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phmacao 777 Emerging tight end Noah Gray gives Mahomes and the Chiefs another option in passing gameEmerging tight end Noah Gray gives Mahomes and the Chiefs another option in passing game

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Barcelona grabs last quarterfinal spot in Women's Champions League with 3-0 win in StockholmMAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 elections. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said. Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other detainees. “A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael. “They (protesters) were making noise, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee. He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to authorities and for the population to be informed about the fugitives. Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again. In one video, a prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held n the disciplinary section of the prison and was released by other inmates.Emerging tight end Noah Gray gives Mahomes and the Chiefs another option in passing game

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The Financial Services Institutions Bureau ( FSIB ) on Saturday recommended Binod Kumar for the post of Managing Director of Chennai-based Indian Bank . Kumar, who is serving as Executive Director of Punjab National Bank , will replace S L Jain on his superannuation next month. Declaring the result of the selection process, the FSIB -- the headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions -- in a statement said the bureau interviewed 15 candidates on Sunday. "Keeping in view their performance in the interface, their overall experience and the extant parameters, the Bureau recommends Binod Kumar for the position of MD & CEO in Indian Bank," it said. Earlier in April, the bureau had selected Asheesh Pandey for the position but the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had raised some reservation over his name. Therefore, the bureau held a fresh interview to choose a new person in place of Pandey. The final decision on the FSIB recommendation would be taken by the appointments committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance AI and Generative AI for Finance By - Hariom Tatsat, Vice President- Quantitative Analytics at Barclays View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Web Development C++ Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Tabnine AI Masterclass: Optimize Your Coding Efficiency By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Office Productivity Advanced Excel Course - Financial Calculations & Excel Made Easy By - Anirudh Saraf, Founder- Saraf A & Associates, Chartered Accountant View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Web Development JavaScript Essentials: Unlock AI-Driven Insights with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Strategy ESG and Business Sustainability Strategy By - Vipul Arora, Partner, ESG & Climate Solutions at Sattva Consulting Author I Speaker I Thought Leader View Program Web Development Django & PostgreSQL Mastery: Build Professional Web Applications By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program FSIB is headed by former Department of Personnel and Training Secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma. Other members of the headhunter are Animesh Chauhan, former chairman and MD of erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce, the RBI's former executive director Deepak Singhal, and Shailendra Bhandari, ex-MD of erstwhile ING Vysya Bank. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is November 30, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )CLEVLEAND — Shane Bieber's comeback with Cleveland has double meaning. The former Cy Young winner re-signed with the Guardians on Wednesday, a reunion that seemed unlikely when he became a free agent. However, the 29-year-old Bieber decided to stay with the AL Central champions after making just two starts in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bieber agreed last week to a one-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes a $16 million player option for 2026. It seemed like a long shot that Bieber, who is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 132 starts, would return to Cleveland. He had turned down long-term offers in the past from the club, and it was expected he would sign with another contender, likely one on the West Coast. But the California native has a special connection with the Guardians, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, threw only 12 innings last season before lingering issues with his elbow forced him to have surgery. He is expected to join Cleveland's rotation at some point in 2025. A two-time All-Star, Bieber was named MVP of the midsummer event in 2019 when it was held in Cleveland. He has the highest strikeout ratio per