in a previous partnership with the company since 1999, will also be involved in talks. He explained: " Honda and Nissan have begun considering a business integration, and will study the creation of significant synergies between the two companies in a wide range of fields. "It is significant that Nissan's partner, Mitsubishi Motors, is also involved in these discussions. We anticipate that if this integration comes to fruition, we will be able to deliver even greater value to a wider customer base." Nissan and Mitsubishi have both been in an alliance with Renault Group for the past 25 years, with all three companies supporting one another to share a range of vehicle platforms, mechanicals, and technology. However, with Renault Group rumoured to have plans that can see their stake in Nissan reduced, the Japanese car companies have been actively seeking new partners in the next 12 months. Renault Group aknowledged the news, with a spokesperson stating that the French company will "consider all options based on the best interest of the Group and its stakeholders". Toshihiro Mibe, Director of Honda, stated that the new partnership could mark a huge change for the automotive industry and will therefore be discussed seriously. He added: "At this time of change in the automobile industry, which is said to occur once every 100 years, we hope that Mitsubishi Motors' participation in the business integration discussions of Nissan and Honda will lead to further social change, and that we will be able to become a leading company in creating new value in mobility through business integration. "Nissan and Honda will start the discussion from today onwards, with an aim to clarify the possibility of business integration by around the end of January in line with the consideration of Mitsubishi Motors." Whilst there is no guarantee that Honda and Nissan will merge under the new agreement, a number of motoring experts have stated that the partnership could create fierce competition from the rising Chinese car industry. In spite of both companies producing some models in the country, many brands unique to China are beginning to be exported to European nations, often at substantially lower prices than Western rivals. By sharing their technology, some have argued that the partnership could help to cut the cost of developing new vehicles, helping to reduce the overall price consumers will need to pay.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- The first woman to command Canada's military called out a U.S. senator on Saturday for questioning the role of women in combat. Gen. Jennie Carignan responded to comments made by Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch , the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was asked on Friday whether President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth , should retract comments that he believes men and women should not serve together in combat units . “I think it’s delusional for anybody to not agree that women in combat creates certain unique situations that have to be dealt with. I think the jury’s still out on how to do that," Risch said during a panel session at the Halifax International Security Forum on Friday. Carignan, Canada's chief of defense staff and the first woman to command the armed forces of any Group of 20 or Group of Seven country, took issue with those remarks during a panel session on Saturday. "If you’ll allow me, I would first like maybe to respond to Senator Risch’s statement yesterday about women in combat because I wouldn’t want anyone to leave this forum with this idea that women are a distraction to defense and national security," Carignan said. “After 39 years of career as a combat arms officer and risking my life in many operations across the world, I can’t believe that in 2024, we still have to justify the contribution of women to their defense and to their service, in their country. I wouldn’t want anyone to leave this forum with this idea that this is that it is some kind of social experiment.” Carignan said women have participating in combat for hundreds of years but have never been recognized for fighting for their country. She noted the women military personnel in the room. “All the women sitting here in uniform, stepping in, and deciding to get into harm’s way and fight for their country, need to be recognized for doing so," she said. “So again, this is the distraction, not the women themselves." Carignan received a standing ovation at the forum, which attracts defense and security officials from Western democracies. Hegseth has reignited a debate that many thought had been long settled: Should women be allowed to serve their country by fighting on the front lines? The former Fox News commentator made it clear, in his own book and in interviews, that he believes men and women should not serve together in combat units . If Hegseth is confirmed by the Senate, he could try to end the Pentagon’s nearly decade-old practice of making all combat jobs open to women. Hegseth’s remarks have generated a barrage of praise and condemnation. Carignan was promoted to the rank of general during the change-of-command ceremony this past summer, after being chosen by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to become Canada’s first female defense chief. Carignan is no stranger to firsts. She was also the first woman to command a combat unit in the Canadian military, and her career has included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Syria. For the last three years, she has been the chief of professional conduct and culture, a job created as a result of the sexual misconduct scandal in 2021. Her appointment this year comes as Canada continues to face criticism from NATO allies for not spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense. The Canadian government recently said that it would reach its NATO commitment by 2032. Risch said Friday Trump would laugh at Canada’s current military spending plans and said the country must do more.

