Rebranding and reality
Ravensbergen shines playing for Team Canada in Prospects gameCHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo's game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo's game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (4-7), who lost their fifth straight. Minnesota appeared to have the game in hand, leading 27-16 with 1:56 left after Romo kicked a 26-yard field goal. But the Bears weren’t finished. Deandre Carter made up for a muffed punt that led to a touchdown in the third quarter with a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40. Williams took it from there, capping an eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. A 2-point conversion pass to DJ Moore made it 27-24 with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears recovered the onside kick and Williams hit Moore over the middle for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Chicago won the coin toss, but Williams was sacked for a 12-yard loss on second down, leading to a three-and-out. The Vikings took over at the 21, and Darnold led a 10-play drive, overcoming a sack and two penalties. Darnold connected with Hockenson for a 29-yard completion that put the ball on the 9. He took a knee and then Romo nailed the winner. 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. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement AdvertisementLos Blancos, sitting in second, capitalised on leaders Barcelona’s draw to Celta Vigo on Saturday to move four points behind with a game in hand. After Mbappe’s first-half opener, Federico Valverde and Bellingham scored in the second half to make it seven goals and two clean sheets in two games for Madrid. Gerard Moreno’s late penalty helped fourth-placed Villarreal rescue a late point in a 2-2 draw at Osasuna. ⚽ @KMbappe 🫂 @ViniJr 🅰️ #LeganésRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/Zw9sqLBVDa — Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 24, 2024 Djibril Sow’s 27th-minute goal helped Sevilla to a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, who had Unai Lopez sent off on the stroke of half-time. Oihan Sancet’s header in the first half helped Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad. In Serie A, Romelu Lukaku scored for Antonio Conte’s Napoli in a 1-0 win over Roma to help them reclaim top spot. Yacine Adli and Moise Kean were on the scoresheet as Fiorentina won 2-0 at Como, with Alberto Dossena shown a red at the death for Cesc Fabregas’ hosts. Milan Duric’s 63rd-minute equaliser cancelled out Adam Masina’s opener as Monza held Torino to a 1-1 draw. ⏹️ Full time: #NapoliRoma 1-0 💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/S41nw13riV — Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) November 24, 2024 Patrick Vieira was denied victory in his first game in charge of Genoa after Roberto Piccoli’s late penalty salvaged Cagliari a 2-2 draw. In Ligue 1, fourth-placed Lille inflicted more misery on struggling Rennes after Edon Zhegrova’s 45th-minute goal secured a 1-0 win. Le Havre returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Nantes following goals from Josue Casimir and Steve Ngoura, while Hamed Traore’s late goal handed Auxerre a dramatic 1-0 triumph at home to Angers. Loubadhe Abakar Sylla’s own goal resulted in Nice snatching a 2-1 win at home to Strasbourg. Borussia Monchengladbach extended their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to five games after goals from Alassane Plea and Tim Kleindienst gave them a 2-0 win over St Pauli, while Mainz beat Holstein Kiel 3-0.
