MAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 elections. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said. Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other detainees. “A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael. “They (protesters) were making noise, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee. He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to authorities and for the population to be informed about the fugitives. Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again. In one video, a prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held n the disciplinary section of the prison and was released by other inmates.
Hospitality VAT reduction is quick fix but can’t be only solution, says top hotelier as industry facing ‘difficult time’Art Evans, an actor renowned for his roles in “A Soldier’s Story” and “Die Hard 2,” has died at the age of 82 due to complications arising from a yearslong battle with diabetes. “My beloved transitioned on Saturday, December 21, 2024,” she wrote. “I’m devastated beyond the moon but I am so appreciative of the beautiful life we shared.” Born on March 27, 1942, in Berkeley, California, the acclaimed film and stage performer’s career spanned over five decades. “His laughter, passion, and love of life will be deeply missed. While our hearts are heavy, we celebrate the legacy of joy and inspiration he leaves behind.” After studying drama at the Los Angeles-based theater company the Theatre of Being, Art Evans later acted in a Broadway production of “The Amen Corner” in 1965. Throughout the 1970s, the actor appeared in more than a dozen film and television roles, including “Amazing Grace” (1974), “Chico and the Man” (1976), “Big Time” (1977), “Youngblood” (1978), and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1979). Evans landed his breakout role in 1984, portraying Private Wilkie in the war drama “A Soldier’s Story,” starring alongside actors Denzel Washington, Adolph Caesar, and David Alan Grier. The film was nominated for “Best Motion Picture” at the Golden Globes the following year. In 1990, the actor starred in the Bruce Willis-led thriller “Die Hard 2,” playing Leslie Barnes, an air traffic controller who helps Willis’s character, John McClane, thwart a terrorist attack. In a statement posted to Instagram, the streaming service HBCU+ said Evans “shined as an outstanding performer through the years.” “I always loved seeing Art on the red carpet,” added Pennacchio. “He was always just so nice and fun to interview. May he R.I.P.” Actress and comedian Dahéli Hall also posted a tribute online, noting that she felt honored to have been a part of Evans’s life. “Don’t worry, Uncle Art, your Babe will always be loved and cared for and I will continue to bring her joy and laughter—rest until we meet again.”
BUDGET SCRUTINY President Marcos leads the scrutiny of the proposed 2025 national budget with key Cabinet officials at Malacañang. With him are Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. —Presidential Communications Office MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos will sign the P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 into law on Dec. 30 after his scheduled events for Rizal Day—avoiding the likelihood of a reenacted budget for the first few months of 2025, Malacañang announced on Tuesday. The Palace confirmed what the President’s elder sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, had earlier disclosed—the scheduled enactment of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). “Signing on 30 December 2024 after the Rizal Day events,” said Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez in a message to Malacañang reporters. The day before, the President’s sister told reporters that her brother would be enacting the 2025 budget in ceremonies at Malacañang at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 30. The President usually leads the early morning flag-raising and wreath-laying rites at Rizal Monument in Manila on Dec. 30, Rizal Day—which commemorates the 1896 martyrdom of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. The enactment of next year’s national budget will avert the possibility that the government would be running on a reenacted budget during the early part of 2025. A reenacted budget will impede the implementation of new programs or projects, given that there would be a lack of enacted appropriations. In the past few days, Marcos has been constantly sitting down in meetings with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and his economic managers to meticulously review the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget passed by Congress. He said last week that they would thoroughly scrutinize next year’s spending plan “item by item, line by line” for projects that were not part of the government’s original National Expenditure Program but were included as “insertions” in the national budget bill. He thumbed down the option of returning the measure to the congressional bicameral conference committee for revisions. Marcos said he would exercise his veto power on certain line items and provisions that were not priorities and could be deferred. Chavez’s announcement of the scheduled signing of the budget bill did not mention what specific items would be vetoed. Critics previously slammed Congress’ final version of the 2025 national budget, which included massive cuts on several public services like P86 billion from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, P74.5 billion from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and P12 billion from the Department of Education. Also criticized was the P26 billion for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita, a dole out program for the “near poor” suspiciously timed for an election year. There were also questions about the need for an additional P289 billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which gave the agency a whopping P1.1-trillion budget for 2025. The 1987 Constitution authorizes the President to exercise his veto powers on line items in an appropriation, revenue, or