Christopher Nolan’s next film is based on ‘The Odyssey’

BERKELEY, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Technology , a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company's HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions. To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4 "HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential," noted Lynia Huang , Bamboo Technology's CEO. "As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense." A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management's Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions. HereHear's YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear's 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers: YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months. Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a 'cute' aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human. Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market Bamboo Technology's acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support. Back in Taiwan , the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers. About Bamboo Technology Established in November 2018 , the Taipei -based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today's society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bamboo-technologys-herehear-virtual-ai-therapist-joins-berkeley-skydeck-ipp-program-302325187.html SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.

Willing to lead INDIA bloc if given opportunity: MamataSyrian President Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. After facing down nationwide protests demanding his ouster and an armed rebellion that he all but crushed, he had until this month taken back control of much of Syria in the civil war that began in 2011. Quiet in his demeanour, Assad is a political survivor who for years excelled in his alliance-building with Russia and Iran, and who knew just how to present himself as Syria's only viable leader in the face of the Islamist threat. But since November 27, an Islamist-led rebel offensive has wrested from Assad's control city after city, including Aleppo and Hama for the first time since 2011, leaving his grip on power severely under threat. Assad has cast himself as the protector of Syria's minorities, a bulwark against extremism and the sole possible purveyor of stability for the war-ravaged country. In multiple votes held over the years, conducted solely on government-held territory, he has taken the vast majority of the ballots, amid accusations from Western countries that the wartime elections were neither free nor fair. In appearance, whether in person or in the many portraits of him in the capital Damascus, Assad has typically eschewed military garb, opting instead for a sharp-cut business suit and sober tie. In official meetings, during interviews and even on the frontlines, the 59-year-old ophthalmologist by training conducts himself calmly and can almost appear timid. Behind the facade, however, is an astonishing ability to hold onto power amid multiple waves of violence and transformative change in Syria and the wider region. One journalist, who met with Assad on several occasions before and after war broke out in 2011, told AFP the president is a "unique and complex figure". "Each time I met him he was calm... even during the most difficult moments of the war," said the journalist, who declined to be named. Assad has "the same qualities" as his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly three decades until his death in 2000, the journalist said. "In politics, it's important to know how to shuffle cards, not just how to arrange them," he added. "Assad has mastered the shuffling game." Hafez al-Assad, head of the Syrian Baath Party, imposed in the country a secretive, paranoid regime where even the slightest suspicion of dissent could land one in jail or worse. Bashar al-Assad was never meant to become president, but his life changed radically when his older brother Bassel, who was being groomed to inherit power, was killed in a road accident in 1994. Bashar quit his studies in ophthalmology and left London, where he had met his wife, Asma, a British-Syrian and Sunni Muslim who worked for financial services firm JP Morgan. Back home, he took a course in military studies and was tutored in politics by his father. When the latter died, Bashar became president by referendum, running unopposed, then winning a second term in 2007. Sworn in at the age of 34, Assad was widely seen by Syrians pining for freedoms as a reformer, who could do away with years of repression and introduce economic liberalisation. In the early days, Assad would be seen driving his own car or having dinner at restaurants with his wife. He relaxed some of the heavy restrictions that existed under his father. But his initial image as a reformer quickly evaporated as authorities arrested and jailed academics, intellectuals and other members of what was then known as the Damascus Spring movement. When the Arab Spring reached Syria in March 2011, peaceful demonstrations broke out calling for change. Assad, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, responded by ordering a brutal crackdown on the protesters and civil war swiftly ensued. Throughout the war, which has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced half the population, Assad's position has not changed. He has been the subject of countless cartoons by dissident artists depicting him as a killer, not least in the aftermath of the 2013 chemical attacks on rebel bastions around Damascus. A Syrian researcher in Damascus, who asked to speak anonymously over security concerns, said: "Assad's personality played an undeniable role in his survival." His "persistence and rigour" were especially important in helping him "consolidate decision-making powers, and secure the army's full support", he added. Throughout the war, Assad has enjoyed military backing from staunch allies Iran and Russia, who helped him score a string of military victories. Since the start of the Islamist-led rebel offensive on November 27, Assad has echoed his long-held stance that the conflict in Syria is machinated from abroad. "The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West," Assad said on Monday. He is the father of three children. His wife, Asma, was dubbed a "rose in the desert" by Vogue magazine before the revolt. bur/ser/jhbShould Business Leaders Fear For Their Lives? What You're Not Hearing About the UnitedHealthcare CEO Tragedy.