Former Philadelphia Flyers forward Zack MacEwen has been by the Ottawa Senators. MacEwen, 28, has appeared in 19 games this season with the Senators, where he has two goals, one assist, and 44 hits. Teams looking for more toughness in their bottom six could take a shot on MacEwen. The 6-foot-4 forward is known for his immense physicality and high-energy style of play, so he could generate some interest. He also carries an affordable $750,000 cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season. © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images MacEwen played in 121 games over two seasons with the Flyers, where he had seven goals, 18 points, 164 penalty minutes, and 289 hits. Recent Flyers NewsStartup with a Lincoln connection is automating cattle feeding
Orbex developers invite firms to tender for trade packages in ‘key milestone’ for Spaceport developmentIt is common to see contrails, cloud-like strips of condensed water left behind by aircrafts at high altitude. Some dissipate within minutes, but depending on the weather or time of day, some can remain for hours or develop into wispy cirrus clouds. Because of that, there is uncertainty about how exactly contrails affect the environment, and scientists are studying how they may be trapping heat in the atmosphere. To do that, researchers at NASA Langley have partnered with GE Aerospace to further examine the effects of contrails. Using LIDAR technology, or light detection and ranging, researchers used a power laser attached to the bottom of a research plane to capture cross-sections of a contrail left by a GE aircraft. That allowed them see what structures are left behind that may not be visible from the ground. The LIDAR creates a two-dimensional curtain to measure water vapor, so researchers can see where the atmosphere is more saturated. With those images, scientists can see how thick contrails are and what conditions create the most disruptive versions. “We like to think of these contrails as just two circles of ice, and it’s a lot more complicated than that,” said Rich Moore, research scientist and principal investigator of the program. “For the first time, we’re able to sort of peel back that veil and see some of the underlying complexity.” Contrails are very bright white, and in many cases they can reflect sunlight, which typically cools the atmosphere, said Cassi Miller, senior engineer for GE’s Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program. However, when contrails form or stick around for nightfall, she said they can cause issues. Because there’s no more sunlight to reflect, they begin trapping heat. What kind of surface is below contrails, such as sea or land, can affect them as well, but Miller said the experiments with NASA and GE will help create more definitive data. “A lot of people look up in the sky and some days you see contrails, some days you do not. It’s kind of hit or miss with weather, but most people don’t think about their climate impact,” Miller said. “As an industry and in collaboration with atmospheric scientists, there is a general consensus growing that they have a warming impact on the climate. There’s a lot of uncertainty around that. “People are familiar with (carbon dioxide) emissions, right? How does the impact of a contrail compare? Is it the same scale? Is it a different magnitude? That’s part of what we’re trying to figure out in this campaign.” With the experiment, Moore said data can be used to map where conditions for contrails can be the strongest and create paths where aircrafts can avoid them. Tests also will be used for research into more sustainable aircraft engines. “We’re very interested and concerned about fuel burn and aviation’s (carbon dioxide) emissions, which we know impact climate. In addition to that, we’re also starting to become much more concerned about contrails,” Moore said. “The reason for that is that the global modelers today tell us that the climate impact from contrails and aviation-induced cirrus clouds is about the same warming impact as the past century’s worth of aviation — since the beginning of the jet age. “And so, of course, (carbon dioxide) is with us for 100 years or so after we admit it, so we’re very interested in improving fuel efficiency and continuing to make airlines and airframes and engines more efficient,” she added. “But we also need to be concerned about, at some point, reducing contrails.”
2024 shook the world in more ways than one. It was the rumble of discontent as half the world went to the polls. It was the shudder that went through financial markets following the largest-ever IT outage. It was the Earth shaking, literally, as thousands danced at the biggest concert tour in history. It was the shock waves that bloodshed in Ukraine, Gaza and more than 50 other conflict zones sent across the globe. From politics to pop culture, climate to conflict, the charts below reveal seven ways 2024 sent records tumbling. Global conflict reached new heights 2024 ranks among the most violent years in recent history, according to at least two datasets tracking armed conflict around the world. Political violence hit a high in 2024 Political violence rose for the third year in a row in 2024 to nearly 180,000 events, spurred mainly by conflicts in Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Myanmar, according to the US-based . A "political violence event" is defined as a single altercation where force is used by one or more groups toward a political end. The upward trend in conflict is backed by separate figures from the Sweden-based , which rank 2024 as the equal-second