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Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was taken to a hospital for a neck injury after landing on his head while making a catch late in the first half of Sunday's 30-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. As Sanders was brought down near the sideline after a 10-yard reception, he was flipped upside down and landed directly on the top of his helmet as he went out of bounds on the tackle by cornerback Trent McDuffie. After receiving attention from the team's medical staff, Sanders was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field on a cart with 40 seconds remaining in the half. He was taken to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for observation and later released Sunday afternoon, according to the team. On the CBS broadcast following halftime, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Sanders had movement in all his extremities, while extreme precaution was taken because of back tightness. CBS reported he was being examined for a concussion before later amending that to a neck injury. The 21-year-old rookie out of Texas had a team-leading three receptions for the Panthers at the half for 49 yards. In 11 games this season, Sanders has 29 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Sanders was a fourth-round selection in the NFL draft in April. --Field Level Media
Callahan said Tuesday that he thinks Rudolph earned another chance to play despite a 38-30 loss to Indianapolis. “Obviously the one interception was probably his only really poor moment," Callahan said. "The rest of it was pretty well executed on his part and operated in a drop-back passing game and had to fight his way back through it. And it was good to see, so we’ll let him take another crack at it.” Rudolph is 2-4 in the six games he's played in this season. That includes coming in for an injured Will Levis on Sept. 30 in a 31-12 win at Miami , and he tried to rally the Titans in a turnover-plagued 37-27 loss to Cincinnati before being selected as the starter last week. Rudolph, who is in Tennessee on a one-year deal, was 23 of 34 for 252 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions. One went off running back Tony Pollard's hands with the final pick coming on the last play of the game after Rudolph led a rally from a 38-7 deficit in the final 18 minutes. Rudolph's ability to avoid sacks is a key piece of sticking with him over Levis, the 33rd pick overall in the 2023 draft. The quarterbacks' stats are similar with Rudolph having eight TD passes and eight interceptions, completing 63.8% of his passes with a 78.8 passer rating. That’s similar to Levis completing 63.7% of his passes with 12 TD passes and 12 interceptions. But Levis has been sacked 40 times compared to just seven for Rudolph. “He’s got the ability to avoid the negative play when it comes to sacks," Callahan said of Rudolph. “He gets the ball out. He knows where to go with it quickly.” That means Rudolph gets a chance Sunday when the Titans (3-12) visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12) to see if he can guide the offense to more than the six points Levis managed against their AFC South rival in a 10-6 loss on Dec. 8 in Nashville. Rudolph said he knows he put the Titans defense in a bad spot with some turnovers. "I’m ready to prove that I can take care of the ball better and keep scoring points,” Rudolph said. The Titans held a walk-through Tuesday with Callahan giving the team Wednesday off for Christmas. An injury report won't be released until Wednesday, and Callahan said it'll likely be lengthy. RG Dillon Radunz, who was knocked out of last week's game with an injury, will be on that report. Lineman Jaelyn Duncan, who hurt a hamstring badly enough early in his first start at right tackle Oct. 20 that he wound up on injured reserve , will be available. Callahan said he is excited to see Duncan play. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
NoneFather Gerald Murray and Rabbi Elliot Mathias join 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the opportunity for peace with Christmas and Hanukkah landing on the same day. Every year growing up, there was an orange in my Christmas stocking. It commemorated an occasion I do not remember: my first Christmas, when my Jewish father and Catholic mother, newly married, were too broke to buy me anything else. By the time I can remember anything, conditions had gotten better, and for my dad, the traditions and trappings of yuletide became something of an obsession. It was with the zeal of the convert, though he never converted, that he was the architect of Christmas joy. THE GRAHAM FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS My father was of the opinion that a household Christmas tree should be visible to the naked eye from space. Even my Irish Catholic mother would say, "Really? More lights, Bobby?" To which the reply was always, "Yes, more lights, Suze." Until the age of 10, I would retire to bed on Christmas Eve, the tree in the living room still as bare as a forest pine. I would struggle to fall asleep amid the murmuring of aunts and uncles, clinking eggnog glasses, and the low intones of Bing Crosby, below. David Marcus (center), recalls learning from his Jewish father, Bobby (r.), how to make Christmas special for his younger brother, Jon (l.). When I woke in the morning, there it was, our tree, dazzling, blinking, so ablaze with light that Moses might have mistaken it for God himself. But it was never dad who got the credit, it was Santa, of course, who made the tree magic. When I was 10, my little brother was born, and something incredible happened. On Christmas Eve, after Jon was put to bed, I was invited to stay up and decorate the tree for him with my family. As my adult relatives discussed politics or the previous weekend’s