nine innings (10.2) and third-highest winning percentage (.660) in the franchise's 124-year history. Bieber is one of just three Cleveland pitchers to start five season openers, joining Stan Coveleski (1917-21) and Corey Kluber (2015-19). While Bieber had some elbow issues in the past, he didn't show any issues before being shut down. He struck out 11 in six scoreless innings against Oakland on March 28, and followed that up with six more shutout innings at Seattle on April 2. DALLAS — Pitchers again dominated the big league phase of the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, comprising 11 of the 15 unprotected players who were picked Wednesday. The 121-loss Chicago White Sox had the first pick and selected 24-year-old right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Smith was an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest when he was signed by Milwaukee in July 2021. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has gone 13-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 157 innings in 19 starts and 54 relief appearances over three minor league seasons. There were 14 teams who made picks in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft of players left off 40-man rosters after several minor league seasons. Only Atlanta made two selections, after making none since 2017. Atlanta chose right-hander Anderson Pilar from the Miami Marlins with the 11th pick, and then took infielder Christian Cairo from the Cleveland Guardians with the 15th and final pick in the MLB portion. The 26-year-old Pilar was original signed by Colorado as a minor league free agent in 2015 and has pitched in 213 minor league games that included 17 starts. He is 28-20 with a 2.86 ERA. Teams pay $100,000 to take a player in the major league portion. The players must stay on the big league roster all of next season or clear waivers and be offered back to their original organization for $50,000. Six of the 10 players selected during the Rule 5 draft last December — five of them right-handed pitchers — remained last season with organization that selected them. Two of the four position players taken Wednesday by other teams came from the Detroit Tigers organization: catcher Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman. Miami drafted second after Colorado passed making a selection, and took Hicks. Workman was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the 10th pick. Baltimore lost two right-handed pitchers on back-to-back picks, Juan Nunez to San Diego with the 12th pick before Connor Thomas went to Milwaukee. DALLAS — Tom Hamilton, who has called Cleveland games on the radio for 35 seasons, won the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting on Wednesday. Hamilton, 70, joined the team's broadcast in 1990, when he was with Herb Score in the booth and part of the coverage of their World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997. Hamilton became the voice of the franchise when Score retired after that second World Series. Hamilton will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend from July 25-28 in Cooperstown, New York. He was selected the hall's Frick Award 16-member committee as the 49th winner. There were 10 finalists on this year's ballot, whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card era. The other nine were Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims and John Sterling. DALLAS — The Texas Rangers acquired slugging corner infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in a trade for three minor league players. Burger hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs in 137 games for the Marlins last season, with 150 strikeouts in 535 at-bats with 31 walks. He started 59 games at third base and made 50 starts at first. Five days of service time short of being eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, he will be eligible next winter and can become a free agent after the 2028 World Series. Miami got infielders Max Acosta and Echedry Vargas and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza. The acquisition of Burger comes about a month after the Rangers hired former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a senior adviser for baseball operations. Luis Urueta, Miami's bench coach the past two seasons, also was added recently to manager Bruce Bochy's on-field coaching staff for 2025. BRIEFLY WHITE SOX: Mike Tauchman is switching sides in Chicago. The White Sox announced a $1.95 million, one-year contract for the outfielder. Tauchman, 34, grew up in Palatine, Illinois, about 35 miles northwest of Chicago, and played college ball for Bradley in Peoria, Illinois. He spent the previous two seasons with the Cubs. TRADE: All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects. Catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez and outfielder Braden Montgomery are headed to Chicago.

