The Salvation Army and Supporters Show That Everyday Generosity Can Make a Change for 27 Million People in America
The champions had descended into crisis after a run of seven games without a win – six of which were defeats and the other an embarrassing 3-3 draw after leading 3-0. Four of those losses had come in the Premier League, heavily damaging their chances of claiming a fifth successive title, but they appeared to turn the corner by sweeping Forest aside at the Etihad Stadium. “We needed it,” said City manager Guardiola. “The club, the players, everyone needed to win. “But it is just one game and in three days we are at Selhurst Park, where it has always been difficult. “We played good. We still conceded some transitions and missed some easy things and lost some passes that you have to avoid, but in general, the most important thing was to break this routine of not winning games and we won it.” Kevin De Bruyne, making his first start since September after overcoming a pelvic injury, made a huge difference to a side that appeared rejuvenated. His powerful header was turned in by Bernardo Silva for the opening goal and the Belgian followed up with a powerful strike to make it 2-0. The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but it was a strong riposte to recent suggestions of a rift with Guardiola. A sweet strike 💥 ⚡️ #HighSpeedMoments | @eAndGroup pic.twitter.com/WJOkfKo2zr — Manchester City (@ManCity) December 4, 2024 “I’m so happy for him,” said Guardiola of De Bruyne’s telling contribution. “Last season he was many months injured and this season as well. “I’m so happy he’s back. He fought a lot, he’s worked and he’s back with his physicality. The minutes he played in Anfield were really good and today he played 75 fantastic minutes.” Jeremy Doku wrapped up a pleasing win when he finished a rapid counter-attack just before the hour but there was still a downside for City with injuries to defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji. Guardiola said: “For Nathan it doesn’t look good and Manu has struggled a lot over the last two months. We will see. “Phil (Foden) has bronchitis but when he doesn’t have fever he will be ready.” Despite City’s dominance, Forest did have some bright moments and manager Nuno Espirito Santo was not downbeat. He said: “When you lose 3-0 and you say it was a good performance maybe people don’t understand, but I will not say that was a bad performance. “There are positive things for us in the game. Of course there are a lot of bad things, mistakes, but we had chances. “We didn’t achieve but I think we come out proud of ourselves because we tried. For sure, this game will allow us to grow.”NoneThe hardest movie ticket to get this weekend was for a film audiences have been able to watch at home for years: Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar.” The science fiction epic starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway earned $4.5 million from only 166 screens in the U.S. and Canada. Its 70mm IMAX film presentations sold out in minutes, leaving theaters scrambling to add more and people paying up to $300 on the re-sale market. Those 10 film screens alone had a staggering $70,000 per theater average, one of the highest of the year and usually the bragging rights of acclaimed arthouse movies playing on only four screens. Ten years after “Interstellar” was given a film release as a special exception at time when its studio, Paramount, was committing to a digital future, film is not only back but driving audiences to theaters. “I was just so gratified by the response,” Nolan said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. “It’s really thrilling when people respond to your work at any point. But 10 years later, to have new audiences coming and experiencing it in the way that we’d originally intended it on the big IMAX screens and in particular on those IMAX film prints? It’s really rewarding to see that it continues to have a life.” “Interstellar” had been a labor of love, with Nolan fighting against the tides of a changing industry to use film, certain of its value. Like McConaughey’s Cooper, an astronaut clinging to skills that were all but obsolete in his dust bowl reality, “Interstellar” was made by a celluloid-loving filmmaker when the format was least valued. “Celluloid film was very threatened. Digital was taking over everything,” Nolan said. “We put an enormous amount of work and effort into the IMAX 70mm film format release at the time feeling like we didn’t know how much longer we’d be able to do that.” During its time, “Interstellar” was received warmly and an unambiguous success, but it also had its detractors. Its five Oscar nominations and win were all for crafts. And yet in the decade since, “Interstellar” has become beloved, a true classic. Nolan observed that it was the film that people kept wanting to talk about, telling him what it meant to them and asking if it was ever going to be re-released. Those grand emotions and sentimental themes of love, family and exploration that were a liability with some are now its most cherished qualities. “A lot of these people were younger people who, it was clear to me, had seen the film in the home and hadn’t had the chance to see it on the big screen,” Nolan said. While there have been “Interstellar” rereleases internationally, in China and at the Science Museum in London, Nolan saw an opportunity and spoke to IMAX and Paramount, now under a new regime, about a proper North American re-release for its 10th anniversary. The prints, Nolan said, hadn't aged a day. IMAX hardly needed convincing: They’ve had the anniversary date circled on the calendar. For years, “Interstellar” was by far the biggest request on their social channels. “We saw this coming from the beginning,” IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said. “It reminded us in a small way of the frenzy around ‘Oppenheimer.’ But the result is far beyond our expectations." “Interstellar” is now the ninth highest-grossing IMAX release of all time and is closing in on eight (currently occupied by “The Last Jedi.”) The company is currently exploring options for re-releases in different territories. The “Oppenheimer" effect was real in redeeming film's value for the business. IMAX screens accounted for some 20% of the nearly $1 billion this year's Oscar best picture winner made globally (it ranks at No. 5 for IMAX). While filmmakers have long cherished film stock, “Oppenheimer” had studios, distributors and theaters taking note of the demand. Earlier this year the film showings of “Dune: Part Two” were sold out for four weeks. And there's more to come: Ryan Coogler's new film “Sinners," opening in March 2025, was shot with IMAX cameras. The “Interstellar” release was fairly “low key" when it came to promotion, but it also didn’t need much — fans made sure of that. Before IMAX had even announced that tickets were on sale, some noticed that AMC had made them available. News spread on socials and overnight every 70mm IMAX showing at the Lincoln Square location in New York had sold out. It wasn’t just the “primetime” slots either: The 1 AM showtimes were at capacity too. After the weekend's turnout surpassed expectations, they added more 70mm IMAX screenings through the week which also filled up quickly. While Nolan is in some ways an anomaly, as the rare filmmaker whose name alone can draw crowds for original fare, there are lessons to be learned from the weekend. “It just shows our industry once again that audiences truly understand the difference between a communal, big screen theatrical experience that they crave even on films that they’ve had the opportunities to see in the home,” Nolan said. “That theatrical experience that we all know and love is so powerful and so exciting. It’s a very clear demonstration of it, especially coming amidst all the great successes right now, “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Moana 2.” "Audiences are coming out in droves for that experience that we all love so much.” Before the weekend, Nolan was able to see the film again on the big screen for the first time since the original release, accompanied by his Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema . “Interstellar” was their first collaboration and Hoytema’s introduction to IMAX cameras (where he proved that they could be handheld if you tried hard enough). “It was really, really fun," Nolan said. He also approved the new 4K UHD “Interstellar" set that's now available. Since “Oppenheimer's" big night at the Oscars and Nolan's best director win , there's been much speculation about his next film with near daily rumors circulating about casting and genre, none of which have been officially confirmed. It's not something he's speaking publicly about yet. One thing he will say, however, is that he’s in the throes of intensive testing for a new film technology with IMAX to use in the next production. “They have an incredible engineering staff, really brilliant minds doing extraordinary work,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see innovation in the celluloid film arena still happening and happening at the highest level possible.” And he’s still making time to go to the movies. Over the weekend, Nolan went to see “Wicked” at a theater in Burbank where he also peeked into one of the IMAX presentations of his film. “It was pretty magical to see a full house on that film,” he said. “It was a very special thing to see, 10 years later.