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Zelensky demands response from allies as Putin threatens West with new missile
RapDev Named One of North America's Fastest-Growing Tech Companies on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List
MALAGA, Spain (AP) — The last man to face — and beat — Rafael Nadal in professional tennis, 80th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp , converted his 10th match point Friday to finally close out a 6-4, 6-7 (12), 6-3 victory over Daniel Altmaier and help the Netherlands reach its first Davis Cup final by sweeping Germany. Tallon Griekspoor, who is ranked 40th, sealed the 2-0 win for the Dutch in the best-of-three-match semifinal by hitting 25 aces and coming back to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4. When it ended, appropriately, on an ace, Griekspoor shut his eyes, dropped to his knees and spread his arms wide. “We have been talking about this for two, three years,” Griekspoor said. “We believed in ourselves so much. We always felt like this was possible. To do it now feels unbelievable.” The other semifinal is Saturday, with No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner and defending champion Italy taking on Australia . The championship will be decided Sunday. “We don’t have that top 5 player. We don’t that top 10 player. We don’t have that top 15 player,” Dutch captain Paul Harhuuis said. “But it’s a team effort. ... So proud of these guys.” In Friday's opener, van de Zandschulp was up a set and just a point away from leading 5-2 in the second when Altmaier began playing more aggressively and interacting more with the German fans, yelling and throwing uppercuts or raising his arms after key points. In the tiebreaker, Altmaier managed to save five match points before converting his own fourth set point to extend the contest. But van de Zandschulp — who upset four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open — quickly moved out front in the final set, even if he eventually needed five more match points in the last game before serving it out. “At some point, I didn’t know what to do any more on the match points,” van de Zandschulp said. “I had the toughest match of my life on Tuesday (against Nadal), so everything that comes next is maybe a little bit easier.” In the quarterfinals, van de Zandschulp outplayed Nadal for a 6-4, 6-4 result that marked the end of the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s career because the Netherlands went on to eliminate Spain 2-1. The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that the Davis Cup would be his final event before retiring. Presumably because people purchased tickets ahead of time with plans to watch Nadal compete in the semifinals, there were hundreds of unoccupied blue or gray seats surrounding the indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martina Carpena in southern Spain on Friday. Now truly a neutral site, the place was not nearly as loud and rowdy as on Tuesday, although there were shouts of “Vamos, Rafa!” that drew laughter while van de Zandschulp played the 88th-ranked Altmaier. It took Griekspoor more than 75 minutes and nearly two full sets to figure out how to break No. 43 Struff and then did it twice in a row — to lead 6-5 in the second set, and then go up 1-0 in the third. That was plenty, because Griekspoor saved the only two break points he faced. The Netherlands hadn’t been to the semifinals since 2001. The Germans — whose best current player, two-time major finalist Alexander Zverev, is not on the team in Malaga — have won three Davis Cups, but not since 1993, when 1991 Wimbledon champion Michael Stich led them to the title. ___ AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
Stock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talk
Playoff game at Ohio State has sold 34% more tickets than Notre Dame game on StubHubIceland Votes For New Parliament Amid Disagreements On Immigration, Energy Policy, EconomyNEW YORK (AP) — Kaapo Kaako scored a power-play goal with 24 seconds left, and the New York Rangers stopped a five-game slide by topping the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Saturday. Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, who got their first win since a 4-3 victory at Vancouver on Nov. 19. Adam Fox had two assists, and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves. With Montreal’s Kirby Dach serving a four-minute, high-sticking penalty, Kaako got his fourth goal of the season. The Canadiens trailed 3-1 after two periods. But Cole Caufield scored his 14th goal 4:16 into the third and Nick Suzuki tied it at 14:07. Trocheck tipped the puck past Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault at 19:56 to put New York ahead after Panarin and Montreal’s Mike Matheson scored earlier in the first. Panarin put the Rangers ahead at 9:02, scoring on a 5-on-3 for New York’s first power-play goal since Nov. 12 at home against Winnipeg. Matheson tied it at 11:47. Montembault made 24 saves for Montreal. Takeaways Canadiens: dropped to 3-7-1 on the road. Rangers: Forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil returned to the lineup. Kreider missed three games with an upper-body injury while Chytil was out for seven after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller on Nov. 14. Reilly Smith and Jonny Brodzinski were scratched. Key moment Seeking an early spark, New York captain Jacob Trouba fought Montreal’s Josh Anderson 1:58 into the contest. It appeared to give the Rangers a collective jolt that was missing in recent games. Key stat The Rangers are 11-1-0 when scoring first. It was the 1,700th home win in franchise history. Up next The Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins on Sunday. The Rangers host the New Jersey Devils on Monday. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL Allan Kreda, The Associated Press
