Romania braces for parliamentary vote after far right's poll upsetWhy Monday is the most dangerous day on a building site
Rays will play 13 of first 16 games at home and 47 of 59, then have 69 of last 103 on roadStock futures rise Sunday ahead of shortened trading week: Live updatesSANTA CLARA — When Isaac Guerendo trots onto the field with the first team Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, he will equal the same number of starts he had in five years of college football. Hard to believe, but Guerendo started exactly one time, and it came in his final college game at Louisville. Against USC in the Holiday Bowl, Guerendo carried 23 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns and added five receptions in a 42-28 loss. In 40 other games at Wisconsin and Louisville, Guerendo played in a shared backfield –something he’s done with the 49ers this season behind Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey . With McCaffrey on injured reserve with a PCL strain and Mason to follow soon with a high ankle sprain, Guerendo should get his biggest workload since his last college game. “I’m excited, but really it’s whatever it takes to win,” Guerendo said Wednesday as the 49ers (5-7) began preparations to host the Bears (4-8). “Whatever the plan looks like is what we’ll bring.” Guerendo will be backed up by Patrick Taylor Jr., who was on the roster earlier this season when McCaffrey was dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, then re-signed to the practice squad. Taylor was promoted Tuesday, and the 49ers also made a waiver claim on former Jets running back Israel Abanikanda. “I think he’s ready to go,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He had some ups and downs but got better through everything. I think he’s ready for this.” Guerendo, 6-foot and 219 pounds, has 42 carries for 246 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a gaudy 5.9 yards per carry. His 15-yard run in the third quarter was the 49ers’ lone touchdown in a 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers traded up to get Guerendo in the fourth round, only to see him sidelined with a hamstring strain in his first training camp practice. A speedy wide receiver at Avon High School in Indiana who also ran track and played basketball, Guerendo carried 10 times for 99 yards with a long run of 76 against Seattle and 14 times for 85 yards against Dallas. At Wisconsin, Guerendo played behind Jonathan Taylor, now a star running back for the Indianapolis Colts. He split time as a graduate student at Louisville with Jawhar Jordan, who rushed for 1,128 yards while Guerendo had 810 yards on 132 carries and a 6.1-yard average. The good news is Guerendo’s body hasn’t taken on the normal amount of abuse for a running back. And Guerendo feels he’s up to the challenge after playing 12 games with old-school running backs coach Bobby Turner. “I always give credit to Coach T for preparing everybody like they’re going to be the starter, so that when moments do come, you’re ready for it,” Guerendo said. McCaffrey appeared to have finally gotten untracked against the Bills, gaining 53 yards on seven carries before getting tripped up on a 19-yard burst in the second quarter. But the tackle injured his knee, Mason injured his ankle, and Guerendo became the lead runner for a team that is sixth in the NFL in rushing. Over time, Guerendo has become accustomed to the speed of the NFL game. “I think it takes guys some time,” Shanahan said. “You start to get a feel for it, if you’ve got the right stuff, you get more reps and the more you adjust to it. How hard you’ve got to hit stuff, how quick those holes close, how you have to hit it full speed and can’t hesitate. We’ve seen that stuff get better in practice and we’ve seen it carry over into games.” McCaffrey, meanwhile, took to social media in the form of a lengthy Instagram post to explain how he was feeling after his latest injury. He wrote of his love for football, how humbling it is and his desire to return. “This wasn’t my year, and sometimes when it rains, it pours,” McCaffrey wrote. “You can feel sorry for yourself and listen to the birds, or you can hold the line. I’m grateful for the support of everyone in my corner and promise I’ll work smarter and harder to come back better from this.” For those who dream big, Shanahan said with a six-week time frame, McCaffrey could conceivably return if the 49ers reach the postseason. THE INJURY LIST Those who didn’t practice Wednesday included edge rusher Nick Bosa (hips, obliques), left tackle Trent Williams (ankle), left guard Aaron Banks (concussion), Mason (ankle) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (ankle). Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (wrist) were limited. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott has cleared concussion protocol after missing the Buffalo game. Hufanga joined Greenlaw as practicing during a 21-day window. Shanahan said it’s more likely Greenlaw would be activated before a Thursday night game against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 12 than against Chicago. HUFANGA AND THE CLUB After recovering from an ACL tear last season, Hufanga has played in just two games this season. First, he was felled by an ankle injury, and then a wrist injury that needed surgery. When activated, he’ll play with a protective club on his right hand. “I was still dealing with the ankle. I was about to get it re-wrapped and for some reason my hand wouldn’t open,” Hufanga said. Hufanga said he’ll try to use the protective device as a benefit rather than a detriment. “I had a good friend back in the day who played with a club who had three picks in one game, so you never know,” Hufanga said. MOORE FARES WELL Left tackle Jaylon Moore acquitted himself well for the second straight game in starting in place of Williams. “It was OK, but you can always get better and that’s what I’m focusing on — the things I can get better at,” Moore said. Tight end George Kittle noted last week that Moore was at left tackle all through training camp during Williams’ holdout, so it’s not like he hasn’t been with the first team. “It definitely did help, especially being comfortable with the group,” Moore said. “The quarterback’s cadence, the guy you’re next to, all the small stuff comes into play.”