Eagles game, my dad showed me step by step, first the beads, then the first set of lights, then the garland, then more lights, and finally, the ornaments, including some which were homemade by my mother for that first poor Christmas of the orange. David would warn his little brother not to question who brought the Christmas magic. For the rest of my childhood, with the possible exception of a toy Star Wars At At, the best thing about Christmas was helping to craft the joy, surprise and wonder in my brother’s eyes those mornings. As Jon grew older and wiser he started to doubt that it was Santa who transformed our living room into a Macy’s holiday window every year. I never wanted to flat out lie to him, but when he doubted, I would tell him what my dad had told me. "I don’t think you’d want Santa hearing you say that this close to Christmas," he would gravely warn. "It could be a big mistake." And so I took that approach with my little brother, and decades later with my son. Today, I think my dad’s overabundance of Christmas spirit was rooted in his joy at seeing those he loved be happy, merry even. It was also about this time that I was baptized as a Catholic. My parents had taught me both traditions and left it to me to pick one or the other by age 10. It wasn’t really until then that I started to wonder why my Jewish dad loved the birth of Christ so much, even though He was not his Lord and Savior. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION I still can’t fully answer that question, and with both my parents passed, there is nobody left to ask. Today, I think my dad’s overabundance of Christmas spirit was rooted in his joy at seeing those he loved being happy. Merry, even. And it is truly a testament to the child we call wonderful, born of meager means to Jewish parents, that his birth is cause for celebration, even among those who have yet to accept his divinity. For unto us, in accordance with the scriptures, a Son was born, and for Dad, well, being a dad was really the only thing that mattered. Christmas was not so much the birth of Jesus, as it was a celebration of the holy bonds of family. A half century after my first Christmas, my son receives an orange in his stocking every year. He misses his grandfather very much, as do I, but he also resembles him. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP All December he pesters me, "What are we gonna get for mom?" Like my father, my son seems to take the most pleasure in seeing others light up with smiles of joy as bright as my dad’s Christmas tree. This Christmas Eve, under the cold dark skies in the land where children sleep, across broad and deep America, fathers like mine will toil to craft wonder come morning. All who try will succeed. So from me, and my father, I wish you a very merry Christmas. And remember, be careful what you say about Santa. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS David Marcus is a columnist living in West Virginia and the author of " Charade: The COVID Lies That Crushed A Nation ."
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The United States and China have renewed a decades-old agreement on science and technology cooperation , officials from both countries said Friday, narrowing its scope and adding safeguards to address concerns about national security risks. The Science and Technology Agreement, originally signed in 1979, was the first accord between the two countries after they normalized diplomatic relations. It had historically been renewed roughly every five years, but U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns in about it recent years as China becomes a growing technological rival. The agreement, which was up for renewal in 2023, received two six-month extensions before lapsing on Aug. 27 of this year, and its continuation had been under negotiation for months. The State Department said Friday that the “modernized and strengthened” agreement had been extended for five years. It said the agreement sustains intellectual property protections, establishes new guardrails for protecting the safety and security of researchers, and “advances U.S. interests through newly established and strengthened provisions on transparency and data reciprocity.” The agreement covers only basic research and does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies, the department said. The Biden administration has imposed export controls on advanced semiconductor chips and restricted investment in other strategically sensitive fields in China such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, citing concerns that such technologies could aid China’s military modernization. The renewal of the agreement was also confirmed in a short statement Friday by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, which did not provide details. Supporters of the pact argued that failure to renew it would not only imperil government-to-government collaboration in vital areas such as climate change and public health, but also inhibit academic cooperation between the world’s two biggest economies. Science and technology cooperation has already been chilled by the China Initiative, a Trump-era national security program meant to counter intellectual property theft at universities and research institutions. The program, which has prompted multiple prominent Chinese researchers to leave the U.S., ended in 2022 after a string of failed prosecutions. Asian American advocacy groups said ethnic Chinese scientists were unfairly targeted by the program, which House lawmakers are seeking to revive . NBC News' Rae Wang contributed. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:
