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Jharkhand revolutionises all-round edu: From sporting glory to academic excellence
Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. And this wasn't on a whim: He knows how to play and even brought his own chess set. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. It was 9:36 a.m. People began showing up almost immediately. Washington Square Park is a known spot for chess in New York — Bobby Fischer among others have famously played there, and it's been used for multiple movie scenes featuring the game. Wembanyama was there for an hour in the rain, from about 10-11 a.m. He played four games, winning two and losing two — he told Bleacher Report afterward that both of the losses were to professional chess players — before departing to catch the Spurs' flight. Wembanyama had been trying to get somewhere to play chess for the bulk of the team's time in New York — the Spurs played the Knicks on Christmas and won at Brooklyn on Friday night. The schedule never aligned, until Saturday morning. And even with bad weather, he bundled up to make it happen. He posed for photos with a couple of dozen people who showed up, braving a morning of cold rain to play chess with one of the NBA's biggest stars. “We need an NBA players only Chess tournament, proceeds go to the charity of choice of the winner,” he wrote on social media after his chess trip was over. Wembanyama is averaging 25.2 points and 10.1 rebounds this season, his second in the NBA after winning rookie of the year last season. The Spurs play at Minnesota on Sunday. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The grand final of the 2024 Apertura Tournament of Liga MX has arrived, and Mexican football fans are eagerly anticipating the showdown between two of the country’s most iconic and representative teams: . is closing the season in spectacular fashion, aiming to make history by winning their third consecutive title, a feat that would be unprecedented in Mexican football and would further solidify their dominance in the league. Meanwhile, enters the match with a strong desire to break their title drought, which has lasted since 2019, when they famously defeated América in a memorable final held at the Estadio Azteca. READ ALSO The first leg of the 2024 Apertura Tournament Final of will take place this Sunday, December 15th. The match, which will determine the next champion of Mexican football, will kick off at 19:00 hours in Mexico and at 21:00 in the United States. In both Mexico and the United States, the match will be available live on the following channels: In a match that progressed from slow to intense, América came from behind to take control of the game. After a goal by Sergio Canales, the team quickly reacted and equalized just three minutes later before halftime. In the second half, Las Águilas dominated completely, going ahead with a goal from Zendejas that sealed the 2-1 final score. The standout player of the match was Luis Cárdenas, whose three crucial saves kept Monterrey’s hopes alive in this grand final. Everything will be decided next Sunday, December 15th, at the Estadio BBVA. The Apertura 2024 final will be the third time América and Monterrey face each other in a title match. Here’s a look at the other two finals between these two teams: The teams with the most Liga MX finals are: Cancela en cualquier momento Acceso exclusivo a rankings y radiografías. Análisis profundos y casos de estudio de éxito. Historial de la revista impresa en formato digital. ¡Disfruta de lo mejor del marketing sin costo alguno por unmes!NEW YORK, Nov 23 — Donald Trump made his name in the world of reality TV, and is now looking to stars of the small screen to handpick ultra-loyal celebrity newscasters and hosts to staff his incoming administration. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, plies his trade on Fox News during the weekend, while the billionaire’s choice to oversee the sprawling public insurance system is none other than TV medic “Dr. Oz.” Trump’s education secretary will be Linda McMahon, a long-time star and executive of the staged and scripted WWE wrestling brand, whereas Sean Duffy, an MTV reality star turned Fox Business host, will run the transportation department. All four are better known for their media profiles than their track records in public service, which could prove a liability when the Senate considers the cabinet secretary appointments. Trump “is a creature of media — he’s existed in tabloid media since the 1980s. His claim to fame was his reality show on network TV ‘The Apprentice.’ He was successful at constructing himself in TV as a successful businessman and leader,” said Reece Peck, City University of New York associate professor and author of “Fox Populism.” “The lesson Trump takes from that is media power is political power. I don’t think there’s ever been a politician in American history that follows that philosophy more than Trump. “People are mocking him but I think for the most part, his theory of political power has been proven correct.” Left-leaning industry monitor MediaMatters criticised the “revolving door” between Fox News, part of mogul Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling empire, and the White House. Alongside Hegseth and Duffy at the cabinet table will be Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” tasked with overseeing the promised mass-expulsion of undocumented migrants, who became a vocal defender of Trump’s immigration policies on Fox after his stint leading the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency during Trump’s first term. “It says that Fox News has a great deal of influence — it is a network that supports him to the fullest. It functioned during his administration as a kind of state TV outlet that was constantly praising him and attacking his enemies,” said Matthew Gertz, a MediaMatters senior fellow. Fox News declined to comment. ‘Central position’ The well-worn, two-way street between the media and the White House is just as potent during Democratic presidencies, with a number of former staffers finding berths at Trump-critical outlets CNN and MSNBC. But Trump’s intimate involvement with Fox News, many of whose commentators share his zeal for anti-elite rhetoric and populist ideals, is without precedent. Sometimes fawning in his praise, sometimes witheringly critical of the broadcaster, Trump is consistently an insatiable viewer of the channel which he quotes at length on social media. During his first White House term, he would invite himself onto the flagship show “Fox and Friends.” When he pardoned military officers accused of war crimes, he credited Hegseth, who campaigned on their behalf on the network. Another towering figure at the channel is Sean Hannity, who is sometimes compared to a shadow White House chief of staff because of his direct access to the President-elect. During the 2020 presidential election, Rupert Murdoch’s network infuriated the Trump camp by correctly calling the key state of Arizona for President Joe Biden before all of its media competitors. In the weeks that followed, Fox News faithfully echoed Trump’s conspiracy theories that the election had been rigged for the Democrat, which led the company to pay an eye-watering US$787.5 million settlement to voting machine manufacturer Dominion, the target of the false claims. Fox News, which denies claims it preys on viewers’ fears around national security and immigration, saw its ratings rise in the wake of the presidential election — widening its lead on rivals CNN and MSNBC. This campaign saw an expanded role for social media influencers and podcasters at the expense of the big cable channels. Media analyst Peck said “Fox News still occupies the central position in the conservative media landscape” — and continues to set the agenda. — AFPRuud van Nistelrooy enjoys winning start with Leicester
Canada condemns China's steps against Canadian institutions over Uyghurs, Tibet
Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Health | US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Health | Vallejo City Council passes smoking ordinance Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Tampa Bay (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX BetMGM NFL odds: Chargers by 3. Against the spread: Buccaneers 8-5; Chargers 9-4. Series record: Chargers lead 8-4. Last meeting: Chargers beat Buccaneers 38-31 in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 4, 2020. Last week: Buccaneers beat Las Vegas 28-13; Chargers lost to Kansas City 19-17. Buccaneers offense: overall (3), rush (8), pass (6), scoring (5). Buccaneers defense: overall (28), rush (11), pass (30), scoring (22). Chargers offense: overall (24), rush (19), pass (25), scoring (13). Chargers defense: overall (11), rush (T-14), pass (8), scoring (1). Turnover differential: Buccaneers minus-2; Chargers plus-11. QB Baker Mayfield is trying to lead Tampa Bay to a fourth consecutive NFC South title. He’s already matched a career-best for touchdown passes with 28, but also hasn’t done as good a job of taking care of the football as a year ago. He threw for 295 yards and three TDs in last week’s 15-point win over Las Vegas. He also turned the ball over three times in the first half to help the Raiders stay close until the fourth quarter. WR Quentin Johnston bounced back from a couple of tough performances to make five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs. But inconsistency has been the defining trait of the slow start to Johnston’s NFL career, so being able to follow it up will be telling. The Chargers needed the 2023 first-round pick to step up with rookie Ladd McConkey sidelined because of knee and shoulder injuries last week. With McConkey's status to play Sunday uncertain, Johnston could be called on again. Chargers RB Kimani Vidal vs. Buccaneers LB Lavonte David. Vidal, a rookie from Troy, seems to have increased his standing in the Chargers’ backfield that definitely missed J.K. Dobbins (knee). Vidal had eight carries for 34 yards while playing 53% of the offensive snaps in Kansas City, more than starter Gus Edwards. The Chargers are going to stick to the run under coach Jim Harbaugh, which means the newcomer Vidal will have to outfox a 13-season veteran in David. At 34, David remains a force, making seven tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and recovering a fumble against the Raiders. He is eight tackles away from his 11th season of triple-digit stops. Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. left last week’s game with a knee sprain and is expected to be sidelined a couple of weeks. S Mike Edwards (hamstring), OLB Markees Watts (knee), LB K.J. Britt (ankle) and WR Kameron Johnson (ankle) will also miss Sunday's game. Leading rusher Bucky Irving has a back injury and is listed as questionable. ... Chargers QB Justin Herbert is dealing with a sprained left ankle, but was a full participant in practice Friday. TE Will Dissly (shoulder) and WR Jalen Reagor (finger) are out. While the Chargers won eight of the first nine meetings between the franchises, Tampa Bay took the past three. ... This will be the Buccaneers’ third trip to Los Angeles and second to SoFi Stadium, where they lost 34-24 to the Rams in September 2021. The Bucs are 7-1 in December/January regular-season games going back to last season. They’re 19-5 in those games going back to 2020, the first of Tom Brady’s three years with Tampa Bay. ... WR Mike Evans needs 17 receptions and 426 yards over the next four games to finish with his 11th consecutive season with at least 60 catches and 1,000 yards receiving. ... Evans had seven receptions for 122 yards and a TD the previous time Tampa Bay faced the Chargers (Oct. 4, 2020). ... The Bucs have rushed for 100-plus yards in 10 of 13 games. That’s after doing it just nine times over 34 games the past two regular seasons. ... With leading rusher Bucky Irving sitting out most of last week’s game against Las Vegas with a back injury, starter Rachaad White took up the slack with 90 yards rushing on 17 attempts — both season highs. He also scored two TDs, one receiving. ... White’s rushing TD was the 14th for Tampa Bay. That’s more than the Bucs scored on the ground in 2022 (five) and 2023 (eight) combined. ... The Chargers have turned the ball over a league-low six times. The franchise record for fewest giveaways in a season is 15, which they did in 2006 and 2017. ... Herbert hasn’t thrown an interception in 11 straight games. That is tied with Brady for the longest streak in NFL history. Brady closed out the 2010 regular season for New England without being picked off after Week 5. ... S Derwin James Jr. has three tackles for loss and two sacks in his past three games. ... PK Cameron Dicker has made 65 of 66 field goals under 50 yards in his career, with his 98.5% success rate the best in league history. Dicker has made all 30 attempts inside of 50 yards at home. ... The Chargers defense allowed 17 of 31 third down conversions (54.8%) in two games against the Chiefs. They have held their other 11 opponents to 45 of 146 (30.8%). The Buccaneers find ways to play shootouts, with eight of their games seeing the winner score 30 or more points. The Chargers find ways to play grinding affairs, with only two of their games seeing the winner score 28 or more points. Whoever dictates the style of play will determine how much fantasy value comes out of this game. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
The ‘Varsity Battles 2024’, the second edition of the inter-university capital market quiz competition organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), concluded on a high note at The Epitome, Kurunegala. This prestigious event saw participation from 38 teams representing 13 state universities, showcasing the intellectual calibre and enthusiasm of Sri Lankan undergraduates. The winning team, the Faculty of Law (Team 01) from the University of Colombo, emerged victorious after an intense series of rounds, securing the championship along with a cash prize of Rs. 400,000. The first runner-up, the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies (Team 01) from the University of Kelaniya, received a cash prize of Rs. 300,000, while the Faculty of Medicine (Team 01) from the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka the second runner-up, walked away with Rs. 200,000. Participants were tested on their knowledge across a variety of topics, including global markets, general knowledge, Sri Lankan economy and business, current affairs, sports, and entertainment, as well as their understanding of the capital market and financial securities management. The inaugural rounds of the competition consisted of inter-faculty competitions conducted in three clusters to select the leading teams from each of the 13 state universities. The event culminated in an electrifying finale, where the top-performing teams competed head-to-head for the coveted title. The SEC and CSE extend their gratitude to the sponsors who contributed to the success of this event: Platinum Sponsors, Bartleet Religare Securities Ltd. and First Capital Holdings PLC, along with Co-Sponsor, Motorola by Abans. The evening concluded with a fellowship for participants, celebrating their achievements. Varsity Battles 2024 continues to serve as a platform to inspire, educate, and challenge Sri Lanka’s brightest university students, shaping the next generation of financially literate citizens.