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game engine S'porean, 26, punches kicks ex-girlfriend after another man gifted her flowers, gets 1 week's jail

The West Parish Congregational Church’s 2023 Christmas tea. BETHEL — The West Parish Congregational Church’s Christmas craft fair, sale, and tea is a yearly staple of the community, bringing in locals for snacks, tea, hot chocolate, and last minute gifts for friends and family. There is also the well known cookie walk, where a bag can be filled with baked goods. But where do all those funds go? The church does many fundraisers across the year for various charities. The most well known and advertised of these is the spring sale for the Smile Fund. Other fundraisers are done for various church missions, including service within the community. However, the Christmas tea, possibly the largest of these events, is the one fundraiser that goes directly to the church. “It’s the one big fundraiser we have every year to help the budget,” said Diana York, the church’s secretary. The proceeds help with the church’s various upkeep costs that allow them to stay open and pursue all the other service projects that they engage in the rest of the year. “We’ve got to keep the doors open if we want to do all the other things,” said York. Along with supporting the church, the tea is a chance for the community to come together in more ways than one. Many of the items for sale have been donated from local families. The church put out a request especially for jewelry for the ‘tiny treasures’ table, so that unused and forgotten jewelry could find a new home. Aside from that, there is the promise of delicious food that is free for all to enjoy. The only paid part of the event is the cookie walk and the items for sale. Despite being held in the church, the actual event has no religious connection, meaning that even those who want to keep their holiday purely secular can still enjoy some tea, snacks, and socialization. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at PwC and had little name recognition beyond the health care industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. When Thompson did occasionally draw attention, it was because of his role in shaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them once sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson, who lived in a Minneapolis suburb and was the married father of two sons in high school, was set to speak at an investor meeting in a midtown New York hotel. He was on his own and about to enter the building when he was shot in the back by a masked assailant who fled on foot before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporters Michael R. Sisak and Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. Murphy reported from Indianapolis.Manila: The Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte said she has contracted an assassin to kill the president, his wife and the House of Representatives speaker if she herself is killed, in a brazen public threat that she warned was not a joke. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin referred the “active threat” against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to an elite presidential guards force “for immediate proper action”. It was not immediately clear what actions would be taken against the vice president. Vice President Sara Duterte’s threat was taken seriously, though she later tried to walk back the remarks. Credit: AP The Presidential Security Command boosted Marcos’ security and said it considered the vice president’s threat, which was “made so brazenly in public”, a national security issue. The presidential security force said it was “coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the president and the first family.” Duterte, a lawyer, later tried to walk back her remarks and said they were not an actual threat but only an expression of concern over an unspecified threat to her own life. “If I expressed the concern, they will say that’s a threat to the life of the president?” she said. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his wife Louise Araneta. Credit: AP “Why would I kill him if not for revenge from the grave? There is no reason for me to kill him. What’s the benefit for me?” Duterte told journalists. Under the Philippines penal code, such public remarks may constitute a crime of threatening to inflict a wrong on a person or his family and is punishable by a jail term and fine. The Philippines Constitution says that if a president dies, sustains a permanent disability, is removed from office or resigns, the vice president takes over and serves the rest of the term. Marcos ran with Duterte as his vice-presidential running mate in the May 2022 elections and both won with landslide victories after a campaign calling for national unity. The two leaders and their camps, however, rapidly had a bitter falling-out over key differences, including in their approaches to China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea. Duterte resigned from the Marcos cabinet in June as education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body. Like her equally outspoken father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president became a vocal critic of Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s ally and cousin, accusing them of corruption, incompetence and politically persecuting the Duterte family and its close supporters. Her latest tirade was set off by the decision of House members allied to Romualdez and Marcos’ to detain her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, who was accused of hampering a congressional inquiry into the possible misuse of her budget as vice president and education secretary. Lopez was later transferred to a hospital after falling ill and wept when she heard of a plan to temporarily lock her up in a women’s prison. In a pre-dawn online news conference, an angry Sara Duterte accused Marcos of incompetence as a president and of being a liar, along with his wife and the House speaker in expletives-laden remarks. President Ferdinand Marcos jnr poses with Vice President Sara Duterte after his swearing-in ceremony in 2022. Credit: Getty When asked about concerns over her security, the 46-year-old suggested there was an unspecified plot to kill her. “Don’t worry about my security because I’ve talked with somebody. I said, ‘If I’m killed, you’ll kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez. No joke, no joke,’” the vice president said without elaborating and using the initials many use to call the president. “I’ve given my order, ‘If I die, don’t stop until you’ve killed them.’ And he said, ‘Yes,’” the vice president said. Amid the political divisions, military chief General Romeo Brawner issued a statement assuring that the 160,000-member Armed Forces of the Philippines would remain nonpartisan “with utmost respect for our democratic institutions and civilian authority”. “We call for calm and resolve,” Brawner said. “We reiterate our need to stand together against those who will try to break our bonds as Filipinos.” Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos’ predecessor and the vice president’s father, was behind a police-enforced anti-drugs crackdown as a city mayor and later as president that left thousands of mostly petty drug suspects dead in killings that the International Criminal Court has been investigating as a possible crime against humanity. The former president denied authorising extrajudicial killings under his crackdown but has given conflicting statements. He told a public Senate inquiry last month that he had maintained a “death squad” of gangsters to kill other criminals when he was mayor of southern Davao city. AP Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .

Percentages: FG .440, FT .926. 3-Point Goals: 10-27, .370 (Byrd 4-5, Gonsalves 3-9, Berrett 2-7, Bieker 1-4, Riley 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Ariyibi 3, Rainwater). Turnovers: 14 (Ariyibi 3, Rainwater 3, Byrd 2, Gonsalves 2, Riley 2, Bieker, Misic). Steals: 5 (Bieker 2, Ariyibi, Byrd, Riley). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .556, FT .550. 3-Point Goals: 8-17, .471 (Washington 3-6, Jones 2-2, Barbee 1-1, Martindale 1-2, Adams 1-3, Beard 0-1, Brinson 0-1, Cain 0-1). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Jones 3, Fofana 2). Turnovers: 11 (Jones 3, Adams 2, Beard, Brinson, Fofana, Fuller, Martindale, Washington). Steals: 7 (Barbee 2, Jones 2, Washington 2, Adams). Technical Fouls: None. A_138 (7,321).Treace Announces First Cases Utilizing RedPointTM IntelliguideTM Patient Specific Instrumentation ...KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes paced up and down the Chiefs’ sideline, yelling toward everyone yet no one in particular. His first-half pep talk, a waste. His body, bruised. His frustration, public for all to see. If you didn’t know any better — if you didn’t check the date on this column — you might have guessed I ripped the scene from Christmas Day a year earlier. Except for just one tiny detail. The Chiefs won. They beat the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Friday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, and for all of the close, funky conclusions that have defined this season, we have a masterpiece: a botched snap. A year after the Raiders robbed the Chiefs of a Christmas Day celebration, they gifted them a victory when center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball before quarterback Aidan O’Connell expected it. Nick Bolton pounced on it. That’s how the Chiefs just beat the worst team in football. Look, the Chiefs are still a very good team, but with the record of a very great team requesting to be judged on the curve of the very best teams the league has to offer. That’s not some unfair grading system we invented for them — it’s how they judge themselves. Been that way for a while now. And about the only positive thing I can offer from Friday’s game — other than, you know, the win — is to wonder if perhaps the outcome will convince Raiders owner Mark Davis that head coach Antonio Pierce is a good fit for the job. The Chiefs’ offense gained just 4.9 yards per play, the third-worst mark among the 12 teams to play the Raiders this season. The Chiefs defense allowed 6.9 yards per play, 1.3 more yards per play than anyone had allowed the Raiders this year. Chiefs coach Andy Reid botched a fourth-down decision in which he elected to put the end of the game in the hands of that defense, rather than his quarterback. Everyone shared some blame. But for all of that, there are no bigger concerns than the root of Mahomes’ outburst. Left tackle. For the third time this year, Reid benched his left tackle in-game, enacting a full-on state of emergency that sent Joe Thuney, an All-Pro guard, to protect Mahomes’ blindside. To hell with it, Reid apparently said, and who could blame him? Starting left tackle Wanya Morris, who doubles as the replacement for the first guy KC benched this season, allowed 11 pressures and a career day not from Maxx Crosby, but from K’Lavon Chaisson — who had eight pressures, per Next Gen Stats. A ticket-taker slows traffic more efficiently than Morris slowed the Raiders’ navigation to his quarterback. On three occasions, Chaisson reached Mahomes is less than 2 1/2 seconds. Those plays were over before they started. “He’s playing against a couple of good players,” Reid said of Morris. “But you gotta do better than what we did there.” At one point, visibly frustrated, Mahomes stretched out both arms from his sides and turned his palms skyward, as if to ask the very question that will hover over the rest of the Chiefs’ quest for the NFL’s first three-peat: What now? Well, it sure seems like one of the most important players to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes just became someone who hasn’t put on a football uniform in more than 11 months — someone who has never put on a Chiefs uniform. D.J. Humphries, you’re up. After spending the past 11 months out of football — not even a practice since his ACL injury with the Arizona Cardinals last December — the Chiefs have little choice but to ask Humphries to step into one of the most important jobs in the sport. A risky solution. I’ll listen for others. The Chiefs have survived subpar left tackle play in this era. They’re almost stuck with it, given the constraints of their salary cap paired with their draft position falling at the end of every round. Donovan Smith was below average a year ago, even if time has elevated that memory. Heck, Cam Erving protected Mahomes at one point. They’ve managed. This is different. They aren’t even giving Mahomes a chance. Before the season, I could not offer you a single example of a left tackle flat-out whiffing on an edge rusher. I’m sure it’s happened. I don’t remember it. Today, if asked for that example, I would reply with a question: Which one? Morris continually elected to just try to punch at Chaisson. He came about as close as a 58-year-old boxer on Netflix. To Morris’ credit, and this will be dismissed