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7xm apk Tottenham return to Southampton on Sunday for the first time since Antonio Conte’s explosive post-match rant, but current boss Ange Postecoglou has not lost any of his determination to succeed at the club. Conte’s last public act as Spurs head coach after a 3-3 draw at St Mary’s in 2023 was to launch a furious tirade against his own “selfish” players who he claimed “don’t want to play under pressure” before he seemed to turn on the board as he questioned the club’s ongoing trophy drought. Eight days later Conte had left Tottenham by mutual consent after a whirlwind 16-month period, with Postecoglou his eventual permanent successor. A post shared by Antonio Conte (@antonioconte) Postecoglou has been in charge of the Premier League club for two months longer than the Italian, but managed 12 fewer matches and is currently in the middle of an injury crisis which has resulted in a drop in form, with Spurs only able to claim one victory from their last eight fixtures. However, when Postecoglou was asked if he would jump ship in the wake of making remarks like Conte did in March, 2023, he said: “Look, I don’t think it’s fair to comment. “Antonio is a world-class manager and has his own way of doing things, his own reasons for doing that. “I am here, I am in for the fight. I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility. “I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn’t wavered one little bit. “I love a fight, I love a scrap, I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it.” Postecoglou was Celtic boss when Conte’s extraordinary 10-minute press conference made waves around the world, but acknowledged being aware of his predecessors’ comments and attempted to explain the psyche behind why a manager would make such a move. “I was on Planet Earth at that time, and yes I was well aware of it,” Postecoglou smiled. “I think you know when a manager gets to that point that there’s obviously some underlying issues. “I think most of the time when managers do that they’re trying to get a reaction, trying to get some sort of impact on the team. “In difficult moments, what you want from your leaders is action rather than inaction of just letting things drift along. He did it to try and get a positive impact on the group, one way or another. We’ve all been in that situation as a manager where you feel this is time to send a message.” Postecoglou sent out his own message on Thursday after a 1-1 draw away to Rangers when he insisted Timo Werner’s display “wasn’t acceptable” at Ibrox. Werner was replaced at half-time following an error-strewn performance, but was not alone in being below-par in Glasgow. A day later Postecoglou explained how with Spurs missing several key first-teamers, the onus is on their fit senior players to deliver a level of application and commitment – and admitted Werner will be required at St Mary’s on Sunday. “I’ve got no choice. Who else am I going to play? I’m pulling kids out of school, I literally am,” Postecoglou mentioned in reference to 16-year-old duo Malachi Hardy and Luca Williams-Barnett, who have recently made the bench. “That was the reasoning for me pointing it out last night. We need Timo. We need all of them. “In normal times if you have a poor game, there’s a price to pay. It doesn’t exist right now. We need everybody we’ve got.”BOSTON , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors (the "Board") of The China Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") has declared a distribution in the amount of $0.1497 per share. The distribution is comprised entirely of ordinary income. The dividend will be payable on January 10, 2025 , to stockholders of record on December 30, 2024 , with an ex-dividend date of December 30, 2024 . The Fund has a Dividend Reinvestment and Cash Purchase Plan (the "Plan") in which each stockholder automatically participates, unless the stockholder instructs Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the "Plan Agent"), in writing, to have all distributions, net of any applicable U.S. withholding tax, paid in cash. If the Fund's shares are trading at a premium to the net asset value ("NAV") per share of the Fund on the distribution payment date, the Plan provides that stockholders will be issued Fund shares valued at NAV. If the Fund's shares are trading at a discount to the NAV per share, stockholders will be issued shares of the Fund valued at market price. Stockholders will not be charged a fee in connection with the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions. A stockholder may terminate his or her participation in the Plan by notifying the Plan Agent in writing at the address below. Stockholders who have questions regarding the distribution may contact EQ Fund Solutions, LLC at 1-888-CHN-CALL (246-2255). The Fund is a closed-end management investment company with the objective of seeking long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities (i) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is in the People's Republic of China (" China "), or (ii) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is outside of China , or constituting direct equity investments in companies organized outside of China , that in both cases derive at least 50% of their revenues from goods and services sold or produced, or have at least 50% of their assets, in China . While the Fund is permitted to invest in direct equity investments of companies organized in China , it presently holds no such investments. The Fund's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHN." The Fund's investment manager is Matthews International Capital Management, LLC. For more information regarding the Fund and the Fund's holdings, please call 1-888-CHN-CALL (246-2255) or visit the Fund's website at www.chinafundinc.com . For more information about the Plan or to terminate your participation in the Plan, please contact Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at c/o The China Fund, Inc. at P.O. Box 43078, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3078, by telephone at 1-800-426-5523 or via the Internet at www.computershare.com/investor . View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-china-fund-inc-declares-distributions-302331625.html SOURCE The China Fund, Inc.Singaporean businessman Tan Kin Lian, former presidential candidate and former CEO of NTUC Income, shared an encounter with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after a Facebook post that he said was meant to be in jest. Tan Kin Lian and CCP post On Oct. 20, 2024, Tan shared a picture of himself next to a sign that said "Party Member Activity Room" in both English and Chinese. The sign featured the hammer-and-sickle symbol of communism, which is also used as a symbol of the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling party of China. The post caption read, " I am now a member of the party in Guizhou." Guizhou is a province in Southwest China where Tan was presumably visiting while on holiday. MHA informs Tan On Dec. 13, Tan shared another post in relation to the Guizhou one. He said: I received this notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs. "Dear Mr Tan, 1. We refer to your public Facebook post dated 20 Oct 2024 with the caption “I am now a member of the party in Guizhou.” (the “Post”). Pursuant to section 108(1) of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021, you are required to provide further information and documents about your relations with foreign principals to the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures." Tan added: I gave this reply. "Dear MHA The post was made in jest. I am not a member of the communist party of China. I visited the premises of the party as a tourist." MHA confirms communication In response to a query from Mothership, MHA said: "Under section 108 of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 (FICA), the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures is empowered to request for information from any entity or individual, including to ascertain a Singapore Citizen’s membership in foreign legislatures/foreign political organisations. The Registrar was made aware of Mr Tan Kin Lian’s Facebook post on 21 Oct 2024, where Mr Tan had commented publicly about his membership in a party in Guizhou, and had requested for more information on this. The Registrar has received Mr Tan’s reply and will be responding to him separately." FICA The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act of 2021 was introduced in Parliament in Oct. 2021 and passed after a debate that lasted for about 10 hours. Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam spoke at length in support of the bill, elaborating that subversion of local politics is a serious issue, with the matter made worse with technological advances. He said that FICA is more calibrated than existing laws (at the time) that afforded powers to the authorities and security services but goes further in its extra-territorial reach, which is necessary for threats in an Internet age that can be spread through global platforms. Section 108 of the Act relates to the Power to Obtain Information. 108(1) reads: A competent authority may by written notice require any person (whether in or outside Singapore) to provide, within a period or at intervals specified in the notice, and in such form and manner as may be specified in the notice, all documents or all information or material (or both), for the purposes in subsection (2), such as documents or information or material about all or any of the following: (a) the membership of the person by individuals who are not citizens of Singapore; (b) relations with foreign principals; (c) the provision of voluntary labour, or voluntary professional services, to or for the benefit of the person by individuals who are not citizens of Singapore; (d) recurrent and capital expenditure for the administration and management of activities undertaken by the person which are directed towards a political end in Singapore. Therefore, the authorities have the power to obtain such information, whether or not that individual is involved in politics. Top image from Tan Kin Lian Facebook.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. As the year winds down everywhere else, amps up for another major turn of the calendar page. The city always offers new things as 400,000 people celebrate the New Year, setting the stage for grand reveals. Whether entertaining a last-minute trip or even if you already have plans booked, these are our picks for where to stay, where to party, who to see and what to eat in Las Vegas right now. Looking for the best deals on last-minute tickets to Vegas shows, concerts and events? At , save $10 off eligible purchases of $250 and up with ‘s exclusive promo code HOLLYWOOD10; save $20 off at with code THR2024; and at , take $150 off orders of $500 or more with code THR150 or $300 off $1,000 or more with code THR300. Keep reading below for the latest news in the city’s hospitality scene (including W’s arrival at Mandalay Bay), the best new and existing residencies in Las Vegas, where to buy sold-out New Year’s Eve 2025 event tickets online and more. Las Vegas’ Latest Hotel and Suite “Reinventions” While late 2023 brought a swell of resort openings, events and venues such as Fontainebleau, Durango, Sphere and Las Vegas Grand Prix, and early 2024 gave Las Vegas its first Super Bowl and the implosion of the Tropicana, there are no hotel openings on the horizon. However, things are constantly changing. , this time taking over the hotel formerly known as Delano (the tower next to Mandalay Bay). The Marriott brand occupied one of the towers at the former SLS Las Vegas, now Sahara, from 2016 to 2018. This is the newest collaboration in MGM Resort’s partnership with Mariott— —featuring 12 properties, including Bellagio, Aria, The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino and Mandalay Bay. At , the legendary “Rain Main” and “Hangover” suites (from $2,500 per night), depicted in the 1988 and 2009 movies and located in the 24-story Colosseum Tower, recently underwent a makeover. The 10 two-story Flavian Sky Suites span 3,000 square feet and were made for a party. Featuring high contrasts of black and white and emerald accents inspired by the jewelry worn by Cleopatra and splashes of Roman red, the suites offer panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip or the Colosseum. On the lower level, several 75-inch televisions with Bluetooth surround sound systems in the living room amplify the entertainment; a butler’s pantry with a microwave and refrigerator and a dining room with seating for eight allow for lavish meals en-suite; and a pool table keeps the action going late into the evening. A large, curved sofa is near the two-story high window, perfect for gazing out upon the Strip. Babbit (Tom Cruise) taught Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) how to dance. Upstairs, find the king and two queen bedrooms decked out in Fili D’Oro linens on the beds and black-and-white patterned carpet, and the bathrooms continue the theme with high-contrast black-and-white marble mosaic floors and marble-tiled walls and shower. Your butler’s service ensures every wish is granted, including a Nobu order from in-room dining. “Caesars Palace has not only been an integral part of Las Vegas history but has also been embedded in pop culture for decades. Movies like and put a spotlight on our luxurious suites, inspiring guests from around the world to stay with us,” says Sean McBurney, regional president of Caesars Entertainment. “It’s an iconic resort and continues to be a prime location for various TV shows, movies and commercials, offering a fun backdrop in the heart of The Strip and sometimes serving as a key component in the storyline.” The Best New Residencies in Las Vegas Dec. 29 to 31, 2024 and January 1, 10–11, 2025 , 255 Sands Ave.; (702) 258-6724 The inaugural EDM residency at Sphere brings together record label and event producer Afterlife and Anyma, a multidisciplinary music and contemporary art project helmed by Matteo Milleri. Anyma has gained critical acclaim for albums “Genesys” and “Genesys II,” as well as his live shows. This full-scale sensory event will be an intersection between art, technology, and music with art direction by Alessio De Vecchi, executive production by Alexander Wessely, and additional production by animation studio Woodblock. Special guests will highlight the performances of “Genesys,” including Adriatique, Amelie Lens, Camelphat, Charlotte de Witte, Dixon, Mike Dean, Rampa, Sebastian Ingrosso, Tiesto and more. , , , , Dec. 30–31, 2024; Jan. 3–4, Feb. 5, 7–8, 12, 14–15, 2025 Resorts World Theatre at , 3000 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 676-7000 Janet Jackson returns to Las Vegas with an all-new residency that kicks off during the New Year’s Eve holiday, which will be a nonstop hit parade. In 2019, she received induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside her brothers, and in that same year, her Las Vegas residency, “Metamorphosis,” closed out to record-breaking ticket sales with only 18 dates at the Park MGM’s Park Theater. Jackson has been performing in Las Vegas since she was eight years old. , , , , Dec. 30; Jan. 3 and 4, 9 p.m.; New Year’s Eve show Dec. 31, 10 p.m. PH Live at , 3667 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (866) 919-7472 50 Cent kicks off “50 Cent: In Da Club,” his first Las Vegas residency at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Expect all the hits “In Da Club,” “Candy Shop,” “P.I.M.P.,” and “21 Questions.” , , , , Best Restaurants & Lounges in Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve 2025 , 3667 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (866) 919-7472 Caesars Entertainment and Tao Group Hospitality are opening Caramella, an Italian restaurant and lounge with décor and design inspired by 1970s Italy. The restaurant features views overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, an adjacent candy shop and a kitschy lounge behind a secret door with a mirror mosaic DJ booth. Caramella will be the pregame spot before shows at the PH Live Theater, where 50 Cent has a residency. , 3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 731-7779 Clique Hospitality debuts Caspian’s Cocktails & Caviar at Caesars Palace with a 50-seat caviar bar that acts as a “front” to a 2,300-square-foot lounge and live music speakeasy. Try The Whale, two ounces of Imperial Golden Osetra caviar complemented by a bottle of Dom Perignon; The Royal Flight, six vodka shots paired with six caviar bumps; Kaluga caviar served with French onion dip; and crispy potato latkes topped with crème fraîche and caviar. On Thursdays, Ben Carey curates Caviar Karaoke. , 3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 698-7000 Coastal Mexican food with a Tulum vibe is all the rage on the Strip. However, this new offering from Clique Hospitality also spotlights award-winning Chef Jason McLeod (formerly of San Diego’s The Grand Del Mar Resort, Ironside Fish & Oyster and Born & Raised). Expect a dining spectacle with DJs and fire performers circulating in an environment