Rachel Christian | (TNS) Bankrate.com Just because retirement planning involves some guesswork doesn’t mean it has to be a total mystery. Related Articles Business | Tech review: Earbuds and phones for those on your holiday list Business | The year in money: inflation eased, optimism ticked upward Business | Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds Business | How to protect your communications through encryption Business | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? Whether you’ve been saving since your first job or you’re getting a late start, you can leverage expert-recommended strategies to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. And if you’re not quite on track, don’t sweat it — the experts we spoke to offered actionable tips to help you close the gap. You might have a general idea of how much money you need to save for retirement . A few quick calculations can give you an estimate, but to truly appreciate where you stand, you’ll need to dive into the numbers. Here’s how to get started. A good rule of thumb to estimate your retirement savings goal is the Rule of 25 . Simply multiply your desired annual retirement income by 25. The result is roughly how much you’ll need to save before hitting retirement. For example, if you plan to spend $50,000 a year, you’ll need about $1.25 million to make it a reality. The Rule of 25 is based on the idea that withdrawing 4% annually from your retirement savings should last you about 30 years. While it’s not an exact science by any means — health care costs and lifestyle changes can skew the numbers, for example — the Rule of 25 can be a good starting point to figure out how much you need to save. Fidelity Investments, a behemoth in the retirement planning space, offers savings guidelines to help you determine if you’re on track . —By age 30: Save 1x your annual salary —By age 40: Save 3x your annual salary —By age 50: Save 6x your annual salary —By age 60: Save 8x your annual salary —By age 67: Save 10x your annual salary For example, if you earn $60,000 annually, you should aim for $600,000 in savings by age 67. But like the Rule of 25, Fidelity’s guidelines offer a 10,000-foot look at retirement goals, and they’re not customized to your situation. Maybe you earned a low salary in your 20s, but you’re working hard in your 30s to make up for it. Use these estimates as a benchmark — but don’t get discouraged if you’re lagging behind. Now it’s time to zoom in a little. To get a clearer snapshot of your progress, use an online retirement calculator. These tools factor in your age, current savings, income and lifestyle goals to estimate whether you’re on track. You’ll get a more refined estimate without crunching the numbers yourself. Bankrate’s retirement calculator even lets you input different rates of return on your investments and accounts for estimated annual salary increases. Having a general savings goal is nice, but to avoid falling short in retirement, you’ll need more than a ballpark figure. Experts recommend creating a retirement budget to get an up-close-and-personal look at how much you’ll really need once you leave the workforce. First, estimate how much you’ll spend per month in retirement. While some costs will increase, like health care, others will likely decrease, like dining out and commuting. “Estimating expenses can be challenging for some people, so as a starting point, I often use your net take-home pay,” says Jeff DeLarme, a certified financial planner and president of DeLarme Wealth Management. For example, if you receive a direct deposit of $2,500 every two weeks from work, use $5,000 as your estimated monthly spending in retirement. “Assuming this was enough to pay the bills while working, we can use $5,000 a month as a starting budget to plan for,” says DeLarme. Next, map out your sources of income in retirement. Social Security is the largest income stream for most retirees, but don’t neglect other inflows, such as: —Workplace retirement accounts, like 401(k)s —Personal retirement accounts, like a traditional or Roth IRA —Pensions —Annuities —Selling your home or business —Rental income —Inheritance “If there’s a gap between your expected expenses and income, you’ll have a good idea of how much you need to save,” says Mike Hunsberger, a certified financial planner and owner of Next Mission Financial Planning. From there, you can adjust your savings and investment strategy accordingly. For something as important (and complex) as retirement planning, it pays to speak with a professional. Financial advisers can analyze your savings, investments and retirement goals to create a personalized plan. Advisers use special planning software that account for more variables than an online calculator, giving you a much more precise, granular look at your financial life in retirement. Many financial advisers can also help you optimize your tax strategy, which can potentially save you thousands of dollars over time. Make sure the adviser you hire is a fiduciary , meaning they’re legally obligated to prioritize your interests over their own. A fiduciary won’t push investments to earn a commission or recommend products that aren’t aligned with your needs. A certified financial planner is one of the most well-recognized designations for fiduciaries. You can use Bankrate’s adviser matching tool to find a certified financial planner in your area in minutes. Maybe you did the math and realized you’re not quite where you need to be. Don’t panic if you’re behind schedule. Here are five strategies experts recommend to help you catch up on your retirement savings . Cutting expenses now frees up more cash to invest in your retirement accounts. Evaluate your budget and identify areas where you can cut costs, like dining out, streaming subscriptions or shopping. Don’t rule out bigger lifestyle changes either, especially if retirement is rapidly approaching. Housing is the biggest monthly expense for most people. Getting creative here can help amplify the amount you can sock away, says Joseph Boughan, a