more quickly than it should, he remained by his locker as media entered the room after the game. He took every last question he was asked. “There’s no better time to learn than when you get your (rear-end) beat,” Morris told me, and he did not say rear-end. “It sucks to get your (rear-end) beat, but when you get your (rear-end) beat, you can have two responses: You can lay down, or you can get back up and try something new. I’m going to get back up and try something new.” What’s becoming obvious: The Chiefs cannot afford him that chance. They cannot afford their second-round pick, Kingsley Suamataia, that chance, either. A year ago, the Raiders supplied the Chiefs a wake-up call: They’d better take the rest of the season seriously if they intended to make another Super Bowl run. This year, the wake-up call is how drastically one position can derail their plans. On a first-half drive Friday, Mahomes completed a no-look pass to tight end Noah Gray for 26 yards. A few plays later, tight end Travis Kelce lateraled a ball to running back Samaje Perine for a first down. Three more plays later, Mahomes absorbed a shot to the chest but managed to somehow flick a pass to receiver Justin Watson, who made a contested catch for a touchdown. A no-look. A lateral. A contested catch, which this team almost never makes. That once comprised the look of a team showing off. On Friday, it comprised the requirements for scoring. It was the recipe for the only time the Chiefs reached the end zone. Those plays I glossed over? They were interrupted by the constant pressure. Even the touchdown should have been interrupted by the pressure. A miraculous throw, really. But the Raiders — and that outburst — illuminated something in the process. Even a franchise savior has a limit. ©2024 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Ryan Day makes feelings clear on Ohio State brawl with Michigan after criticism

ROSEN, LEADING INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Investors To Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline In Securities Class Action First Filed By The Firm – CMGBrazil's ten-man Botafogo win Copa Libertadores

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer has no doubt about where his surging, 16th-ranked Gamecocks belong in the postseason — chasing a national championship. “It's hard for me to say we're not one of the 12 best teams in the country,” a giddy Beamer said Saturday after watching his team pull off another late miracle, courtesy of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, to defeat No. 12 Clemson 17-14. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.How did it come to this? Login or signup to continue reading It was half an hour before the first Newcastle students had planned to walk out of school in 2018 in protest. They were following the example set by revered, and in some circles reviled, climate action protester Greta Thunberg. The adults were killing the planet they lived on. They knew they were doing it; decades of scientific consensus had told them so. They just didn't care. The kids were not OK. And in the absence of an adult to speak for them, they were taking up the fight for themselves. Alexa Stuart, then 15, knew the action was coming. Her mum had asked if she wanted to join them. She said she did not. "I had something on at school that day," she recalls, phrasing the memory half as a question. "But I overheard some of my friends saying that they were going, and I got this really strong urge that I had to be there. I knew I cared about the environment, and I felt that if this was something that I cared about, I had to show up. "I panicked and called my sister, who is older than me and was going, and said, 'You have to come pick me up'." They rode into town together on her sister's bike. They were late. But the moment was profound. "I felt so powerful and inspired and angry and hopeful, marching down the street with hundreds of other kids, chanting at the top of our lungs," she said. "It was a day when I got a taste of what agency can look like for young people who can't vote or have much say on this issue, which will have the biggest impact on us." Stuart would go on to lead the Newcastle school strike movement with a band of friends and classmates. Over the next few years, countless students would follow them. Protests would be staged every few months, drawing masses of children and teens angry at the apathy of the grown-ups, and there were those who hated them for it. They had asked for a world that could sustain life beyond their own , and there were those who threatened to rape them for it. Stuart stopped reading the comments, returned to school, and graduated. A pandemic soon followed. The children's strike movement wound down in the face of that other existential threat, and the former Lambton high student took a gap year to figure some things out. She made art, participated in a few smaller protests, and considered a move to Melbourne to study at the Victorian College of the Arts. There is a version of this story where she accepted that offer to study, moved out of the Hunter, took a different path, and let her activism dissolve into a quiet liberal adulthood where she hangs art in her home and might have become a teacher. Stuart often volunteers to teach primary school