that mimics the tree-canopied tropics of the Yucatán Peninsula. Menu specialties include ceviches, agua chiles, whole grilled angry fish, birria short rib, and a TikTok-friendly fajita board. , 3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 414-6333 Gjelina is now opening at The Venetian Resort, bringing more of L.A. to the desert. This is owner Fran Camaj’s third location of the restaurant, which is named after his mother. Gjelina Las Vegas follows the same menu format and sourcing initiatives as its Los Angeles and New York City locations, featuring dishes with seasonal ingredients such as woodfired pizzas, vegetable-forward dishes, seafood and inventive fresh entrees like Grilled Kobocha Square with miso glaze and Wood Roasted Beets with horseradish yogurt. Plus, there’s a charcuterie and cheese counter and a wine room, and who can pass that up? ; (702) 414-6333 , 3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 665-8592 Now you can party like you are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, without leaving Venice. Inspired by the neon-lit alleys of the Eastern Capital’s bar district, the Golden Gai Cocktail Club is an intimate drinks destination adjacent to Wakuda Japanese restaurant. Live DJs play 90s hip hop and R&B while guests sip playful takes on classic cocktails such as the Yuzu Margarita and Japanese Penicillin. Luis Lopez, who created the cocktail menu, worked alongside Sam Ross of New York City’s Attaboy. The bar bites menu begins at 10 p.m. with handrolls, katsu, wagyu sliders, toasted nuts, house-made chips, Japanese pickles and caviar. Outside, the patio offers more table seating and sweeping views of the Las Vegas Strip. ; (702) 665-8592 New Year’s Eve 2025 in Las Vegas: Where to Buy Sold-Out Concert Tickets Dec. 29 and 30 BleauLive Theater at , 2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 678-7272 Duran Duran goes back to back in town shows at the BleauLive Theater. They join a New Year’s entertainment that includes Calvin Harris (Dec. 29), John Summit (Dec. 30) and Tiësto (Dec. 31) at LIV Las Vegas. , , , , Dec. 30 and 31 3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (844) 600-7275 It wouldn’t be New Year in Vegas without shows from Bruno Mars. He continues the tradition he started over a decade ago with a packed run around the holiday. , , , , Dec. 30 and 31 The Colosseum at , 3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 731-7779 Creed performs back-to-back shows in Las Vegas for the first time in over 12 years. , , , , Dec. 31 , 361 Symphony Park Ave.; (702) 749-2000 In what’s becoming a tradition, Seth MacFarlane returns to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts for a New Year’s celebration with jazz, swing, and classic standards accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra. This performance will be led by conductor Edwin Outwater (San Fransisco Conservatory of Music). , , , , Dec. 31; 9:30 p.m. The Venetian Theatre at , 3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 414-6333 Las Vegas’ hometown heroes head to The Venetian to perform on NYE. Seeing them onstage on this special night has become somewhat of a tradition. , , , , The Best New Year’s Eve 2025 Nightclub Shows in Las Vegas Dec. 28 and 31, T-Pain; Dec. 29, Illenium; Dec. 30, Meduza & James Hype Present Our House at , 3000 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 676-7000 Dec. 28, Dom Dolla; Dec. 29, Calvin Harris; Dec. 30, John Summit; Dec. 31, Tiësto in , 2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 678-7272 , Dec. 28, 50 Cent; Dec. 29, Simp City’s anniversary party; Dec. 30, DJ Franzen; Dec. 31, Lil Waynes , 3595 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 777-3800 , Dec. 30, Anyma; Dec. 31, The Chainsmokers , 3131 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 770-7000 Anyma: ; Chainsmokers: , , Where to Eat the Best New Year’s Eve Dinners in Las Vegas First seating (5–7 p.m.) requires a $145 per person food and beverage minimum; second seating (7:30 p.m.–late) requires a $245 per person food and beverage minimum , 2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 678-7272 Preview the upcoming Year of the Snake with a special serpent-themed party with live entertainment. Komodo’s signature menu will be available, including Peking Duck; America and Japanese Wagyu; Sushi and Nigiri; and shareable bites like the Money Bag Dumplings and David Grutman’s Grutman Pastrami Eggrolls. ; (702) 678-7272 , 3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 698-7000 Momofuku Las Vegas offers a five-course prix-fixe menu for $125 per person. The menu features many of the iconic restaurant’s 20th-anniversary dishes and Vegas favorites, such as white truffle ramen, candied walnut shrimp and everyone’s favorite combo—fried chicken and caviar. For dessert, always order the ice cream sundae. First seating (5 to 7 p.m.) requires a $295 per person food and beverage minimum; second seating (7:30 p.m.–late) requires a $495 per person food and beverage minimum at , 2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (702) 678-7272 Papi Steak’s a la carte menu is made for a showy celebration such as New Year’s Eve. It includes the “Beef Case,” a 55-oz. Australian purebred wagyu tomahawk; King Crab Stuffed Lobster; Truffle Jidori Chicken; Wagyu Pastrami with cornichon and house-made mustard; and Roasted Bone Marrow with shallot marmalade, mustard seed and rye toast. ; (702) 678-7272 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. , 3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; (866) 659-9643 New Year’s Eve specials include Chicken Liver Pâté, Perigord Black Truffle Pasta or a Seafood Platter. Pair these decadent dishes with equally extravagant libations such as the $75 Madame Martini with Beluga vodka and Osetra-stuffed Castelvetrano olives. ; (702) 607-3065 The Best New Year’s Eve Fireworks to Watch in Las Vegas Las Vegas hosts America’s largest New Year’s Eve fireworks display, “America’s Party 2025,” which includes the eight-minute show created by . Kicking off at 5 a.m. PT on Dec. 31 (when Sydney, Australia, welcomes 2025), the celebration’s theme will be “Making Vegas Memories.” For the first time, Sphere will do the 30-second countdown which leads into the nine resorts that are in on the pyrotechnic action: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Aria Resort and Casino, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island Las Vegas, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Resorts World Las Vegas and The Strat with Rio as the Command Center. The fireworks soundtrack features “Auld Lang Syne,” “Viva Las Vegas” by ZZ Top, “House of Memories” by Panic! At The Disco, “My City” by Tiësto & Prophecy, “Party All The Time” by the Black Eyed Peas and “All Night” by Icona Pop, among other songs. The Sphere New Year’s Eve Celebration starts at 5 a.m. PT on December 31 when Sydney, Australia, welcomes 2025. It will follow cities around the world as different timezones approach midnight (Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, London, Buenos Aires, New York, Chicago and Denver). A new Exosphere show, presented by Lexus, will feature art from “psychedelic math artist” UON Visuals, a 3D artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, who uses math formulas and code to craft animated patterns and color spectrums. After the big moment, Sphere will showcase content from Afterlife Presents Anyma, “The End of Genesys,” which will play inside Sphere on New Year’s Eve. Those outside Sin City can watch the show online on , the Exosphere’s free livestream. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter

Foreign-born CEO says Japan needs immigration