certified financial planner and managing member at Parkmount Financial Partners. It can also reduce your expenses in retirement, so you may not need to save as much as before. “Downsizing can be a great way to cut expenses,” says Boughan. “This can even free up cash if you don’t end up needing all that money for a new home.” Moving somewhere with lower property taxes or income taxes can also help bring your retirement plan back in line. And if you’re a renter, making tough short-term decisions, like taking on a roommate or moving to a lower cost-of-living area, can free up hundreds of dollars a month for your retirement. “Everyone’s plan is unique, so exploring all the options is important,” Boughan says. Joe Conroy, a certified financial planner and owner of Harford Retirement Planners, recommends taking a “retirement test drive” as you near your target date. “Start to live on what income you think you can afford in retirement and stash all the extra income into savings and investments,” says Conroy. “If you can make it through each month, you’re ready for retirement. If you run short, then adjust your plan accordingly.” Working a little longer can be a game-changer for your retirement nest egg. Not only does it give you more time to save, it also gives your investments room to grow. “Working longer or even just part time for a few years early in retirement is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of money you need to save,” says Hunsberger. Postponing retirement can also boost your Social Security benefits . “You can claim as early as 62, but your benefits will be reduced significantly,” says Hunsberger. Meanwhile, each year you delay claiming Social Security benefits beyond your full retirement age , your monthly check will increase by 8%, though this benefit maxes out at age 70. So waiting can really pay off. It may seem obvious, but if you’re behind on retirement savings, you’ll need to boost your contributions as much as possible. Here are a few ways to make saving for retirement easier: —Increase your contribution rate: Allocate a larger portion of your paycheck to a workplace retirement plan. Even bumping up your contributions by 1% or 2% can make a huge difference down the road. —Take advantage of your employer match: Don’t leave free money on the table. Many employers will chip in between 3 and 5% depending on your plan, so make sure you’re contributing enough to take advantage of the benefit. —Use “unexpected” money to catch up: If you get a raise or bonus at work, funnel part of it directly into your 401(k). And if you get a refund at tax time, siphon some of it off to beef up your IRA. If you’ve been investing in low-risk, low-return investments, you may not be keeping up with inflation, let alone growing your nest egg. Reallocating part of your portfolio to stocks or low-cost growth exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is one way to get your money working harder. Higher-risk investments like stocks carry more volatility but also offer higher potential returns. Work with a financial adviser or use a robo-adviser to strike the right balance between growth and your personal risk tolerance. Contribution limits for 401(k) plans and IRAs are higher for people over 50. For 2025, employees aged 50 and up who participate in most 401(k) plans or the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan can save up to $31,000 annually, including a $7,500 catch-up contribution . But thanks to SECURE 2.0 , a sweeping retirement law, a new higher catch-up contribution limit of $11,250 applies for employees ages 60 to 63. So, if you’re in this age group, you can squirrel away a whopping $34,750 a year during the final stretch of your career. Of course, you’ll need a big salary (think six figures) in order to take full advantage of such massive contribution limits. But if you can afford it, these catch-up allowances can put your plan back on track, especially if you struggled to save much early in your career. There’s no GPS to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. If you’ve veered off course or aren’t sure where to start, begin by getting a quick estimate of how much you’ll need before mapping out a retirement budget. And if you’re behind, don’t panic — adjusting your spending, boosting your contributions and speaking with a financial adviser can help you catch up. ©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.By Usman Daudu In this past week, stampedes happened in three locations in the country and people lost their lives. In Ibadan, over 30 children died during an event by the former Queen of the Ooni of Ife to host 5, 000 children. And last Saturday, 10 persons died at a food-sharing event at a church in Abuja while 22 people also died in a rush for food in Okija, Anambra State. It is sad that these Nigerians died while on a mission to get succour from palliatives. It feels sadder that these incidents might have been averted had perhaps proper planning and execution been put in place. And that is why the latest news from the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, is gladdening. According to reports, the governor opened bank accounts for two million poor residents of the state. Sani disclosed this last Thursday during the distribution of food items and palliatives for Christmas and New Year at the Umaru Yar’adua Conference Centre, Kaduna, which was spearheaded by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. “Through our financial inclusion programme, we have opened over two million bank accounts for poor, vulnerable, and underserved persons to enable them to benefit from state and Federal Government social intervention programmes,” the governor said. Ordinarily, this story should not even make the news given that it is perhaps the most logical route to follow given the technology available in the