ethics and has an affinity with children. But these are things relegated to the hypothetical. What has been seen cannot then be unseen. In August 2022, a sleeping climate action group called Rising Tide was revived by a former teacher turned full-time climate campaigner with a clear goal rooted in the Hunter. The group had been active in a localised way from around 2005 to 2012, but its resurrection would turn outwards to bigger quarry. The Port of Newcastle exported more coal than anywhere else in the world, and that statistic would make it Rising Tide's white whale. It was a clear and tangible target in the tangled web of a problem with no clear and tangible solutions. If the planet was choking on fossil fuel combustion, Rising Tide demanded it stay in the ground. If they were told that the action they wanted to see was economically unfeasible, they would demand the funds be taxed from the industry pouring coal out of the harbour for profit. The group has often claimed to be the fastest-growing climate action cause in the country, though it has no formalised membership other than a database of those who have registered their participation in its protests. Its leaders say it has a spectrum of involvement, from those who are engaged in its efforts effectively full-time to those who show up to support its actions. It holds weekly meetings in Newcastle that are regularly attended by over 30 people, though that number has ballooned to more than 60 in the lead-up to this week's "protestival". Off-shoot hubs have sprung up around the country. In the past year, the group has stopped coal trains in the Hunter, blockaded the harbour in a flotilla of kayaks for 30 hours, and drawn the ire of the NSW Government as they tried to host a similar event this week. Earlier this month, the NSW Supreme Court ruled for the state's police, declaring the planned harbour blockade an unauthorised assembly, effectively denying the protesters the legal exemptions from move-on orders and the access to the Newcastle shipping channel that they had last year. While not illegal, the protest would be forbidden from undertaking any unlawful activity. The state's transport department was similarly employed in the clamp-down , declaring an exclusion zone across the harbour last weekend, cutting protesters off from the water. The group would launch an 11th-hour challenge to overturn the lockout. They would learn they were successful with less than an hour to spare . The boats launched on Thursday as the encampment in Newcastle's Foreshore Park grew in an action that was expected to draw thousands. Transport for NSW has said t he exclusion zone was declared over concerns for safety . Meanwhile, Port of Newcastle boss Craig Carmody has called the protest, and newly-elected lord mayor Ross Kerridge's support of it, a "direct and intentional disregard" for the decision made by the court and police. Councillor Kerridge's deputy, Callum Pull, has similarly denounced the movement as "nothing but disruptive". Nationals Senator Ross Cadell, who criticised the City's support, said the activists were "maintaining a rage" that should not exist. Both sides of government had committed to addressing climate change by 2050, he said. "Just because they don't like the pace or the way it is going on, they get to whinge and shut down a city that's been built on this? That's wrong." The Port of Newcastle has long held the title of the world's largest single coal export hub, but by 2021, its lead was narrowing. In 2022, wet weather, rail maintenance and labour shortages caused a significant dip in output. By 2023, North Queensland was catching up, and the total local export for that year barely outstretched that of the previous one. While Newcastle remains the larger export port, Queensland exports greater quantities of coal through a network of harbours, while NSW centralises its output through Newcastle and Wollongong. At each turn, Rising Tide has framed the state's response as evidence their action has been effective - that they are pressing where it hurts. Still, as the years drag on, there is a growing weariness in the cause as the promise of direct action dissolves like ink in the tide. At Nobbys beach last weekend, Mina Bui Jones had come to support the response to the state's exclusion zone. The weekend's protest would be her second with Rising Tide after she returned from living abroad last year, saw a poster for the blockade and felt compelled to get involved. "My whole life, I've been signing petitions, composting, recycling, writing letters, marching on World Environment Day," she said. "I'm 50, and I remember hearing about the greenhouse effect in high school. My kids have now grown up and become adults, and in that time, it has only got worse. "So many of us have been so earnest and so good. We worry about whether we drive our cars. I've ridden a bicycle where I can, I've been a vegetarian. So many of my friends and family - everyone - have been trying to do the right thing. Meanwhile, you have coal companies that really could make a difference. I'm washing out my compost bucket and doing weed control with my Landcare group, I'm only buying second-hand clothes, and I think, 'Come on, guys'. "We're all making an effort at an individual level, but it is a systemic problem. It needs systemic