tariff bill—but Congress may reconsider the veto by a vote of two-thirds of all House members. Senator Marcos was not amused by the timing of the signing of the budget bill amid the public uproar over certain provisions of the government’s annual outlay. “Like a thief on the night before New Year!” Marcos said in a Viber message on Tuesday, mistaking Dec. 30 for New Year’s Eve, which is on Dec. 31. One of the cuts the President should make was on the DPWH allocation, the senator said. She said at least P188 billion should be slashed from the DPWH so that the spending bill would comply with the 1987 Constitution, which gives education the biggest slice of the budget. The senator had earlier pointed out that the ratified version of the GAB contravened the Charter as it set aside P925 billion to the education sector, smaller than the public works budget. Section 5, Article XIV of the Constitution mandates the government to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education.” “Unless they have a different way of computing budgetary allocation for education, the (DPWH’s) budget should be reduced by at least P188 billion so as not to violate the Constitution,” she said. That amount could be “rewards in the unprogrammed appropriations for the ‘old ye faithful,’” she added without elaborating. The President’s sister, who did not vote against the budget measure despite her criticisms, reiterated that the unprogrammed allotments may only be released upon the availability of “excess income or if there are new sources of funds.” As for government projects financed by foreign loans, she said only the “loan proceeds component of the project can be released.” “Also, if the President does line-item veto, they cannot use the appropriations of the items vetoed to fund or augment other items in the budget,” Marcos said, repeating what other lawmakers had been saying. “They will have less projects to fund, which may translate to a [budget] deficit lower than what was originally programmed,” she added. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . This could be a “good or [a] bad thing, depending on who’s counting,” according to her.
TEHRAN – The Iranian president has commended the Ministry of Intelligence for its pivotal role in protecting national security, emphasizing that external threats will not weaken Iran's resolve. Speaking during a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the ministry's establishment, Masoud Pezeshkian lauded the often-unseen efforts of its staff and leadership, highlighting their spiritual and moral dedication. "Unity among the people is the key to our strength," Pezeshkian stated. "When the public is aligned with national goals, no external power can destabilize us, and we can effectively address any challenges that come our way." "Foreign adversaries cannot bring us to our knees. We will continue to move forward with strength and determination," the president said.EAST LANSING, Mich. — The sight was a common one for Andrew Kolpacki. For many a Sunday, he would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed at the tops of their lungs. When the NCAA's playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State's head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans' QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem. "There had to be some sort of solution," he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school's Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder. Kolpacki "showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, 'Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?" Bush said. "And I said, 'Oh, absolutely.'" Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style. Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section. "I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride," DuBois said. "And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field." All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they're getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development. XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works. "We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn't forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football," Klosterman said. "We've now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend." The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it's typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet. Chiles "likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure," Kolpacki said. Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. "The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues," Kolpacki said. "It can be just deafening," he said. "That's what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off." Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a "win-win-win" for everyone. "It's exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team," she said. "I think it's really exciting for our students as well to take what they've learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed." Get local news delivered to your inbox!SAN ANTONIO — Colorado secured what it said was record insurance coverage for quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter as the star duo opted to complete their college careers in the Alamo Bowl rather than sit out and prepare for the NFL draft. Colorado would not disclose the amount of insurance coverage each received, citing privacy laws. Coach Deion Sanders and athletic director Rick George both said it was the largest in college football history. "We happen to have two players that are probably going to be the first two picks of the NFL draft," Sanders said Monday. "We all know who those two are and they have received, I think, the highest number of coverage that has ever been covered in college football. It far exceeds anyone that has ever played this game of college football." While college programs maintain insurance policies for their athletes in case of injury, Colorado increased disability coverage for its entire roster in the Alamo Bowl. Sanders, the coach of the No. 20 Buffaloes, ensured his QB son and two-way