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3 Burning questions after Iowa’s win over Maryland in Jackson Stratton’s first startGeorgia has a chance to post its best start to a season in 94 years ahead of its home meeting with South Carolina State in Athens, Ga., on Sunday. Georgia (11-1) hasn't appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 10 seasons and hasn't won a tournament game since 2002, but the Bulldogs seem primed to make a return. The Bulldogs have won six straight games and a seventh would mark their best start since beginning 13-0 in the 1930-31 campaign. Georgia hasn't played since a Dec. 22 home win over Charleston Southern. Head coach Mike White knows the intensity of the schedule will soon increase as Southeastern Conference play revs up, but that's not to say his team will overlook its next opponent. "We've had a much-needed break, both mentally and physically," White said. "Our guys need to get away from it a little bit, miss it, then come back rejuvenated for one more tune up for the grind of the SEC -- the best league in the country. But we'll be prepared for South Carolina State. They're dangerous, they play really hard, they've been really competitive. They're another good team." Adding to Georgia's success has been the play of De'Shayne Montgomery. After being academically ineligible for the first 10 games of the season, the Mount St. Mary's transfer has averaged 19 points per game in two contests. Asa Newell follows with 15.8 points in 12 games, while fellow Mount St. Mary's transfer Dakota Leffew chips in 12.9. South Carolina State (6-8) will play its fourth road game of a six-game stretch away from home. The other Bulldogs prepare for their final regular season meeting with a power conference team following losses at South Carolina Upstate and Xavier. South Carolina State faces Morgan State on Jan. 4 to start Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. Led by third-year head coach Erik Martin, the team boasts a rare roster figure in today's college basketball landscape. "We brought back 90 percent of our returnable student athletes this year," Martin said. "I can pretty much guarantee I'm the only person in America that did that." Sophomore Drayton Jones leads the team with 13 points per game, followed by Omar Croskey's 9.4. Georgia is 2-0 all-time against South Carolina State, last earning a 76-60 win in Nov. 2021. --Field Level Media
On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho to lay the foundation stone for various development projects. Among them was the ambitious Ken-Betwa river linking project that plans to transfer excess water from the Ken river basin to the Betwa river basin in the Bundelkhand region that covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. As the Prime Minister flagged off work on the project, the Congress and a section of environmentalists raised concerns regarding its potential impact on environment, local ecology and wildlife as a large part of the project falls inside the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. According to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ken-Betwa link project (KBLP) is the first of 30 such link projects under a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for water resources development and interlinking of rivers with ‘surplus water’ to those with ‘deficit water’, formulated in 1980 by the Ministry (then Union Ministry of Irrigation) and the Central Water Commission. The NPP is divided into two components — Himalayan Rivers Development that proposes 14 links and Peninsular Rivers Development that plans 16 links, as identified by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA). An idea first envisaged in 1995 after a feasibility study by the NWDA, the KBLP, part of the Peninsular Rivers Development, has moved at a slow pace. The first major breakthrough was, however, achieved on August 25, 2005 as the Central Government and the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR). Entrusted to the NWDA, the report was completed in December 2008 and in February 2009, it was decided that the DPR will be prepared in two phases. In phase I, Daudhan Dam and its appurtenant works, two tunnels, two power houses and link canal will be included. The second phase, on the other hand, will see the construction of Lower Orr Dam and various barrages. After a tripartite MoU was signed between the Centre and the two States in March 2021 for the implementation of the project, it was finally approved by the Union Cabinet in December that year, with a budget of ₹44,605 crore. The project plans on transferring the declared surplus water of the Ken river by constructing the Daudhan Dam on it and using a 221-km canal, including a 2-km tunnel, to the Betwa river. Apart from this, the project is also expected to generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power. It is also aimed at solving the water woes of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region by providing drinking water to 4.4 million people in about 12 districts of Madhya Pradesh and more than 2 million people in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh. As per an NWDA report, the project is also expected to provide annual irrigation to 8.11 lakh hectares and 2.51 lakh hectares of land Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. While launching the works on the Daudhan Dam on December 25, Mr. Modi said the KBLP will bring prosperity to the Bundelkhand region. “The people of Bundelkhand struggled for every drop of water, but the previous governments did not find any permanent solution to the water crisis. Even after seven decades of Independence, disputes over river water between States continued, but no concrete efforts were made to resolve them,” he had said. Spread between the northern parts of Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh, the partly-hilly region covers 13 districts in the two States and has for long suffered droughts and water shortages, prompting locals to move to other cities for employment. The region is also among one of the country’s most socio-economically backward regions. Environmental issues Even as the BJP governments at the Centre and in the two States continue to claim various benefits of the project, several environmental concerns have been flagged. Among the most prominent is the project’s potential impact on the wildlife inside the Panna Tiger Reserve as the project is expected to cause massive deforestation, felling of over 2.3 million trees with a girth of 20 cm or more as per an estimate, and harm the