most violent year (alongside 2020 and 2022) in nearly three decades of records. The dataset counts state-based armed conflicts with at least 25 deaths in any calendar year. With a month to go, 2024 was already the second-most violent year since WWII According to unpublished data shared with the ABC, UDCP has tallied 56 such conflicts from January to November 2024. This is three fewer than 2023, the worst year since 1946. However, the 2024 figure is based on provisional data, so could rise. "The final figure will be at least 56 but could be higher when [data for] December is added and everything is finalised," UCDP project manager Therese Pettersson told the ABC. Sarah Phillips, Professor of Global Conflict and Development at the University of Sydney, said we're seeing more conflicts around the world because weakened states have allowed or even encouraged violent groups like militia and terrorists to flourish. "We talk about states as the primary unit of power in the world, but the reality is that they have been hollowed out for decades," she says. "As state power becomes more tenuous, many leaders hold on ... by turning a blind eye to, or even facilitating, the violent groups that would seem to be their natural rivals." It's a kind of divide-and-conquer strategy aimed at fragmenting the state's opponents. But it often comes with unintended consequences, Professor Phillips explained. "This is a common tactic but the more it's used, the more it cannibalises the legitimacy of the state and feeds opposition to it, amplifying the cycle of violence." Half the world went to the polls More than 60 countries plus the 27 member states of the European Union held elections in 2024. Combined, these countries are home to some 4.2 billion people or half the world's population. 2024 was the biggest-ever election year From Senegal to South Korea, power in 2024 shifted at a sometimes dizzying pace. In the UK, the Conservative Party lost its 14-year grip on power while across the channel in Europe, far-right parties took centre stage. South Africa's African National Congress lost its majority for the first time since taking power in the country's first democratic elections in 1994. Mexico elected its first female president in a landslide. Mass government protests in Bangladesh forced the prime minister to flee following a poll boycotted by the main opposition party. In Iran, conservatives won most of the seats in a contest with the lowest voter turnout since the 1979 revolution. Meanwhile, the US is poised for a convicted felon to assume the presidency for the first time. Perhaps what emerges most clearly from the tumult is a desire for change, in whatever form. The ParlGov global research project found every single governing party facing election in a developed country this year lost vote share — a first in nearly 120 years of records, . This is the disinhibiting power of hopelessness, according to Michael Bruter, director of the Electoral Psychology Observatory at the London School of Economics and Political Science. When things feel so bad that they can't get worse, some people will vote for parties they don't believe have the solutions, . "The situation is so desperate that they want change at any cost." Taylor Swift eclipsed all concert tours in history It shattered numerous attendance records, produced the highest-grossing concert film ever and triggered seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake with its dancing, . By virtually any measure, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which wrapped up in Vancouver, Canada on December 8, was an astronomical success. So below we've illustrated just one data point: Eras sold an unprecedented $US2.078 billion ($3.33 billion) in tickets, according to Swift's production company. This is more than double the previous record and eclipses every other concert tour in history, even after adjusting for inflation and the number of shows. The 20 highest-grossing concert tours in history Liz Giuffre, a senior lecturer in communication and music, and sound design at UTS, said many of Swift's biggest fans are groups that have always been big concert-goers but are often overlooked. "She has such strong appeal for young women, girls and LGBTQI+ audiences... Think about how powerful the early Beatles were," she says, pointing out that, in demographic terms, Swift and the Beatles share the same group of fans. "There's a real force in this demographic; one that seldom gets as strongly served, especially by a female artist." Ozempic's maker became a $US500 billion behemoth Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of weight-loss wonder drug Ozempic, hit a market capitalisation of half-a-trillion US dollars ($800.77 billion) in 2024. Novo Nordisk is bigger than Denmark's entire economy Despite the company's history stretching back 100 years, Novo Nordisk only recently exploded into the public eye when social media videos spruiking Ozempic for rapid weight loss went viral and celebrities like Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian publicly lauded the drug for its weight-loss effects. The worldwide stampede and resulting global shortage of the injectable medicine has created serious problems for people who need the drug for its original purpose: to treat diabetes. Now, Novo Nordisk's spectacular growth has sparked new concerns in its home country. With a market value larger than Denmark's annual GDP, Novo Nordisk was the key force behind the expansion of Denmark's economy last year, fuelling fears that if Novo Nordisk stumbles or falls, . We're headed for the hottest year on record 2024 is set to be the warmest year since records began in the 1850s and the first year to average 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, . 