Paige Spiranac Shares Jaw-Dropping Swimsuit Photo In SnowstormTweet Facebook Mail A man has been charged with the double murder of a much-loved husband and wife who were found dead in their Sydney shop yesterday. The man, 31, was arrested about 12.30am today at a home in Canley Heights in Sydney's west and has been charged with two counts of murder. Hoa Tek Chien, 69, and his wife Heang Kim Gau, 68, were found dead inside their family-run Buzzy Bee's Burger House in Cambridge Park about 9.40am. Hoa Tek Chien, 69, and his wife Heang Kim Gau, 68, were found dead inside their takeaway shop. (9News) Police will allege the couple and the charged man were known to each other. He was refused bail and will face court later today. The community is in mourning after the couple were found dead. Locals in Cambridge Park have been left reeling and are paying tribute to the couple. READ MORE: Ute drives into oncoming traffic before standoff with police Flowers and hand-written cards have been left at Buzzy Bee's Burger House shopfront on Oxford Street. Flowers and notes were left outside the shop on Oxford Street. (9News) "For 29 years, seven days a week, rain, hail or shine, they dedicated their lives to this place," one note read. "They didn't deserve this. I pray you both rest easy. We are hurting, we will miss you." The shop remains a crime scene. Chien and Gau's son found their bodies yesterday. (9News) One of the couple's sons made the grisly discovery of their bodies yesterday morning. 9News understands the couple sustained multiple stab wounds and investigators are treating the alleged murder as a targeted attack. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .Gabe Kidd Calls Out WWE Star Randy Orton
Seibert also missed a field-goal attempt and another extra point in the loss to the Cowboys. He missed the previous two games with a right hip injury but said afterward he was fine and made the decision to play. The Commanders filled that roster spot by signing running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. off their practice squad. Austin Ekeler had a concussion and Brian Robinson Jr. sprained an ankle Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflTrump, SoftBank's Masa Son Announce $100 Billion US Investment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven't provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks' 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There's not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story." Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr. Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding. To remove this article -
Stock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talk
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the it set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 123 points, or 0.3%, to set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% as Microsoft and Big Tech led the way. Stock markets abroad mostly fell after said he on Mexico, Canada and once he takes office. But the movements were mostly modest. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada’s main index edged down by less than 0.1%. Trump has often praised the , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. The consequences otherwise for markets and the global economy could be painful. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. And unlike tariffs in Trump’s first term, his latest proposal would affect products across the board. General Motors sank 9%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.3%. The value of the Mexican peso fell 1.8% against the U.S. dollar. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support for the . While lower interest rates can boost the economy, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed’s earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to released Tuesday afternoon. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another mixed set of profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates imposed by the Fed to get inflation under control. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. tumbled 17% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. fell 4.9% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. Still, more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell. J.M. Smucker had one of the biggest gains and climbed 5.7% after topping analysts’ expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 3.2% for Amazon and 2.2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 rose 34.26 points to 6,021.63. The Dow gained 123.74 to 44,860.31, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 119.46 to 19,174.30. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.29% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after late last week. It’s since dipped back toward $91,000, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
Share Tweet Share Share Email Today, with more than 80% of Americans subscribed to a broadband internet service, a life without internet is nearly unthinkable. While the core priorities of connectivity —latency, capacity, and availability—remain constant, the demand for performance has skyrocketed. To understand how businesses can keep up with uncompromising consumer expectations, we turned to Roshin Unnikrishnan , Senior Director of Growth and Revenue Operations at Cisco , who shared his insights on the state of networking and connectivity and what lies ahead for millions of users worldwide. Core Demands Meet New Applications “Most users today, especially those who didn’t experience the early days of dial-up, come with high expectations,” says Unnikrishnan. “And those expectations have quickly become industry standards, pushing the entire industry to adapt.” Applications like autonomous vehicles, remote surgeries, and a massive wave of IoT devices require extremely low latency, measured in milliseconds. At the same time, the explosion of video streaming and hybrid work has driven throughput demands to record levels, while coverage needs have expanded well beyond urban centers. Wi-Fi, however, remains the dominant choice for wireless connectivity, with a staggering 4.1 billion Wi-Fi devices shipped in 2024 alone . “We can confidently call it a staple