video game characters
PARIS: Newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral held its first mass on Sunday, with Christians celebrating the return of the French capital’s most famous place of worship after a historic re-opening ceremony. The beloved Paris monument nearly burned down in 2019, but has been fully renovated inside and fitted with a new roof and spire during a frenzied five-year refit. The inaugural mass was led by Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich with 150 bishops and more than 100 priests from the capital in attendance, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron. The archbishop led prayers and consecrated a new altar which replaced the old one that was destroyed five years ago. “Whether you are here in person in the cathedral or in front of a screen, including perhaps under the rain, I greet you with intense emotion,” Ulrich told the congregation, referring to the small rain-drenched crowds outside watching events on public screens. In a nod to France’s ongoing political turmoil, he added that he “prayed also for our country that is looking to the future with worry.” A second mass in the evening at 6:30 pm will be open to the public, with roughly 2,500 people who secured free tickets this week expected to attend. The cathedral will open fully to visitors on December 16 via an online reservation system. ‘For Jesus’ During a re-opening service on Saturday attended by world leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump, Macron expressed the “gratitude of the French nation” for the restoration work since 2019. “We have rediscovered what great nations can do—achieve the impossible,” he said. Macron is under intense political pressure having called snap elections in June that led to a hung parliament, with the main parties now struggling to form a stable government. One of the most moving moments on Saturday came when firefighters in their protective gear walked through the congregation to thunderous applause as the word “Merci” (“Thank you”) was beamed on the intricate facade and famous belltowers of the Gothic masterpiece. The architectural wonder had been in danger of collapsing during the April 2019 blaze and was saved only by firefighters pumping vast quantities of water onto the flames from the nearby River Seine. Groups of worshippers huddled under umbrellas on Sunday beyond a strict security perimeter set up outside Notre Dame. “Beyond the reconstruction work, it’s beautiful because it shows that the church still has a role, discreet and small, but it still has a role to play in France,” 21-year-old engineering student Jacques told AFP. Monique Kashale, a 75-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said she was “very cold but for Jesus Christ I can put up with it, for the Virgin Mary it is bearable.” Trump in Paris Saturday’s re-opening service began with the archbishop Ulrich, dressed in brightly colored new vestments designed by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, knocking on the doors of the cathedral three times. Trump was placed on the front row as guest of honor next to Macron, with invitees marveling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul. The reconstruction effort cost around 700 million euros ($750 million), financed from donations, with the five-year re-opening deadline met despite predictions it could take decades. Part of the cathedral’s lead roofing base still needs to be finished and the statues of the apostles and saints, removed before the fire to allow for their restoration, will only be reinstalled in the first half of 2025. The exact cause of the 2019 blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason. Notre Dame welcomed around 12 million visitors a year before the fire, but expects to receive an even higher figure of “14 to 15 million” after the reopening, according to the church authorities. Meanwhile, US president-elect Donald Trump Saturday met the UK’s Prince William on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris, hailing the heir to the British throne as a “good man” who was doing a “fantastic job”. The elder son of King Charles III attended the reopening of the cathedral, restored after a 2019 fire, on behalf of the UK. The Prince of Wales was among some 40 heads of state and government in the French capital for the ceremony on Saturday. The last time William met Trump was in 2019, when the then-US president was on a state visit to the UK. “A good man, this one!” Trump told reporters, gesturing to William as they met in Paris at the residence of the UK ambassador to France after the ceremony. “He’s doing a fantastic job,” he added as William laughed. The prince’s last official trip to Paris was in 2017, when he visited with his wife, Princess Catherine, for a two-day trip in the aftermath of the Brexit result. He was not accompanied this time by Kate, who has been gradually resuming public duties after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. King Charles III is currently undergoing cancer treatment. William joined his father and other heads of state in Normandy for D-Day commemorations earlier this year, which were also attended by Jill Biden, wife of US President Joe Biden. - AFPPublished 5:14 pm Friday, November 22, 2024 By Data Skrive The Georgia Bulldogs versus the Marquette Golden Eagles is one of four games on Saturday’s college basketball slate that includes a ranked team in play. Looking for against-the-spread picks? You’ve come to the right place. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Bet on the Marquette-Georgia spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Purdue-Marshall spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Georgia Tech-Cincinnati spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Illinois-Maryland-Eastern Shore spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
Rescuers reassess safety in search for woman they think fell into a Pennsylvania sinkholeAdvertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet.