star Hunter received larger policies since both are expected to be among the top 10 selections in the upcoming NFL draft. "It was his idea we should get disability insurance for our athletes for this game to ensure that they played and if there was some kind of injury that they would be well taken care of," George said. "So, we worked together on that. We're excited about it. We think it's great that all our players are playing in the game. That's what all bowl games should be like." Colorado (9-3, No. 23 CFP) will face the 17th-ranked BYU Cougars (10-2, No. 17 CFP) in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday. While most teams are scrambling with starters opting out of bowl games this year to enter the transfer portal or NFL draft, the Buffaloes did not lose any player on their two-deep roster. "It's more than what I got (when he played at Kansas State)," Colorado linebackers coach Andre' Hart said. "They gave us a helmet and said pop this on your leg and get out there and play. For them to get that (increased insurance coverage), I just think it's beneficial. To talk about where the game is, where it's going and how leadership is taking care of the players, I thought that's excellent." Shedeur Sanders completed 337 of 454 passes for 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. Many scouting services have Sanders rated as the top quarterback in this year's draft. Hunter received the Heisman Trophy as a two-way standout at cornerback and wide receiver. He had 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns and as a cornerback had four interceptions, broke up 11 passes and limited the opposition to 22 receptions on 688 defensive snaps. "They've taken care of us, everybody," Colorado running back Micah Welch said. "It really means a lot to have every teammate up here. That's a big thing. What I like about Coach Prime, they're taking care of us." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Article content Every Christmas, John Tavares thinks of Ottawa. The last days of 2008, to be specific, and the first few of 2009. It soon will be 16 years since Tavares helped lead Canada to a gold medal at the world junior hockey championship, a triumph that was marked by Jordan Eberle’s stunning tying goal against Russia in the semifinals and Canada’s 5-1 romp over Sweden for gold. Tavares, whose work along the boards helped led to the goal by Eberle, was second in tournament scoring with 15 points, one behind Canada teammate Cody Hodgson, and was named most valuable player in the event. That came a year after Tavares helped Canada win world-junior gold in the Czech Republic. “I remember the atmosphere in Ottawa was absolutely tremendous,” Tavares told the Toronto Sun before the Maple Leafs began their three-day Christmas break. “A few games were pretty remarkable in how they unfolded. And that’s what makes the world junior great, is the unpredictability, the type of atmosphere, especially when it’s played in Canada. “Classics — it’s amazing how many classic hockey games have been played in those circumstances with what’s at stake.” Canada’s games in Group A at the 2025 world junior in Ottawa get underway on Thursday against Finland. Next comes Latvia on Friday and Germany on Sunday before Canada meets its arch-rival on New Year’s Eve, the United States, at 8 p.m. Tavares, naturally, will be paying close attention to what Easton Cowan does for Canada. Cowan and Czech forward Miroslav Holinka, a fifth-round pick by Toronto in 2024, are the lone Leafs prospects taking part in Ottawa. Holinka, a centre, has 21 points in 23 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League. Cowan is riding a 56-game point streak with the London Knights and as a returning player on the national team, will be expected to help carry much of the load on offence. It’s his second attempt at world-junior gold, as he was on the Canadian team last year that lost to the Czechs in the quarterfinals in Sweden. “It’s incredible talent, young players who are going through a lot and taking the next step,” Tavares said. “Wishing him nothing but the best. “I know my boys (sons Jace and Axton) will be really excited to watch the tournament and excited for him as they got to know him a little bit during the summer. We’re thrilled and really hope they bring home gold.” The majority of Leafs on the current roster participated in the world junior, and their experiences run a full range. Max Domi played a major role in Canada’s win in Toronto in 2015 and was named the top forward in the tournament in after he had 10 points in 11 games. A year later in Helsinki, Auston Matthews tied for the U.S. scoring lead with Matthew Tkachuk with 11 points each and was named to the tournament all-star team. Oddly, Matthews didn’t have a point in the bronze-medal game, despite the Americans’ 8-3 domination against Sweden. William Nylander suffered an upper-body injury for Sweden that year and played in just one game. Mitch Marner wouldn’t have fond memories of the 2016 event either, as Canada finished sixth after losing to Finland in the quarterfinals. The future Leafs superstar tied with Dylan Strome for the Canada scoring lead with six points each. Morgan Rielly was on the 2013 team that finished fourth in Ufa, Russia, a disappointing end for Canada considering National Hockey League players were locked out and countries had all junior-aged players available. The outcome was a lot more enjoyable for Jake McCabe, who was the captain of the U.S. team that beat Sweden for the gold medal. McCabe was named to the tournament all-star team. Joseph Woll was the backup on the 2017 U.S. team that beat Canada in the gold-medal final in a shootout in Montreal; a year later in Buffalo, Conor Timmins was on the ice for all three of Canada’s goals in a 3-1 win against Sweden in the gold-medal game. For Tavares, the chance to play for Pat Quinn in 2009 in Ottawa was a career highlight. Quinn, who passed away in 2014, coached Canada’s under-18 team to gold the year before he was named coach of the national junior team. “I grew up watching him coach the Leafs and then I got to have him as a coach in that stage and that event, and he was fantastic,” Tavares said. “It was amazing the way he kept us all under control, he was level-headed and he had a great sense of humour as well. I always remember that about him. “At that age, to have someone so accomplished as a player and as a coach, someone you looked up to, I’m very grateful for that experience with him.” If Tavares gets a chance to send a text of encouragement to Cowan, it sounded like he would know what he would say to the 19-year-old about the opportunity to play in Canada in the world junior. “Enjoy each and every second of it,” Tavares said. “It’s a great tradition we have in Canada and how much we love the tournament, the way people take to it. “I can only imagine — well, I know what it’s like — and I’m excited for those guys just because it’s a really special event and to do it on home soil is even better.” tkoshan@postmedia.com X: @koshtorontosun