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges Tuesday night. The FTC had earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.Cops released photos and a video of the three males that allegedly fatally stabbed a migrant teen last week near City Hall Park and believe the incident may have stemmed from a gang beef. Yeremi Colino, who was traveling with a group, was stabbed to death last Thursday after a brawl outside 17 John St. Cops deemed the incident a dispute between two gangs after combing through surveillance video and canvassing witnesses, NYPD Assistant Chief Jason Savino said. According to one witness, the 1-minute brawl started after three individuals flashed gang signs, which prompted Colino’s group to confront the trio. Savino believes the fight during which Colino was killed to be a “crew-motivated incident” involving the Los Diablos de la 42 (Little Devils of 42nd St.) gang and an Afro-Caribbean group, and that the two groups knew each other prior to the lower Manhattan clash. “Both sides both had weapons. The victim actually swings an unknown object in a downward motion just prior to being stabbed by one of the perpetrators,” Savino said at a press conference Monday. Colino, who was living at the Roosevelt Hotel, a migrant hotel on E. 45th St. in East Midtown Manhattan, was stabbed in the chest. An employee at a nearby Walgreens pulled the wounded man to safety inside the store and called 911, and Colino was soon transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he later died. “The individual who passed away, they were actually following the attackers,” NYPD Assistant Commissioner and department spokesman Carlos Nieves said. “They then go out of camera and then they come back and, at that point, you see people scattering because they see what’s happening and they try to get away from the area and come into frame.” Following the stabbing, the Los Diablos gang were said to have “vowed revenge” and called for “every Cocolo shot” — “cocolo” referring to an Afro-Caribbean migrant. Savino expressed concern about the threat as he noted that Los Diablos only have a feud with the Latin Kings gang and that this could spark a “new, undiscovered beef.” “Truth be told, most groups will not go and confront a group flashing gang signs [over] why you’re flashing gang signs,” Savino said. Another man, Alan Magalles Bello, 18 who was with Colino, was stabbed in the left arm and was taken in stable condition to Bellevue Hospital, where he received five stitches. “I was with my friend yesterday. A group of people show up, like a gang, and they pull out a knife towards me and my friend,” Bello told ABC7 . Cops recovered a knife with a brown handle, two wooden sticks and a pair of pliers at the scene. Some on social media charged that the NYPD should be dedicating as much resources and time to finding Colino’s killer as they were putting into the massive manhunt for the murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a case that’s gripping the nation. But Assistant Chief Savino pushed back on that accusation, saying, “We treat all our cases with severity. Those are the same teams that are also correspondingly in different groups assigned to the high-profile incident.” Cops also rebutted initial news reports that the brawl sparked from one of the groups asking the other “if they spoke English,” saying the incident was instead sparked by a gang dispute.
In Civilization 7 , unlike previous games in the series, any leader can lead any civilization. So your choice of civilization is completely independent, allowing for a huge set of possible bonuses. And while your chosen leader will follow you all the way to the end, you'll choose a new civilization for each of the three acts: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each civ comes with a unique ability, unique civics, at least two unique units, and one or more unique infrastructures (which is basically the new name for unique buildings). They also specialize in two of the six civ attributes (Cultural, Economic, Diplomatic, Expansionist, Militarist, and Scientific). Here are all of the civs we know about so far: Age: Antiquity Historical context: Founded in the 1st century CE and hitting its height around the 500s, the Aksumite Empire was based around what is now Northern Ethiopia, and was considered by some an equal to Rome and Persia. Attributes: Cultural, Economic Unique ability: Kingdom of Natural Wealth. All resources that produce Gold produce more of it. Unique military unit: Dhow. An early naval unit with increased strength on coasts and the ability to create a naval trade route. Unique civilian unit: Tankwa. A trade ship that cannot be pillaged and has increased trade route range. Unique improvement: Hawlit. Produces culture for each adjacent wonder, but can only be built on flat land. Our advice: The Asksumites are poised to dominate in coastal trade, with safe shipping lanes and an advantage in coastal naval combat. Saving up some gold for later ages while your culture flourishes seems like a wise plan. Age: Antiquity Historical context: One of the oldest complex agricultural civilizations, they're known today for some rather large triangles and many of the earliest depictions of furries and scalies. Fun fact: Cleopatra lived closer to the present day than to the last time you finished an entire campaign of Civ on Marathon speed. Attributes: Cultural, Economic Unique ability: Gifts of Osiris. Tiles on navigable rivers give more Production. Unique military unit: Medjay. Infantry with increased strength in friendly territory, and an even higher bonus for being stationed in an owned settlement. Unique civilian unit: Tjaty. Produced in any city with a Necropolis, granting one of several randomized historical figures with unique bonuses. It's like if a loot box was a guy with a cool hat. Basically you're replacing one of the standard Great Person lists (in this case the Vizier) with a unique, Egypt-specific list that is better. Unique quarter: Necropolis. Gain Gold every time a wonder is completed in this city. Unique building: Mastaba. Produces Culture, as well as bonus Gold for adjacent Desert tiles. Unique building: Mortuary Temple. Produces Gold, as well as bonus Happiness for adjacent navigable rivers. Our advice: Settling near navigable rivers is obviously a must. But beyond that, Egypt is deceptively flexible, and could fit a lot of different playstyles. Even if you want to play aggressively, it may be better to let your enemies come to you first, so you can take advantage of your home turf combat bonuses. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The starting point for the majority of national myths that seek to set everything West of the Levant as a special, cool place where all the special-est, coolest people came from, they are credited with the Olympics, Western philosophy, and some pretty damn impressive beards. Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic Unique ability: Demokratia. Increased Influence (that'd be the new diplomatic currency in Civ 7) on Palaces. Unique military unit: Hoplite. Increased strength when adjacent to another Hoplite. Unique civilian unit: Logios. Similar to Egypt's Tjaty, this is like a unique Great Person that can spawn as one of several randomized historical figures with different bonuses. Aristotle, Plato, Sappho—the gang's all here. They replace the vanilla Scholar and can only be built in cities with an Acropolis. Unique quarter: Acropolis. For every city-state you are suzerain of, your Parthenon building produces extra Gold. Unique building: Parthenon. Produces Culture, as well as bonus Influence if placed on rough terrain. Unique building: Odeon. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for each adjacent quarter. Our advice: The Greeks are definitely set up to master the Culture game, but you could also get some early conquest done with Hoplites if you make the most of their formidable formation fighting. Building a league of city-states should also be a major priority. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Han dynasty of China reigned from the 200s BCE to the 200s CE, laying many of the foundations for later Chinese civilization and even giving their name to the Han ethnicity that most Chinese people identify with today. Attributes: Diplomatic, Scientific Unique ability: Nine Provinces. The Capital and new Towns gain two population the first time they get a growth event, instead of just one. Unique military unit: Chu-Ko-Nu. You've seen these guys, I'm sure. It's like a repeater crossbow. They have a zone of control (which most ranged units do not) to prevent other units from simply marching right past them, and higher defense than other early archers. While they can engage from up to one tile away, they also get increased strength at point-blank range. Unique civilian unit: Shì Dàfū. It's another one of those loot box guys, replacing the Scholar just like Greece's Logios, and representing a variety of important figures in early Chinese history from Laozi to Meng Ke (known as Mencius to Western scholars). Unique improvement: Great Wall. We're back to building this thing in individual segments. Each one gives Culture, as well as bonus Happiness for each adjacent Great Wall segment. Also increased combat strength for defenders on the same tile. Wall segments have to be built in a continuous line. They can eventually loop around, but they can't branch off. Our advice: A very defensible capital and early bonuses to population growth give you a lot of options, and as usual for a Chinese civ in Civ, they will be a natural pick for a Science-focused playstyle, albeit one that now depends a bit more on RNG. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Khmer Empire was founded around 800 CE, making it one of the youngest starter civs in Civ 7, centered on what is today Cambodia. They came to control most of mainland Southeast Asia at their height. Attributes: Expansionist, Scientific Unique ability: Ksekam Chamnon. Urban districts next to rivers retain the output of any natural resources they were built on top of. Unique military unit: Yuthahathi. A cavalry unit with increased combat strength but reduced speed. It cannot be damaged by floods. Unique civilian unit: Vaishya. A merchant that cannot be damaged by floods and ignores movement penalties in flooded tiles. Unique improvement: Baray. Produces Food, increasing based on the number of floodplains within the borders of the settlement it is built. You can only build one per settlement and it must be on flat ground. Our advice: Natural disasters from Civ 6's Gathering Storm expansion are getting folded into the base game in Civ 7, and the Khmer are particularly well-equipped to survive and thrive with the natural flood cycles. Boosted food production and lower opportunity costs for urbanization will allow them to pursue many different strategies. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Founded in 322 BCE, the Maurya Empire grew to be the largest empire in South Asia up to that point. Controlling land from what is now Afghanistan all the way to the Bengal Delta, they were the cultural and political predecessors of most Indian subcontinent civilizations that came after them. Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific Unique ability: Dhamma Lipi. When you unlock Mysticism in the civics tree, you can choose an additional Pantheon bonus to represent your diverse religious beliefs. Unique military unit: Purabhettarah. A cavalry unit that has increased strength when fighting fortifications. Unique civilian unit: Nagarika. A settler that gives bonus Happiness on city halls. Unique quarter: Matha. Increases Happiness in the city where it is built. Unique building: Dharamshala. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Science for every adjacent quarter. Unique building: Vihara. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for adjacent mountains. Our advice: Indian civs tend to focus on growth in Civ, and the Maurya seem to be no exception. But rather than speeding things up with food, they provide a lot of ways to keep your population centers happy. So you might grow slower, but the maximum population you can manage is greater. They are well-equipped for conquest and aggressive settling, as well as culture and science. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Less of an empire than a series of related societies that existed mainly in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula from at least 2000 BCE, they were renowned for their early discoveries in astronomy and the development of a complex writing system. Attributes: Diplomatic, Scientific Unique ability: Skies of Itzamna. Palaces produce bonus Science for every adjacent tile with vegetation. Unique military unit: Hul'che. A ranged unit that can see and move through tiles with vegetation as if they were open land. Unique civilian unit: Jaguar Slayer. A replacement for the Scout that can place a hidden Jaguar Trap on vegetation tiles. Enemy units that enter the tile take damage and immediately end their movement. Unique quarter: Uwaybil K'uh. Gains bonus production every time you research a technology. Unique building: Jalaw. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for every adjacent quarter. Unique building: K'uh Nah. Produces Science, with a bonus for every adjacent tile with vegetation. Our advice: Mayans were my pick for the best Science civ in Civ 6, and they still definitely lean in that direction. Though, as with other civs we've seen so far, it seems like their bonuses are more focused on giving you extra bonuses for doing science rather than making your science go faster. They also seem like they're going to be one of the most difficult and advanced civs, since you have to preserve the natural spaces around you to make the most of their bonuses. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Arising some time around 800 CE, the Mississippian cultures built the largest pre-Columbian city we know of in what is now the United States at Cahokia, as well as most of the examples of monumental architecture from that region. They went into decline some time before European contact for what are still poorly-understood reasons. Attributes: Economic, Expansionist Unique ability: Goose Societies. All buildings produce bonus Food for each adjacent resource. Unique military unit: Burning Arrow. An archer with increased strength against fortified districts and siege units. Its attacks apply a burning status to the targeted tile that deals damage to units on the burning tile for a number of turns. Unique civilian unit: Watonathi. A merchant that gains bonus Gold for every resource you gain access to when it creates a trade route. Unique improvement: Potkop. Produces Gold, as well as bonus Food for every adjacent resource, and must be built on flat land. Our advice: The Burning Arrow is a really interesting early game unit, letting you do some battlefield control that no one else has access to, which makes the Mississippians a really interesting pick for a militaristic playstyle. Otherwise, their ways to get bonus food will enable a lot of different playstyles. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Achaemenid Persian Empire was founded in 550 BCE and was one of the great powers of the ancient world. At its height, they controlled land from India all the way to modern Libya and had a complex system of local governors. Attributes: Economic, Militaristic Unique ability: Hamarana Council. Infantry units have increased combat strength when attacking. Unique military unit: Immortal. A melee infantry unit that heals for a small amount after defeating an enemy unit. Unique civilian unit: Hazarapatis. A replacement for the Commander that starts with the Initiative promotion, allowing your units to move after "unpacking" from a commander. (In Civ 7, Commanders basically scoop up all of your adjacent units onto its tile to make armies easier to move, but you can't fight without unpacking them.) Unique improvement: Pairidaeza. Produces Culture and Gold, but cannot be built adjacent to one another. Our advice: Being able to sustain a conquest with self-healing Immortals lends itself to being very aggressive very early. You always want to be going on the attack, even when defending. I haven't played around with it yet, but I also think that having all your commanders start with Initiative is going to be huge. The Persians might be the best early warmonger civ. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Come on, even FPS players know this one. They built some roads and aqueducts. They did some conquests with their legions. They did a lot of arguing in elaborate spaces, and eventually had their government overthrown by a dictator. We can probably learn from at least a couple of those things, even today. Attributes: Cultural, Militaristic. Unique ability: Twelve Tables. Bonus Culture on all districts in the Capital and in Towns. The notable thing here is that it does not apply to Cities that are not the Capital, which encourages building a single, super tall capital and keeping all your other settlements as Towns. Unique military unit: Legion. A melee infantry unit that gains increased strength for every Roman-specific tradition you have adopted into your Government. Unique civilian unit: Legatus. A Commander that is able to found new settlements after gaining enough promotions. Unique quarter: Forum. Produces Cultures, as well as bonus Gold for every Roman-specific tradition you have adopted into your Government. Unique building: Temple of Jupiter. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for adjacent Happiness-producing buildings. Unique building: Basilica. Produces Gold, as well as Influence for adjacent Culture buildings. Our advice: Rome can certainly conquer, but they seem to be, perhaps, even better as a culture/settler rush civ this time around. The playstyle of all roads leading back to Rome with Towns serving as your outposts means you'll need to be extra careful building and defending your capital for maximum imperium. Age: Exploration Historical context: The third Islamic Caliphate, established in 750 CE, they oversaw the flourishing of culture and science known as the Islamic Golden Age and ultimately repelled the Crusades. At their height, their territory stretched from Tunisia to modern Pakistan. Attributes: Cultural, Scientific Unique ability: Medina. When a Specialist is created, you gain Gold for each population living in a rural district in that city. Unique military unit: Mamluk. A cavalry unit that gets increased combat strength for every population in urban districts when occupying a settlement. Unique civilian unit: Ālim. A unique Great Person created in a city with an Ulema, which can appear as one of several important figures from the Islamic Golden Age such as Ibn Sina and Ibn Fadlan. Unique quarter: Ulema. All specialists in the city where it's built produce bonus Science. Unique building: Madrasa. Produces Science, with a bonus to Science for each adjacent quarter and Science building. Unique building: Mosque. Produces Happiness, with a bonus to Happiness for adjacent Culture buildings and bonus Culture for adjacent Happiness buildings. If you don't already have the ability to do so, this will unlock the ability to found a Religion. Our advice: The Abbasids may be the real Science powerhouse in Civ 7, with pretty decent bonuses to Gold and Culture as well. Mamluks are specialized for urban fighting, so you'll not only want to urbanize your own settlements, but focus on attacking highly urbanized ones. Age: Exploration Historical context: A Tamil empire founded in Southern India in 848 CE, they came to command a large trade empire with bases as far away as modern Indonesia, and were influential in the spread of Hinduism into Southeast Asia. Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic Unique ability: Samayam. You get an extra trade route from every trade agreement. Unique military unit: Kalam. A naval unit that can attack twice per turn. Unique civilian unit: Ottru. A naval commander replacement that reduces the strength of all military units within its command radius. Unique quarter: Five Hundred Lords. Increases the range of your trade routes. Unique building: Manigramam. Produces Happiness, with a bonus to Happiness for each adjacent trade building and bonus gold for each adjacent quarter. Unique building: Anjuvannam. Produces Gold, with a bonus to Gold for adjacent coasts and navigable rivers, and a bonus to Production for naval units. Can only be built on the coast. Our advice: Unsurprisingly, the Chola are highly specialized to be a maritime trade empire. In addition to supporting a formidable navy, the Ottru will also aid with coastal land battles. Beyond that, they aren't particularly biased toward any specific victory objectives. Age: Exploration Historical context: While the Hawaiian islands may have been settled by Polynesians as early as the 100s CE, they were united into a single kingdom in 1795 by king Kamehameha. So far, very little has been announced about this civ beyond the name. Age: Exploration Historical context: A powerful Hindu kingdom that existed in modern-day Indonesia from the late 1200s through the early 1500s. Its rise to power saw it allying with and then betraying Kublai Khan's forces when they invaded Java in 1293. Attributes: Economic, Cultural Unique ability: Negara. All Cities except the Capital have an increased Specialist Limit. After the Exploration Age, the Specialist Limit increase goes away, and the Specialists become inactive until you increase the Specialist Limit. Unique Quarter: Pura. Receive a Relic when completed. Unique Building: Candi Bentar. Receive a Culture Adjacency for Coast and Navigable River tiles. Unique Building: Meru. Ageless. Receive a Happiness Adjacency for Mountains and Wonders. Increased Happiness on Natural Wonder tiles. Unique civilian unit: Pedanda. Unique Missionary Unit. Receive Culture when you convert a Settlement to your Religion. Requires a Temple. Unique military unit: Cetbang. Unique Naval Unit. Has increased Combat Strength against Naval Units. Can pillage tiles at range with a reduced Movement cost. Associated Wonder: Borobudur. Adds Happiness. Increase Happiness on Quarters. Must be built adjacent to a Coast tile. Age: Exploration Historical context: Established in 1368, the Ming dynasty restored Chinese rule to China after a period of Mongol domination under the Yuan, founded by Genghis Khan and his successors. They were responsible for expanding the Great Wall of China into what we know it as today. Attributes: Economic, Scientific Unique ability: Great Canon of Yongle. You gain increased Science in the capital, but decreased Science per turn for every social policy you have added to your government. Unique military unit: Xunleichong. A melee infantry unit that also has a ranged attack, they gain bonus strength in flat terrain with no vegetation. Unique civilian unit: Mandarin. A replacement for the Merchant that gives you a large amount of Gold every time you build a road. Unique improvement: Ming Great Wall. Like the Han equivalent, it can only be built in a single, continuous line. Produces Gold for every adjacent fortification (including other Great Wall segments). Our advice: The Ming still excel in Science, but things get a bit trickier due to the social policy restriction. It's sort of an interesting way to model their later decline. Luckily, their focus on Gold should make up for this, or allow you to pivot to a different strategy entirely. Age: Exploration Historical context: Under Genghis Khan and his heirs in the 1200s, the Mongol Empire created a vast confederation of steppe people across Eurasia that controlled the largest land empire, by area, in history. They ruled all the way from Southern China to parts of modern Turkey and Romania. Attributes: Expansionist, Militaristic Unique ability: Bokh. When capturing a settlement, you get a copy of the strongest cavalry unit you can currently build. However, you have -50% production toward Settlers. You also gain victory points for the conquest victory objective differently from other civs. Unique military unit: Keshig. A ranged cavalry unit with increased movement that heals after defeating enemies. Unique civilian unit: Noyan. A Commander replacement with increased movement, it grants improved Flanking ability to cavalry units. Unique improvement: Ortöö. Produces Gold, and resets the movement allowance for any unit that lands on it. Can't be placed on rough terrain, vegetation, or rivers. Our advice: Hoo boy. This is gonna be fun. As you'd expect, the Mongolians are honed for fast conquests and controlling large land areas. Sustaining assaults with Keshigs will be trivial if you know what you're doing, but remember that they're probably not sufficient on their own to win sieges. Creating networks of ortöös will allow you to move startlingly fast across the open plains, but rocky, coastal areas, forests, and rivers will present strategic obstacles. Age: Exploration Historical context: In 1066, William the Bastard and a bunch of his bandit friends crossed the channel to seize the Kingdom of England on a dubious claim and make our eventual language of global communication way more complicated than it needed to be. Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic Unique ability: Normannitas. Land units get +1 movement when embarked, and +5 strength when adjacent to a coast. Unique military unit: Chevaler. A cavalry unit with increased strength against any unit that has less movement speed. Unique civilian unit: Sokeman. A Settler replacement that automatically builds a wall when a new town is created. Unique quarter: Donjon. Creates a Chevaler for free when built. Unique building: Motte. Produces Happiness if built on rough terrain, and functions as a fortification. Unique building: Bailey. Produces Culture for adjacent walls, and functions as a fortification. Our advice: Castles. That's it, that's the post. The Normans excel at protecting their outposts and building up defensive infrastructure, while also enjoying some residual benefits to amphibious warfare from their viking—with a lower-case v because it's a job and not an ethnicity but I realize I may have lost that battle for good—roots. They don't really excel at anything besides warfare though, just like William and his pack of pillagers. Age: Exploration Historical context: A North American people originally from what is now Ohio, and the namesake of the town where this author went to high school, they formed the core of a great confederacy that represented one of the most concerted Native efforts to curb US Westward expansion, under their chief Tecumseh. Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic. Unique ability: Nepekifaki. Settlements next to navigable rivers produce more Food on river tiles, but settlements that are not next to a navigable river produce less. Unique military unit: Kispoko Nena'to. A melee infantry unit with increased strength for every Empire Resource you possess. (The currently known Empire Resources include Gold, Iron, Ivory, Marble, and Wine.) Unique civilian unit: Hoceepkileni. A Missionary replacement that has increased movement, and that can cross rivers without ending its movement. Unique improvement: Mawaskawe Skote. Produces food, as well as bonus Gold for every adjacent resource. Can only be placed on tiles with vegetation, and not adjacent to another Mawaskawe Skote. Our advice: This is another one of those river valley boom civs, with the added twist that you can have a very deadly army if you manage to accumulate a lot of resources through expansion and trade. They aren't particularly biased toward any specific victory type. Age: Exploration Historical context: Founded in the 1430s, the Songhai Empire conquered much of inland West Africa, with its center in what is today the country of Mali. They were influential in the spread of Islam to sub-Saharan Africa. Attributes: Economic, Militaristic Unique ability: Tarikh al-Sudan. +15 trade route range for cities on navigable rivers. Trade ships can't be plundered while sailing on navigable rivers. Unique military unit: Gold Bangles Infantry. (Stats not yet shown.) Unique civilian unit: Tajiro. (Stats not yet shown.) Unique infrastructure: Caravansarai. (Stats not yet shown.) Our advice: We don't have the full picture of Songhai yet, but they seem tooled to be a strong inland trade civ, with the ability to secure routes overland and via rivers. Judging by their attributes and their historical reputation, they will also likely turn out to be a strong military civ. Age: Exploration Historical context: This civ represents the Spanish Empire as it existed from 1492 onwards. At the forefront of the European Age of Discovery, it came to control territory from modern-day Canada all the way down to Chile and Argentina, supported by influential religious missions and a powerful armada. Attributes: Expansionist, Militaristic Unique ability: Sigio de Oro. You get a 15% discount on converting a Town into a City, increasing to 30% if that town is considered part of the "Distant Lands." Unique military unit: Tercio. An infantry unit that has increased strength, and grants any adjacent units an additional +3 strength against cavalry (not stackable). Unique civilian unit: Conquistador. Another unique type of Great Person, which can appear as a number of significant figures from the Age of Exploration such as Christopher Columbus or Hernán Cortés. They each have a unique ability that can only be activated in "Distant Lands" (far from your starting Homelands), and start with the ability to cross ocean tiles. Unique quarter: Plaza. Produces bonus gold in the settlement where it's built for every settlement you own in Distant Lands. Unique building: Casa Consistorial. +5 Culture, and an additional +1 for every adjacent quarter and wonder. Can only be built in your Homelands next to a coast. Unique building: Casa de Contratación. +5 Gold, and an additional +1 for adjacent navigable rivers, resources, and wonders. Can only be built in your Homelands. Our advice: If you guessed the Spanish would be focused on exploration and overseas colonization, you would have guessed right. They will benefit greatly from settling tons of towns and cities in places distant to their capital, and should have a fairly easy time doing so. Culture seems to be their forte, but with all that imperial Gold coming in, you can probably go for any strategy you want. We haven't seen much about the Modern Age civs yet other than their names, but here's a little bit of historical context for each. Buganda : The Baganda people of modern Uganda (I know, this is a lot of similar-sounding proper nouns—the people are Baganda, the kingdom is Buganda, and the modern state is Uganda) unified under a single king in the 1200s, and it retains the status of a traditional kingdom under the Ugandan state to this day. They were one of the most powerful states in East Africa from the 1700s up until they were eventually colonized by the British in 1884. France: This civ is based on the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. It only lasted for about three years, but in that time, managed to conquer the lion's share of continental Europe before succumbing to a coalition of a bunch of other nations who didn't like that very much. Japan: This civ represents the Japanese Empire, which lasted from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 up until their defeat in World War II in 1945. It was a time of great nationalism, expansionism, and militarism. So, like the French, I think we can expect them to have a pretty aggressive playstyle. Mexico: Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, at the time controlling most of Central America and much of what is now the Western and Southwestern United States. This civ is simply described as representing the "modern nation," rather than any specific historical government like the French and Japanese civs. Mughal Empire : A little bit of a stretch for the label of "Modern," the Mughal Empire existed from 1526 until it was finally absorbed into the British Raj in 1867. At its height, it controlled nearly all of modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even parts of Afghanistan. They had a very effective military for the time, so this will probably be yet another aggressive modern civ. Since any of these civs can be played with any leader, be sure to also check out our Civilization 7 Leaders guide to start planning how you'll mix and match your way to global pre-eminence.