local ecology due to the Daudhan Dam’s construction inside the forest. Former Union Environment Minister and Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh has claimed that the project is likely to “submerge over 10% of the core area of the tiger reserve”. Concerns have also been raised that the project may hurt the tiger reintroduction programme in the Reserve which revived the feline population after it had locally gone extinct in 2009. Apart from tigers, species like endangered vultures, mahseer fish, and gharials in the Ken Gharial Sanctuary are also feared to be impacted. The Central Government is also yet to release hydrological data of the two basins claiming they are sensitive by virtue of being subsets of the international Ganga basin. A Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court had in a 2019 report also flagged various wildlife clearances to the project, claiming that the authorities had not considered its impact on the Gharial Sanctuary and the vulture nesting sites. It had also warned of serious impacts on the riverine flora and fauna of the Ken river as well as the unique ecosystem of the region. Experts also believe the data the government has banked on to conclude that the Ken river has surplus water is outdated and have demanded release of the latest figures. Between 2005 and 2008, the then Panna Collector, Deepali Rastogi, had written to various Central and State Government departments, claiming that there was no surplus water in the Ken river. In May, 2017, a group of 30 activists and experts had written to the Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, flagging several concerns regarding the project, including the possible displacement of at least 10 villages in Chhatarpur and Panna districts. Published - December 29, 2024 02:03 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Madhya Pradesh / environmental politics / The Hindu Explains / The Hindu ProfilesDonald Hand Jr. racked up a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds to help Boston College stave off visiting Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70 on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Chad Venning added 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting and Dion Brown contributed eight points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Eagles (8-5) wrapped up their nonconference slate with just their second win in six games. Ahmed Barba-Bey, a grad transfer from Division II, exploded for a season-high 31 points to power FDU (4-11). Barba-Bey buried 8 of 9 attempts from the 3-point arc. Terrence Brown added 15 of his 20 points in the second half, as the Knights made it close before falling to 0-10 on the road this season. Bismark Nsiah scored 10 points. Boston College led 70-59 with 3:39 to play when Barba-Bey was fouled attempting a corner 3. He made all three of his foul shots, and after a stop Brown got to the bucket to cut FDU's deficit to six. It was 72-67 when Venning made a clutch turnaround jumper from the high post with 51 seconds left. Boston College let Barba-Bey get loose for his eighth 3-pointer, pulling FDU within four, its closest margin of the half. But Hand drove to the basket and scored with 29 seconds on the clock, and FDU was out of time. The Knights trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, but Barba-Bey kept them in the game. He made a fastbreak layup off Brown's steal and added a 3-pointer on the next possession, turning what was a 10-point deficit to a manageable 29-24 game. Boston College led 38-28 at halftime, with Hand scoring 15 for the hosts and Barba-Bey pouring in 16 for the Knights, including 4-of-5 shooting from deep. FDU pulled within nine points three times in the early stages of the second half, the third coming when Nsiah knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 56-47 with about 10 minutes to go. --Field Level Media
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NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Parsons, one of corporate America's most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, died Thursday. He was 76. Parsons, who died at his Manhattan home, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later. The financial services company Lazard, where Parsons was a longtime board member, confirmed his death. Parsons’ friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder’s company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder’s board for 25 years. “Dick was an American original, a colossus bestriding the worlds of business, media, culture, philanthropy, and beyond,” Ronald Lauder said in a statement on behalf of the Lauder family. David Zaslav, the CEO of Time Warner successor Warner Bros. Discovery, hailed Parsons as a “great mentor and friend” and a “tough and brilliant negotiator, always looking to create something where both sides win.” “All who got a chance to work with him and know him saw that unusual combination of great leadership with integrity and kindness,” Zaslav said, calling him “one of the great problem solvers this industry has ever seen.” Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, built a track record of steering big companies through tough times. He returned Citigroup to profitability after turmoil from the global financial crisis and helped restore Time Warner after its much-maligned acquisition by internet provider America Online. Parsons was named to the board of CBS in September 2018 but resigned a month later because of illness. Parsons said in a statement at the time that he was already dealing with multiple myeloma when he joined the board, but “unanticipated complications have created additional new challenges.” He said his doctors advised him to cut back on his commitments to ensure recovery. “Dick’s storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership,” Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his “unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth.” “Dick was more than an iconic leader in Lazard’s history — he was a testament to how wisdom, warmth, and unwavering judgment could shape not just companies, but people’s lives,” the company said. “His legacy lives on in the countless leaders he counseled, the institutions he renewed, and the doors he opened for others.” Parsons was known as a skilled negotiator, a diplomat and a crisis manager. Although he was with Time Warner through its difficulties with AOL, he earned respect for the company and rebuilt its relations with Wall Street. He streamlined Time Warner’s structure, pared debt and sold Warner Music