2024 will be the first year to exceed the 1.5oC threshold Average temperatures for 16 of the past 17 months reached past the 1.5 degree threshold set by the Paris Agreement. November 2024 was 1.62 degrees above the pre-industrial level (1840-1900). The global average temperature in 2024 is virtually certain to be more than 1.55oC, compared to 1.48oC in 2023, according to ERA5 data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. 2023 previously held the title for hottest year on record. "For 2024 to not be warmer than 2023, the average temperature anomaly for the remaining two months of this year would have to decrease by an unprecedented amount, nearly reaching zero," . Artificial intelligence sent emissions soaring Our seemingly insatiable appetite for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency has added a whole new dimension to the problem of reducing emissions. According to one estimate, the computational power needed to sustain the rise of AI alone is . The International Energy Agency (IEA) , fuelled by the rise of AI and cryptocurrency mining. This mammoth demand for energy comes with enormous environmental impacts. Tech titans Meta, Microsoft and Google — Meta's rose by 65 per cent in two years, Google's by 48 per cent in five years and Microsoft by 40 per cent in four years. Paul Haskell-Dowland, professor of computing and security at Edith Cowan University, said investing in green technologies alongside AI might buy us enough time to reach the point where AI itself could recommend ways to solve the problem. Another shorter-term possibility with more dramatic consequences, is companies charging for AI products as a way to reduce demand. Such a move, he warned, "would also introduce significant disadvantage to those unable or unwilling to afford the 'premium' services". A Chat-GPT text query uses nearly 10 times the power of a traditional Google search; an AI-powered Google search uses roughly 26 times the energy as the old-fashioned search. But these are a drop in the ocean compared to a single bitcoin transaction. This sucks up roughly 3.3 million times as much energy as a traditional Google search. AI and cryptocurrency have turbocharged energy consumption An 'embarrassing' blunder caused the worst-ever tech outage The faulty software update by US cybersecurity company Crowdstrike threw airports into chaos, sent banks and other businesses into meltdown and from Fortune 500 companies. Crowdstrike apologised "unreservedly" for the failure after its CEO George Kurtz was called to testify before the US Congress and explain what happened. But the most embarrassing part, according to one expert, was that the dodgy update that trapped millions of users in a blue screen of death (BSOD) loop is the kind of mistake that . Reporting and data: Design and development: Related topics Armed Conflict Artificial Intelligence Australia Business, Economics and Finance Climate Change Computer Science Cryptocurrency Denmark Elections Gaza Information Technology Industry Music Music Industry Myanmar Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmaceuticals Ukraine War World Politics
Lower interest rates amid the ongoing easing cycle of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) supported the growth of local currency (LCY) bond issuances in the third quarter, with corporate borrowers regaining their appetite for fresh debt. Figures from the latest Asia Bond Monitor report of Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed offerings of peso-denominated debt securities had increased by 11 percent quarter-on-quarter to P2.9 trillion in the three months ending in September. READ: Treasury bureau raises P15 billion as planned from 5-year T-bonds By type of issuer, offerings from the government jumped by 34 percent while corporate bond issuances spiked more than threefold, with banking giants BDO Unibank and Bank of the Philippine Islands making the largest debt sale among firms in the third quarter. The multilateral lender attributed such growth to declining borrowing costs after the BSP had kicked off its rate-cutting cycle. Between Sept. 2 and Oct. 31, ADB monitoring showed that yields on LCY government bonds had fallen by 33 basis points (bp) on average across all tenors. The growth in issuances, in turn, supported the expansion of the domestic bond market. The ADB said total outstanding peso bonds had breached P13 trillion by the end of the third quarter, registering a 3.8-percent sequential increase. Broken down, government bonds grew by 3.6 percent amid a high volume of debt maturities that had to be paid. Total corporate debt stock, meanwhile, rose by 3.1 percent—recovering from the previous quarter’s 7.7-percent contraction—as companies were encouraged by the dovishness of the BSP. Unlike in the United States, where a slowing job market prompted the US Federal Reserve to deliver a jumbo 50-bp cut in September, the BSP had entered its easing era in August with the traditional quarter-point reduction to the policy rate. In October, the BSP cut the policy interest rate by 25 bp again to 6 percent, with Governor Eli Remolona Jr. dropping clear hints of additional—but gradual—easing moves. But Remolona last week floated the possibility of an easing pause at the Dec. 19 meeting of the Monetary Board, citing persistent price pressures. —Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .Making quantum physics easier to digest in schools