
Four Reasons the Market is Headed HigherTrump vows to block Japanese steelmaker from buying US Steel, pledges tax incentives and tariffs
Aberdeenshire Shield quarter-finals: Reaction and reports as Formartine United and Turriff United go through; Hermes and Buckie Thistle ready to battle for semi-final spotAutodesk appoints Janesh Moorjani as chief financial officer
What's New Texas has announced a lawsuit this week against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seeking to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues that allowing such participation misleads and deceives fans. Why It Matters Filed in a state district court in Lubbock, the lawsuit announced Sunday alleges that the NCAA's policies permitting transgender athletes in women's sports violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The law is intended to protect consumers from false advertising or deceptive practices, which the suit claims applies to the promotion of women's sports that may include transgender participants. The Texas lawsuit marks the latest effort by conservative lawmakers to challenge the participation of transgender athletes and pressure the NCAA to implement a ban. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed support for such measures, stating his intent to bar transgender athletes from competing. The lawsuit calls for an injunction to bar the NCAA from permitting transgender athletes to compete in women's sports within Texas or in events involving Texas programs. Alternatively, it asks the court to mandate that the NCAA cease labeling such events as "women's" sports if transgender athletes are allowed to participate. What To Know Paxton, in a statement, appeared to allude to the recent controversy surrounding San Jose State women's volleyball. This season, several teams forfeited matches against the Spartans, citing the presence of a transgender player on the roster. Last month, a federal court declined to bar the school from participating in the Mountain West Conference championship. The Associated Press has chosen not to name the player, as she has not publicly addressed her gender identity and declined an interview request through school representatives. The NCAA does not collect specific data on transgender athletes among its 544,000 competitors across 19,000 teams nationwide. Earlier this month, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified before Congress , stating that he was aware of fewer than 10 active NCAA athletes identifying as transgender. Since 2010, the NCAA has required transgender athletes assigned male at birth to undergo at least one year of testosterone suppression therapy before becoming eligible to compete on women's teams. Transgender athletes assigned female at birth who transitioned to male are permitted to compete on men's teams. However, those who undergo testosterone treatment are barred from competing on women's teams. Athletes must adhere to their sport's specific requirements for documented testosterone levels with compliance monitored at various points throughout the season. In 2022, the NCAA updated its policy to align with national sports governing bodies. Under the revised framework, if a sport's governing body lacks a transgender athlete policy, the rules default to those set by the sport's international federation. In the absence of an international policy, previously established Olympic criteria are applied. What People Are Saying "When people watch a women's volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women, not biological males pretending to be something they are not," Paxton said in a statement . "Radical 'gender theory' has no place in college sports." Paxton accused the NCAA of "intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of women" by effectively transforming women's sports into "co-ed competitions." In a statement on Monday, the NCAA said : "College sports are the premier stage for women's sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women's sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships." Brooke Slusser , co-captain of the San Jose State volleyball team and one of the players who sued the Mountain West Conference over her teammate's participation, expressed support for the Texas lawsuit. "Hey NCAA, just in case you haven't realized yet this fight will just keep getting harder for you until you make a change!," Slusser wrote in a post on social media . What's Next It's currently unclear how the NCAA will respond to the lawsuit specifically. This article includes reporting from T he Associated Press.