The global chief of the BAM group took home a pay package of €2.1m last year as the group fought for more money to complete the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Ireland. The lucrative pay, benefits and incentive package was pocketed by Ruud Joosten who is the CEO of Royal BAM Group , the Dutch parent firm that owns BAM’s Irish operations. Despite continued concerns and controversy about delays and cost overruns at the NCH , it was revealed this week that the Government is poised to award another massive tender to BAM. The new contract – to BAM subsidary, Invesis Ireland Ltd – is expected to clear Cabinet next week. In March, BAM PPP Ltd – a vehicle used by BAM to tender for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) – was renamed Invesis Ireland. Any projects the company wins through PPPs are then built by BAM’s other Irish firms. Invesis is jointly owned by BAM and Dutch pension asset manager PGGM and operates more than 50 PPP infrastructure developments in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Australia with a total value of €12.1bn. In the short term, PPP deals cost taxpayers less because the private sector foots the main capital cost of a project. But in the long run, the State ends up paying more as fees go to private management firms such as BAM for decades afterwards. The tender involves the construction of facilities at the Atlantic Technological University in Galway and Letterkenny, the South-East Technological University at Carlow and Waterford, and the Technological University of the Shannon. The deal has attracted considerable criticism, partly due to BAM’s record at the NCH project. This week, the company lodged High Court proceedings relating to a row with the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) over €107m in additional costs, as both sides blame each other for delays and cost overruns. There are also concerns BAM’s latest tender exceeded value-for-money guidelines. The tender first came before Cabinet in July when Higher Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan sought an additional cost/ benefit examination which is now complete. Now, the Government wants to proceed and is concerned that re-tendering the contract would result in undue delays. But this has attracted criticism from the opposition. Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said: ‘The justification from the Government that any change would delay this project is something we have heard before when Simon Harris gave a green-light for the National Children’s Hospital.’ Meanwhile, BAM’s 2023 accounts included a note that rejected the way the firm has been criticised for the NCH project. The firm said the hospital development continued to ‘present challenges’ from ‘both a operational and financial perspective’.The China Fund, Inc. Declares Distributions

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in a 41-7 win over the Cowboys: Quarterback: B+ Kenny Pickett showed heart, and more importantly, effectiveness in starting in place of the injured Jalen Hurts (concussion). His day got off to a slow start with a first pass missile over A.J. Brown ’s head. But Pickett settled down, despite playing with a rib injury, and helped guide the Eagles to a 20-point lead before he left with what appeared to be aggravation of his injury. Pickett completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. He finally got going on the Eagles’ third drive and ended the possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide open DeVonta Smith. Two series later, he heaved a 49-yard toss to Smith. Pickett also scored a touchdown via Tush Push. He was denied on the first try from the 1-yard line, but got in for his second converted sneak of the first half. Pickett got drilled by Micah Parsons after throwing what was to be a splendid hookup with Brown in the end zone to open the second half. But a holding penalty negated the score and Pickett had to leave after another shot to his ribs. Tanner McKee came in and the Eagles didn’t miss a beat. He wasn’t asked to do a ton, but when called upon to drop back, he delivered. He connected with Brown for a 20-yard back shoulder touchdown late in the third quarter and later found Smith on a short crosser the receiver would take to the house. Running back: A Saquon Barkley become only the ninth running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and is now only 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 rushing yards in a season. He went over 100 yards rushing for the 11th time this season. Despite some early struggles to get the ground game going, he got going in the second half with the Eagles playing from ahead and whittling down the clock. Barkley finished with 167 yards on a season-high 31 carries. Will he get a chance to eclipse Dickerson’s mark in 17 games? Next week’s season finale vs. the New York Giants may have no meaning for the Eagles in terms of playoff seeding. Barkley did set the franchise mark for yards from scrimmage, breaking the previous record of 2,146 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. Kenneth Gainwell got some extra snaps with the Eagles utilizing some two-back looks. He rushed just three times for 4 yards and caught a pass for 5 yards. Tyrion Davis-Price, who was called up from the practice squad with rookie Will Shipley (concussion) sidelined, got some mop-up carries. Receiver / tight end: A- Smith and Brown got open all day against a shorthanded Dallas secondary. Smith bounced back from his costly dropped pass against the Commanders — not that anyone doubted he would. He caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Smith got dinged (pulverized?) early on a play in which fans wanted a flag thrown. Smith left and had his right wrist taped. He missed the next series, but returned and caught a 22-yard touchdown on a corner route out of the slot, and two drives later, toasted cornerback Andrew Booth for a 49-yard catch down to the 1-yard line. Smith ran a great route to convert a short third down on the opening drive of the second half. Brown wasn’t targeted as much, but he was efficient when targeted. He caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Brown had two near-touchdowns — one negated by penalty and another just out bounds — in the third quarter. But he caught his seventh touchdown of the season on the back shoulder from McKee. Tight end Grant Calcaterra made an acrobatic grab with one hand for 34 yards in the second quarter. It was a momentum changer with the offense mostly struggling up until that point. Reserve tight ends C.J. Uzomah and EJ Jenkins were called upon to run-block a bunch. They held their own. Backup receivers Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson weren’t targeted, but got a lot of exercise. Receiver Ainias Smith didn’t play much, if at all, again. In the four previous games, he was also active but did not play a snap. Offensive line: A It was tough sledding in the run game with the Cowboys focused on stopping Barkley in the first half. He had just 41 yards on 13 carries before the break. But the ground game exploded in the second half and left tackle Jordan Mailata & Co. helped lead the way. In terms of pass protection, the Eagles’ O-line didn’t allow a single sack. Lane Johnson continued his pass-blocking dominance at right tackle. He faced another tough assignment vs. Parsons. He kept him from wrecking the game plan, but the Dallas edge rusher did eventually knock Pickett from the game. Cam Jurgens had the pulling lead block on a Barkley 11-yard rush to the left in the fourth quarter. The Eagles center made sure the Tush Push worked without Hurts. Guards Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton made sure Dallas’ interior D-line didn’t push the pocket. Dickerson had some key run blocks. He led the way on a Barkley 8-yard gain off the left to open the second half. A drive later, he had the kick-out block on a Barkley 9-yarder. Dickerson committed two penalties — a false start on the Eagles’ offense’s first play from scrimmage and a hold, which negated a touchdown catch by Brown. Becton left late in the second quarter with an unspecified injury and was replaced by Tyler Steen. But he would return. He bounced back from a difficult outing last week in Landover, Md. Defensive line: A- Jalen Carter and crew allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for over 100 yards — the first time a running back eclipsed the century mark vs. the Eagles this season. But the Eagles’ front kept him from breaking off long runs when it mattered. Carter, nose tackle Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams plugged the middle, as usual, but Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt did well to set the edge and contain the run game. The aforementioned all had individual moments. Carter batted a Cooper Rush pass that deflected off Smith’s hands just before the half. Davis recovered a fumble in the second quarter. Williams had two run stops. Sweat set the edge and held Dowdle to no gain on a first-quarter outside run. Early in the third quarter, he teamed up with linebacker Zack Baun for a tackle for loss. Smith continued his stellar play in the second half of the season. He forced a fumble in the fourth quarter and had several pressures. Smith had a late second-quarter hurry that forced Rush to step up before an eventual incomplete pass. He took a holding penalty in the end zone when tasked with dropping into coverage on Dallas’ first touchdown. Hunt finished with six tackles — four of them solos. Bryce Huff left with an early shoulder injury, but returned before the half. Huff was playing in his first game since being placed on injured reserve following hand surgery in November and didn’t stand out much. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo shot into the backfield and slowed Dowdle when he was dropped for a tackle for loss in the first quarter. Linebacker: A- With Nakobe Dean (abdomen) out, Baun wore the green dot and called the defensive plays. It didn’t affect his performance. Baun finished with seven tackles and added to his Pro Bowl-worthy resumé for the season. Oren Burksstarted in place of Dean (abdomen) and rotated with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. He struggled to get off blocks early vs. the run game, but he rebounded and forced a fumble midway through the second quarter. Burks finished with a team-high eight tackles. Trotter didn’t look out of place in the snaps the rookie played and had three stops. Cornerback: B+ Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell had some early issues, but they never let Cowboys receivers get behind them as the Eagles wore out Rush and a weak Dallas offense. Rush completed just 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards. Slay got turned around by receiver Brandin Cooks for a 16-yard gain on Dallas’ first drive. He also got beaten again by Cooks for 22 yards on a third-down conversion in which he was also flagged for holding. But he tightened up the hatches in the final three quarters. Mitchell had tight coverage on Cooks on an early deep fade route. Receiver Jalen Brooks got him for a 12-yard gain on a back-shoulder route in the first quarter. He got outdueled by receiver Jalen Tolbert on a corner fade touchdown — the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the game. He allowed another 12-yard catch on a back shoulder in the second quarter. Cooper DeJean was solid. He had five tackles and a pass breakup. Dowdle got around DeJean on an early swing pass that was ruled a rushing play. He recovered Nolan Smith’s forced fumble. Safety: A C.J. Gardner-Johnson snagged two interceptions before leaving the game with an injury. He atoned for last week’s ejection with a pick-six on his first series. On third-and-3, he read Rush’s eyes and intercepted a pass to Cooks. Gardner-Johnson went 69 yards the other way for the first touchdown of his NFL career. His sixth interception came on an errant deep throw that Mitchell could have easily caught as well. Gardner-Johnson, nevertheless, did well to track the ball from the post. Reed Blankenship ran step for step with Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin on a fade route into the corner of the end zone early in the fourth quarter. He contributed three tackles. Special teams: A Jake Elliott handled kickoffs full-time for the first time this season after Braden Mann’s struggles at Washington. He had five touchbacks on seven kicks. The Eagles kicker also made all his kicks — two field goals and five extra points. Mann averaged 36 net yards on three punts. DeJean averaged 7.5 yards on two punt returns. Gainwell had a 36-yard kick return in the first quarter. Coaching: A Despite being without his starting quarterback, and losing his backup in the third quarter, Nick Sirianni guided the Eagles to a walkover victory and the NFC East crown. The head coach wrangled an impressive performance from his players and assistants. No Hurts may have played into his fourth-down decision making. On the Eagles’ second series, Sirianni punted on fourth-and-1 at his own 46. Mann’s subsequent punt rolled into the end zone for 32 net yards on the change of possession. A few series later, though, Sirianni went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 30 with Pickett picking it up via the Tush Push. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a great game. He never lost touch with the run even though the Cowboys were depleted in the secondary. Run-heavy play calling to open the second half resulted in a field goal and the Eagles expanding their lead to 27-7. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ’s unit forced four turnovers and bled the Cowboys down as the game progressed. ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Capital project: plugging in profits from a big batteryo do philosophy, you don’t need expensive labs or equipment. You don’t need a huge team. You can do it all by yourself. The downside is that philosophers are often lonely. Reading in solitude while wrestling with your own thoughts is difficult. We do discuss and debate our ideas with others at conferences and symposia, but these peers, invaluable as they are, are bounded by many of the same constraints we are, living and thinking in our own brief historical moment. To overcome this myopathy of the mind, I stumbled upon an unexpected hack: not just reading the ancients, but becoming friends with them. The medieval Japanese Buddhist philosopher Kenkō this practice as follows in his free-flowing brush style: “The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under the lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people of a distant past you have never known.” The medieval Italian poet and philosopher Petrarch not only wrote letters to his living friends, but also to the dead, such as Cicero, who lived 1,400 years before. In her biography of Rahel Varnhagen, an 18th-century German writer and salon host, Hannah Arendt called her “my closest friend, though she has been dead for some hundred years.” I interrogated the philosopher, and sometimes, in my mind, he answered back. Once you spot these friendships with the ancients, you start to see them everywhere (I more about them recently in the ). What do philosophers get out of not merely reading old philosophy texts but also befriending their authors? How does one even do this, given that the other person is, well, dead? About 10 years ago, I was unaware of this practice, and I could not foresee how it would transform the way I think. I was a proper academic philosopher, writing in the style and developing the kinds of arguments that were suited for mainstream philosophy journals—for example, on whether the or mathematical beliefs cast doubt on these beliefs. My citations to old philosophical texts were few and sparing. I used them mainly to support my arguments. I wondered whether people like Plato or Nāgārjuna could help me at all, given that their cultural contexts (ancient Greece and ancient India, respectively) were so different. This changed when I read the a Chinese philosophy book from the Warring States Period (around the fourth century B.C.) about ethics, etiquette, and politics, with sayings and dialogues attributed to the philosopher Mengzi (also Latinized as Mencius). I read this book because I wanted to diversify my syllabus and to introduce some Chinese philosophy in my ethics class at Oxford Brookes University (where I was a senior lecturer at the time). I wasn’t prepared for how much this work would blow me away. Maybe I was under the influence of stereotypes of Chinese philosophy as collections of ambiguous sayings by sage old men with wispy beards. Instead, I found a deeply challenging picture of humanity. engzi offers the thought experiment of a child who is about to fall in a well. He writes that anyone would be alarmed at the sight, not because of ulterior motives—such as praise from the parents if one were to help the child—but because of genuine altruistic motives. Mengzi held that we all have within us emotional beginnings (or “sprouts” as he calls them) of virtue. For example, the emotion of compassion is the sprout of the virtue of benevolence. We are all born with these sprouts the way we are born with four limbs. To become a good person, one must nurture the sprouts the way one nurtures young plants. I fell in love with Mengzi, particularly because it was the first ethics text I read that gave me helpful advice to cultivate my own virtues. Mengzi tells you that you have all the resources to be a good person within you. You don’t need to abide by ethical systems dreamt up by others, the sprouts of goodness are already there. From that starting point, it’s just slow and gradual practice. For example, if I lost my temper yesterday, I have an opportunity not to do so today. If my comments on the work of a student have been too harsh, I can tell them that there were also many good things in the work and be gentler with students next time. Up until that point, I saw philosophical papers as 9,000-word sized self-contained publishable units where you cite philosophers to support your