
Taylor Swift ‘s weekend out and about in New York City continued Saturday night (Dec. 28). She was photographed with Travis Kelce in the Meatpacking District, where the two were reportedly seen arriving at private supper club Chez Margaux. The foundation of the singer-songwriter’s outfit was a mod Fleur du Mal mini dress ( Long Sleeve Flared Corset Dress , $495). The flattering stretch jacquard mini features a mock neck, corset seaming and boning, and a flare skirt. Swift topped the dress with a long, black coat by Simkhai that combines a classic, tailored silhouette with festive sparkle, thanks to its embellished design ( Gianni Coat , $995). Strappy Louboutin sandals with a substantial heel and carefully chosen jewelry, including a pair of De Beers Arpeggia One Line Earrings, rounded out what looked to be a date-night ensemble. Swift and Kelce’s Saturday night out followed a Friday dinner with the pop star’s longtime friend and producer Jack Antonoff and his wife, Margaret Qualley. Both couples were photographed outside BondST , a NoHo restaurant with Japanese-inspired cuisine. Swift’s post-holiday social outings in New York come after she wrapped her record-breaking Eras Tour, which grossed $2 billion , earlier this month in Vancouver — and after spending some time in Kansas City, Mo., where she visited patients at Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital and attended the Chiefs-Texans game at Arrowhead Stadium. Swift’s December also brought 10 Billboard Music Awards , including Top Artist. She’s the most celebrated artist in the history of the BBMAs, having collected a total of 49 wins so far. See the stylish winter outfit Swift wore on Saturday night below.
A charter school in Arizona recently received approval from the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools to offer a fully online school experience for grades four through eight that gives students just two hours of academic instruction per day — taught entirely by artificial intelligence . If ever there was an idea that sounds doomed to fail. Unbound Academy will offer students personalized learning software provided by IXL and Khan Academy, both online educational resource companies. The AI will use each child’s emotional cues, responses to questions and tasks, and the time it takes them to complete assigned tasks to create tailor-made lessons. Unbound says they already have a similar educational model up and running in Texas. Videos by VICE How useful any of these lessons will be to students who don’t have a flesh and blood human providing it for them, establishing a tangible connection to reality, remains to be seen. For instance, what happens if the student has a question? Can the AI think in the abstract to get the point of a lesson across to a student on the fly the way a good, creative teacher can? The actual “schooling” the students receive may only last for two hours , but the rest of their school day will be dedicated to life skill workshops in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and public speaking. These workshops will not be led by teachers but rather by “guides.” Given there’s often a profit motive behind charter schools and very little altruistic desire to pass knowledge down to the next generation, a school without teachers sounds like the ultimate capitalist educational experience. A school without any pesky teachers to pay who will then form a union to demand fair pay like greedy cretins who have to cough up their own money for basic classroom supplies even though many of them can barely afford rent . Do you ever get the sense that the entire tech industry took a weird turn in the past 5 to 10 years toward actively attempting to replace some of the most important pillars of our society with a bunch of lines of code that can’t think creatively, or even on its own? They want to replace all of us with technology that fundamentally would not exist without being fed our work , and often without our permission. The tech industry has done a great job of making us feel like they despise us.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to implement the "toughest" anti-US policy as Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president. Trump's return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, he met Kim three times for talks on the North's nuclear programme. But many experts say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump will first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party that ended on Friday, Kim called the US "the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy", the country's state media reported. Kim said the US-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into "a nuclear military bloc for aggression". "This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how," he said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. It said his speech "clarified the strategy for the toughest anti-US counteraction to be launched aggressively" by North Korea for its long-term national interests and security. KCNA did not elaborate on the anti-US strategy, but it said Kim set out tasks to bolster military capability through defence technology advancements and stressed the need to improve the mental toughness of North Korean soldiers. The previous meetings between Trump and Kim had not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction, but they developed personal connections. Trump once famously said he and Kim "fell in love", but their talks eventually collapsed in 2019, as they wrangled over US-led sanctions on the North. North Korea has since sharply increased the pace of its weapons testing activities to build more reliable nuclear missiles targeting the US and its allies. The US and South Korea have responded by expanding their military bilateral drills and also trilateral ones involving Japan, drawing strong rebukes from the North, which views such US-led exercises as invasion rehearsals. Further complicating efforts to get North Korea to rid itself of nuclear weapons is its deepening military co-operation with Russia . According to US, Ukrainian and South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons systems to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. There are concerns that Russia could give North Korea advanced weapons technology in return, including help to build more powerful nuclear missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in Russia's Kursk region. It was the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties since the North Korean troop deployment to Russia began in October. Russia and China , locked in separate disputes with the US, have repeatedly blocked US-led pushes to levy more United Nations sanctions on North Korea despite its repeated missile tests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. Last month, Mr Kim said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington's "unchangeable" hostility towards his country and described his nuclear build-up as the only way to counter external threats.