Group and a book publishing division. He also fended off a challenge from activist investor Carl Icahn in 2006 to break up the company and helped Time Warner reach settlements with investors and regulators over questionable accounting practices at AOL. Parsons joined Time Warner as president in 1995 after serving as chairman and chief executive of Dime Bancorp Inc., one of the largest U.S. thrift institutions. In 2001, after AOL used its fortunes as the leading provider of Internet access in the U.S. to buy Time Warner for $106 billion in stock, Parsons became co-chief operating officer with AOL executive Robert Pittman. In that role, he was in charge of the company’s content businesses, including movie studios and recorded music. He became CEO in 2002 with the retirement of Gerald Levin, one of the key architects of that merger. Parsons was named Time Warner chairman the following year, replacing AOL founder Steve Case, who had also championed the combination. The newly formed company’s Internet division quickly became a drag on Time Warner. The promised synergies between traditional and new media never materialized. AOL began seeing a reduction in subscribers in 2002 as Americans replaced dial-up connections with broadband from cable TV and phone companies. Parsons stepped down as CEO in 2007 and as chairman in 2008. A year later AOL split from Time Warner and began trading as a separate company, following years of struggles to reinvent itself as a business focused on advertising and content. A board member of Citigroup and its predecessor, Citibank, since 1996, Parsons was named chairman in 2009 at a time of turmoil for the financial institution. Citigroup had suffered five straight quarters of losses and received $45 billion in government aid. Its board had been criticized for allowing the bank to invest so heavily in the risky housing market. Citigroup returned to profit under Parsons, starting in 2010, and would not have a quarterly loss again until the fourth quarter of 2017. Parsons retired from that job in 2012. In 2014 he stepped in as interim CEO of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers until Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took over later that year. “Dick Parsons was a brilliant and transformational leader and a giant of the media industry who led with integrity and never shied away from a challenge,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. Parsons, a Republican, previously worked as a lawyer for Nelson Rockefeller, a former Republican governor of New York, and in Gerald Ford’s White House. Those early stints gave him grounding in politics and negotiations. He also was an economic adviser on President Barack Obama’s transition team. Parsons, whose love of jazz led to co-owning a Harlem jazz club, also served as Chairman of the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Foundation of America. And he held positions on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Parsons played basketball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and their family. This obituary was primarily written by the late Associated Press reporter Anick Jesdanun, who died in 2020 .With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight
US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, setting another new high above $99,000 overnight. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Australia rejects Elon Musk's claim that it plans to control access to the internet MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian Cabinet minister has rejected X Corp. owner Elon Musk’s allegation that the government intends to control all Australians' access to the internet through legislation that would ban young children from social media. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday that Musk’s criticism was “unsurprising” after the government introduced legislation to Parliament that would fine platforms including X up to $133 million for allowing children under 16 to hold social media accounts. The spat continues months of open hostility between the Australian government and the tech billionaire over regulators’ efforts to reduce public harm from social media. Parliament could pass the legislation as soon as next week. Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. Stock market today: Wall Street edges higher as it heads for a winning week NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged higher on Wall Street, keeping the market on track for its fifth gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% in midday trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 226 points and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts' estimates. EchoStar, parent company of the Dish satellite television provider, fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of the company. European markets were mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. Apple and Google face UK investigation into mobile browser dominance LONDON (AP) — A British watchdog says Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers. The watchdog's report Friday recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year. The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker’s tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. The CMA’s report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers “the clearest or easiest option.” Apple said it disagreed with the findings. German auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of carmakers' woes FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's technology and services company Bosch is cutting its automotive division workforce by as many as 5,500 jobs in the next several years, in another sign of the headwinds hitting the German and global auto industries. The company cited stagnating global auto sales, too much factory capacity in the auto industry compared to sales prospects and a slower than expected transition to electric-powered, software-controlled vehicles. Some 3,500 of the job reductions would come before the end of 2027 and would hit the part of the company that develops driver assistance and automated driving technologies. About half those job reductions would be at locations in Germany. At least 15 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 15 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 160,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat this week after Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, which can cause life-threatening infections. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration.