arguments, or to engage with their arguments to critique them. But I didn’t truly love any philosophical text, not the way I can love a piece of music, a novel, or a painting. That changed with Mengzi. Mengzi transformed not only my view on human nature, but also how I engage with philosophical texts. He says that if you cannot find suitable friends among the living, then you should “ascend to examine the ancients. Recite their Odes and read their Documents. But can you do this without understanding what sort of people they were? Because of this, you must examine their era. This is how friendship ascends.” What Mengzi says here is that to befriend ancient philosophers, we must immerse ourselves not only in their words but also attempt to do the same with the cultural context in which they lived and worked. That understanding is not one of an impartial scholar but of a friend. A friend knows where you are coming from and realizes why you hold certain views. tried this practice by talking to Mengzi in my mind. In my imagination, he looks more like a young C-drama actor than like the severe scholar who is featured in . I asked him questions and requested his help in the interpretation of some of the more difficult passages in the . This prompted me to read more about his era, the Warring States Period, when smaller states were invaded by larger ones. I interrogated the philosopher, and sometimes, in my mind, he answered back. For example, I found him helpful when considering a tricky professional situation some years ago in which I was being urged to not give an invited talk because the organizer had made some remarks that sounded, as reported, transphobic. If I accepted and gave the talk, I would implicitly condone him. On the other hand, if I didn’t give the talk, I would cave to peer pressure without knowing all the details. What does Mengzi recommend? To give the presentation, I would be in line with the virtue of ritual, as it is awkward etiquette to decline a talk you have accepted earlier. However, I might be hurting the people who were upset or harmed by the remarks, which would not be in line with the virtue of benevolence. I didn’t truly love any philosophical text, not the way I love a piece of music, a novel, or a painting For Mengzi, situations like these require the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom is a kind of meta-virtue that requires that you weigh the dilemma carefully. In this case, I contacted people involved in the situation to learn more about it, and we reached a compromise that was acceptable to all, namely that I would give short remarks at the start of my presentation about how the state of trans philosophers in our profession could improve. This was also in line with the fourth Mengzian virtue, righteousness, where you try to use whatever platform you have to further the common good. The great thing about Mengzi’s views on virtue is that you can mess up; it doesn’t mean you are a terrible human being. You can always try again. For example, if you have been an ungracious partner, you can try to be more gracious tomorrow. Unlike Scrooge in who can only get shocked into becoming a better person by ghosts and visions, it is possible to do so gradually, in the small observations and practices of everyday life. While you cannot undo past harms, it is never too late to prevent yourself from causing future ones. If you ask Westerners whether we can improve by practice in such endeavors as playing the guitar, or tennis, or even writing, they will say, “of course!” But if you ask them if we can improve our virtue in this way, many will say no: Some people are simply born more virtuous than others or are otherwise made more virtuous by circumstances largely out of their control. But Mengzi thinks that you can practice your virtue by growing your sprouts. He likens cultivating your virtue with . “Now, Go is an insignificant craft. But if one does not focus one’s heart and apply one’s intention, then one won’t get it.” hen you make friends with a long-dead philosopher, you don’t think of them in a detached, objective manner. That is, we better understand where they are coming from, and why they hold certain views. Though this doesn’t mean we let them off the hook. In a June 1345 letter to his dead friend the Roman philosopher Cicero, Petrarch laments Cicero’s shortcomings, particularly his inability to live up to his own standards: “What good is there in teaching others, what benefit is there in speaking constantly with the most magnificent words about the virtues, if at the same time you do not give heed to your own words?” We can share our candid thoughts with our good friends. Befriending a long-dead philosopher also helps us to understand ourselves better. It is an easy reflex to “cancel” any dead philosopher—write them and all of their work off part and parcel—because of some unsavory (racist, sexist, classist, etc.) views they held. It is more difficult to engage with their work, to understand it, while also recognizing that these views are elements of their work. This helps us to see ourselves as thinkers who may hold some flawed views, but who do this in a larger picture of humanity striving to better understand ourselves and the world in which we live. We are not so different from the ancients, and the problems they dealt with are similar to ours. For example, many of us are forced, or greatly pressured by circumstances, to work for companies solely focused on profit, that are short-sighted, and even corrupt. Ancient friends such as Confucius and Mengzi considered this as an important dilemma: It is vital to know when to step away. If you cannot find suitable friends among the living, you should “ascend to examine the ancients.” With the climate spinning out of control, the fallout of a pandemic (and likely others in the making), and the , I cannot help but feel doubts about Mengzi’s core view that human nature is good. By this, Mengzi did not mean that each individual human being is good. But he did believe that we are good by nature, the way it is in the nature of a duck to swim. Due to circumstances (for example, living in captivity without nearby water), a duck may never swim. Similarly, circumstances can make a nation’s actions devoid of virtue. But the nature of the people in those nations is to be good. What does this mean? To better grasp this idea, I examined Mengzi’s era. His time, the Warring States Period, was one of unrest, epidemics, and violent conflict. He was an advisor to the ruler of Qi, helping to shape policy and foreign affairs. Yan, a neighboring smaller state, was weakened due to a succession crisis. The ruler of Qi asked if it was morally permissible to annex Yan (this was a common policy during the period). Mengzi advised that it was. However, he was horrified by how Qi’s ruler took the state, by looting and by killing huge numbers of innocent civilians. Mengzi resigned in disgust, even though he was unable to obtain another position. He was well aware of the depths to which humans can plunge, and yet, in spite of this, he still held that human nature is good. A possible way to read this is to see his view of as aspirational. Having faith in the goodness of humanity is, as Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists have demonstrated, an attitude that can help you to make the needle move in the right direction. Mengzi lived in desperate times. We, like Mengzi’s peers, may fervently wish to live in a more peaceful era. “So do all who live to see such times,” as Gandalf advises Frodo in , “but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This is what Mengzi did, and his view of human nature was crucial to this. He arguably believed that it is part of human nature to aspire to be good. In one passage from the , for example, a ruler asks the philosopher if he should be a king who rules by virtue, that is, by showing a good example and being benevolent, or rather if he should be content by ruling as a hegemon who uses realpolitik—using purely instrumental political means, even if not always above the board, much as Machiavelli prescribes—to achieve one’s goals. The ruler is worried that he isn’t good enough to be a virtuous king. “Can one such as ourselves care for the people?” he asks. Mengzi says simply, “You can.” He thinks the king is able to do this, because he showed compassion on earlier occasions, such as when he spared an ox that was led to be ritually slaughtered. If he can feel compassion for an animal, he should all the more be capable of empathizing with his subjects, who are human beings. In another passage, Mengzi mentions the village worthies, the prominent people in the village everyone respects. Mengzi, by contrast, holds them in low esteem. When he is asked why he, like Kongzi (Confucius), views them with disdain, he replies that the village worthies settle for mediocrity: “Born in this era, we should be for this era. To be good is enough.” Mengzi thinks that with this mindset, the village worthies set the bar too low for themselves. They think that if you live in a time when the standards are low, it’s okay to do the bare minimum to be deemed virtuous. What my conversations with my ancient friend Mengzi helped me to understand is that the norms and ideas about what being a good person is, and what a good life is, are not restricted to our time. We can be ambitious in what we hope and strive for, by reaching out to the ancients who continue to inspire us. This way, we can overcome the limitations of being born in our own era and can situate ourselves in a much bigger world, brimming with possibilities and with many voices of the past and present to guide us. Posted on Helen De Cruz is a philosopher who works and teaches at Saint Louis University, where she holds the Danforth Chair in the Humanities. She is the author of many books and papers, most recently with Princeton University Press (2024). Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the very brightest living thinkers.

A lawyer who is currently helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials once petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval for multiple critical childhood vaccines, including the polio vaccine. Aaron Siri, managing partner at Siri & Glimstad LLP, has a history of challenging the FDA to pause or completely withdraw various vaccines – a move which raises concerns given Kennedy’s historic anti-vaccine rhetoric. In 2022, Siri asked the FDA Commissioner, on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, to cease its use of the polio vaccine in infants and toddlers. The petition claimed the vaccine was not properly tested to ensure it was safe, despite its decade-long use protecting millions of children from contracting the disease which can cause paralysis. He filed a similar petition to withdraw a hepatitis B vaccine in children in 2020. In 2021, Siri asked the FDA, again on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, to pause its use of six childhood vaccines that protect against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and hepatitis A until they disclosed information about aluminum in them. It appears Siri already possesses a strong influence on Kennedy because he is helping him question and choose potential leaders for top federal health jobs. One person familiar with conversations told the New York Times , that the two have questioned potential candidates about their views on vaccines. The revelation, first reported by the New York Times , is alarming due to Kennedy’s status as the Health and Human Services secretary nominee. Kennedy already faces an uphill battle to get his nomination approved by the Senate because he has made anti-vaccine statements in the past and elevated health-related conspiracy theories. Many, including 75 Nobel Prize winners, have urged senators not to confirm him due to his criticisms of mainstream medicine. In the past, Kennedy has linked vaccines to autism – a debunked theory with no scientific or medical proof. He’s claimed that “no vaccine” is safe and effective – which is also false. He has also attributed mental health issues, like those that drive people to commit mass shootings, to pharmaceuticals. Both antidepressant use and mass shooting occurrences have increased in the last several decades, the scientific community has found “no biological plausibility” to back a link between the two, according to Ragy Girgis, an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, per the New York Times . Vaccines are proven to be a crucial and effective way to prevent the spread of deadly diseases. Kennedy has assured people he will not “take away” vaccines, as does Siri, and claims he is not anti-vax. But it is unclear what he will do with vaccines should he be confirmed. A spokesperson for Kennedy told the New York Times , “Mr. Kennedy has long said that he wants transparency in vaccines and to give people choice.”Map Shows Where Trump Nominees Are From

Dell Technologies Q3 revenue falls short of estimates as weak PC demand weighs

Sheridan College suspends 40 programs, restructures administration ahead of international student capBy MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea “absurd.” Related Articles National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game The Manhattan district attorney’s office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump” who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury’s verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.

Miller scores 38 and Ball adds 35 to lead Hornets past Pistons 123-121 in OTLinus Aleke in Abuja The Federal Government has commenced the construction of a modern and smart divisional police headquarters in Abuja. The government also stressed that it is poised for the emergence of a world-class police force that is inclusive, intelligence-led, technology-driven and community-based that is alive to its constitutional responsibilities. It said it is committed to implementing the ongoing comprehensive police reform to revolutionise the policing landscape by fostering inclusivity, community engagement, intelligence-driven operations and technological integration. The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, made this disclosure while performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Divisional Police Headquarters and six Rank and File Quarters by the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) at Mpape weekend. Represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Yusuf Argungu, the minister applauded the effort of the NPTF in addressing the challenges of security in Bwari Area Council and providing a conducive environment for both citizens and their businesses According to him, “The presence of this divisional headquarters of the police in this location will protect citizens commuting daily for their daily activities from the danger of kidnapping, one chance and robbery, as well as other related crimes affecting people in the city.” He urged the force to continue to promote synergy with citizens in the location and other security agencies in the city to uphold the responsibility of enforcing laws and prosecuting offenders. The Inspector General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, said the groundbreaking ceremony of the new divisional police headquarters was a testament to their ongoing commitment to effective law enforcement and community engagement. Represented by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Olatunji Disu, the IG said the force eagerly anticipates the completion of the project and commencement of police activities to foster a safer environment for all citizens. In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, NPTF, Mohammed Sheidu, said the modern and smart divisional police headquarters when completed will be more than just bricks and mortar. He noted that it will represent their collective resolve to provide a police force and officers with modern infrastructure that enhances their operational capacity and improved welfare. “This headquarters will feature state-of-the-art facilities, while the quarters will provide decent and comfortable housing for the personnel, fostering an environment where they can thrive both personally and professionally,” he stated. To the contractor, he said: “We are entrusting you with the responsibility to deliver a world class facility that meets the highest standard of quality and excellence. At the same time, we urge you to work diligently and efficiently to ensure the timely completion of this project. “The safety and well being of the officers and community that they serve depends on the realization of this project.” Sheidu said that the NPTF will monitor the project closely and provide all necessary support to ensure the success of the project, adding that: “This project is a symbol of progress, collaboration and hope. It is a testament to what can be achieved when we work together for the greater good.” The District Head of Mpape, Adamu Diga, expressed appreciation to the ministry, NPTF and the NPF for accepting their request to upgrade the existing Mpape Police Post to the divisional headquarters to enhance the efficiency and service delivery to the people of the district.