Daily Post Nigeria CAF Awards 2024: Nnadozie battles Banda, Mssoudy for POTY Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Sport CAF Awards 2024: Nnadozie battles Banda, Mssoudy for POTY Published on December 12, 2024 By Mike Oyebola Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been named among the final nominees for the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year. Zambia forward Barbara Banda and Morocco’s Sanna Mssoudy are the other players nominated for the prestigious award. Nnadozie is also in contention for the Goalkeeper of the Year. The 24-year-old will be looking to succeed her compatriot, Asisat Oshoala, who won the award last year. Oshoala has won the award for a record six times. Nnadozie impressed for Nigeria at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Related Topics: Don't Miss UCL: Saka, Olise included as UEFA unveils Champions League team [Full list] You may like CAF Awards 2024: Okwuchukwu makes final shortlist for women’s young POTY CAF Awards 2024: Edo Queens battle TP Mazembe, AS FAR for Women’s Club of the Year Nnadozie targets WAFCON glory with Super Falcons CAF Awards 2024: Nnadozie makes women’s Player of the Year final shortlist CAF Awards 2024: Nnadozie, Okwuchukwu, Super Falcons in final shortlists France boss lauds Nnadozie despite victory over Super Falcons Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media LtdATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia," the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation's highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. "My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference," Carter once said. A president from Plains A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon's disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. "If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don't vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president," Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women's rights and America's global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter's electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 "White House Diary" that he could be "micromanaging" and "excessively autocratic," complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington's news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. "It didn't take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake," Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had "an inherent incompatibility" with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to "protect our nation's security and interests peacefully" and "enhance human rights here and abroad" — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. "I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia," Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. "I wanted a place where we could work." That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter's stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors. He went "where others are not treading," he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. "I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don't," Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton's White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America's approach to Israel with his 2006 book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center's many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee's 2002 Peace Prize cites his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. "The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place," he said. "The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect." 'An epic American life' Carter's globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little "Jimmy Carters," so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington's National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners. He acknowledged America's historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. "I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore," Stuart Eizenstat, Carter's domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. "He was not a great president" but also not the "hapless and weak" caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was "good and productive" and "delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office." Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton's secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat's forward that Carter was "consequential and successful" and expressed hope that "perceptions will continue to evolve" about his presidency. "Our country was lucky to have him as our leader," said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for "an epic American life" spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. "He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history," Alter told The Associated Press. A small-town start James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter's political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery's tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian, would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it "inconceivable" not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. "My wife is much more political," Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn't long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist "Dixiecrats" as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as "Cufflinks Carl." Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. "I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over," he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. 'Jimmy Who?' His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader's home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats' national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: "Jimmy Who?" The Carters and a "Peanut Brigade" of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter's ability to navigate America's complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared "born-again Christian," Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he "had looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times." The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC's new "Saturday Night Live" show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter "Fritz" Mondale as his running mate on a "Grits and Fritz" ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady's office. Mondale's governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname "Jimmy" even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band's "Hail to the Chief." They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington's social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that "he hated politics," according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Accomplishments, and 'malaise' Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation's second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon's opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn't immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his "malaise" speech, although he didn't use that word. He declared the nation was suffering "a crisis of confidence." By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he'd "kick his ass," but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with "make America great again" appeals and asking voters whether they were "better off than you were four years ago." Reagan further capitalized on Carter's lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: "There you go again." Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages' freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. 'A wonderful life' At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with "no idea what I would do with the rest of my life." Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. "I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything," Carter told the AP in 2021. "But it's turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years." Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. "I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," he said in 2015. "I've had a wonderful life. I've had thousands of friends, I've had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence." ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.