Article content OTTAWA — As Canadians find it increasingly difficult to secure a job, feed their families or an affordable place to live, few say they take pride in Canada, a new poll finds. Recommended Videos New numbers from Angus Reid find the number of people who feel “very proud” to be a Canadian has taken a precipitous dive over the past four decades, with just 34% saying they take great pride in their citizenship. That’s compared to 1985, when 78% of respondents reported feeling “very proud” to be a Canadian. “The years since the onset of COVID-19 have been a well-documented period of division and discord in this country, with Canadians expressing concerns about the lack of a ‘middle’ option politically, an unwillingness from governments to work together for the people, weakening compassion and growing space between Canadians,” read the report published online by the Angus Reid institute . According to Environics polls conducted at the time, that number fell from 78% to 71% in 1994. A Carleton University/International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) poll conducted in 2003 found that number had fallen to 68% , falling again in 2016 to 52%, and 34% in 2024. Forty-nine per cent of the 2024 respondents agreed with a statement saying they had a deep emotional attachment to Canada, and that they love the country and what it stands for — a number that fell from 62% in 2016 and 65% in 1991. As well, 37% in 2024 said they have an attachment to Canada, but only as long as it provides a good standard of living — up from 31% in 2016 and 19% in 1991. Eight per cent said they feel no attachment to Canada and would like to see if split up into smaller countries, up from 5% in 2016 but down from 9% in 1991, while those who would like Canada absorbed into the United States sits at 6% — 2% in 2016 and 5% in 1991. These feelings seem consistent across the country. “Quebec is least likely to have downward movement on attachment (-7,) but this is largely due to its starting point, already lowest in the country (37%,)” the report read. “The number of Albertans saying they have a deep emotional attachment has dropped 20 points from 67 to 47% since 2016.” RECOMMENDED VIDEO Politically, respondents who profess support for the federal Conservatives were more likely to say that Canada should join the United States, while those expressing deep, emotional attachment to Canada were more likely to support the federal Liberals. Newer immigrants who’ve been in Canada for under a decade are more likely to say they feel attached to Canada as long as they maintain a good standard of living, a feeling that diminishes the longer they stay here — just over half of new immigrants feel that way, which drops to 45% among those who’ve been here 10 to 20 years, and falls to just 33% for those who’ve been in Canada for over 20 years. The poll was conducted among 4,004 Canadians between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5 via the Angus Reid Forum. Margin-of-error data was not provided. bpassifiume@postmedia.com X: @bryanpassifiume
Police have said all cordons have been removed and roads reopened in Chester after a major security alert. The incident follows a security alert at the nearby Chester train station that saw rail services stopped for around two hours with a full evacuation and wide cordon. Rail services resumed around 7pm, however cordons remained in place at the bus station. Just before 10PM police issued the first statement on the incident, in full here: “At 5.09pm today (Friday 22 November) police received a report of suspicious activity on two busses in Chester City Centre. One near the train station and one near the bus interchange. “As a precaution a cordon was put in place and a number of roads were closed while we investigated the report. EOD attended with other emergency services to assist. “All was in order, the cordon was released and roads reopened. We understand that this caused some disruption and concern but we are now happy there is nothing untoward. Thank you for your patience while we dealt with this incident.” Police have not confirmed local reports of a “controlled explosion” at Chester bus station around 9:30PM this evening and related warnings to nearby residents. The statement above uses the ‘EOD’ jargon – which stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Top pic: @ShitChester on the scene in Chester – check out thechesterblog.com here . Original updates below... Update : All lines have reopened, with services resuming. However a large security operation appears to remain in place nearby. The area around the bus station remains closed. Police don't know how long for pic.twitter.com/D19YmzdI0E — this Chester (@ShitChester) November 22, 2024 Strange night in @ShitChester with both the train and bus stations closed due to bomb scares. Seems to be over now and police tape has come down... pic.twitter.com/H2zVAkyAKX — Matthew Lumby (@MatthewLumby) November 22, 2024 earlier information below... All lines are closed at Chester Station this evening amid a wider security alert. National Rail say “Trains are currently unable to call at Chester due to a security alert at this station” with an expectation from the service that the station will remain closed for several hours. “A security alert at Chester station means all lines are currently closed. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised to not call at Chester station.” Eyewitnesses are reporting a section of City Road is also closed by the station. Other images on social media show Chester bus station is also cordoned off with taxi and bus services are affected. Will has told Wrexham.com, “All buses including the Wrexham buses have been told to move on and not call at any of the stops” at the bus station. Images of an Army ordnance corps bomb disposal vehicle in the city has been shared with Wrexham.com this evening. Bus station too pic.twitter.com/a3uB7fwvGn — I_Loves_MeKitty (@I_Loves_MeKitty) November 22, 2024 There is no information from Cheshire Police. Nearly an hour after the initial reports, and 48 minutes after the National Rail update, TfW updated, “Due to a security alert at a station at Chester the line is closed.” Mersey Rail said, “Due to a security alert at Chester, train services running through this station will be terminated at and started back from Hooton. No alternative transport can be provided at present.” More shortly. Get notified about news from across North WalesPolice in Georgia on Saturday fired water cannons to disperse pro-EU protesters rallying for a ninth consecutive day against the prime minister's decision to shelve talks on joining the European Union. The Caucasus nation has been engulfed in turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party declared that it had won a disputed October 26 election. The party's critics have accused it of creeping authoritarianism and of steering the country back towards Russia. Thousands of defiant pro-EU protesters in Georgia began to rally Friday eve after the prime minister claimed victory in a "battle" against the opposition. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets since the election to protest against alleged electoral fraud. Fresh rallies took place across the country after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced last week that Georgia would not hold talks on European Union membership until 2028. Police have fired tear gas and water cannon against pro-EU protests in Tbilisi and hundreds of arrests have been made, triggering outrage at home and mounting international condemnation. France, Germany and Poland condemned what they called the government's "disproportionate" use of force against protesters and opposition leaders in a joint statement Friday. Shortly after midnight on Saturday, riot police in full gear moved in with water cannons to disperse the rally outside the parliament building, making arrests as the crowd retreated a few metres (yards), an AFP reporter witnessed. Earlier on Friday evening, several thousand people blocked the street outside parliament, with some blowing whistles and others setting off firecrackers. The crowd was smaller than on previous nights and the mood quieter, but protesters rejected claims the movement was dying out. "People will continue the protest," said one demonstrator, 23-year-old Giorgi, wearing a Georgian flag and a back scarf pulled over his nose. "They're patient, I will be here for the rest of my life if it is necessary to save my country." Separate protests were held outside Georgia's Public Broadcaster -- accused of being a government propaganda tool -- as well as the education ministry and the country's tourism administration offices. Shalva Alaverdashvili, founder of the Georgian hotels' federation, told AFP that the "unexpected and unacceptable" suspension of EU accession talks has severely hit the country's tourism industry, which accounts for seven percent of the country's GDP. Thousands have also staged anti-government rallies in the second city of Batumi on the Black Sea coast. On Friday evening, a court in Tbilisi put a 19-year-old youth activist in pre-trial detention. Zviad Tsetskhladze had been arrested during the protests on charges of "organising, leading, and participating in group violence". Tsetskhladze told the judge: "Democracy in Georgia is no more. The rule of law has been crushed. "Our actions are a form of resistance, aimed at preserving the rule of law, defending democracy, and protecting the rights of every individual." Earlier Friday Prime Minister Kobakhidze praised his security forces for "successfully neutralising the protesters' capacity for violence". "We have won an important battle against liberal fascism in our country," he told a news conference, using language reminiscent of how the Kremlin in Russia targets its political opponents. "But the fight is not over. Liberal fascism in Georgia must be defeated entirely," Kobakhidze said, repeating an earlier threat to "complete the process of neutralising the