financial ecosystem. Sadly, it is a novelty. During the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as president, the federal government initiated the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) which had the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) as one of its programmes. Under the CCT, citizens classified as ‘the poorest of the poor’ were to get Ten Thousand Naira. With the existence of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) which mandates every account holder in Nigeria to be biometrically verified, one would have expected the federal government to utilise the banks for transacting payment. But no. Rather, government officials physically took large sums of cash to crowded venues to share to the beneficiaries. According to multiple reports, at those venues, beneficiaries were just asked to sign and handed over envelopes which sometimes contained less than Five Thousand Naira. Such fraud implied those concerned didn’t want a more efficient way to disburse the funds to the poor. For their selfish reasons. Hence, while the idea of the CCT was noble, its execution was very disappointing and left a sour taste in the mouth of even some supporters of the programme. I mean, in today’s age of electronic banking, who goes about physically distributing sums running into hundreds of millions? The mere logistical horror associated with such a venture should even be enough to deter those who go that route. Then, there is also the case of accountability. When the Buhari administration initiated Trader-Moni and Markket-Moni. Good schemes. But again, its implementation was flawed. Instead of deploying BVN to track recipients of the funds, the funds were channelled via cash, with some middlemen conniving and ripping the government as well as the beneficiaries. The other process of having the poor come to a venue and organisers carrying large sums of money to share, should, at best, remain in the 1970s. It cannot be argued that it is more efficient to disburse funds to poor people by sending them money via their bank accounts. For instance, at the push of a button, one can initiate credit transfer to multiple persons instantaneously. With this method too, transparency is achieved as the use of BVN details particulars of every recipient. With the strategy Sani has adopted in Kaduna, funds meant for the poor can be effectively monitored and verified. Anyway, while some commentators argue that the recent stampedes resulted because of poverty, perhaps the more important factor concerns the organisers’ obligations. What numbers were they expecting? What preparations were on ground to receive and accommodate the expected numbers? What was the anticipated flow of movement designed? Did they have enough space and manpower to cater for the expected numbers? Were there better ways of dispersing their charity other than gathering a crowd in a particular space? These are serious questions organisers are expected to satisfy themselves with before beginning to gather a crowd. Thankfully, after the sad incidents of last week, Nigerians have become wary of palliative-seeking crowds. Some states have even listed conditions for distribution of palliatives. Lagos State declared that organisers of palliative sharing events with more than 250 persons must get clearance with the state safety agencies. Also, on Sunday, the Edo State Police Command urged the state government and other organisations to collaborate with the police in the distribution of palliatives to avoid a stampede. “Following recent cases of stampedes leading to avoidable deaths in some parts of the country, the Edo State Police Command has proactively called on government officials, community leaders, religious bodies, and non-governmental organisations to collaborate with the state command for a comprehensive and organised way of going about the distribution of any palliatives,” said the command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, in a statement. “The Commissioner of Police, Ozigi Umoru, therefore warns groups and organisers of similar events to ensure they involve the Police or other security agencies to avoid such occurrences in the state. The Command remains committed to always ensuring the safety of lives and property.” The poor would always be in our midst. And as conscientious individuals and government, we cannot shy away from charity. But this charity must be done in ways to eliminate disasters such as those that happened in those three places. The Kaduna example by which the state government has opened bank accounts for the poor is commendable. Through that, no fanfare would follow transmission of whatever tokens the government intends for the poor. It would be a silent alert that would bring the loud joy from those deserving of it. In fact, Christians are taught to be discrete when giving as the bible preaches in the book of Matthew: ‘But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’ Other religions too do not encourage a show-off when it comes to charity. Since assuming office as governor, his administration has distributed palliatives, agricultural inputs, grants, and soft loans to farmers and small-scale enterprises. As a passionate activist, it is expected that Sani’s administration would further elevate the condition of the poor residents of Kaduna. By opening bank accounts for the poor, the Kaduna State government is set to bring efficiency to assisting the poor. It would also be good for other individuals, organisations and particularly governments to copy this Kaduna format of cash transfers to the poor. It’s the 21st century and with the basic technology which all the banks deploy daily, there is no charity too large that cannot be reduced to gifting credit ‘alerts.’ It would be shameful to continue toying with the lives of the poor just for a show of charity.