action." The renewed Rising Tide group marked the second anniversary of its first protest action earlier this month . Stuart said they are in a building phase, in which they are working towards a critical mass of supporters to stage sustained pressure to force the action they are demanding. Still, though the exact point at which that critical mass is achieved was unclear (she estimates the group could reach it in 2026), she maintains that her protest is a means to an end, not an end in itself. "We have a really clear strategy," she said. "And I think that is something that some social movements don't have. Looking back, that is one of my reflections on the school strike movement. We found this great tactic, and we went on strike, and then we went on strike again, and our strikes were getting bigger. That was awesome, but we had less of a clear strategy of how to create the change we wanted. "History has shown that things can change really quickly. It may not seem like it now, but movements can explode, and governments can change their position when public sentiment changes. I think that is what COVID showed - that if there is political will, things can change incredibly quickly. When we start treating this like a crisis, we can create massive changes. But, if there is not the visible demonstration of people, if there's not the visible public demonstration of people's concern about the issue, then our politicians have no reason to act in that way." There have been 12 blockades in the Newcastle Harbour since 2006, with the intent to block the shipping channel, but Rising Tide mounted the longest in that time over the weekend of November 25, 2023. The Port of Newcastle had come to a standstill for the weekend, effectively waiting out the demonstration, and started up again almost immediately after it ended. When the deadline expired, a group of protesters remained in the channel, and supporters on the beach began to chant: "Floods, fires, famine, we are terrified. We shall overcome like a rising tide." Police boats approached and arrested more than 100 people. One was Stuart's 97-year-old grandfather, Alan Stuart, a retired Uniting Church minister. He said that while climate disaster would not happen in his lifetime, his concern for future generations compelled him to participate in the struggle. "What happens to me doesn't matter, but what is happening to the climate and the impact on future generations does matter," he said. "They are just going to suffer; it will ruin their lives. I want them to have as good a life as I have had." Both Stuart's grandparents were ministers of the Uniting Church. Her parents did not practice in faith, and Stuart said she is not religious. "You need to have faith in humanity," she said. "Otherwise, you fall into despair. I think that is what keeps me going: looking at the good and believing that we can change. If you don't believe that, I think it is very depressing. "I genuinely don't read the comments. I know that people won't like what we have to say, but I can live with that. That is a reality of social movements; people who we now look back on with immense respect and admiration were hated when they were alive. "When I grow old, I want to know that I have done everything that I could, and if I have children or grandchildren, I want to be able to look them in the eye and say that I tried." When I suggest, over coffee at Bank Corner on a sunny day earlier this month, that it was small comfort to think that being right could make her a martyr, she laughed softly. "I guess so," she said. "I don't know." But then again, she never reads the comments. Simon McCarthy is a journalist with the Newcastle Herald and its sister publications in the Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW). He has contributed stories, photography, video and other multimedia to the pages of the Herald and its Saturday magazine, Weekender, since 2017. In 2020, he co-created the Toohey's News podcast, which he produced for four years with sports writer Barry Toohey until the show's indefinite hiatus. Since early 2023, he has served as the paper's Topics columnist and, more recently, returned to reporting with an interest in deep-dive stories that illustrate the issues shaping daily life in Newcastle and the region.McCarthy has reported for Australian Community Media (ACM) since 2013, first as a general news and sports writer for the Glen Innes Examiner and later as a group journalist and producer for the publisher's New England regional titles. He joined the Newcastle Herald newsroom as a digital producer in 2017 before returning to reporting in early 2023.He had previously worked for the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth.McCarthy was born in the New England region of NSW, where he grew up, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Cross University in 2012. He covers general news, culture and community issues, with a focus on the Herald Weekender.He is a member of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and adheres to its codes of ethics for journalists.Contact: simon.mccarthy@newcastleherald.com.au Simon McCarthy is a journalist with the Newcastle Herald and its sister publications in the Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW). He has contributed stories, photography, video