Oilers give injury update on Hyman ahead of Vegas gameTrump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” Europe's economy needs help. Political chaos in France and Germany means it may be slower in coming BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe's economy has enough difficulties, from tepid growth to trade tensions with the U.S. Dealing with those woes is only getting harder due to the political chaos in the two biggest European countries, France and Germany. Neither has a government backed by a functioning majority, and France could take a while yet to sort things out. But some problems aren't going to wait, such as what to do about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's America First stance on trade and how to fund stronger defense against Putin's Russia. ‘Moana 2’ cruises to another record weekend and $600 million globally “Moana 2” remains at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it pulled in another record haul. According to studio estimates Sunday, the animated Disney film added $52 million, bringing its domestic total to $300 million. That surpasses the take for the original “Moana” and brings the sequel's global tally to a staggering $600 million. It also puts the film in this year's top five at the box office. “Wicked” came in second place for the weekend with $34.9 million and “Gladiator II” was third with $12.5 million. The 10th anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar” also earned an impressive $4.4 million even though it played in only 165 theaters. Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Executive of Tyler Perry Studios dies when plane he was piloting crashes in Florida ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios has died when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died Friday. The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the plane having come to rest upside down on a road. Mensch helped advocate for Georgia’s film tax credit of more than $1 billion a year. Perry hired Mensch to run his namesake studio in 2016. Mensch died as Perry released his war drama, “The Six Triple Eight." The film was shot at the Atlanta studio. US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. Stock market today: Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs report NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation. The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% to set its own record. Treasury yields eased after the jobs report showed stronger hiring than expected but also an uptick in the unemployment rate. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass NEW YORK (AP) — In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. And experts say the task of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them is getting more difficult. One of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to decide what represents a real threat. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. The Agriculture Department on Friday said raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting Dec. 16. Testing will begin in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The move is aimed at eliminating the virus, which has infected more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states.
Vikings thrive under coach of year favorite O'Connell, a relatable state for Packers with LaFleur
Jordan Petaia has quit rugby union to chase his NFL dreams after the star outside back confirmed on social media that he has joined the 2025 international pathway program. Watch selected NRL, AFL, SSN games plus every F1 qualifying session and race live in 4K on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The 24-year-old played 31 matches for the Wallabies and was one of the most exciting players for the Reds from the moment he made his debut as a teenager in 2018. But he’s now set to challenge himself overseas where he’s hoping to emulate the likes of Jordan Mailata and Valentine Holmes who left rugby league to join the international pathway program next year. Mailata is one of the greatest examples after leaving the Rabbitohs junior system to become one of the NFL’s best left tackles where he’s on a deal worth $100 million. Petaia’s speed and footwork means he’s best suited to being a running back or wide receiver, while he’d also be dangerous at returning kicks. According to The Roar , Petaia is willing to play multiple positions, including defence, but also as a wide receiver or tight end, which combines both the receiving and blocking aspects of the game. “I would like to take a moment to share that I will be joining the NFL international pathway program (IPP) for 2025,” he wrote on Instagram. “The decision to step away from rugby hasn’t been easy and one that took a great deal of consideration. I’d like to thank the staff, coaches and players at the Queensland Reds and the Wallabies for the last 7 years. “I will be forever grateful for the experiences, skills and good mates that these teams have blessed me with. “Also to the rugby fans, my family and friends - thank you for your support over the years. It feels like the right time in my career to pursue this dream I’ve had for a long time. “Thank you to the NFL IPP for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity, I am very grateful and excited for the experience that lies ahead. “Wishing everyone in Rugby Australia the best for 2025 - I hope it’s a great year and I will be supporting closely from afar.” Petaia told the Reds website that he had followed the NFL since he was a kid and that chasing his American football dream was something he’d “always thought about”. “I’d kick myself if I didn’t have a shot because I don’t want any regrets,” he said. “Now is the right time.” Petaia added that it was “quite emotional” to say farewell to his Reds teammates and coach Les Kiss, having been at the club since he left school. “Jordie has been a great Reds player,” Kiss said. “We only wish him the best with his ambitions in American football. We support him. “He represented the Queensland jersey proudly as one of the most dynamic players in Australia, if not the world. “A key trait is all he gives in the locker room to younger players.”Numerology Predictions Today, December 27, 2024: Read your personalized forecast for numbers 1 to 9
Trail Blazers announce opponents for Dec. 13 and 15S&W Files First Quarter 2025 10-Q
CrowdStrike Beats Q3 Earnings, Revenue Estimates; Cybersecurity Company Highlights 'Incredible Success' Retaining Customers Following IT Outage