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It’s been a little while since the Metro League’s Jesuit and Beaverton stood as two of the top girls basketball programs in the state. But this winter will see Metro League teams building for future success and potentially bringing the level of play up back to the state level. Here is a brief preview of every girls basketball team in the Metro League, listed in alphabetical order: Aloha Warriors Last season: 2-22 Coach: Kyle Baca Last season: Coach did not respond to inquiry. Outlook: Coach did not respond to inquiry. Beaverton Beavers Last season: 16-9 Coach: John Naro Key players: London Bologoff, F/C, JR; Alexia Braden, W/F, JR; Ruby Foord, W/F, SO; Dara Oluwafemi, G, SO Outlook: The Beavers struggled early in Naro’s first season as coach, but won 11 of their last 13 regular season games to ensure a 10-2 league record. This year’s team is young, complete with a mere three seniors, but the hope is that the late-season surge can carry over into momentum early this winter. Naro’s group welcomed the additions of Westview transfer Oluwafemi and Sunset transfer Foord this offseason. They’ll need all the help they can get as the Beavers have a preseason gauntlet. Beaverton faces South Medford, Jefferson, Benson, Willamette, McMinnville and Tualatin, and will appear in two tournaments. Jesuit Crusaders Last season: 20-8 Coach: Jason Lowery Key players: Audrey Bayless, G, SR; Amani Lubrano, G, JR; Sophia Costarella, G, JR; Reese Filkins, W, JR; Ceanna Forney, C, FR Outlook: The Crusaders’ roster has turned over significantly since a senior-heavy group led Jesuit to a No. 1 seed in the state tournament two seasons ago. Jesuit even lost its grip on the Metro League last season, falling to second behind Southridge. The talent is notable, however, and with another year under their belts the Crusaders could be right back in the fold at the top of the league. Bayless will run the show as senior captain, with a strong junior group of Lubrano, Costarella and Filkins next to her. Furthermore, Lowery said the 6-foot-4 freshman Forney will have an immediate impact down low. Mountainside Mavericks Last season: 8-16 Coach: Laurie Evans Key players: Berlynn Carlson, F, SR; Kylie Fisher, F, SR; Izzy Shandy, G, JR; Geovanna Darlington, G, JR Outlook: The Mavericks are looking to rebound after winning just two league matchups last season. Evans said this year’s group has “strong senior leadership” from four upperclassmen and are solid across the board. The addition of the Division I signee Carlson should help too. Carlson, who transferred from Liberty, is a versatile forward who, according to Evans, can score “inside and out.” Fisher is back after an all-league junior season as well. Southridge Skyhawks Last season: 22-6 Coach: Michael Bergmann Key players: Sara Mangan, G, JR; Addie White, F, JR Outlook: The reigning Metro League champs have gone from the league’s most experienced team, to one of its youngest in the course of one offseason, having graduated six off last year’s team. The Skyhawks boast just two seniors this year, but it’s the juniors Mangan and White that will lead the way. Mangan was a revelation as a sophomore, blossoming into one of Class 6A’s top guards. White, meanwhile, will anchor the team inside with her size and playmaking ability. “(We) have a good ability to spread the floor this year and let some people go to work,” said assistant coach Zach Hamilton. Sunset Apollos Last season: 13-13 Coach: DeVarieous Sly-Clay Key players: Kalli Gallagher, G, SO; Rosa Martinez-Escobedo, G, SO; Mia Cremer, F, SO; Jazzy Johansen, W, FR; Mya Miguel, G, SR; Adara Freiboth, W, SR Outlook: Sunset’s identity as a team has yet to be fully fleshed out, said Sly-Clay, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After finishing in the middle of the state with a .500 record a year ago, some on-the-fly reinvention could be just what the Apollos need to catch opponents off guard. “This group is young,” the coach added, “but they are hungry. ... I think we will surprise some people with our willingness to fight and compete.” A nice mix of under and upperclassmen could be helpful in a return trip to the playoffs for Sunset. Westview Wildcats Last season: 12-14 Coach: Yukiko Flennaugh Key players: Claire Masury, G, FR; Mady Ready, G/F, FR; Annika Taylor, F, JR; Avery Nelson, G, JR; Leah Elms, G, JR Outlook: The Wildcats won’t have any seniors on this year’s team, but with five freshmen, the newly-hired Flennaugh said “the future is bright.” Several of those first-year players, notably Masury and Read, should see significant minutes immediately, aiding in their development. Westview lacks height, said Flennaugh, but the team chemistry is strong and there is a nice group of juniors looking to guide the program and the freshmen along with it. Subscribe to the High School Sports+ newsletter Sign up here to get exclusive news and insights from high school sports editor Nik Streng.Did 'Time' Magazine Choose Adolf Hitler as Its Person of the Year in 1938?