and other multimedia to the pages of the Herald and its Saturday magazine, Weekender, since 2017. In 2020, he co-created the Toohey's News podcast, which he produced for four years with sports writer Barry Toohey until the show's indefinite hiatus. Since early 2023, he has served as the paper's Topics columnist and, more recently, returned to reporting with an interest in deep-dive stories that illustrate the issues shaping daily life in Newcastle and the region.McCarthy has reported for Australian Community Media (ACM) since 2013, first as a general news and sports writer for the Glen Innes Examiner and later as a group journalist and producer for the publisher's New England regional titles. He joined the Newcastle Herald newsroom as a digital producer in 2017 before returning to reporting in early 2023.He had previously worked for the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth.McCarthy was born in the New England region of NSW, where he grew up, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Cross University in 2012. 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Sustainable Fashion Brand Good to Blue Launches Online Store

( MENAFN - KNN India) Panaji, Nov 30 (KNN) In a significant boost to Goa's micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the Directorate of Industries, Trade, and Commerce (DITC) is set to roll out a unified digital platform and establish two business facilitation centres under the World Bank-backed Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme. The Union Ministry of MSMEs has sanctioned Rs 61.5 crore for these initiatives, aiming to streamline processes and empower small businesses.“The ministry set a target of 25,000 MSMEs in Goa, with a primary focus on micro and small enterprises,” a DITC official stated. The proposed unified digital portal will enable data-driven assistance for MSMEs, offering tools to monitor, track, and report progress across various interventions under RAMP. This platform is envisioned as a cornerstone for creating a more efficient and supportive ecosystem for small businesses. To complement the digital efforts, two business facilitation centres, positioned as“points of single contact,” will be established-one each in North and South Goa. These centres will provide entrepreneurs with comprehensive support, including guidance on administrative processes, statutory compliance, and certifications.“The aim is to enhance exports by improving quality and standardisation,” the official added. Beyond infrastructure, the programme emphasises skill development and capacity-building for local entrepreneurs. Tailored training sessions in technical areas and skill development are planned to enhance MSME capabilities, enabling them to compete in both domestic and international markets. Additionally, the programme includes the creation of a women entrepreneurship facilitation cell. This initiative is expected to assist 1,600 self-help groups in transforming into legitimate business units, contributing to gender-inclusive economic growth. “The interventions under RAMP will benefit over 25,000 entrepreneurs, including aspiring and existing business owners,” the official concluded. By integrating technology, skill development, and on-ground support, the RAMP programme seeks to fortify Goa's MSME sector, driving economic growth and creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. (KNN Bureau) MENAFN30112024000155011030ID1108941698 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Seven & i weighs sale of York Holdings specialty storesVikings defense has had a big boost this season from the indefatigable Jonathan GreenardHENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Aidan O'Connell might not be Mr. Right for the Raiders, but he is Mr. Right Now. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Aidan O'Connell might not be Mr. Right for the Raiders, but he is Mr. Right Now. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Aidan O’Connell might not be Mr. Right for the Raiders, but he is Mr. Right Now. He did enough in Friday’s 19-17 loss at Kansas City to show that Las Vegas’ quarterback job will be his for the rest of the season — barring, that is, another injury. O’Connell didn’t look like a quarterback who hadn’t played in nearly six weeks because of a broken thumb. Plus, the Raiders had a short week to prepare for the Chiefs, meaning O’Connell only went through a series of walk-through practices. Even so, he completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards, including touchdown passes of 33 yards to tight end Brock Bowers and 58 yards to wide receiver Tre Tucker. He didn’t throw any interceptions. “Thought he competed,” coach Antonio Pierce said Saturday morning. “I thought for what we knew we were getting with Spags (Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and that defense, that he stood in the pocket, made some tough throws, took some hits, took the shots down the field like we wanted. We had some opportunities to take shots down the field, he threw them. And I thought our skill guys did a hell of a job competing and making some really good plays for us.” O’Connell’s performance would’ve shined even more if not for the Raiders’ final offensive play. He led the Raiders from their 8-yard line to the Chiefs 32 with 15 seconds