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
Here's how Detroit Lions can clinch a playoff berth in Week 13 | Sporting NewsIt was a fine first win for Ruud van Nistelrooy , and perhaps one final defeat for Julen Lopetegui. Leicester marked Van Nistelrooy’s first match in charge of the team by surging to a 3-1 win over Lopetegui's West Ham in the Premier League on Tuesday. Van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United striker, is back in English soccer this time as a manager, with Leicester taking something of a gamble on the Dutchman after his brief and impressive spell as interim coach at United this season following Erik ten Hag's departure. He faces the tough task of keeping Leicester, one of the top candidates for relegation, in the top division. For that to happen, he’s likely to need goals from Jamie Vardy — and the 37-year-old former England international delivered immediately. Nine years after breaking Van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in consecutive games, Vardy scored the first goal of the Dutchman’s tenure at Leicester by beating the offside trap and slotting home a finish with less than two minutes gone. Morocco midfielder Bilal El Khannouss supplied the pass for Vardy’s goal and scored himself with a low shot in the 61st minute to make it 2-0. Patson Daka added a third for Leicester in the 90th minute, before a stoppage-time consolation by West Ham substitute Niclas Füllkrug. “We are very happy with the new manager," El Khannouss said of Van Nistelrooy. “He arrived two days ago, and there’s a new dynamic in the group.” Van Nistelrooy praised the “spirit and energy” in his team. “The foundation for us going forward is everyone working their socks off, fighting for every inch and defending together,” he said. “We can look further then, and they did that in an unbelievable way.” This dismal result for West Ham came three days after its 5-2 thrashing at home by Arsenal , which piled more pressure of Lopetegui early in the former Spain and Real Madrid coach's first season with the London club. West Ham's disgruntled traveling fans chanted "You’re getting sacked in the morning” toward Lopetegui during the second half — even if his team dominated large parts of the game but only had one goal to show from 31 shots on goal. “We're very frustrated but in the same way I can say nothing about the players — they fight until the end,” Lopetegui said. "It’s not easy to explain football some days.” West Ham has lost seven of its 14 games so far and is in 14th place in the 20-team league, one spot above Leicester. Crystal Palace won for just the second time in the league this season, beating relegation rival Ipswich 1-0 to pull clear of the bottom three. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the goal in the 59th minute. Palace’s only other league victory was against Tottenham in October. While Ipswich stayed in next-to-last place, Palace moved three points above the relegation zone. Much of the focus ahead of the game was on the teams’ captains , Sam Morsy of Ipswich and Marc Guehi of Palace, during another round when the Premier League was celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in its campaign to promote equality and diversity. For the second straight game, Morsy chose against wearing a rainbow armband issued to the captain of each of the 20 teams in the league. He has made the decision “due to his religious beliefs,” Ipswich says. Guehi did wear the rainbow armband but defied Football Association rules by writing a religious message on the item. The message read “Jesus loves you” — using a heart sign instead of the word “loves.” During the match against Newcastle on Saturday, Guehi wrote “I love Jesus” — and was later contacted by the FA for acting in contravention of its regulations. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerEarly returns positive as Timberwolves make a push to run in transition
Powell: Fed's independence from politics is vital to its interest rate decisions WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve’s ability to set interest rates free of political interference is necessary for it to make decisions to serve “all Americans” rather than a political party or political outcome. Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook summit, Powell addressed a question about President-elect Donald Trump’s numerous public criticisms of the Fed and of Powell himself. During the election campaign, Trump had insisted that as president, he should have a “say” in the Fed’s interest rate policies. Despite Trump’s comments, the Fed chair said he was confident of widespread support in Congress for maintaining the central bank’s independence. UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the US but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk Wednesday became a mystery that riveted the nation. Police say it was a targeted killing. Thompson was 50. He had worked at the company for 20 years and had run health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s insurance business since 2021. It provides health coverage for more than 49 million Americans and brought in $281 billion in revenue last year. Thompson's $10.2 million annual compensation made him one of the company’s highest-paid executives. Trump nominates cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins as SEC chair President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins is the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner. Trump calls Atkins a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. The SEC oversees U.S. securities markets and investments. If confirmed next year by the new Republican-led Senate, Atkins would replace Gary Gensler, who's been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Atkins was widely considered the most conservative SEC member during his tenure and known to have a strong free-market bent. Australia is banning social media for people under 16. Could this work elsewhere — or even there? It is an ambitious social experiment of our moment in history. Experts say it could accomplish something that parents, schools and other governments have attempted with varying degrees of success — keeping kids off social media until they turn 16. Australia’s new law was approved by its Parliament last week. It's an attempt to swim against many tides of modern life — formidable forces like technology, marketing, globalization and, of course, the iron will of a teenager. The ban won’t go into effect for another year. But how will Australia be able to enforce it? That’s not clear, nor will it be easy. White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered the new details Wednesday