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth , Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction" amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees' pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump's nominees, it became clear after Gaetz's withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators' careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump's picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won't face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he "shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It's one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants – even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.” Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.MONTREAL — Second Cup Canada is cutting ties with a franchisee operating at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital who was allegedly filmed making hateful and antisemitic comments during a protest in the city last week. Second Cup Canada announced Saturday it was cutting ties with a franchisee for "making hateful remarks and gestures," and adding in a statement the actions breach the franchise agreement as well as inclusion and community values ​​held by the chain. Peter Mammas, CEO of Montreal-based Foodtastic, which owns Second Cup Canada, said in an interview on Sunday that he was at the movies when his phone started pinging non-stop. He saw the videos and the company's operations staff spoke to employees that knew the woman, and they confirmed it was indeed the franchisee. Video shot during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside of Concordia University's downtown Montreal campus Thursday shows a woman walking around, masked, saying the "final solution is coming your way" — wording used to describe a Nazi plan to eliminate Jews in Europe during the Second World War. Another video also shows what appears to be the same woman, unmasked, making a Nazi salute while walking away. "We're all for free speech and respectful conversations, but this wasn't that," Mammas said. "This was hate speech, and it was something that we thought could incite violence and we're completely against that, so we sat down with our team and decided to revoke the franchise agreement." Attempts to reach the franchisee were unsuccessful on Sunday. "Second Cup has zero tolerance for hate speech," the coffee chain said in a statement on X. "In co-ordination with the hospital, we've shut down the franchisee's café and are terminating their franchise agreement." Mammas said lawyers for the franchisee and Second Cup were expected to meet on Monday. The regional health agency serving West-Central Montreal, which includes the Jewish General Hospital, said it was made aware of the video "containing antisemitic and hateful messaging." The video is related to a franchisee of Second Cup, one of the private tenants operating within the (Jewish General), Carl Thériault, a spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday. "We fully support Second Cup's decision to take swift and decisive action in this matter by shutting down the franchisee's cafés and terminating their lease agreement." The hospital has two locations operated by the same franchisee and both were shuttered on Saturday by the owners of the chain. The health agency "is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and stands firmly against antisemitism and any other form of discrimination or hate speech," Thériault said. "We have franchisees who are Muslim, we have franchisees who are Jewish, we have franchisees that are Greek, French, we have employees from all different nations," Mammas said. "So we definitely have no issue with that and we don't take any political side, but ... hate speech ... you know we can't accept that." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2024. Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greg McGarity had reason to be concerned. The Gator Bowl president kept a watchful eye on College Football Playoff scenarios all season and understood the fallout might affect his postseason matchup in Jacksonville. What if the Southeastern Conference got five teams into the expanded CFP? What if the Atlantic Coast Conference landed three spots? It was a math problem that was impossible to truly answer, even into late November. Four first-round playoff games, which will end with four good teams going home without a bowl game, had the potential to shake up the system. The good news for McGarity and other bowl organizers: Adding quality teams to power leagues — Oregon to the Big Ten, Texas to the SEC and SMU to the ACC — managed to ease much of the handwringing. McGarity and the Gator Bowl ended up with their highest-ranked team, No. 16 Ole Miss, in nearly two decades. "It really didn't lessen our pool much at all," McGarity said. "The SEC bowl pool strengthened with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. You knew they were going to push traditional SEC teams up or down. Texas ended up pushing just about everyone down." The long waiting game was the latest twist for non-CFP bowls that have become adept at dealing with change. Efforts to match the top teams came and went in the 1990s and first decade of this century before the CFP became the first actual tournament in major college football. It was a four-team invitational — until this year, when the 12-team expanded format meant that four quality teams would not be in the mix for bowl games after they lose next week in the first round. "There's been a lot of things that we've kind of had to roll with," said Scott Ramsey, president of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. "I don't think the extra games changed our selection model to much degree. We used to look at the New York's Six before this, and that was 12 teams out of the bowl mix. The 12-team playoff is pretty much the same." Ramsey ended up with No. 23 Missouri against Iowa in his Dec. 30 bowl. A lot of so-called lesser bowl games do have high-profile teams — the ReliaQuest Bowl has No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (a rematch of last year's CFP semifinal), Texas A&M and USC will play in the Las Vegas Bowl while No. 14 South Carolina and No. 15 Miami, two CFP bubble teams, ended up in separate bowls in Orlando. "The stress of it is just the fact that the CFP takes that opening weekend," Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said. "It kind of condenses the calendar a little bit." Bowl season opens Saturday with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The first round of the CFP runs Dec. 20-21. It remains to be seen whether non-CFP bowls will see an impact from the new dynamic. They will know more by 2026, with a planned bowl reset looming. It could include CFP expansion from 12 to 14 teams and significant tweaks to the bowl system. More on-campus matchups? More diversity among cities selected to host semifinal and championship games? And would there be a trickle-down effect for everyone else? Demand for non-playoff bowls remains high, according to ESPN, despite increased focus on the expanded CFP and more players choosing to skip season finales to either enter the NCAA transfer portal or begin preparations for the NFL draft. "There's a natural appetite around the holidays for football and bowl games," Kurt Dargis, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, said at Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum last week in Las Vegas. "People still want to watch bowl games, regardless of what's going on with the playoff. ... It's obviously an unknown now with the expanded playoff, but we really feel like it's going to continue." The current bowl format runs through 2025. What lies ahead is anyone's guess. Could sponsors start paying athletes to play in bowl games? Could schools include hefty name, image and likeness incentives for players participating in bowls? Would conferences be willing to dump bowl tie-ins to provide a wider range of potential matchups? Are bowls ready to lean into more edginess like Pop-Tarts has done with its edible mascot? The path forward will be determined primarily by revenue, title sponsors, TV demand and ticket sales. "The one thing I have learned is we're going to serve our partners," Saccenti said. "We're going to be a part of the system that's there, and we're going to try to remain flexible and make sure that we're adjusting to what's going on in the world of postseason college football." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Saudi Arabia officially announced as the 2034 World Cup host. Human rights groups warn of ‘unimaginable human cost’

At now-President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign rallies, attendees would hold “Trump Will Fix It” signs. Here’s hoping the antitrust policy that President Joe Biden excessively politicized is one of those “its.” Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, previously said he believes that Biden’s appointee as chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, has done a good job with antitrust policy. I disagree. For nearly 40 years, most antitrust scholars sensibly agreed that the government should base its treatment of potential corporate monopolization, mergers and related issues on these actions’ effect on “consumer welfare.” This standard ensures that antitrust is used only to prevent businesses from undermining economic competition, preserving a market that drives prices down and product quality up on behalf of us consumers. Antitrust should not protect businesses (SET ITAL) from (END ITAL) competition. Upon taking control of the FTC, Khan discarded this standard and, along with it, decades of bipartisan agreement. Biden’s Department of Justice and FTC quickly morphed antitrust into a tool for helping the White House achieve political aims that have nothing to do with keeping markets competitive. Consider, for example, how the FTC pursued Elon Musk. A newly released report by the House Judiciary Committee delved into how Khan issued a consent decree against X (then Twitter) for no reason other than that Musk — whose existing business interests were in other industries — was the company’s CEO. Khan “called for an immediate vote” just days after reporters announced the sale, which an FTC insider confirmed was what triggered the attention. The Biden FTC also had no problem targeting companies that challenged its corporate donor base. For example, Khan released an interim report against pharmacy benefit managers, companies that health plans hire to ensure they are receiving drugs at competitive costs. The major drug manufacturers have spent significant sums lobbying the government to challenge PBMs, even though the government’s own research shows these companies save patients (and taxpayers) significant sums. With the consumer welfare standard diminished, the facts didn’t stop Khan from protecting drug companies, which have showered her boss with campaign contributions, from market discipline. The shenanigans led Melissa Holyoak, a Republican FTC commissioner, to publicly dissent. She protested that “the Report was plagued by process irregularities and concerns over substance — or lack thereof — of the original order.” So much so that “the politicized nature of the process appears to have led to the departure of at least one senior leader at the Commission.” If that’s a “good job” in Vance’s view, we should be alarmed. The Biden DOJ hasn’t acted any more responsibly. For example, it sued RealPage, an AI-based software company that helps landlords come to terms with market pricing for their units, for facilitating alleged price-gouging even though it had no evidence. The Wall Street Journal editorial board stated that “it doesn’t require a Ph.D. in economics to understand that ballooning rents are caused by demand exceeding supply” and that “what’s really going on (with this suit) is an attempt to distract voters from frustration over the Biden Administration’s inflationary policies.” More recently, Biden’s DOJ targeted Visa’s debit card business over market share concerns despite the clear consumer benefits created by the company. These include secure, accessible services that millions of Americans rely on. Businesses and consumers have plenty of payment choices, but millions choose Visa for this reason. Rather than respecting those choices, Biden’s DOJ is pursuing its anti-corporate agenda with little regard for consumers’ welfare. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Where do Democrats go from here? Opinion Columnists | California’s political clout will fade as long as population growth remains slow Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: Slow counts show election system needs reform Opinion Columnists | Here’s to hoping Trump delivers on some of his Libertarian promises Opinion Columnists | Grand DOGE promises of massive cuts to the federal government are unlikely to materialize The solution to the DOJ and FTC’s descent into political partisanship is straightforward: comprehensive reform. Come January, the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress must demand a recommitment to the consumer welfare standard. They must institute checks that prevent the DOJ and FTC from waging ideological warfare. Measures to ensure transparency and inter-commission collaboration, such as requiring the FTC to disclose the rationale and goals of its investigations, could also prove helpful. It’s hard to overstate the importance of appointing a better attorney general and FTC chair this time around. Coupled with new oversight measures, it could go far toward restoring fairness, protecting actual competition, and preventing rogue bureaucrats from imposing their will for personal or ideological gain. Most importantly, it would help restore the country’s trust in its governmental institutions. Whether that will come to pass remains to be seen. American businesses and consumers deserve a government that respects the rule of law. By simply refocusing the FTC and antitrust division of the DOJ on their foundational purposes, we can begin a new era of fair and impartial regulation that serves the public good. That’s something we all should be able to get behind. Veronique de Rugy is the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.WesBanco, Inc. and Premier Financial Corp. Announce Shareholder Approvals of Merger Agreement

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Ambient.ai, the AI-powered computer vision intelligence (CVI) company transforming the physical security industry, has introduced a major evolution in its platform: Ambient Intelligence. By integrating cutting-edge natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision models, Ambient.ai delivers human-level understanding, capable of comprehending scenes captured by security cameras even better than humans at scale. The platform’s powerful contextual understanding enables security teams to minimize nuisance alerts and focus on the critical threats that matter. This breakthrough marks a pivotal step toward autonomous security operations, pushing the boundaries of threat detection and response. With Ambient.ai, incidents are not only detected but prevented. Contextual intelligence for incident prevention “From the beginning, our vision at Ambient.ai has been to create a contextually intelligent system, capable of preventing incidents from happening,” said Shikhar Shrestha, CEO and co-founder of Ambient.ai. “With Ambient Intelligence, we’re now realizing that vision — empowering security teams to instantly pinpoint the two or three incidents that truly matter across hundreds of cameras.” Ambient Intelligence enables security teams to shift from reactive monitoring to proactive threat assessment. By understanding the context of each event, the system categorizes incidents by severity — from low-risk activities like writing on a whiteboard to high-severity threats like break-ins or vandalism. “With recent advancements in our vision models, the signal-to-noise ratio has dramatically shifted in favor of the signal,” said Vikesh Khanna, CTO and co-founder of Ambient.ai. “This is not an incremental improvement — it’s a transformative change in our ability to use context and detect highly specific behaviors. Security teams have long sought a proactive solution to ensure the safety of their people, places, and assets — and I believe we have just taken a giant leap in that direction with Ambient Intelligence.” Pioneering autonomous physical security operations Ambient.ai’s latest innovations signal a new era for the physical security industry. The company's advanced NLP and computer vision models now automate security operations with a level of contextual understanding that was previously unattainable. By enabling AI to take on a more proactive role, security teams can focus on tasks requiring human intuition while relying on Ambient Intelligence to identify and assess the most significant security events. This evolution offers unmatched precision in detecting and responding to threats, creating a future where autonomous security operations become the standard. Learn more about the impact Ambient.ai can have on your physical security operations. About Ambient.ai Founded in 2017 by CEO Shikhar Shrestha and CTO Vikesh Khanna, Ambient.ai is a unified, AI-powered physical security platform that helps enterprise organizations reduce risk, improve security operational efficiency, and gain critical insights. Trailblazing enterprises and multiple Fortune 500 organizations across a variety of industries leverage Ambient.ai to unify their security infrastructure and significantly enhance their security posture. For more information, please visit ambient.ai. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212444624/en/ CONTACT: Name: Atul Ashok Email:atul.ashok@ambient.ai KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SECURITY IOT (INTERNET OF THINGS) TECHNOLOGY AUDIO/VIDEO SOFTWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HARDWARE SOURCE: Ambient.ai Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 05:36 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 05:35 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212444624/enNone