IShowSpeed was left visibly angry after watching Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles say he’s uninterested in a rematch after their viral footrace in November 2024. On November 6, 2024, YouTube star IShowSpeed faced off with Lyles in a $100K footrace, orchestrated by none other than internet celebrity MrBeast. Although Speed managed to keep pace and show off his track skills, Lyles won in a convincing fashion ... but despite all the publicity that their match generated, the athlete isn’t interested in running it back. “I’m moving on to bigger and better things. Let’s find somebody faster,” Lyles said in an interview. “moving on to bigger and better things... let’s find somebody faster” Noah Lyles says he’s not racing IShowSpeed again pic.twitter.com/J3ZQtyJjcw IShowSpeed furious at Noah Lyle’s “insane” disinterest in rematch The video quickly circulated on social media, and it wasn’t long before Speed reacted to Lyles’ comments during a stream on December 3 in an expletive-laden tirade, clearly annoyed at the runner’s reaction. “Shut the f*ck up. Stop it! That’s how you know he’s scared. I’m sick of this ***! ...Chat, why is he scared?” Speed shouted. “Who you gonna race, Noah? Who you gonna race that’s faster than me? Oh my god, this is actually insane, chat. I’m sorry, but it’s actually insane.” (Topic begins at 2:22:21 ) While it’s unclear if Speed and Lyle will end up having a rematch, he’s just the latest influencer to test his mettle against a professional athlete. YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul has also faced off against a number of former pro boxers and Olympic fighters, most recently taking on Mike Tyson in Netflix’s first-ever live streamed combat sports event. Related: Speed, for his part, has proven that he’s no slouch when it comes to feats of physical prowess. The streamer managed to tap out fellow broadcaster Adin Ross in a grappling match refereed by UFC president Dana White, and even outdid an Australian football player in a $10K footrace. Of course, he isn’t infallible, having been downed by the likes of Manny Pacquiao and even Dan Hooker — but it’s clear that he’s hungry to prove his strength despite his losses.
After a far-right pro-Russia candidate secured a surprise lead in Romania's presidential election Monday, the eastern European NATO member is bracing for a high-stakes parliamentary vote on Sunday, amid fears it could bring about a strategic shift in the country. Calin Georgescu was in pole position with almost 23 percent after the first round of voting, a political earthquake in the country of 19 million people that has so far resisted nationalist appeals that have gained traction in Hungary and Slovakia. His victory ahead of centre-right mayor Elena Lasconi -- who scored 19.18 percent -- ended the hopes of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to compete for the presidency in the December runoff. After coming third at 19.15, Ciolacu said his Social Democratic Party (PSD) won't challenge the narrow result, and announced his resignation as party leader. Experts say the far right's surprise success could affect the parliamentary elections later this week, and even influence the chances of forming a future government. - 'Existential battle' - In the runoff ballot on December 8, Lasconi will face Georgescu, a NATO critic who in the past expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Georgescu's popularity surged ahead of the vote with a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine, which shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) border with Romania. In a first reaction on his YouTube channel, the 62-year-old independent candidate insisted "there is no East or West", stressing that neutrality was "absolutely necessary". "I am not an extremist, I am not a fascist -- I am a Romanian who loves his country," he said in reference to media reports that "tried to portray" him in a wrongful way. For his rival Lasconi, the upcoming runoff represents "an existential battle", "a historic confrontation" between those who wish to "preserve Romania's young democracy" and those who want to "return to the Russian sphere of influence". "We must not allow anger to throw us back into the past," she said to thunderous applause from her supporters, vowing to stand up for Europe and NATO. The political earthquake comes amid soaring inflation and mounting fears of Romania being potentially dragged into Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine, as the country has emerged as a key player on the alliance's eastern flank. - 'Serious and patriotic' - In Sunday's vote, another far-right contender, AUR party leader George Simion, secured nearly 14 percent. Already pounding the campaign trail for this week's parliamentary elections, Simion said Romania now has "the chance to have a sovereign government and a sovereign president". Overall, the far right won more than a third of all votes in Sunday's presidential ballot. "The far right is by far the big winner of this election," political scientist Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP, predicting a possible "contagion effect" in the parliamentary vote. Extremist forces and Lasconi's centre-right party now have "wind in their sails", sociologist Gelu Duminica said, though "it remains to be seen if they know how to capitalise" on it. The PSD, which has shaped the country's politics for more than three decades, has never before been eliminated in the first round of a presidential election. The National Liberal Party (PNL) party, with whom the PSD currently governs, also suffered a defeat. While many expressed their disbelief over the poll in the streets of the capital Bucharest, others were enthused. Maria Chis, 70, said she was surprised by Georgescu's lead in the first round but had been impressed after watching his TikTok videos. "He seems a man of integrity, serious and patriotic. He inspires seriousness. I think only someone like him can bring change," said the pensioner, who was planning to vote for him in the second round. Alex Tudose, the owner of a construction company, was gloomy. "There is sorrow, disappointment, that after so many years in Euro-Atlantic structures we voted for a pro-Russian by over 20 percent," the 42-year-old said. "There is clearly a strong fragmentation both in society and in the political class, and I think we saw that yesterday," he said. ani-anb-kym/sbk