about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a story A basic tenet of journalism — calling someone for comment on a story — was seen as a threat by defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth's mother. Penelope Hegseth appeared on Fox News Channel to talk about her son, whose nomination by President-elect Trump to lead the Pentagon is threatened by a series of stories about his past behavior. One came this past weekend, when The New York Times wrote about a private email Penelope Hegseth sent to her son about his treatment of women. She said on Fox News that she felt threatened when the Times called her about the email, which she had quickly regretted sending. The Times said they were engaging in routine journalism. District of Columbia says Amazon secretly stopped fast deliveries to 2 predominantly Black ZIP codes The District of Columbia is alleging in a lawsuit that Amazon secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city. The district says the online retailer still charged residents of two ZIP codes millions of dollars for a service that provides speedy deliveries. The complaint filed on Wednesday in District of Columbia Superior Court revolves around Amazon’s Prime membership service. The lawsuit alleges Amazon in mid-2022 imposed what it called a delivery “exclusion” on the two low-income ZIP codes. An Amazon spokesperson says the company made the change based on concerns about driver safety. The spokesperson says claims that Amazon's business practices are discriminatory are “categorically false.” Biden says 'Africa is the future' as he pledges millions more on the last day of Angola visit LOBITO, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden has pledged another $600 million for an ambitious multi-country rail project in Africa as one of the final foreign policy moves of his administration. He told African leaders Wednesday that the resource-rich continent of more than 1.4 billion people had been “left behind for much too long. But not anymore. Africa is the future.” Biden used the third and final day of his visit to Angola to showcase the Lobito Corridor railway. The U.S. and allies are investing heavily to refurbish train lines in Zambia, Congo and Angola in a region rich in critical minerals to counter China's influence. The end of an Eras tour approaches, marking a bittersweet moment for Taylor Swift fans NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to an end after the popstar performed more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years. Since launching the tour in 2023, Swift has shattered sales and attendance records. It's even created such an economic boom that the Federal Reserve took note. But for many who attended the concerts, and the millions more who eagerly watched on their screens, the tour also became a beacon of joy. It's become a chance not only to appreciate Swift’s expansive music career, but also celebrate the yearslong journey fans have taken with her. US senators grill officials from 5 airlines over fees for seats and checked bags A U.S. Senate subcommittee is taking aim at airlines and their growing use of fees for things like early boarding and better seats. Members of the Senate Permanent on Investigations say airlines have raised billions of dollars by imposing fees that are getting hard to understand and even harder to avoid paying. The senators and the Biden administration call them “junk fees,” and they say the extra charges are making travel less affordable. Some senators expressed frustration during a hearing on Wednesday hearing when airline executives couldn't explain how they set various fees. Airlines say fees let consumers pay for things they want, like more legroom, and avoid paying for things they don't want.None
Robert Cardillo, Chief Strategist and Chairman of Planet Federal, to Present at Goldman Sachs Investor ConferenceBut alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” The first nuclear age was the Cold War, while the second was “governed by disarmament efforts and counter proliferation”, the armed forces chief said. He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A team that previously boycotted at least one match against the San Jose State women's volleyball program will again be faced with the decision whether to play the school , this time in the Mountain West Conference semifinals with a shot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. Five schools forfeited matches in the regular season against San Jose State, which carried a No. 2 seed into the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Among those schools: No. 3 Utah State and No. 6 Boise State, who will face off Wednesday with the winner scheduled to play the Spartans in the semifinals on Friday. Wyoming, Nevada and Southern Utah — which is not a Mountain West member — also canceled regular-season matches, all without explicitly saying why they were forfeiting. Nevada players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason to boycott their match, while political figures from Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada suggested the cancellations center around protecting women’s sports. In a lawsuit filed against the NCAA , plaintiffs cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity and through school officials has declined an interview request. A judge on Monday rejected a request made by nine current conference players to block the San Jose State player from competing in the tournament on grounds that she is transgender. That ruling was upheld Tuesday by an appeals court. “The team looks forward to starting Mountain West Conference tournament competition on Friday,” San Jose State said in a statement issued after the appeals court decision. “The university maintains an unwavering commitment to the participation, safety and privacy of all students at San Jose State and ensuring they are able to compete in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment.” Boise State did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. “Utah State is reviewing the court’s order," Doug Hoffman, Aggies associate athletic director for communications, said in an email. "Right now, our women’s volleyball program is focused on the game this Wednesday, and we’ll be cheering them on.” San Jose State, which had a first-round bye, would be sent directly to the conference title game if Utah State or Boise State were to forfeit again. If the Spartans make the title game, it's likely the opponent would not forfeit. They would face top-seeded Colorado State, No. 4 Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State — all teams that played the Spartans this season. The conference champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