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In Marvel Rivals, Captain America’s attacks can be cancelled if you’ve got the right timing. This allows him to attack much faster than intended. And, considering that he requires two melee hits to get ranged attacks, being able to get those punches out fast is essential when it comes to taking out key targets like Hela or Hawkeye . A clip has circulated of someone showing off this strategy in the practice range, with the user claiming they’re going to “gatekeep” how to do it. oh yeah I'm gatekeeping this one pic.twitter.com/a9JQPq61lr But, it this clip real? Is this actually possible? Yes, it is. Although, it’s not as easy as the video would lead you to believe. There are a few things you’ll need to know in order to do this trick properly and start dishing out big damage with Captain America. How to attack cancel with Captain America in Marvel Rivals Before you hop into game and try this out, there’s one critical step you’ll have to do first. In the settings menu for Captain America specifically, there’s an option that lets you toggle sprint. Under his combat settings in the keyboard tab (or controller if you’re using controller), disable the setting titled ‘Hold to Dash’ . If you don’t do this, this Captain America trick will not work. It’s absolutely necessary. There’s a learning curve on this considering most Cap players will hold sprint while they’re attacking to stick to a target. As a result, attempting to attack cancel with him drastically raises the skill floor on the hero and will require some getting used to. Related: However, once you do this, attacking will immediately cancel your sprint and pressing the key will get you right back into sprinting. As a result you can attack > sprint > attack > sprint and repeatedly cancel your hits on a rhythm to boost your attack speed. The timing on this takes some getting used to, but, once you get fast enough with it, you can easily double Captain America’s damage output and burst down backline targets almost as fast as squishy backline assassins can. Captain America isn’t regarded as a very strong pick compared to other tanks in Marvel Rivals, but this trick may well change that. Don’t be surprised if we end up seeing some really, really good Cap players in high ranks abusing this trick soon.
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Who is ISoftStone? Mysterious tech firm set to become one of the biggest PC vendors in China, beating Huawei, HP and AppleTHE renowned Zimbabwean academic and political commentator Professor Jonathan Moyo has taken a swipe at South Africa’s handling of the political violence in Mozambique, labelling a statement issued by DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri as poorly conceived and diplomatically reckless. Phiri, a junior official in South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), issued the statement in response to the violence that erupted following Mozambique’s contested election results. He called for “urgent dialogue” to address the unrest, expressing South Africa’s readiness “to assist and work with SADC for a lasting solution.” In the statement, Phiri said, “Following the proclamation of final electoral results by the Constitutional Council of Mozambique, South Africa has noted with concern the ongoing violence and the subsequent disruptive protest in reaction to the announcement. South Africa calls on all parties to commit to an urgent dialogue that will heal the country and set it on a new political and developmental trajectory.” Prof. Moyo, however, criticized the statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), highlighting its shortcomings and accusing South Africa of engaging in “poor diplomacy.” He argued that the use of a junior official to comment on a crisis of such magnitude was a misstep, reflecting a lack of seriousness. “The situation in Mozambique is serious and warrants, at the very least, a ministerial statement,” Moyo posted. The former Zimbabwean government minister also took issue with the content of the statement, accusing South Africa of failing to condemn the violence outright. Instead, the statement merely urged “all parties to commit to dialogue,” which Moyo interpreted as a failure to demand an immediate and unconditional end to the unrest. — POVO NO PODER 🇲🇿 (@JerThaPlug) “What does South Africa know that the rest of SADC does not know?” Moyo questioned in his post, further criticising the suggestion that Mozambique’s dialogue should aim to set the country “on a new political and developmental trajectory.” He described this as an attempt to impose a predetermined outcome on Mozambique’s internal affairs, suggesting it might be pushing for a coalition government or a political arrangement resembling South Africa’s. Moyo contrasted the stance with South Africa’s own experience of violent unrest in July 2021, which left over 350 people dead. “When South Africa had its violent political riots... no one in the region prescribed a dialogue with a predetermined outcome to resolve that staggering violence. South Africa will do well to act likewise with regards to the situation in Mozambique,” he wrote. The academic also pointed to SADC’s existing mechanisms, including the Organ Troika currently led by Tanzania, as the appropriate platform for addressing the Mozambican crisis. “Letting a junior official like Phiri speak in the manner he did is poor diplomacy and a dereliction of leadership by his minister. Using a junior official to jump the gun will not silence the guns in Mozambique,” Moyo concluded. The situation in Mozambique remains tense, with opposition parties and civil society groups disputing the election results amid escalating violence. Moyo’s critique underscores the delicate nature of regional diplomacy and the potential consequences of South Africa’s approach to its neighbour’s turmoil.Major stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Friday, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, down less than 0.1%, after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%, ending just below the record high it set on Wednesday. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1%. Among the market's other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4% lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. All told, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 points to close at 6,051.09. The Dow dropped 86.06 points to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq rose 23.88 points to 19,926.72. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower.