South Florida defeats Portland 74-68LSU 109, UCF 102, 3OTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter has spurred a broader discussion about what else he should be doing with the broad clemency powers of the presidency before he leaves office in January, including whether he should be pardoning Donald Trump. Biden on Tuesday ducked questions about his son, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola . He dismissed shouted questions about the matter with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, telling the Angolan delegation: “Welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, and he has largely avoided interactions with reporters since President-elect Trump’s victory last month. Biden’s decision to offer his son a blanket pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, after the president repeatedly had said he would not use his extraordinary powers for the benefit of his family. Biden claimed that the Justice Department had presided over a “miscarriage of justice” in prosecuting his son, using some of the same language that Trump uses to describe his own legal predicaments. Biden's reversal drew criticism from many Democrats , who are working to calibrate their approach to Trump as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in seven weeks. There is concern the pardon — and Biden's claims that his son was prosecuted for political reasons — will erode their ability to push back on the incoming president’s legal moves. And it has threatened to cloud Biden's legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20. Hunter Biden is the closest presidential relative ever to be granted clemency, but other leaders have pardoned family members and close friends. Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger for drug charges after Roger Clinton had served his sentence. By the time Trump left office after his first term, he had issued 144 pardons, which included Charles Kushner , the father of his son-in law, Jared Kushner. He also pardoned fervent supporters Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and other people convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. In the months after the 2020 election, Trump and his allies were trying to overturn his loss, a failed effort that culminated in the violent riot by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. There were discussions at the time over whether Trump would preemptively pardon some of those involved in the effort — and maybe even himself — before he left office. But that never happened. Now, Democrats are having similar discussions about preemptive pardons on their side because of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail. He's made no secret of his desire to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him or crossed him. He talks about "enemies from within." He's circulated social media posts that call for the jailing of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer. He's also taken aim at Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican who campaigned for Harris, promoting a social media post that suggested he wanted military tribunals to punish her because she was guilty of treason. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said last week on Boston Public Radio that Biden might consider broad pardons to protect people against whatever wrath Trump may seek, but also as a way to move the country past this acrimonious and divided time. “I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year at least of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him,” Markey said. Presidents enjoy expansive pardon powers when it comes to federal crimes . That includes granting clemency to people who have not yet been charged, as President Gerald Ford did in 1974 when he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. The decision at the time caused an uproar but has been seen in the ensuing decades as a move that helped restore order. Markey cited Ford's pardon as a way for the country “just to close that chapter and move on to a new era.” Biden could do the same, Markey said, to help the country move on “to an agenda that deals with the ordinary families.” Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia, took it a step further and suggested Biden should even pardon Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal charges that are now evaporating with Trump's upcoming return to the White House. “Why don't you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges?" he said in an interview with CNN. “It would have gone down a lot more balanced. I'm just saying, wipe them out.” At the same time, Democratic lawmakers and criminal justice reformers are pushing Biden to grant pardons to broad groups of Americans. Democrats Ayanna Pressley, Jim Clyburn and Mary Gay Scanlon wrote to Biden on Nov. 20, asking him to use his clemency powers to "address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.” The letter, also signed by 61 others, suggested Biden could use his powers to send a powerful message of criminal justice reform and "rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges.” “We encourage you to use your clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers,” they wrote. So far, Biden has pardoned 25 people. Most presidents tend to grant a flurry of clemency requests at the end of their terms, and it's likely Biden will do the same. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.” Weissert reported from Luanda, Angola.
