The Ice and Snow Festival at Harbin Engineering University provided a platform for students and teachers to come together, express their creativity, and celebrate their shared identity as proud citizens of China. The festival served as a reminder of the importance of unity, collaboration, and the power of art to inspire and unite people from diverse backgrounds.
It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. “The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. “There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction.” In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation , did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report , Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.” But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's “decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable.” A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. “Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated,” he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. “It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.” AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-gamesIn a move to boost the real estate market and ease the financial burden on homebuyers, Henan Province is considering exempting the land value added tax on the sale of ordinary residential properties. The proposal, currently under public consultation, aims to stimulate the housing market and encourage more individuals to invest in property ownership.Furthermore, the rise of geopolitical tensions and competition in key strategic areas such as technology, trade, and influence in developing countries poses a challenge to the EU-China relationship. The former Spanish Foreign Minister stressed the need for both sides to approach these challenges with a pragmatic and realistic mindset, focusing on areas of mutual interest while managing areas of disagreement.Rumors are swirling in the gaming community as reports suggest that the beloved racing game franchise, Need for Speed, may be getting a remake. With fans eagerly awaiting any news on a potential Need for Speed 9 reboot, the latest buzz indicates that EA is seriously considering the idea.
College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU's wins over Crimson Tide's strong schedule The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor. Tamar Bates scores 29 points to help Missouri beat No. 1 Kansas 76-67 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the 8-1 Tigers. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The 7-2 Jayhawks have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Scottie Scheffler ends his big year in the Bahamas with his 9th victory NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler ended his biggest year with another victory. Scheffler was coming off a two-month break and looked as good as ever. He shot 63 in the Hero World Challenge and set tournament records at Albany with a 72-hole total of 263 and a six-shot victory. Tom Kim was the runner-up and Justin Thomas finished third. Scheffler ends his year with nine victories in 21 tournaments. That includes the holiday tournament in the Bahamas and the Olympic gold medal in Paris. It's the third-highest winning percentage in the last 40 years. Tournament host Tiger Woods had two better years. Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive in ski racing return at age 40 COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive again in her ski racing return at 40 years old. Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee. That’s why all that she's reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races Sunday is that she’s right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and an abbreviated prep period. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga. Plane circles MetLife Stadium with message to co-owner John Mara to fix the Giants' 'dumpster fire' EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York was to play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, asking Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul the team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. “Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” the message read as it was towed behind the rear of a small plane. Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy's Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy's mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday's 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media. Tua Tagovailoa's TD pass to Jonnu Smith gives Dolphins 32-26 overtime win over Aaron Rodgers, Jets MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime and the Miami Dolphins overcame Aaron Rodgers’ first 300-yard passing game in nearly three years to beat the New York Jets 32-26. After Jason Sanders tied it with 7 seconds left in regulation with a 42-yard field goal, Tagovailoa quickly moved the Dolphins down the field and they beat the Jets for the ninth straight time in Miami. That came after Anders Carlson gave the struggling Jets the lead with a 42-yarder with 52 seconds remaining. New York was eliminated from playoff contention for the 14th straight year. Steelers WR George Pickens to miss first game of his career with hamstring injury PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will have to wait to “introduce” himself to Cleveland Browns defensive back Greg Newsome II. Pickens is inactive for Pittsburgh's rematch against the Browns because of a hamstring injury. Newsome and Pickens ended Cleveland’s 24-19 win on Nov. 21 by tussling on Pittsburgh’s last-gasp desperation pass attempt. Pickens grabbed Newsome’s facemask as the two careened through the end zone and slammed into a restraining wall. Afterward, Newsome called the mercurial Pickens a “fake tough guy.” Pickens responded on Friday by feigning ignorance and saying he didn’t even know who Newsome was when asked if he would talk to Newsome before the game.Interpretation of December Political Bureau Meeting by Institutions: Confirming Policy Turning Point to Boost Economy
Overall, the shift towards a 3.1% interest rate for new mortgage loans in Qingdao highlights the dynamic nature of the real estate market and the importance of staying informed about changes that may impact one's financial decisions. As housing loan interest rates continue to fluctuate, it is crucial for borrowers to stay vigilant, seek advice from financial professionals, and make informed choices to ensure their long-term financial stability.
However, as we approach the end of the decade, signs are emerging that suggest the industry may be on the cusp of a major transformation. The AI big model space, which has been characterized by intense competition, rapid innovation, and eye-watering valuations, may be entering a new phase marked by consolidation, optimization, and increased scrutiny. Some industry insiders are predicting that the next year could be the beginning of the AI Big Model Shuffling Year, a period in which the market will witness a reshuffling of players and priorities, as well as a shift towards a more rational and sustainable approach to AI development.
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 11:43 p.m. ESTAs a result, Liverpool is leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to secure the services of Fekir and K77. Fekir, a talented midfielder known for his creativity and goal-scoring abilities, has long been on the club's radar. His potential arrival would provide Liverpool with added depth and quality in midfield, offering a different dimension to their attacking play.
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 11:43 p.m. EST
One of the key aspects of the government's strategy is to provide greater support to the real estate sector through a series of targeted policies and initiatives. These measures are designed to address various issues such as land supply, financing constraints, and affordability challenges, with the aim of ensuring a more balanced and sustainable market ecosystem.
In light of the criticisms regarding unethical business practices, Country Garden has reaffirmed its commitment to integrity, transparency, and corporate governance. The company has stated that it maintains a strict code of conduct and zero-tolerance policy for any form of corruption, bribery, or unethical behavior. Country Garden has also pledged to enhance its compliance mechanisms, strengthen internal controls, and conduct regular audits to ensure ethical conduct throughout its operations.
As the season progresses, the battle for the Premier League title promises to be intense, with several teams vying for the coveted trophy. Liverpool's lead at the top sets the tone for an exciting race, with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City hot on their heels. Manchester United will look to bounce back and assert themselves in the title race, aiming to climb up the standings and challenge the frontrunners.