radical opposition". With both sides ruling out a compromise, there appeared to be no clear route out of the crisis. The leader of the opposition Lelo party, Mamuka Khazaradze, said the ruling party "no longer has the strength or resources to stand against the people." The government "has resorted to arresting young activists and political opponents out of fear of relentless public protests and growing civil disobedience by public servants," he told AFP. The interior ministry said police had detained three more individuals Friday for "participating in group violence", punishable by up to nine years' jail. Masked officers have raided several opposition party offices and arrested opposition leaders earlier this week, while around 300 people have been detained at rallies. On Friday Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition Akhali party, was sentenced to 12 days in prison. Alexandre Elisashvili, leader of the Strong Georgia opposition group, was remanded in custody for two months of pretrial detention. More trouble is expected after December 14, when Georgian Dream lawmakers elect a loyalist to succeed pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili. She has vowed not to step down until the parliamentary polls are re-run. Local media has also reported protests across the country, including in the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Rustavi and Telavi. Critics of Georgian Dream are enraged by what they call its betrayal of Tbilisi's bid for EU membership, enshrined in the constitution and supported by around 80 percent of the population. Several ambassadors, a deputy foreign minister, and other officials have resigned over the suspension of EU talks. Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, has advanced controversial legislation in recent years, targeting civil society and independent media and curbing LGBTQ rights. Brussels warned such policies were incompatible with EU membership, while domestic critics accuse the government of copying Russia's playbook. Georgia's own rights ombudsman has accused the police of "torture" against those arrested. ub-im/sbkSafeSport Center changes targeted in new bill aimed at sex abuse in sports
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LONDON - SailGP will launch its fifth season in Dubai this weekend with Rolex as its title partner, reinforcing a relationship with the Swiss luxury watchmaker since the birth of the league in 2019. Rolex, which has been involved in the sport of sailing for nearly 70 years, will also become title partner for the Los Angeles grand prix in mid-March next year and will continue as the official timepiece for SailGP under the 10-year deal. "What they really like about SailGP is it's modern, it's attracting a larger and a younger audience and the fact that this is an annual championship," said SailGP CEO Russell Coutts, adding Rolex had become "inextricably linked with the league". Coutts told Reuters that with SailGP into a fifth season it was able to provide the certainty to sponsors, venues and team owners that had been lacking from sailing events in the past. SailGP, in which teams race state-of-the-art, one-design 50-foot foiling catamarans at high-profile venues around the world, was founded and backed by Oracle's Larry Ellison, who was earlier involved in successful U.S. America's Cup campaigns. Coutts said there were still other areas where SailGP was in talks to sign up partners, highlighting energy and financial services as possible areas of interest. "We think we've got a really unique property in some regards," Coutts said, pointing to the on-site fan experience and hospitality which form part of the SailGP events. "The sport hasn't had a platform like this where they could activate and plan ... a 10-year arrangement, it just hasn't existed before now, not an entity that's professionally televised and marketed in a consistent way," he added. With Brazil and Italy joining the league for season five, there will be a total of 12 teams competing from early 2025, with SailGP offering bonus prize money of $7 million. Alterations to the foils which lift the catamarans out of the water mean that the F50s are expected to "fly" even faster this season than last, with Coutts predicting speeds of 110 kilometres per hour in the right wind conditions. 'MORE VISIBLE' Joël Aeschlimann, International Sponsorship Manager for Rolex, told Reuters that the brand will be "much more visible in and around SailGP in the coming years". Its distinctive logo is prominently on show on the jib sails of the catamarans. "We were really happy to be one of the founding partners and had a strong belief that the vision that Russell and Larry had would work," Aeschlimann said of SailGP. Aeschlimann said this faith had paid off and the package that SailGP has assembled allows for enjoyment whether watched from the shore, on screen or from the water, encompassing all the ingredients that a modern sports event needs. A combination of the best sailors, technological innovation and the mix of human emotions and achievements were among the elements that made SailGP appealing to Rolex, he added. Rolex is title sponsor of 15 major international sailing events, including the Sydney-Hobart and Fastnet races, and partners institutions including the New York Yacht Club and Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron. It also has ties with individuals involved in SailGP such as Ben Ainslie, who owns and runs the British team, Tom Slingsby, who skippers Australia's F50, and double Olympic gold medallist Hannah Mills, who is Britain's team strategist. Rolex had been partner to Formula 1 since 2013 but was replaced this year by French luxury giant LVMH, which agreed to a 10-year sponsorship deal. REUTERS
The Colorado Supreme Court signaled last month that it may intervene in a second case questioning whether municipalities can impose harsher sentences than state law does for identical criminal conduct. At least four of the seven justices must agree to hear a case that is appealed directly to the Supreme Court without going to the Court of Appeals first. Colorado's constitution grants home rule municipalities the right to impose penalties for violations of their charters or ordinances. The result, however, has been the potential for substantially greater fines or jail time for defendants charged in municipal court compared with those who happen to be charged in state court for the same offense. Last year, the justices faced a scenario involving a pair of defendants in Rifle. Two people received a summons for a theft charge under the municipal code. The city's maximum jail time for the offense was 18 times longer than if the defendants had been charged under Colorado's theft statute. The defendants asked the Supreme Court to declare Rifle's code unconstitutional to the extent it punished an identical offense more harshly. However, after the justices ordered Rifle to respond, the city council backed down and begrudgingly changed its code. Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal. Several months later, a woman was charged with theft in Westminster Municipal Court. Compared with the identical state offense, she would face a maximum municipal fine nine times greater and jail time 36 times longer than Colorado law imposed. A judge declined to find the ordinance unconstitutional, believing a locality's sentencing scheme does not have to be consistent with the state's. The defendant appealed to the Supreme Court and in October, the justices ordered Westminster to respond to the petition. The latest appeal out of Aurora raises the same legal questions under largely similar circumstances. John Leyba, special to Colorado Politics A view inside the Aurora Municipal Center. Law enforcement charged Danielle Ashley Simons with trespass and motor vehicle trespass under the city code. Had she been prosecuted in state court and found guilty, the maximum period of incarceration would have been 120 days and a $750 fine for the more serious motor vehicle offense, and a lesser penalty for ordinary trespass. Instead, she faced up to 364 days in jail and $2,650 for both municipal offenses. Simons moved to dismiss the charges, arguing state law preempted Aurora's municipal ordinance and that the disparate treatment violated the constitutional principle of equal protection of the laws. Municipal Court Judge Shelby L. Fyles denied the motion, noting no court had ever invalidated an Aurora ordinance because of disparate sentencing. She also observed state law generally permits municipalities to impose the same fines and jail time Aurora has adopted. "Aurora, as a home-rule municipality, has the right to determine penalties for violations that occur within the city, even for offenses with overlapping state regulation, so long as no conflict exists. A discrepancy in sentencing principles, alone, does not create a conflict requiring preemption," Fyles wrote, adding Simons' argument would require all defendants to be charged in state court even if their alleged offenses also violated city ordinance. Simons appealed directly to the Supreme Court, asking it to address the same issues raised in the Westminster case or, alternatively, to halt her municipal prosecution until it decided the Westminster appeal. On Nov. 25, the court ordered Aurora to respond to Simons' arguments. It also invited the Colorado Attorney General's Office, Colorado Municipal League and Colorado Criminal Defense Bar to submit their thoughts. The case is People v. Simons.ARLINGTON, Va. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of The AES Corporation AES approved an increase of 2% in the Company's quarterly common stock dividend, from $0.1725 per share to $0.17595 per share, beginning in the first quarter of 2025. The Company's first quarter 2025 common stock dividend of $0.17595 per share is payable on February 14, 2025 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 31 , 2025. Additional information regarding dividends paid by AES, including tax treatment, can be found on www.aes.com by selecting "Investors" then "Stock Information" and then "Dividend History." About AES The AES Corporation AES is a Fortune 500 global energy company accelerating the future of energy. Together with our many stakeholders, we're improving lives by delivering the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs. Our diverse workforce is committed to continuous innovation and operational excellence, while partnering with our customers on their strategic energy transitions and continuing to meet their energy needs today. For more information, visit www.aes.com . Safe Harbor Disclosure This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those related to future earnings, growth and financial and operating performance. Forward-looking statements are not intended to be a guarantee of future results, but instead constitute AES' current expectations based on reasonable assumptions. Forecasted financial information is based on certain material assumptions. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, our expectations regarding accurate projections of future interest rates, commodity price and foreign currency pricing, continued normal levels of operating performance and electricity volume at our distribution companies and operational performance at our generation businesses consistent with historical levels, as well as the execution of PPAs, conversion of our backlog and growth investments at normalized investment levels, and rates of return consistent with prior experience. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in our forward-looking statements due to risks, uncertainties and other factors. Important factors that could affect actual results are discussed in AES' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including, but not limited to, the risks discussed under Item 1A: "Risk Factors" and Item 7: "Management's Discussion & Analysis" in AES' 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Readers are encouraged to read AES' filings to learn more about the risk factors associated with AES' business. AES undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except where required by law. Any Stockholder who desires a copy of the Company's 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed February 26, 2024 with the SEC may obtain a copy (excluding the exhibits thereto) without charge by addressing a request to the Office of the Corporate Secretary, The AES Corporation, 4300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22203. Exhibits also may be requested, but a charge equal to the reproduction cost thereof will be made. A copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K may be obtained by visiting the Company's website at www.aes.com . Website Disclosure AES uses its website, including its quarterly updates, as channels of distribution of Company information. The information AES posts through these channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor our website, in addition to following AES' press releases, quarterly SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. In addition, you may automatically receive e-mail alerts and other information about AES when you enroll your e-mail address by visiting the " Subscribe to Alerts " page of AES' Investors website. The contents of AES' website, including its quarterly updates, are not, however, incorporated by reference into this release. Investor Contact: Susan Harcourt 703-682-1204, susan.harcourt@aes.com Media Contact: Amy Ackerman 703-682-6399, amy.ackerman@aes.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aes-announces-2-increase-in-quarterly-dividend-302325157.html SOURCE The AES Corporation © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Miami owner denies 'controversy' over CWC placeRobinson won't appear at Trump's North Carolina rally after report on online posts, AP sources say
Ever since pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto published a whitepaper on Bitcoin BTC/USD in 2008, there have been plenty of cryptocurrency skeptics. President-elect Donald Trump was one of them . “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump tweeted in 2019. He also called out Libra, a virtual currency that Meta Platforms was working on at the time. The Facebook parent company should “seek a new Banking Charter and become subject to all Banking Regulations, just like other Banks,” he insisted. But during his 2024 U.S. presidential campaign , Trump changed his mind. He suggested a strategic national crypto stockpile for the U.S. Trump also launched his own non-fungible tokens on the Polygon MATIC/USD blockchain and accepted Ethereum ETH/USD as a payment option. Read Also: Trump Appoints VC David Sacks As White House Crypto Czar: ‘He Will Work On A Legal Framework’ A key milestone for the crypto sector came when Trump spoke at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. "For too long our government has violated the cardinal rule that every Bitcoiner knows by heart: Never sell your Bitcoin," Trump said at the event on July 27. "This afternoon I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and Bitcoin superpower of the world and we'll get it done.” Investing $1,000 in Bitcoin: Bitcoin holders saw a soaring valuation ever since Trump made that speech. Bitcoin traded between $66,705.22 to $69,398.51 on July 27, 2024, the date of Trump's event appearance. A $1,000 investment at the day's highest price could have purchased 0.0144 BTC. Fast-forward to today and Bitcoin trades at $101,478.46, recently passing the $100,000 milestone for the first time. The $1,000 investment would be worth $1,461.29 today, up 46.1% in less than five months. The same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which tracks the S&P 500, would be worth $1,111.21 today. That’s up only 11.1% over the same time period. Bitcoin quickly passed new all-time highs after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Over the past month, Bitcoin has traded between $74,480.42 and $103,900.47. Bitcoin investors are optimistic that Trump's incoming administration will continue being pro-crypto compared to his predecessor, President Joe Biden . Now Read: EXCLUSIVE: Bitcoin Briefly Tops $100,000, But Where Do Benzinga Readers Predict It Will Finish 2024? Image: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges Tuesday night. The FTC had earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.NonePhoto: RNZ/Nate McKinnon The blaze, which started on Thursday morning, has burned through nearly 1000 hectares at Bridge Hill, northwest of Springfield. Incident Commander Colin Russell said on Saturday afternoon it was not safe to contain the fire on its perimetre due to rugged terrain and cliffs. Instead, he said crews were trying to control it by suppressing hotspots and flare-ups. Russell said more than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze on Saturday, as well as three diggers and four helicopters. Strong winds and higher temperatures were earlier forecast for Saturday afternoon. Firefighters were battling to get the blaze under control in Saturday morning's more favourable weather conditions. Russell earlier said while it was still not yet contained, it was remaining within its 17km boundary and not expected to grow in size. Residents around Castle Hill were on standby to evacuate should the blaze spread. The fire started early on Thursday morning, closing State Highway 73 and burning through more than 1000 hectares at Bridge Hill, northwest of Springfield. The Holloway Lodge, near the peak of Bridge Hill, was destroyed. Russell said 110 FENZ staff were still working to contain the blaze as the weather turned. "This afternoon the wind is forecast to strengthen, and temperatures will be in the mid- to high-20s. This will be less favourable conditions for getting this fire contained and the risk of breakouts will be higher so we will be closely monitoring the fire." All recreational areas between Castle Hill and Lake Pearson were closed to the public, FENZ said on social media. "This is still an active fire zone and with the winds increasing the risk of a breakout fire is higher. Please do not move cones and signs that are blocking off these areas. When you do this it ties up valuable resources trying to sort evacuations, when we should be working on the fire ground." Seven FENZ crews had monitored the site overnight. Fire retardant lines had been placed around at-risk properties and crews would be focusing on the ground. There had been five helicopters helping to battle the blaze, and FENZ was expected to do an aerial reconnaissance flight on Saturday morning to assess any damage and the extent of the fire's spread. Sunday is shaping up to be one of the windier days we’ve had in a while as strong northwesterlies cover the country💨💨 Gusts of 150 km/h are possible in parts of the Canterbury High Country and 140km/h in areas in Wellington. Watches and Orange Warnings in place🟠🟡 pic.twitter.com/1xMZ7U1h8d — MetService (@MetService) December 6, 2024 SH73 had reopened, but stop/go signs were in place and traffic was being taken through the affected area in piloted convoys. "We'd like to thank all the road users for their patience and adhering to the traffic restrictions in place," Russell said. "It has meant we can keep the road open in a safe manner so people can continue to pass through." Strong wind warnings were in place for much of the South Island from early on Sunday, with northwesterly gusts picking up on the east coast through Saturday. Another fire breaks out in region Meanwhile FENZ shift manager Simon Lyford said crews were fighting another scrub fire in North Canterbury, just south of Culverden. Crews from three stations were trying to get on top of the fire, but the wind was not helping, he said. "We do have a helicopter on standby ready to respond, but at this stage the crews are saying that they believe that they will be okay." It was more than 90 kilometres away from the Bridge Hill blaze, he said.