Please enable JavaScript to read this content. Growing insurance penetration remains one of the uphill tasks that players in the sector still face amid a growing population and improved technology. How to crack the code for in the informal sector, who make the majority of the market is also still a major challenge for industry players. And despite attempts to introduce micro-insurance products , catapulted by technology, insurance penetration still stands at 2.3 per cent. The sector, from analysis of figures in the technology sector and employment, has enough tail winds to push penetration yet as the economy expands, penetration almost does not move simultaneously. Conversations with experts in the sector and analysis of the data shows the sector cannot rely on technology alone to increase these numbers. In some instances, as noted by Bancassurance Association of Kenya chairperson and KCB Bancassurance Ltd Managing Director Aggrey Mulumbi, the need for in-person interaction at the point of sale is still important despite growing digital sales. The question is: if smartphone penetration is improving, so is internet access and the industry is witnessing an increase in micro-insurance products distributed using technology, why isn’t penetration increasing as well? Is technology failing to crack this market? “The challenge is not technology,” says Mr Mulumbi. “The challenge is financial literacy.” He poses: “Can you solve financial literacy through technology? Yes, and no. Yes, because you can make that information available on google. But do these people really access? Not necessarily.” The other issue he points out is coverage of internet. “Is the internet available 100 per cent all over the country? There are also various levels of speeds and costs,” he says. The issue of trust also plays a role, especially to the informal economy who live hand to mouth who not only guard their income selfishly but also have competition interest. How to reach these individuals is also an issue, he says, referencing the government stipends to the elderly and how it is distributed and beneficiaries enrolled. “Three things are important for mass enrolment: religious affiliation, provincial administration and banking networks,” he says. He adds: “If the Social Health Authority is onboarding people directly, you and I will be registered via the digital platforms. What about those in the interior part of Turkana? You will need somebody to talk to them. That is why the micro platform must be a blend of the digital and the trusted person who will come to tell them about insurance solutions.” According to Sector Statistics Report for Quarter Four of 2023/24 by the Communication Authority, as at the end of June 2024, the total number of mobile phone devices connected to mobile networks was 66.1 million - a penetration rate of 128.3 per cent. Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter “The penetration rate for smartphones and feature phones were 68.3 and 59.9 per cent respectively,” the report says. As at June 2023, the number of smartphones stood at 30.8 million while feature phones were 32.1 million. This is a ratio of one-to-one for smartphones to feature phones. This gives the impression that almost three –quarters of the population have a smartphone hence it should be easier for underwriters to reach them. But that seems not to be the case. CA report shows that of June 2024, total fixed data or internet subscriptions experienced growth driven by increasing reliance on digital platforms for work, education, healthcare and entertainment. It adds that the total fixed internet subscriptions grew by 7.4 per cent to reach 1.5 million while satellite subscriptions recorded a significant growth of 73.1 per cent in quarter four and a 1,995.3 per cent growth in the 2023/24 financial year. “This growth is attributed to licensing and subsequent launch of Starlink Internet Services Kenya earlier in the financial year,” the report says. Yet with these milestones, it is still a challenge to crack the informal sector and lower middle income segments of the market to expand the insurance coverage using technology. Liaison Group General Manager - Risk and Insurance Brian Rop says there are products that are being embraced easily by these segments of the market such as home insurance and last expense. Others are still hard to sell. “There are products that require special underwriting and those whose pricing is risk based. It is therefore difficult to simplify them for uptake at the digital market place,” he says. He adds that with the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its incorporation into businesses, players will soon be able to overcome the challenges of data gathering and processing which will enable accurate risk profiling. Apart from last expense and home insurance, health, motor, and business insurance, eh says are the other products that are gaining traction in the market. “It (last expense) comes with a no surprise that uptake of this product cuts across both the informal and lower middle class individuals. This can easily be attributed to the simplicity of the cover and the competitive cost attached with examples of Mfariji Cover by Laison Group,” he says. Mr Rop discusses how influential technology is in development of products saying such (products) respond to the financial realities of consumers. Combined with the fact that there were 22.71 