JHVEPhoto After an incredibly strong start to the year, Nvidia Corporation ( NASDAQ: NVDA ) has seen its share price stagnate, dipping almost 2% after-hours once the company announced earnings. We've been bearish on the company before, recommending that investors You Only Get 1 Chance To Retire, Join The #1 Retirement Service The Retirement Forum provides actionable ideals, a high-yield safe retirement portfolio, and macroeconomic outlooks, all to help you maximize your capital and your income. We search the entire market to help you maximize returns. Recommendations from a top 0.2% TipRanks author! Retirement is complicated and you only get once chance to do it right. Don't miss out because you didn't know what was out there. We provide: Model portfolios to generate high retirement cash flow. Deep-dive actionable research. Recommendation spreadsheets and option strategies. Click for our discounted 2-week free trial! The Value Portfolio specializes in building retirement portfolios and utilizes a fact-based research strategy to identify investments. This includes extensive readings of 10Ks, analyst commentary, market reports, and investor presentations. He invests real money in the stocks he recommends. The Retirement Forum Learn more Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial short position in the shares of NVDA either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Prayagraj: In a world where antibiotic resistance is rising at an alarming rate, a team of scientists, led by an alumnus of Allahabad University Amit Dubey discovered a groundbreaking, eco-friendly solution using the humble neem leaf, which acts effectively against superbugs . By harnessing the natural power of Azadirachta indica, the team successfully created Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs), a tiny but mighty material that could change the future of medicine. In this study, these particles were made using a microwave-assisted green synthesis method, making them not only cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly. As per the results, which are published in the recent edition of Materials Advances of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, the neem-derived GQDs showed superior antioxidant and antimicrobial properties—outperforming traditional neem leaf extracts. Explaining the study, Amit Dubey said, "Graphene Quantum Dots are microscopic particles that can glow and interact with light. This breakthrough shows how we can use its natural properties in cutting-edge technology to tackle some of the world's most pressing health challenges." The team also used advanced computational techniques—like molecular docking and Density Functional Theory (DFT)—to dive deeper into the science of these tiny particles, uncovering how they interact with bacteria and ensuring their safety for future use. This eco-friendly innovation marks a step toward sustainable science and with more research, these neem-based GQDs could lead to new treatments that fight infections without relying on traditional antibiotics, he added. The study showed that these GQDs were able to fight off a variety of dangerous bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa) and fungi (A. niger, A. flavus). By generating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), the GQDs effectively break down harmful pathogens, offering a powerful alternative to traditional antibiotics. Other experts involved in the study included Pooja Kadyan, Manish Kumar, Aisha Tufail, and Andrea Ragusa. Dubey said that a superbug is a type of bacteria that has become resistant to most of the antibiotics that are usually used to treat infections. Normally, antibiotics can kill or weaken bacteria, but over time, some bacteria change in a way that makes them immune to these medicines. This makes it much harder to treat infections caused by these bacteria, and they can become dangerous or even life-threatening. Prayagraj: In a world where antibiotic resistance is rising at an alarming rate, a team of scientists, led by an alumnus of Allahabad University Amit Dubey discovered a groundbreaking, eco-friendly solution using the humble neem leaf, which acts effectively against superbugs. By harnessing the natural power of Azadirachta indica, the team successfully created Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs), a tiny but mighty material that could change the future of medicine. In this study, these particles were made using a microwave-assisted green synthesis method, making them not only cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly. As per the results, which are published in the recent edition of Materials Advances of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, the neem-derived GQDs showed superior antioxidant and antimicrobial properties—outperforming traditional neem leaf extracts. Explaining the study, Amit Dubey said, "Graphene Quantum Dots are microscopic particles that can glow and interact with light. This breakthrough shows how we can use its natural properties in cutting-edge technology to tackle some of the world's most pressing health challenges." The team also used advanced computational techniques—like molecular docking and Density Functional Theory (DFT)—to dive deeper into the science of these tiny particles, uncovering how they interact with bacteria and ensuring their safety for future use. This eco-friendly innovation marks a step toward sustainable science and with more research, these neem-based GQDs could lead to new treatments that fight infections without relying on traditional antibiotics, he added. The study showed that these GQDs were able to fight off a variety of dangerous bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa) and fungi (A. niger, A. flavus). By generating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), the GQDs effectively break down harmful pathogens, offering a powerful alternative to traditional antibiotics. Other experts involved in the study included Pooja Kadyan, Manish Kumar, Aisha Tufail, and Andrea Ragusa. Dubey said that a superbug is a type of bacteria that has become resistant to most of the antibiotics that are usually used to treat infections. Normally, antibiotics can kill or weaken bacteria, but over time, some bacteria change in a way that makes them immune to these medicines. This makes it much harder to treat infections caused by these bacteria, and they can become dangerous or even life-threatening. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword . Spread love this holiday season with these Christmas wishes , messages , and quotes.
Libra Daily Horoscope Today, Dec 30, 2024 predicts pleasant moments