Jimmy Carter , the 39th President of the United States, has died at 100. The longest-living president in U.S. history died almost two years after entering hospice care in his Georgia home in lieu of continued medical intervention for his various health issues. Carter was a one-term but popular president, holding office from 1977-1981, and was unseated by Ronald Reagan. The former Commander in Chief’s nonprofit organization announced he was entering hospice care in February 2023. “After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the February 18 Twitter announcement read. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.” Carter had undergone multiple hospital stints in recent years for various health issues, such as melanoma and several falls. On August 2, 2015, Carter underwent surgery to remove a small cancerous mass in his liver, and he recovered easily. However, the procedure revealed further health complications. On August 11, 2015, it was announced that the cancer had spread to other parts of Carter’s body. In an August 20, 2015 press conference, his doctor revealed the melanoma had spread to four parts of his brain. The politician-turned-humanitarian had a history of cancer in his family. Carter’s parents and three siblings (two sisters and a brother) all died of different forms of cancer. His mother died of breast cancer; his father and siblings all died of pancreatic cancer. Age 90 at the time of his melanoma diagnosis, Carter believed he was nearing the end of his life but was at peace. “I just thought I had a few weeks left, but I was surprisingly at ease,” he said at the time, per ABC News . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I have thousands of friends...so I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was.” The former president underwent treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy) to “extend” his life as much as possible. The treatment was successful, with Carter announcing in March 2016 that doctors stopped his treatment. Carter was hospitalized again the next year for dehydration due to building homes for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg, Canada. He was back at work on the homes the next day after some hours of observation. In May 2019, Carter broke his hip in a fall on his way out of his Plains, Georgia, home to go turkey hunting. He had a hip replacement a few days later and suffered another fall in October 2016, needing stitches over one of his eyebrows. In November 2019, he underwent surgery to address pressure in his brain caused by bleeding from the falls and recovered fine. Carter first served as a Georgia senator from 1963 to 1967 and then served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He beat incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election. The 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner sought to make the government “competent and compassionate” during his tenure. His accomplishments as president include creating the Department of Education, bolstering the Social Security system, hiring a record number of minority groups in government jobs, and protecting/improving the environment. Part of that effort was successfully adding 103 million acres of Alaskan land to the national park system. Carter was determined to see the U.S. switch from fossil fuel to clean energy with renewable resources. To that end, he had 32 solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing in the summer of 1979, hoping to set an example for the future of renewable energy. The panels were used for seven years before Reagan had them removed. While he had notable accomplishments, rising energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions made it difficult for Carter to meet the high expectations he set for his administration. He shepherded in nearly eight million new jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit (per WhiteHouse.org ), but near record-high inflation and interest rates of the time, and the efforts to fix them, triggered a short recession in the economy. In foreign affairs, Carter led the Camp David Accords in 1978, a political agreement between Egypt and Israel reached through 12 days of secret negotiations at the President’s Maryland country retreat. His focus on human rights didn’t sit well with the leaders of the Soviet Union and some other nations. He obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, set up diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and finished the negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. Born James Earl Carter, Jr. on October 1, 1924, Carter’s family ran a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. Talk of politics and his Baptist faith were tenets of his childhood. He graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946, serving seven years as a naval officer. Carter married his wife, Rosalynn Carter — who died in November 2023 — after graduating from the Academy in 1946. They share three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn. Carter became a career politician in 1962 when elected to the Georgia State Senate. After his presidency, Carter focused his public efforts on humanitarian aid. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” More Headlines:

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WASHINGTON — With Congress set to adjourn on Dec. 20, Maryland is running short of time and legislative options to achieve top priorities, as an essential bill faces some opposition. House Republicans are raising concerns about legislation Maryland likely needs to ensure the federal government pays the full cost of replacing the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge . The Maryland delegation is working to obtain a bridge funding commitment and complete a deal with the NFL’s Washington Commanders , ensuring the area around the team’s Prince George’s County stadium can be redeveloped if the club relocates to the District of Columbia. Also entangled in ongoing House and Senate negotiations is Maryland’s request to receive one of Washington’s two Air National Guard squadrons . Maryland has been trying to persuade the Air Force to preserve a flight mission in the state because the military is phasing out its A-10 “Warthog” attack aircraft, and no aircraft was designated to replace them. The key to all three of Maryland’s federal priorities appears to lie in legislation called a continuing resolution, or CR, a catch-all funding bill stuffed with amendments that is necessary to keep the government running after Dec. 20. House Republicans, particularly the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus — led by Republican Maryland representative Andy Harris — have raised concerns about the CR’s potential cost. “Congressman Harris believes the Key Bridge should be funded — but with a $2 trillion annual deficit left from the Biden administration, we should look to offset any cost with savings elsewhere,” Harris’ office said in a statement Thursday to The Baltimore Sun. Talks about the measure are continuing, the statement said. As adjournment approaches, lawmakers often look for such vehicles — typically larger pieces of legislation headed for passage — on which to attach amendments that have not been approved as standalone bills. “Time is short,” Sue Walitsky, the spokesperson for Democrat Ben Cardin, Maryland’s senior senator, said Thursday. “There are many priority issues for Maryland that need to get over the finish line before the end of Congress.” In Maryland’s case, lawmakers say the CR may include the 100% bridge commitment, the transfer of the D.C. squadron, and language giving Washington control of the federally owned land on which the Commanders played games at RFK Stadium before moving to Maryland. That control would ease the path of a potential Commanders move back to D.C. “All negotiations are now revolving around the CR,” said Francesca Amodeo, the spokesperson for Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. The Commanders and Washington elected officials have long expressed interest in the team returning to the D.C., where the team played until 1997. Van Hollen and Cardin have expressed concern that opening up the RFK site to the team would give the District an unfair advantage over Maryland in the franchise’s ultimate decision to relocate. But the senators have not ruled out supporting the RFK Stadium site legislation if they are convinced the Landover area will be redeveloped with the help of the team. The bridge funding request is part of a larger disaster relief measure that has not yet passed. In March, a container ship struck and knocked down the bridge, killing six construction workers and temporarily choking commerce to the Port of Baltimore by blocking the shipping channel. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has visited the bridge site and pledged multiple times that the federal government would pay the full cost of replacement. While members of Congress of both parties have been publicly supportive of a new Baltimore bridge, some have expressed sticker shock at the cost, estimated between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion. “Congress should not pass a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill — that Democrats will use to cement their own unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrat control in Washington right before Republicans take control of the White House and both Chambers,” the Freedom Caucus said recently in a statement. Bridge funding proponents have said their request is for authorization — not a specific funding amount — for the government to fully pay for bridge replacement. Federal highways are generally funded with 90% federal money and 10% from the state level, but the White House has said a 100% percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge is consistent with the response to past bridge collapses. The Key Bridge carried about 34,000 vehicles a day. In April, Maryland lawmakers introduced a bill specifying that the federal portion of emergency relief funds for the “bridge and its approaches shall be 100 percent.” It mandates that any money recouped from insurance or liability payments be used to help offset the federal payments. ©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.LOS ANGELES — When Mark Delgado made his MLS debut, he was just 17 and even he acknowledges his approach to soccer was unsophisticated. "Just being a young kid and running around," he said. Fortunately for Delgado, his team, the now-defunct Chivas USA, had a rookie assistant coach named Greg Vanney. And while Vanney could do little for the unfocused teenager in their season together, he remembered