Dover Corp. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsWith the TSX Index in retreat mode, many Canadian bargain hunters may have an opportunity to snag a name before the new year arrives. Undoubtedly, it’s not hard to imagine that much of the recent selling activity is due to tax-loss selling. And while it’s vital for investors to temper their return expectations for the new year (another year of high double-digit gains may not be the in cards), I think it makes sense to pick up the value plays as they fly by your radar. Like it or not, such value plays could become scarcer should no stock market correction hit in the first quarter of 2025. Either way, the weak Canadian dollar and sagging TSX Index, I believe, make it a great time to top up any positions as the TSX Index looks to shrug off recent woes that may already be priced in. Whether we’re talking tariff threats or a potential pause from the Bank of Canada should they decide to follow in the footsteps of the U.S. Federal Reserve, it’s an uneasy start to the holiday season. TFSA top-up time is just around the corner In this piece, we’ll check out two interesting value options for (Tax-Free Savings Account) investors who still haven’t yet put their 2024 contribution to work. Indeed, the end of the year is upon us, and with that, investors will have another opportunity to top up their TFSAs with another $7,000. Though it’s a rather uneasy time to be putting new money to work, I think the latest TSX trip-up is more of a buying opportunity than a sign that it’s time to take some profits off the table after an amazing year of gains for Canadian investors. At this juncture, I’d opt to be a bit more selective with stocks, given the TSX Index includes a mix of fairly valued names with some more neglected deep-value plays. Here’s one of the richer value options as we near the end of the year. Bank of Nova Scotia ( ) is a great Canadian bank stock to check out for the holidays. The stock is just starting to dip after a robust run off its August lows. At just north of 13 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E), with a 5.31% dividend yield, I continue to view BNS stock as one of the relative value plays in the Canadian financial scene. With a recent investment in a U.S. bank, I view Bank of Nova Scotia as having a significant growth runway south of the border. Indeed, the Bank of Nova Scotia is known by many as the most internationally focused of the Big Six banks. As it looks to expand just south of the border, I think the stock is deserving of some multiple expansion, especially as the Trump administration looks to deregulate some aspects of the banking industry. Personally, I think Bank of Nova Scotia has picked the perfect time to explore opportunities in the U.S. market. Over the next decade and beyond, look for the name to gain ground on some of its bigger brothers in the Big Six as its U.S. investments look to pay off.
Make beef tenderloin for that holiday feastIt was not the Wright Brothers but an Indian sage who invented flying, Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel said on Thursday, igniting a controversy involving facts and history as the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader sought new education to students over these aspects. “Students should be told about how Wright Brothers are being wrongly credited for developing an airplane,” Patel declared during her first media interaction after completing five years in office. She asserted that ancient sage Maharishi Bharadwaj developed aviation technology first — a claim that contradicts records of Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first sustained, controlled, powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. The governor ventured further by describing Kumbhakarna, a character from the Hindu epic Ramayana, as “a technocrat who did not sleep for six months and instead worked in laboratories during the period.” This interpretation markedly differs from traditional religious texts, which portray Kumbhakarna as a mythological figure who slept for six-month intervals due to a divine boon or curse. These assertions follow her remarks at Lucknow University’s 66th convocation ceremony on December 6, 2023, where she elaborated on ancient Indian aviation. “Maharishi Bharadwaj’s Ashram, which still exists in Prayagraj, and his Yantra Sarvasva, called the encyclopaedia of machines, of which the Vymaanika Shastra is a part, revealed eight types of airplanes,” Patel, a former Gujarat CM, said. Scholars have noted that the Vymaanika Shastra, frequently cited in discussions of ancient aviation, was actually authored in the early 20th century and published in 1952 by G.R. Josyer. “Shivkar Bapuji Talpade, a resident of Mumbai, developed the first model of airplane eight years ahead of Wright Brothers... Talpade’s flew his airplane at a height of 1,800 feet,” Patel added. Talpade attempted to build an aircraft and fly it, too, is regarded as unverified with no reliable records. Patel, who took oath at Raj Bhavan on July 29, 2019, made these statements during her first comprehensive media interaction after completing five years in office.
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