A number of former I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here contestants have confirmed they are backing an Irish contestant to win the 24th series of the ITV show. The Ant and Dec presented celebrity reality show returned last week with podcaster and influencer GK Barry, singer Tulisa and Irish boxing promoter Barry McGuigan among the campmates. In further delight for Irish viewers, former Love Island star turned TV presenter Maura Higgins entered as a late arrival alongside Reverend Richard Coles. The duo hit up the junkyard , where they were tasked with conning their fellow campmates into thinking they were living in squalor — rather than luxury. With the show being back just one week, people are already picking their winners with many social media users backing Maura to take the throne as Queen of the Jungle. Former I’m A Celeb contestants Phil Tufnell and Dean Gaffney have their money on former professional boxer Barry. Cricket star Phil won the TV show in 2003, and backed his fellow sports star in following suit. Speaking to Betway, he said: ‘Barry McGuigan would be great to win, I’ve also met Danny [Jones] and he’s a great guy.’ Soap star Dean branded McGuigan a ‘dark horse,’ but crowned Coleen Rooney as his winner, when speaking to Heart Bingo. Elsewhere, fellow boxer turned contestant Amir Khan backed McGuigan who he branded as ‘brilliant.’ Speaking to Prime Casino , Amir said Barry was a ‘very charming guy.’ ‘He’s got the characteristics to go in there and win it, definitely,’ Amir added. During the week, Barry got emotional as he spoke about his late daughter , Danika, who died at the age of 33 years old. Danika had battled colon cancer, with Barry tearing up as he remembered his daughter with his campmates. Nika had been ill throughout her childhood, and had leukaemia by the time she was 11, something McGuigan described as ‘very tough.’ He broke down in tears , unable to get his words out, as his jungle mates gathered to embrace him and offer words of encouragement. N-Dubz singer Tulisa consoled him, saying: ‘You’re a man feeling pain and you’re vulnerable about it – that takes strength.’
Kimberley hosts U18 BC Curling ChampionshipsThe Hall on Saturday announced the names of the 15 modern-era finalists who advanced from a group of 25 to the final stage of voting. Up to five modern-era players can be elected for the Class of 2025, which will be announced at the “NFL Honors” ceremony on Feb. 6. Manning is the lone quarterback on this year’s list of finalists. He is one of six first-time finalists, joining wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.; linebackers Kuechly and Suggs; offensive lineman Marshal Yanda; and kicker Adam Vinatieri. Among them, only Smith is not in his first year of eligibility. Rounding out the list of finalists announced Saturday are Gates; receivers Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt; offensive linemen Jahri Evans and Willie Anderson; defensive backs Eric Allen and Darren Woodson; defensive end Jared Allen; and running back Fred Taylor. Unretired Barrett signs with Bucs TAMPA, Fla. — Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquil Barrett is rejoining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs signed the two-time Super Bowl champion on Saturday, while also announcing safety Jordan Whitehead was activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers. Barrett spent five seasons with Tampa Bay from 2019 to 2023. He led the NFL with a franchise-record 19 1-2 sacks in his first year with the Bucs, then helped the team win its second Super Bowl title the following season. In all, Barrett started 70 games with Tampa Bay, amassing 45 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He was released last winter in a salary cap move, signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media before the start of training camp in July. Tagovailoa doubtful Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns due to a hip injury. Tagovailoa was limited in practice this week with the injury, which he initially suffered in a loss to Houston on Dec. 15. He finished that game and played in last weekend's win over San Francisco. If Tagovailoa is ruled out, Tyler Huntley will start. Richardson out for Colts EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson has been ruled out for the Colts' big game at the New York Giants on Sunday. Richardson missed practice on Thursday and Friday because of back and foot injuries. He was listed as questionable before he was downgraded to out on Saturday. Indianapolis (7-8) has a slim chance of making the playoffs. The Colts need to win out and get some help.Blockmate Ventures Announces Closing of Strategic Investment and Incentive Grant