Delgado and made him the first player he acquired after taking over as manager of Toronto FC in 2014. Seven years later, after moving to the Galaxy, Vanney spent $500,000 on another reunion with Delgado, who this season notched career highs for games (32), starts (29) and assists (nine, including two in the playoffs). And with playmaker Riqui Puig sidelined because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Delgado figures to play an even bigger role in Saturday's MLS Cup final with the New York Red Bulls at Dignity Health Sports Park. And for that he has the coach to thank — not just for the faith in him, but also for the mentoring Vanney has done along the way, taking Delgado from a talented if wild teenager and molding him into a player and person so stable and disciplined that the coach called him "the great balancer." "To really talk things out with Greg and really study film, I became more of a thinker, right?" said Delgado, 29. "I guess you can say it's gained his trust. Eventually things worked out." Delgado is not the only player who has benefited from a relationship with Vanney. In fact, for all the attention the coach's technical and strategic acumen has received, those personal connections off the field have become an equally important factor in what has been one of the greatest turnarounds in MLS history. After winning just eight games and finishing 13th in a 14-team conference a year ago, the Galaxy will play for their sixth MLS title. After winning just two playoff games in the last eight seasons, the Galaxy have won twice that many in the last six weeks. A franchise even its own fans had given up on 19 months ago is 90 minutes away from being the best in the world's largest first-division league. And Vanney is getting much of the credit for that. "He is the reason why I came here," said forward Dejan Joveljic, who joined the Galaxy halfway through Vanney's first season in L.A. and leads the team with 20 MLS goals this year. "Of course he's a good coach. But first of all, he's a very real gentleman and I appreciate him." "He's really like a father," added winger Joseph Paintsil, who left Belgium for the Galaxy in January. "We don't need a coach who shouts and makes you angry and mad. He always comes to you as his own son to discuss with you patiently and calmly. That has really given me confidence." Vanney said his mother, Jeanette, who taught kindergarten for four decades, instilled those traits in him. "My mom was super nurturing. She was such a loving person," Vanney said. "My dad was super intense. Hard-working athletic director, former college football player. He had a fiery personality. My mom was always just very calm." Yet despite their conflicting personalities, Bill and Jeanette were married for 53 years before Jeanette died at 69, eight months before her son won his first MLS Cup as a coach with Toronto in 2017. "I feel like I have both sides of them," Vanney said. Which is to say he too can be fiery. But it's not his first option, nor his most successful one. "That my-way-or-the-highway [approach] is gone," said Dan Calichman, a teammate of Vanney's on the inaugural Galaxy roster in 1996 and his top assistant for the last decade in Toronto and Los Angeles. "We motivate and we get on these guys, but it's just so much more respectful, it's so much more valuing their knowledge. "When a player feels like he's listened to, you get the buy-in." For Vanney, it's not about coaching players. It's about coaching the holy trinity that makes up each player. "Philosophically, the way I see it, every player is actually three parts," he said, holding up both hands to tick through the traits he finds significant. "There's the person, there's the player and then there's the competitor. If you can connect with a person, they will trust you and you can drive them as much as you need to get the best out of them. If they don't think you're doing it for the right reasons and for their best interest, at some point they cut you out. "If you're a good coach and your vision matters and you care about the person, you can teach them. But I believe the most important part of that is being genuine and connecting with the person. That establishes the trust you need to really coach." That approach has worked for Vanney, whose 141 victories in 9 1/2 seasons tied him for fourth among active coaches at the end of this season. Saturday's MLS Cup final will mark his fourth appearance in the championship game; in the last quarter-century, no coach has been there more often. His 69.6% winning percentage in 23 playoffs games in second to LAFC's Steven Cherundolo, who has managed half as many games, and if the Galaxy win, Vanney will become the fourth coach in league history to win championships with two different teams. But that success wasn't the only thing that brought him back to the Galaxy. After taking Toronto to the MLS Cup final three times in four seasons, winning the only treble in league history in 2017, Vanney started to feel the club, which had a new general manager and new president, had no clear vision for the future. So despite agreeing to a contract extension late in the 2020 season, he asked out of the deal. Conversations quickly began with the Galaxy, who a month earlier had fired Guillermo Barros Schelotto, their fourth coach in as many seasons. For both sides it was a