Downriver community helping to heal holiday loneliness by sending a man in a nursing home dozens of cardsEuropean Commission funding for Cyprus for the programming period between 2021 and 2027 has increased by over 70 per cent compared to the previous period, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Friday. Addressing the monitoring committee on home affairs funds, he explained that a total of 162 projects were implemented at a total cost of €110.5 million through the European Commission between 2014 and 2020. This grew to a total of €120.7 million with additional funds secured both through the European Union and other sources. In the current period, he said, this amount has risen to €188m , while the commission has also “already directly approved additional funds amounting to €82m for the implementation of projects related to the effective management of migration”. Additionally, EU projects in Cyprus will receive a total of €41m in national funding during the current period, bringing the total amount of funding to €311m for the current period. Ioannou said that so far in the current period, a total of 66 projects have begun, with €140m of funds having been allocated to them. His comments come days after the European Court of Auditors’ Cypriot member Lefteris Christoforou announced that Cyprus ranks top of the EU in terms of its absorption rate of EU funds . “Cyprus boasts the top spot in absorbing European funds relating to social cohesion funds, the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Fund for Youth Employment, where Cyprus absorbed €745 million from the previous fiscal framework,” he said. He added that Cyprus is “35 per cent ahead of the EU average” in the current framework. President Nikos Christodoulides reacted to the news by conveying his thanks to government organs by effectively absorbing EU funds. “ Not a single cent will be lost from the assistance given by the EU ,” he added. “Essentially this is financial assistance to help us change our country, so that we can keep up with the times, so that Cypriot citizens may benefit, and so that our country’s competitiveness can be boosted.”
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:46 p.m. ESTFacebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, co-sponsored the Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution, or SHIELD, Act, which was introduced Monday and is intended to strengthen laws to protect children and adults from having personal images shared publicly by others. "In today's world, we are seeing children and vulnerable adults being exploited and extorted in ways we have never seen before," Van Drew said in a statement. "Perpetrators are threatening to share intimate images or videos without consent, preying on the fear and vulnerability of their victims. While the rapid evolution of our technology has made this possible, our laws to protect victims are lagging behind, and too often, offenders are getting away with it." The SHIELD Act would make it illegal to knowingly distribute intimate images of another person without that person's permission, and specifies that it covers people of all ages, and consent to making the images does not confer consent to distribute them. Atlantic City Airshow canceled for 2025 Atlantic City police officer accused of assaulting, pointing gun at wife Somers Point man killed after motorcycle strikes SUV on Longport Boulevard Atlantic City Mayor Small indicted on witness tampering charge in child abuse case Body found in fridge in Belleplain State Forest Somers Point man killed in two-vehicle crash in Egg Harbor Township 'Great Day Express' takes its maiden voyage to Big SNOW at American Dream Mall Mays Landing's Level Up comic and video game shop to close after 18 years GoFundMe started for Somers Point man seriously injured in Egg Harbor Township crash Long Beach Island fire damages multimillion-dollar bayfront home Troopers gave special treatment to drivers with courtesy cards, watchdog finds Lower Township man charged with possession of child porn Who are The Press' 2024 High School Football All-Stars? Who are The Press' football Player, Team and Coach of the Year? BPU begins process to consider 8% increase in Atlantic City Electric rates It is endorsed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; the National Center on Sexual Exploitation; the Rape, Abuse, and Incent National Network (RAINN); the National Association of Police Organizations; the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative; Bumble; Girls Inc.; the International Justice Mission, and the National District Attorneys Association, Van Drew's office said. Other co-sponsors are Democratic U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Republican U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas, and Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Van Drew REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Staff Writer Author twitter Author email {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.