technology now, and it’s expected to be available and supported everywhere,” Unnikrishnan notes. Wi-Fi’s versatility and ease of use have solidified its role across both consumer and industrial sectors. With Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 expanding into the 6 GHz spectrum, its capabilities are set to stretch even further with multigigabit speeds, low latency, and greater reliability. But, as Unnikrishnan points out, “While expectations keep rising, we need to meet them with robust security. Connectivity without security is pointless.” Rising Expectations and Evolving Industry Standards Heightened geopolitical tensions, corporate espionage, and evolving cyber threats have made network security essential for maintaining both customer trust and business continuity. “‘Securing the network’ used to mean protecting data, but now it’s about preserving relationships and ensuring uninterrupted operations,” Unnikrishnan explains. AI’s role in networking is also transforming the way networks are managed. By 2027, 90% of enterprises are expected to automate network operations using AI capabilities. “It’s streamlining network management and addressing much of the overhead that previously slowed us down. The telecom industry hasn’t hesitated to adopt it,” says Unnikrishnan. AI-driven automation now enables real-time adjustments to changing performance needs, supporting advanced use cases such as autonomous vehicles, extended reality (XR), and edge computing. Unnikrishnan also points to the growing market share of satellite providers like Starlink, which are broadening the definition of connectivity by delivering coverage to underserved areas. “There’s an understanding now that localized networks won’t meet today’s range and density expectations,” he observes. Satellite solutions are bridging gaps in resilience across diverse environments, while homes increasingly leverage mesh networks and hotspots for more consistent coverage. Meanwhile, the data generated by businesses has put new demands on data centers. “Currently, centralization and codependency are the biggest risks in data storage,” Unnikrishnan explains. “But factors like liquid cooling and facility size, as well as global regulations around sustainability, make data centers a complex geopolitical issue as much as an operational one.” He explains that events like mechanical failures or political turbulence can trigger massive outages, highlighting the need for resilient data infrastructure. But some of these changes may need to occur closer to home. U.S. Leadership in Innovation, Standards, and Supply Chain Security Given the competitive global market, connectivity innovation has grown into something bigger than a technology issue. “We’re at a point where innovation in connectivity is a national concern,” Unnikrishnan emphasizes. Sustained innovation is essential to maintain U.S. leadership in connectivity, especially amid rising geopolitical pressures. “For decades, the U.S. has led the development of connectivity standards, but that leadership is at risk if we lose sight of these discussions.” Securing the supply chain for critical hardware components is just as essential. “Controlling the supply chain end-to-end, ideally through nearshoring, helps ensure availability, mitigates many of the dependencies and, consequently, risks,” he notes. “Self-sufficiency will become incredibly important in the years ahead.” Policies like the CHIPS Act represent promising steps toward a resilient supply chain, ensuring local innovation and security for the connectivity infrastructure. What the Future Holds for Connectivity Looking to the future, Unnikrishnan predicts that connectivity demands will continue to rise. “The future of connectivity will introduce new expectations: smarter, more personalized experiences, which require higher throughput and low latency to accommodate user data. But sustainability will also be a priority, and that requires careful planning,” he shares. And as connectivity infrastructure has grown, so has its environmental impact. The carbon footprint of data centers and networking equipment has become a major concern, and future connectivity solutions will need to balance performance with energy efficiency. Sustainability initiatives in connectivity, such as energy-efficient network equipment and low-power data centers, are becoming more mainstream as organizations strive to reduce their carbon footprint. But the effort works in both directions: 5G-enabled technologies are forecasted to contribute 20% towards the U.S.’s 2030 emission reduction targets. Advancements in AI and quantum computing will also reshape network administration . “Network administration is one of the biggest optimization opportunities for AI,” Unnikrishnan explains. Quantum computing, though still in its early stages, has the potential to transform encryption and data processing, laying the groundwork for a more secure and efficient network infrastructure. The Future of Networking & Connectivity Unnikrishnan emphasizes that the evolution of networking and connectivity has implications that reach beyond technology . “Connectivity is often taken for granted—especially secure connectivity,” he explains. “But in an increasingly tense world, that assumption may no longer hold up. We need to consider the potential impact of large-scale disruptions or security compromises, particularly as critical infrastructure in sectors like power, healthcare, and air travel still relies on vulnerable, outdated networks.” To ensure a resilient future, Unnikrishnan calls for policymakers, businesses, and consumers alike to approach connectivity with renewed urgency, recognizing its vital role in both daily life and in building a more secure, interconnected world. Related Items: connectivity , Internet , Networking Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you How is Scam Affecting the Internet The Future of Networking: Why Branded Refurbished Equipment Is Gaining Popularity MTN Group Selects IP Infusion as Approved Supplier for Open and Disaggregated Networking. Comments