$300b climate finance deal agreed upon at COP29 yet issues remainNFL Week 13 picks: Can Chargers, Rams get back on winning road at Atlanta, New Orleans?Taylor Swift ‘s weekend out and about in New York City continued Saturday night (Dec. 28). She was photographed with Travis Kelce in the Meatpacking District, where the two were reportedly seen arriving at private supper club Chez Margaux. The foundation of the singer-songwriter’s outfit was a mod Fleur du Mal mini dress ( Long Sleeve Flared Corset Dress , $495). The flattering stretch jacquard mini features a mock neck, corset seaming and boning, and a flare skirt. Swift topped the dress with a long, black coat by Simkhai that combines a classic, tailored silhouette with festive sparkle, thanks to its embellished design ( Gianni Coat , $995). Strappy Louboutin sandals with a substantial heel and carefully chosen jewelry, including a pair of De Beers Arpeggia One Line Earrings, rounded out what looked to be a date-night ensemble. Swift and Kelce’s Saturday night out followed a Friday dinner with the pop star’s longtime friend and producer Jack Antonoff and his wife, Margaret Qualley. Both couples were photographed outside BondST , a NoHo restaurant with Japanese-inspired cuisine. Swift’s post-holiday social outings in New York come after she wrapped her record-breaking Eras Tour, which grossed $2 billion , earlier this month in Vancouver — and after spending some time in Kansas City, Mo., where she visited patients at Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital and attended the Chiefs-Texans game at Arrowhead Stadium. Swift’s December also brought 10 Billboard Music Awards , including Top Artist. She’s the most celebrated artist in the history of the BBMAs, having collected a total of 49 wins so far. See the stylish winter outfit Swift wore on Saturday night below.
A range of independent TDs are contemplating the prospect of entering Ireland’s next coalition government as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael consider ways to secure a solid majority. Three long days of counting in the General Election finished late on Monday night when the final two seats were declared in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Fianna Fail was the clear winner of the election, securing 48 of the Dail parliament’s 174 seats. Sinn Fein took 39 and Fine Gael 38. Labour and the Social Democrats both won 11 seats; People Before Profit-Solidarity took three; Aontu secured two; and the Green Party retained only one of its 12 seats. Independents and others accounted for 21 seats. The return of a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael-led coalition is now highly likely. However, their combined seat total of 86 leaves them just short of the 88 needed for a majority in the Dail. While the two centrist parties that have dominated Irish politics for a century could look to strike a deal with one of the Dail’s smaller centre-left parties, such as the Social Democrats or Labour, a more straightforward route to a majority could be achieved by securing the support of several independent TDs. For Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and current taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, wooing like-minded independents would be likely to involve fewer policy concessions, and financial commitments, than would be required to convince another party to join the government benches. Longford-Westmeath independent TD Kevin “Boxer” Moran, who served in a Fine Gael-led minority government between 2017 and 2020, expressed his willingness to listen to offers to join the new coalition in Dublin. “Look, my door’s open,” he told RTE. “Someone knocks, I’m always there to open it.” Marian Harkin, an independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim, expressed her desire to participate in government as she noted that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were within “shouting distance” of an overall majority. “That means they will be looking for support, and I certainly will be one of those people who will be speaking to them and talking to them and negotiating with them, and I’m looking forward to doing that, because that was the reason that I ran in the first place,” she said. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party both appear cautious about the prospect of an alliance with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They will no doubt be mindful of the experience of the Green Party, the junior partner in the last mandate. The Greens experienced near wipeout in the election, retaining only one of their 12 seats. Sinn Fein appears to currently have no realistic route to government, given Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s ongoing refusal to share power with the party. Despite the odds being stacked against her party, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald contacted the leaders of the Social Democrats and Labour on Monday to discuss options. Earlier, Fianna Fail deputy leader and outgoing Finance Minister Jack Chambers predicted that a new coalition government would not be in place before Christmas. Mr Chambers said planned talks about forming an administration required “time and space” to ensure that any new government will be “coherent and stable”. After an inconclusive outcome to the 2020 election, it took five months for Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens to strike the last coalition deal. Mr Chambers said he did not believe it would take that long this time, as he noted the Covid-19 pandemic was a factor in 2020, but he also made clear it would not be a swift process. He said he agreed with analysis that there was no prospect of a deal before Christmas. “I don’t expect a government to be formed in mid-December, when the Dail is due to meet on December 18, probably a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) can be elected, and there’ll have to be time and space taken to make sure we can form a coherent, stable government,” he told RTE. “I don’t think it should take five months like it did the last time – Covid obviously complicated that. But I think all political parties need to take the time to see what’s possible and try and form a stable government for the Irish people.” Fine Gael minister of state Peter Burke said members of his parliamentary party would have to meet to consider their options before giving Mr Harris a mandate to negotiate a new programme for government with Fianna Fail. “It’s important that we have a strong, stable, viable government, whatever form that may be, to ensure that we can meet the challenges of our society, meet the challenges in terms of the economic changes that are potentially going to happen,” he told RTE. Despite being set to emerge with the most seats, it has not been all good news for Fianna Fail. The party’s outgoing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly became one of the biggest casualties of the election when he lost his seat in Wicklow in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Donnelly was always predicted to face a fight in the constituency after boundary changes saw it reduced from five to four seats. If it is to be a reprise of the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael governing partnership of the last mandate, one of the major questions is around the position of taoiseach and whether the parties will once again take turns to hold the Irish premiership during the lifetime of the new government. The outcome in 2020 saw the parties enter a coalition on the basis that the holder of the premier position would be exchanged midway through the term. Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin took the role for the first half of the mandate, with Leo Varadkar taking over in December 2022. Current Fine Gael leader Mr Harris succeeded Mr Varadkar as taoiseach when he resigned from the role earlier this year. However, this time Fianna Fail has significantly increased its seat lead over Fine Gael, compared with the last election when there were only three seats between the parties. The size of the disparity in party numbers is likely to draw focus on the rotating taoiseach arrangement, raising questions as to whether it will be re-run in the next coalition and, if it is, on what terms. On Sunday, Simon Coveney, a former deputy leader of Fine Gael, said a coalition that did not repeat the rotating taoiseach arrangement in some fashion would be a “difficult proposition” for his party. Meanwhile, Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe said he would be making the case for Mr Harris to have another opportunity to serve as taoiseach. On Monday, Mr Chambers said while his party would expect to lead the government it would approach the issue of rotating the taoiseach’s role on the basis of “mutual respect” with Fine Gael. “I think the context of discussions and negotiations will be driven by mutual respect, and that’s the glue that will drive a programme for government and that’s the context in which we’ll engage,” he said. On Monday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik reiterated her party’s determination to forge an alliance with fellow centre-left parties with the intention of having a unified approach to the prospect of entering government. Asked if Labour was prepared to go into government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on its own, she told RTE: “No, not at this stage. We are absolutely not willing to do that. “We want to ensure there’s the largest number of TDs who share our vision and our values who want to deliver change on the same basis that we do.” The Social Democrats have been non-committal about any potential arrangement with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and have restated a series of red lines they would need to achieve before considering taking a place in government. Leader Holly Cairns, who gave birth to a daughter on polling day on Friday, said in a statement: “The party is in a very strong position to play an important role in the next Dail. In what position, government or opposition, remains to be seen.” Fianna Fail secured the most first preference votes in Friday’s proportional representation election, taking 21.9% to Fine Gael’s 20.8%. Sinn Fein came in third on 19%. While Sinn Fein’s vote share represented a marked improvement on its disappointing showing in June’s local elections in Ireland, it is still significantly down on the 24.5% poll-topping share it secured in the 2020 general election. The final breakdown of first preferences also flipped the result of Friday night’s exit poll, which suggested Sinn Fein was in front on 21.1%, with Fine Gael on 21% and Fianna Fail on 19.5%.
Coote was sacked earlier this month after the emergence of a video in which he made derogatory remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said that a thorough investigation had concluded he was “in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable”. “Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare,” PGMOL’s statement on December 9 added. Coote had the right to appeal against the decision but PA understands the Nottinghamshire referee has decided not to. The video which triggered PGMOL’s investigation into Coote’s conduct first came to public attention on November 11. In it, Coote is asked for his views on a Liverpool match where he has just been fourth official, and describes them as “s***”. He then describes Klopp as a “c***”, and, asked why he felt that way, Coote says the German had “a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown” and had accused him of lying. “I have got no interest in speaking to someone who’s f****** arrogant, so I do my best not to speak to him,” Coote said. Later in the video, Coote again refers to Klopp, this time as a “German c***”. The Football Association opened its own investigation into that video, understood to be centred on that last comment and whether Coote’s reference to Klopp’s nationality constituted an aggravated breach of its misconduct rules. The investigation by PGMOL which led to Coote’s contract being terminated is also understood to have looked at another video which appeared to show Coote snorting a white powder, purportedly during Euro 2024 where he was one of the assistant VARs for the tournament. European football’s governing body UEFA also appointed an ethics investigator to look into the matter.Baltimore judge pauses city’s ghost gun lawsuit citing U.S. Supreme Court case
Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF (NYSEARCA:HDRO) Trading Down 1.4% – Here’s What Happened
Meet This New AI Stock That Could Become a Wall Street Darling in 2025. It Has the Full Support of Nvidia and Trades at a Massive Bargain.SAO PAULO (AP) — Police have formally accused Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of attempting a coup to keep the right-wing leader in office after his electoral defeat in 2022. Their allegations threaten to torpedo Bolsonaro's hopes of returning to politics. Brazil’s Supreme Court said Friday that police findings were delivered to Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who next week will relay them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. He will decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro or toss the investigation. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Aston Villa denied last-gasp winner in Juventus stalemate
Shares of Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF ( NYSEARCA:GGRW – Get Free Report ) traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $30.27 and last traded at $30.50. 674 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 2,682 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.94. Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF Trading Down 1.4 % The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $30.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.10 million, a PE ratio of 43.63 and a beta of 1.23. Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF (GGRW) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund is an actively managed, non-transparent fund that seeks growth of capital and income by targeting US-listed companies with high future earnings potential relative to their current market value and considered to be innovative in their industry. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gabelli Growth Innovators ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Transforming Sri Lanka’s Transport System