left. The plan was for O’Connell to take the snap and throw the ball away to run off a few more seconds, then send Daniel Carlson out for the potential winning field goal without giving Patrick Mahomes enough time to mount one of his signature comebacks. But rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball before O’Connell was expecting it, and the Chiefs recovered to secure another close, last-minute victory. The Raiders were called for illegal shift, which Kansas City declined. But there was some question about whether officials intended to call a false start instead. Though that infraction would have cost Las Vegas 5 yards, the pre-snap penalty still would’ve given Carlson a shot at the field goal. Pierce said his team heard an official’s whistle before the snap, and that will be included in the Raiders’ report to the NFL. “We do that every game,” Pierce said. “Typically, anywhere from three to five questions, and then we’ll get a letter within 24 to 36 hours, and we’ll read it and learn from it.” What’s working Bowers had another sensational game. He was targeted 14 times, catching 10 passes for 140 yards. For the season, he has 84 receptions for 884 yards and four TDs, making him a strong contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year. “We’re seeing double-teams and them really shifting their zone to him, and I don’t really think it matters,” Pierce said. “I think we’ve got a really special player on our hand.” What needs help The Raiders need to do better on first and second downs to set up more favorable third-down conversions. They have faced 47 third downs from 7 to 10 yards, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for fifth most. Las Vegas’ conversion rate on those plays is 36.2%, which actually is favorable compared to the rest of the league, but the Raiders are still creating too many of those situations. Stock up Las Vegas made life difficult for Mahomes, sacking him five times. And it wasn’t just Maxx Crosby bringing the heat. Four players had at least one-half sack, including K’Lavon Chaisson, who had 1 1/2. It was a season-high total for the Raiders, and they have taken down the opposing quarterback in 30 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak. Stock down Carlson is usually money, but he missed field goals from 56, 55 and 58 yards. Hardly chip shots, but he is capable of converting from those distances. He had made 30 of 38 field goals from 50-plus yards entering the game, with a career long of 57 yards. Injuries WR DJ Turner injured his knee in the second half. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 12 — The Raiders are one of three teams to fall behind double digits in each of their first 12 games of a season. The others were the 1986 Indianapolis Colts and 1972 New England Patriots. Next steps The Raiders visit Tampa Bay on Dec. 8. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement Advertisement

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Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill a hospital director in Lebanon and wound 9 medics in Gaza

World Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Russian President Vladimir Putin the conflict in Ukraine had characteristics of a “global” war and did not rule out strikes on Western countries such as the UK and the US.. The Kremlin strongman spoke out after a day of frayed nerves, with Russia test-firing a new generation intermediate-range missile at Ukraine -- which Putin hinted was capable of unleashing a nuclear payload. Ukraine had earlier on Thursday accused Russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time in history at the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, while the UN Secretary-General branded the new missile’s use “worrying”. Ukraine’s key backer the United States played down suggestions that Russia had launched an ICBM, echoing Putin’s description of the “experimental” weapon. Yet while stopping short of calling it “intercontinental”, Britain warned the weapon had “a range of several thousand kilometres” -- enough to make good on Putin’s threat of striking the West. A grab taken from footage released online on November 21, 2024 by the Ukrainian charity "Come Back Alive" shows flashes over the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Kyiv accused Russia of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile attack at Ukraine for the first time on November 21, 2024 but without a nuclear warhead in a new escalation of the conflict. (AFP) Ukrainian firefighters work on a burning building after air-attack, in Dnipro, where they claim Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight. (AFP) In a defiant address to the nation, Russia’s president railed at Ukraine’s allies granting permission for Kyiv to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets on Russian territory, warning of retaliation. In recent days Ukraine has fired US and UK-supplied missiles at Russian territory for the first time, escalating already sky-high tensions in the brutal nearly three-year-long conflict. “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities,” Putin said. He said the US-sent Army Tactical Missile System and British Storm Shadow payloads were shot down by Moscow’s air defences, adding: “The goals that the enemy obviously set