As the Brooklyn Nets begin a road swing on Friday with a visit to Philadelphia, the host 76ers are ending one of their own swings away from home that went poorly for the sputtering club. The 76ers into Friday's NBA Cup East: Group A matchup against the Nets on a five-game losing streak, including all three in the Sixers' just-completed three-game road trip. The journey ended on Wednesday in a 117-111 loss at Memphis, despite 2023 MVP Joel Embiid playing his best game of the season. Embiid finished with game highs of 35 points and 11 rebounds in his fourth contest since rejoining the Sixers lineup, after missing the first nine games with a lingering knee injury. Philadelphia is winless in Embiid's four appearances, have only two wins this season and none in NBA Cup action. The Sixers opened group play with a 111-99 loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 12, followed by a 98-86 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Nov. 15. Philadelphia is now also dealing with another knee injury to a key player, as Paul George left Wednesday's game with a hyperextension. "Similar to the preseason," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said, referring to an injury George sustained in October. "We're going to find out more (Thursday) when (the medical staff) checks it out to see what the extent of it is." Nurse said George's injury may be akin to a bone bruise, which would not require a lengthy absence. Still, the team is awaiting more details ahead of Friday's return home. "You never know what happens," Nurse said. "He was actually fairly close to coming back in the game but then it stiffened up as he got out a little bit more, so we decided not to." Amid the rash of injuries and roster tumult, rookie Jared McCain is emerging as a bright spot in the Sixers' dismal start. Wednesday's 20-point performance marked the guard's sixth consecutive game scoring 20-plus points. McCain has made at least three 3-pointers in all six of those contests, while he averaged 25.5 points. The Nets ended a three-game losing streak Tuesday and improved to 1-1 in the NBA Cup, with a 116-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Cam Johnson scored 34 points, while Trendon Watford hit a jumper with 38 seconds remaining that gave the Nets necessary breathing room down the stretch. Watford finished with 10 points over 19 minutes in just his second game back from a hamstring injury sustained in training camp. "Very happy that he had the game that he had, but that to me is the definition of a team," Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. "Our medical staff worked hard to get him back healthy. We've got to trust the group, because they do a great job, and this is the result. It's a win for everybody." Nets point guard Dennis Schroder continued his run of solid two-way play at point guard in Tuesday's win. With his 14 points and 12 assists against Charlotte, Schroder is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 assists in 15 games (all starts). --Field Level MediaBlencowe Resources Plc ( LON:BRES – Get Free Report )’s stock price fell 6.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as GBX 3.50 ($0.04) and last traded at GBX 3.50 ($0.04). 263,427 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 603,572 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3.75 ($0.05). Blencowe Resources Trading Down 6.7 % The firm has a market cap of £7.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -350.00 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 4.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 4.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.00, a quick ratio of 3.57 and a current ratio of 0.45. Blencowe Resources Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Blencowe Resources Plc engages in the acquisition, development, and exploration of graphite properties in Northern Uganda. It holds a 100% interest in the Orom-Cross Graphite project covering an area of approximately 520,000 hectares located in Northern Uganda. The company was formerly known as Cora Gold Limited and changed its name to Blencowe Resources Limited in September 2017. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Blencowe Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Blencowe Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Conte’s last public act as Spurs head coach after a 3-3 draw at St Mary’s in 2023 was to launch a furious tirade against his own “selfish” players who he claimed “don’t want to play under pressure” before he seemed to turn on the board as he questioned the club’s ongoing trophy drought. Eight days later Conte had left Tottenham by mutual consent after a whirlwind 16-month period, with Postecoglou his eventual permanent successor. Postecoglou has been in charge of the Premier League club for two months longer than the Italian, but managed 12 fewer matches and is currently in the middle of an injury crisis which has resulted in a drop in form, with Spurs only able to claim one victory from their last eight fixtures. However, when Postecoglou was asked if he would jump ship in the wake of making remarks like Conte did in March, 2023, he said: “Look, I don’t think it’s fair to comment. “Antonio is a world-class manager and has his own way of doing things, his own reasons for doing that. “I am here, I am in for the fight. I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility. “I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn’t wavered one little bit. “I love a fight, I love a scrap, I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it.” Postecoglou was Celtic boss when Conte’s extraordinary 10-minute press conference made waves around the world, but acknowledged being aware of his predecessors’ comments and attempted to explain the psyche behind why a manager would make such a move. “I was on Planet Earth at that time, and yes I was well aware of it,” Postecoglou smiled. “I think you know when a manager gets to that point that there’s obviously some underlying issues. “I think most of the time when managers do that they’re trying to get a reaction, trying to get some sort of impact on the team. “In difficult moments, what you want from your leaders is action rather than inaction of just letting things drift along. He did it to try and get a positive impact on the group, one way or another. We’ve all been in that situation as a manager where you feel this is time to send a message.” Postecoglou sent out his own message on Thursday after a 1-1 draw away to Rangers when he insisted Timo Werner’s display “wasn’t acceptable” at Ibrox. Werner was replaced at half-time following an error-strewn performance, but was not alone in being below-par in Glasgow. A day later Postecoglou explained how with Spurs missing several key first-teamers, the onus is on their fit senior players to deliver a level of application and commitment – and admitted Werner will be required at St Mary’s on Sunday. “I’ve got no choice. Who else am I going to play? I’m pulling kids out of school, I literally am,” Postecoglou mentioned in reference to 16-year-old duo Malachi Hardy and Luca Williams-Barnett, who have recently made the bench. “That was the reasoning for me pointing it out last night. We need Timo. We need all of them. “In normal times if you have a poor game, there’s a price to pay. It doesn’t exist right now. We need everybody we’ve got.”Data Center It Equipment Market size to increase by USD 73.6 Million between 2023 to 2028, Market Segmentation by Product, End-user, Geography , Technavio

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