perfect fit: The rudderless Galaxy, once perennial contenders, had made just one playoff appearance in four seasons and needed stability and a proven winner while Vanney would be returning to a club whose culture he understood, having played on the first trophy-winning team in 1998. "I always wanted to come back here," said Vanney, who played three years at UCLA before signing with the Galaxy ahead of the club's inaugural season. "This has always kind of been my club, the club [to which] I felt the most attached." But the team he returned to wasn't the one he started with. In his first six seasons with the Galaxy, the team finished first in the conference four times, won Supporters' Shield, U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League titles and played in three MLS Cup finals. In the four seasons before he came back, the Galaxy lost more games than they won, finished in the bottom half of the league table three times and made the playoffs just once. "I personally have an expectation for what the Galaxy should look like," Vanney said. "It's hard to me to see the Galaxy struggling. That's not where the Galaxy should be." The rebuild, however, was not easy. When Vanney arrived he found the team didn't have much of a sports science staff or scouting department and the academy program had been allowed to wither. Then, at the end of his first season, general manager Dennis te Kloese departed, leaving Vanney to assume his duties as well. It proved to be too much. When Vanney took the job, he had outlined a three-year plan to return the Galaxy to prominence, yet his third season was one of the worst ever, with the team winning a franchise-low eight games and giving up a franchise-high 67 goals. Along the way there was a fan boycott, the team's longtime president was fired and, for the first time, the Galaxy's leading scorer finished with fewer than eight goals. "It was embarrassing," captain Maya Yoshida said. And Yoshida was with the Galaxy for only the final three months of the turmoil. Questions were raised about whether Vanney, who was entering the final year of his contract, was still the right man for the job. So after the season mercifully ended, the coach met with Dan Beckerman, the chief executive and president of AEG, the Galaxy's parent company, and asked for help. "I said I can't do all of these things," Vanney recounted of the conversation. "I really like working with a really good GM. It's two completely different sports when you are signing players and working with agents and getting those players across the finish line and then working with those players and making them fit together on the field. "I want a GM who's challenging me to be better and asking the right questions and giving me ideas to think about. I don't know everything." Beckerman agreed and Will Kuntz, whom Vanney had hired in April as the senior vice president of player personnel, was promoted to general manager in December. When the Galaxy took the field for the first time in February, nine of the 15 players Vanney used in a season-opening draw with Inter Miami had been signed by Kuntz. Both men say the process has been a collaborative one that begins with Vanney settling on the profile of the players he wants and Kuntz and the scouting department Vanney developed scouring the globe to find them. "The dialogue always has to be there, or else you end up with pieces that don't fit," Vanney said. "Will couldn't coach the team. That's not his strength. I couldn't get anyone signed. That's not my strength. The beauty is the collaboration of the different departments. That to me is what a club is." But even after providing Vanney with what he wanted — spending a club-record $20.7 million on transfer fees for Paintsil, Gabriel Pec and Miki Yamane in just seven weeks — Kuntz figured it would take time to turn those players into a team. Instead, the Galaxy matched modern-era club records with 19 wins and 69 goals this season, were unbeaten at Dignity Health Sports Park and became the first team since 2008 to go from eight victories to the MLS Cup final in one season. "I didn't see this coming this soon. And that's all Greg," Kuntz said. "The more pieces you add to a team, the harder it is. The fact that you can do a complete squad transformation and get everyone to jell, it's very rare." Rarer still is the way Vanney had been able to use the nurturing skills his kindergarten-teacher mother taught him to get the most out of those new players. Like Pec, 23, who came to MLS from Brazil's Vasco da Gama, where he played as a wide winger in a rigid system that left little room for improvisation. With the Galaxy, Vanney encouraged him to move closer to the penalty area, take chances and play with the freedom he did on the playground. The result? Sixteen goals and 14 assists, making him the youngest players in club history to record 30 goal contributions in one season. "Everyone was really trusting, believing that I could do it," Pec said through a translator. "That gave me so much joy that I could show who I was. What we are seeing, it's Gabriel when I was a kid. It was inside me but it was asleep. [Vanney] has brought this back and suddenly I'm awake." And so, after seven seasons in hibernation, are the Galaxy. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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