were not achieved”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did however say Russia was doing everything to avoid a nuclear conflict, having updated its nuclear doctrine this week. Russia's President Vladimir Putin. (Photo by Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / POOL / AFP) ‘Crazy neighbour’ The Ukrainian air force said Moscow had launched the missile as part of a barrage towards Dnipro, where local authorities said an infrastructure facility was hit and two civilians were wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said experts were examining evidence before confirming an intercontinental ballistic missile had been fired by “our crazy neighbour”. He said that the attack bore “all the characteristics” of an ICBM attack and accused the Kremlin of “using Ukraine as a testing ground”. Putin said that Russia had carried out “testing in combat conditions of one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems... Our engineers named it ‘Oreshnik’,” meaning “Hazel”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with US President Joe Biden. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) The attack on Dnipro comes just days after several foreign embassies shuttered temporarily in the Ukrainian capital, citing the threat of a large-scale strike. “It is another example of reckless behaviour from Russia, which only serves to strengthen our resolve in terms of standing by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters. The spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said the new missile’s deployment was “another concerning and worrying development,” warning the war was “going in the wrong direction”. Yet a US official played down the threat, saying on condition of anonymity that the missile used was not an ICBM but an “experimental medium-range ballistic missile” -- seemingly confirmed by Putin’s address. Russia “likely possesses only a handful of these”, the official added. A Ukrainian serviceman of the 24 Separate Mechanized Brigade prepares to fire mortar towards Russian positions near the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region. (AFP) Ukrainian firefighters work to extinguish flames after an air-attack, in Dnipro. (AFP) ‘Political value’ Ukraine’s air force said it had downed missiles launched on the industrial city, without elaborating on whether the new missile was among those downed. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region where the city of Dnipro is located said the Russian aerial bombardment damaged a rehabilitation centre and several homes, as well as an industrial enterprise. “Two people were wounded -- a 57-year-old man was treated on the scene and a 42-year-old woman was hospitalised,” said the official, Sergiy Lysak. Fabian Hoffmann, a research fellow at the University of Oslo, who specialises in missile technology, said Russia had nothing to gain militarily by using an ICBM in such an attack. “This is all about the political effect. This is not about the military value,” Hoffmann told AFP. Firefighters survey the damage after a building is gutted by fire following a missile strike in Ukraine. (AFP) Russia and Ukraine have escalated their use of long-range missiles in recent days since Washington gave Kyiv permission to use its ATACMS against military targets inside Russia -- a long-standing Ukrainian request. British media meanwhile reported on Wednesday that Kyiv had launched UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Russia after being given the green light from London. Russia’s envoy to London on Thursday said that meant Britain was “now directly involved” in the Ukraine war, with Andrei Kelin telling Sky News “this firing cannot happen” without UK and NATO support. The defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday its air-defence systems had downed two Storm Shadows, without saying whether they had come down on Russian territory or in occupied Ukraine. The missile escalation is coming at a critical moment on the ground for Ukraine, as its defences buckle under Russian pressure across the sprawling front line. Russia claimed deeper advances in the war-battered Donetsk region, announcing on Thursday that its forces had captured another village close to Kurakhove, closing in on the town after months of steady advances. Moscow’s defence ministry said Russian forces had taken the small village of Dalne, five kilometres (three miles) south of Kurakhove. Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said that 26 people had been wounded in another strike on the town of Kryvyi Rig, where Zelensky was born. - with AFP More Coverage Troubling claims about seedy Laos bar Sean Combs accused of raping man Eileen Reslen - Page Six Originally published as Russia ‘fired intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine’ More related stories World Trump hit by shock withdrawal Donald Trump’s transition has been hit by its first major setback with one of the President-elect’s most controversial cabinet picks withdrawing his name. Read more World ‘Extreme’: US plan to tear Google apart Google has furiously responded to “extreme” calls from the US to shatter its monopoly over the tech world. Read moreWike Wants To Destroy PDP, Party Leaders Have Not Been Man Enough To Stop His Kindergarten Politics – Ugochinyere