million internet users in Kenya at the start of 2024, representing a penetration rate of 40.8 per cent, Mr Rop says technology made them open a digital shop, Insurance Online, to cater for this demographic, majority of whom are below 35 years. He notes that in 2023, the informal sector employed 16.7 million people which is 83.5 per cent of total employed individuals in the economy. These figures correspond to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) 2024 Economic Survey. “The uptake of products in our digital space by the informal market has been slow,” he says. “There is better traction in the lower middle class individuals that can majorly be attributed to better penetration in insurance knowledge, greater insurable interest and the amount of disposable income.” Data from the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) shows that insurance penetration stands at 2.3 per cent. This has been the figure since 2019 when it was 2.37 per cent, 2.30 per cent in 2020, 2.29 per cent in 2021, and 2.33 per cent in 2022. The 2024 KNBS Economy shows insurance subsector grew by 12.7 per cent in 2023 compared to 14.4 per cent in 2022. This figure was 26.9 per cent in 2021, 11.7 per cent in 2020 and 9.5 in 2019. KPMG, an audit and tax advisory firm, in an overview of the Kenya’s insurance sector cites the below three per cent penetration as the third lowest rate in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa leads with 17 per cent. “This is due to most of Kenya’s population perceiving insurance as ‘nice to have-easy to discard’ product rather than one that is essential,” says KPMG. Fraud cases that affect 25 per cent of claims, is cited as one of the challenges the sector faces in addition to cyber-attacks. “Companies offering insuretech services such as mobile claims and policy payment services and micro-insurance companies offering low cost products such as funeral and livestock insurance are most likely to succeed in the Kenyan market,” says KMPG. It has been asserted by industry players that the low insurance penetration in the country is a s a result of the country’s strong growth of the economy. “It is the economy that is growing much faster than insurance penetration,” said Kenya Re Group Managing Director Dr Hillary Wachinga during an interview on the sidelines of the CEO’s Summit that brought insurance sector players. This is confirmed by AKI who document the same in their 2020 industry report. “This figure(insurance penetration) has been decreasing since 2017 which could be due to GDP growing faster than insurance premiums,” reads the report.
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(TNS) — The University of Michigan seeks a combined $190 million from the state for a pair of projects spanning the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses. The university submitted the two requests in October through the state of Michigan’s capital outlay process, which offers funds for development projects at state agencies like public universities. Any requests made have to be approved by the state Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before moving forward. The university’s Board of Regents will likely approve the funding requests during its Thursday, Dec. 5 meeting in Ann Arbor. The state funding would come from the fiscal year 2026 budget. The Ann Arbor campus is seeking $150 million for funding the expansion and renovations to its School of Public Health located near the medical campus, The Dearborn campus is requesting $40 million to renovate its computer and information science building to update infrastructure, as well as building a small addition to aid the program, documents show. While the Flint campus did not submit a funding request for the 2026 fiscal year, it saw its $30-million request last year get approved to support the college of innovation and technology’s new project. “Over the years, the State of Michigan has made significant and strategic investments in all three University of Michigan campuses through its capital outlay program,” wrote Geoffrey Chatas, the university’s chief financial officer, in the action item for the regents meeting. “This support has been crucial to our efforts in providing an exemplary learning, teaching, and research environment, and we ook forward to future opportunities to partner with the State of Michigan.” The regents meeting is 3:30 p.m., Dec. 5 at the Ruthven Administration Building on the Ann Arbor campus. You can watch the livestream at . ©
Wall Street inches higher to set more recordsPercentages: FG .342, FT .688. 3-Point Goals: 6-26, .231 (Davis 2-5, Jennings 1-1, Ousmane 1-1, Avery 1-4, Keller 1-4, Dean 0-2, Thompson 0-2, Brantley 0-3, Newman 0-4). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 2 (Brantley, Ousmane). Turnovers: 14 (Jennings 3, Avery 2, Brantley 2, Ousmane 2, Davis, Dean, Keller, Newman, Thompson). Steals: 11 (Brantley 3, Dean 3, Avery 2, Davis, Jennings, Ousmane). Technical Fouls: Avery, 15:46 second. Percentages: FG .423, FT .714. 3-Point Goals: 7-23, .304 (Tandy 4-9, Carroll 1-2, Miller 1-2, Evans 1-3, Langenfeld 0-1, Moretti 0-1, Walker 0-2, Glenn 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Vokietaitis 3, Evans, Miller). Turnovers: 15 (Carroll 3, Miller 3, Moretti 3, Evans 2, Glenn 2, Vokietaitis, Walker). Steals: 5 (Walker 3, Evans, Glenn). Technical Fouls: Owls, 10:26 first; Miller, 5:17 first. .