UCF will attempt to shake off a dreadful offensive performance when it collides with LSU on Sunday afternoon in the third-place game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The Knights (4-1) couldn't get anything going against No. 19 Wisconsin on Friday, going 21-for-62 from the field (33.9 percent) and just 2-for-17 from 3-point range (11.8 percent) en route to an 86-70 loss. Jordan Ivy-Curry finished with 13 points while Keyshawn Hall and Dior Johnson added 11 apiece for UCF, which never led and fell behind by as many as 23. Knights coach Johnny Dawkins is hoping that his team's struggles don't carry over into the meeting with the Tigers (4-1). "We have to do better offensively," Dawkins said. "We have to space the floor better. We have to balance our offense between our perimeter and our bigs. Those are things that we didn't do consistently (on Friday)." LSU also needs to clean things up after committing 15 turnovers in a 74-63 setback against Pitt on Friday. Tigers forward Jalen Reed doesn't believe giving the ball away will be a lingering issue. "I feel like a lot of our turnovers were more on us than them," Reed said. "I feel like a lot of the turnovers were careless, but we're a better team than that and I feel like we'll take care of the ball better moving forward." Reed and Vyctorius Miller each posted 14 points in the loss to the Panthers, with Reed also hauling in seven rebounds. Cam Carter chipped in 11 points. Carter is putting up a team-leading 16.4 points per game. Jordan Sears (12.0 points per game), Reed (11.0) and Miller (10.2) also have scoring averages in double figures. Ivy-Curry (16.8 points per game), Hall (16.2) and Darius Johnson (13.0) have been leading the way for UCF. Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between the Knights and Tigers. --Field Level Media
Magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes Ilocos NorteThe Bitcoin rally sparked by US President-elect Donald Trump ’s election victory in early November is stalling as 2024 draws to a close. The digital asset wavered at $93,678 as of 7:53 a.m. on Monday in Singapore, about $15,000 below the record high set in mid-December. Smaller tokens like Ether and meme-crowd favorite Dogecoin also struggled for traction. Trump’s preference for crypto friendly regulations and support for the idea of a national Bitcoin reserve lifted digital assets. But scaled back expectations for interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have cooled the speculative frenzy. Also read: Montenegro to extradite crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon to US More clarity on the US crypto regime is likely to emerge after Trump assumes power on Jan. 20. The Republican’s stance contrasts with President Joe Biden’s administration, which cracked down on the scandal-prone sector. Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone Group, said “the momentum has come out of the post-election move” in Bitcoin, partly due to outflows from exchange-traded funds for the token. Meanwhile, software maker turned Bitcoin accumulator MicroStrategy Inc. has been on a buying spree in the past few weeks. Traders are waiting to see if the company — which owns more than $40 billion of the digital asset — will continue a pattern of announcing Bitcoin purchases on Mondays. Also read: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin? The original cryptocurrency has climbed roughly 120% this year, outstripping traditional investments such as global stocks and gold. Bitcoin also more than doubled in 2023 in a comeback from a deep bear market.
Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson spent their first holiday together amid their whirlwind romance. Anderson, 37, joined Trump, 46, for his family’s Christmas dinner on Wednesday, December 25, at Mar-A-Lago in Florida, according to a social media photo . They sat at a table with his father, president-elect Donald Sr. , stepmother Melania and brother Barron. Anderson shared a close-up glimpse at her festive frock via Instagram Stories the next day. In a Thursday, December 26, mirror selfie, the influencer popped in a red midi-length Damaris Bailey dress with black heels and a coordinating clutch. Anderson accessorized her look with a golden cross necklace, a watch and an armful of bangles. For glam, she wore her hair in loose waves that cascaded over one shoulder. Anderson also added a red heart emoji to her upload, which she set to Vladimir Takinov ’s “The Christmas Spirit.” Us Weekly confirmed earlier this month that Trump started dating Anderson after calling off his engagement from ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle. “It’s a new relationship. He likes her a lot and has a lot of respect for her,” the source exclusively told Us , noting that Trump is “smitten.” A second insider further told Us in December that their romance is “different” than Trump’s relationship with Guilfoyle, 55. “When it comes to his relationship with Bettina it’s just about them ,” the second source said. “He wants a partner. She doesn’t need anything from him and just wants to be with him.” Trump was married to ex-wife Vanessa, with whom he shares five children, between 2008 and 2018. Later that year, Trump moved on with Guilfoyle. While Trump proposed to the TV broadcaster in 2020, they only publicized news of their engagement in 2022 during his sister Tiffany ’s wedding to Michael Boulos . Trump and Guilfoyle split ahead of the November presidential election, ultimately ending on amicable terms. You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News “Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond,” Trump said in a December 13 statement . “I could not be more proud of her and the important role she’ll continue to play [as U.S. ambassador to Greece].” He added, “She’s been an undefeated prosecutor, national TV news star, a leader of the MAGA movement and close advisor to the president. The people of Greece are getting an absolute star and now the whole world will see it more than ever.” Donald Sr., 78, recently named Guilfoyle as his pick for the Grecian ambassadorship when his second presidential term begins in January 2025.Cowboys G Zack Martin, CB Trevon Diggs out vs. Commanders
Xavier Bell scores 29 to lead Wichita State over Friends University 87-72Unproven remedies: Tata Memorial Hospital slams Sidhu’s viral ‘diet cure’ cancer claimDisable These Unnecessary Windows Services to Boost PC Speed
Jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign.The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8-Core desktop processor is currently available on Amazon for Black Friday at a record low price of $130, which is a massive discount of 59% off its original list price of $319 . This processor is a geat choice for gamers and content creators and it delivers robust performance. See at Amazon For those considering this purchase during the Black Friday sales, Amazon offers two key benefits: a price guarantee that ensures you receive the best deal throughout the Black Friday period—if the price drops further after your purchase, Amazon will refund the difference—and an extended return policy allowing returns until January 31, 2025. This flexibility makes it an excellent option for holiday gift shopping. Great Performance The Ryzen 7 5700X features eight cores and sixteen threads which allows it to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with ease. Built on AMD’s advanced Zen 3 architecture using a 7nm manufacturing process , this processor delivers great performance improvements over its predecessors. The base clock speed is set at 3.4 GHz (with the ability to boost up to 4.6 GHz when needed) and makes it ideal for both gaming and productivity tasks. Additionally, it includes 32MB of L3 cache which helps in speeding up data access for frequently used applications. The Ryzen 7 5700X has an unlocked design which allows users to overclock the processor for even greater performance if desired. This feature is appealing for those who want to push their hardware to the limits. However, it’s important to note that the processor does not come with an integrated graphics unit, meaning that users will need a dedicated graphics card to fully utilize its capabilities. The Ryzen 7 5700X is compatible with AM4 socket motherboards and supports PCIe Gen 4 technology which provides faster data transfer speeds between the CPU and other components like SSDs and GPUs. It also supports DDR4 memory up to 3200 MHz so that users can take advantage of high-speed RAM for improved system responsiveness. In practical terms, the Ryzen 7 5700X is designed to excel in various scenarios: for gamers, it can handle modern titles at high settings while maintaining smooth frame rates. Its multi-threading capabilities also make it suitable for content creation tasks such as video editing and rendering where multiple cores can significantly reduce processing times. See at Amazon
Law targets 'weaponizing' of remote control GPS in vehicles against domestic violence survivors
BRADFORD district hospitals made more than £2m in parking charges in 2023-24, new figures have revealed. Figures from NHS England reveal that Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust earned £1.2 million in car parking fees in the year to March 2024. Of this, £488,000 was from parking for staff, with the remaining £684,000 for patients and visitors. Meanwhile, the data shows the trust spent £170,000 on parking services over the same period, meaning in total it made £1 million from parking. Parking at Airedale Hospital (Image: Newsquest) Figures also revealed that Airedale NHS Foundation Trust earned £1.3 million in car parking fees during the same period. Of this, £47,000 was from parking for staff, with the remaining £1.2 million for patients and visitors. Airedale spent £73,000 on parking services over the same period, meaning in total it made £1.2 million from parking. A union representative has said hospital workers are “on their knees” and charging them to park is like “kicking them when they are down”. Both Bradford and Airedale representatives have said that the fees are used to maintain parking facilities, with surplus reinvested back into patient care. Bradford Teaching Hospitals also said its staff car parking charges are one of the lowest across the NHS. A spokesperson said: “Car parking charges at Bradford Teaching Hospitals cover the costs of maintaining and operating our parking facilities. “This includes upkeep, security, lighting and other associated services, ensuring these facilities remain safe and accessible for all users. “Any surplus generated from parking fees is reinvested back into patient care. “We always aim to keep charges as low as possible. Our staff car parking charges remain one of the lowest across the NHS and are significantly reduced compared to public parking rates. “Free parking is available for staff working overnight shifts.” A spokesperson for the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said: “Revenue from car parking is reinvested into the maintenance and safety of our car parks, and any surplus is invested in patient services. “We've installed electric car charging points for staff, patients and visitors to support sustainability. “We regularly upgrade our CCTV and security, making parking safer for patients, visitors and staff. “We have also installed car park information screens to inform people which car parks have available spaces around the site. “Our recently upgraded electronic car parking system is a more sustainable, environmentally friendly system, which has moved from the outdated plastic chip coin system to ANPR to allow entry into the car parks. “We have recently built a 100-space deck car park for staff, which opened last summer, to make it easier for our staff and therefore our patients to park: alleviating pressure on the spaces across the site and helping patients to get to their appointments on time.” The figures show there were 2,612 available parking spaces across Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust and 1,826 available parking spaces at Airedale Hospital. Across England, NHS trusts made a net revenue of £165.6m from parking charges. This was from a total of £242.8m in car parking fees, after spending £77.2m to run parking services. This included £70.5m charged to NHS staff. GMB, a union which represents thousands of NHS staff, says workers deserve better. The union's national secretary, Rachel Harrison, said NHS workers have suffered "rocketing workloads, chronic understaffing and the fallout from a global pandemic". She said: "Health workers are on their knees – they need help and support. Charging them to park is kicking them while they are down." The GMB is calling on the Government and NHS employers to scrap staff car parking charges. Patricia Marquis, executive director for England of the Royal College of Nurses, said: "Nursing staff provide a vital public service and often work unsocial hours and in places where public transport is not always possible. "They shouldn’t be forced to spend a significant portion of their wages just to park at work." She added all staff should be able to access "safe, sustainable and affordable" transport, and urged employers and local authorities to work together on the issue. NHS England said revenue from parking is put towards other services provided by trusts. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Hospital car park charges are the responsibility of individual NHS trusts, however any charges must be reasonable and in line with the local area. "Free parking is available for all NHS staff who work overnight."Dow, S&P 500 end at record highs(The Center Square) – House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has opened an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency over reports that it discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Comer said whistleblower reports suggest anti-Trump discrimination is rampant and has been going on for years. “[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years,’” Comer said in a letter to FEMA. The investigation comes after FEMA fired one of its hurricane response supervisors after news went viral that she told her workers to avoid “Trump houses.” However, that employee has publicly said she was only following orders and acting according to the culture at FEMA. Comer and more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell demanding documentation, from internal policies to spending figures to incident reports. Lawmakers have pointed toward more anonymous sources backing up the fired employee’s claims. “Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing," the letter said. "This individual informed the Committee that a FEMA contractor warned a disabled veteran’s family in Georgia to remove Trump campaign materials from their home because FEMA supervisors viewed Trump supporters as domestic terrorists. At a hearing this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pointed to 35 of his constituents who shared similar stories with him. Lawmakers grilled Criswell over the discrimination reports at the hearing as well as FEMA’s recent focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts, something FEMA named as its number one goal in its latest strategic report. Lawmakers also raised concerns about the agency spending hundreds of millions of dollars on helping migrants. Defenders of FEMA have said the migrant funds do not take directly from disaster relief, while critics insist it shows missplaced priorities for the emergency relief agency. “In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., said at the hearing, as The Center Square previously reported . “This past year it was $641 million, and this money is largely distributed through NGOs...and this was to house illegal aliens," she added. "Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes." At the hearing this week, Criswell also said she will request the Inspector General investigate the question of political discrimination at FEMA. She also said she does not think this fired employee is indicative of a broader problem in the agency but is looking into it. Criswell said FEMA workers went back to the homes that were skipped over by the fired employee and promised to ensure it doesn't happen again. “The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter said. “If they are true, they would corroborate concerns that political discrimination extends beyond [the fired FEMA employee]. Furthermore, they suggest an apparent culture, whether sanctioned or not, within FEMA to politically discriminate against disaster survivors, specifically those who support President-elect Donald Trump.”Operations teams have confirmed NASA’s mission to “touch” the Sun survived its record-breaking closest approach to the solar surface on Dec. 24, 2024. Breaking its previous record by flying just 3.8 million miles above the surface of the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe hurtled through the solar atmosphere at a blazing 430,000 miles per hour — faster than any human-made object has ever moved. A beacon tone received late on Dec. 26 confirmed the spacecraft had made it through the encounter safely and is operating normally. This pass, the first of more to come at this distance, allows the spacecraft to conduct unrivaled scientific measurements with the potential to change our understanding of the Sun. Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star. Nicky fox NASA Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate "Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star,” said Nicky Fox, who leads the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By studying the Sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth and in space, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe to aid in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet.” Parker Solar Probe has spent the last six years setting up for this moment. Launched in 2018, the spacecraft used seven flybys of Venus to gravitationally direct it ever closer to the Sun. With its last Venus flyby on Nov. 6, 2024, the spacecraft reached its optimal orbit. This oval-shaped orbit brings the spacecraft an ideal distance from the Sun every three months — close enough to study our Sun’s mysterious processes but not too close to become overwhelmed by the Sun’s heat and damaging radiation. The spacecraft will remain in this orbit for the remainder of its primary mission. “Parker Solar Probe is braving one of the most extreme environments in space and exceeding all expectations,” said Nour Rawafi, the project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), which designed, built, and operates the spacecraft from its campus in Laurel, Maryland. “This mission is ushering a new golden era of space exploration, bringing us closer than ever to unlocking the Sun’s deepest and most enduring mysteries.” Close to the Sun, the spacecraft relies on a carbon foam shield to protect it from the extreme heat in the upper solar atmosphere called the corona, which can exceed 1 million degrees Fahrenheit. The shield was designed to reach temperatures of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt steel — while keeping the instruments behind it shaded at a comfortable room temperature. In the hot but low-density corona, the spacecraft’s shield is expected to warm to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s monumental to be able to get a spacecraft this close to the Sun,” said John Wirzburger, the Parker Solar Probe mission systems engineer at APL. “This is a challenge the space science community has wanted to tackle since 1958 and had spent decades advancing the technology to make it possible.” By flying through the solar corona, Parker Solar Probe can take measurements that help scientists better understand how the region gets so hot, trace the origin of the solar wind (a constant flow of material escaping the Sun), and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to half the speed of light. “The data is so important for the science community because it gives us another vantage point,” said Kelly Korreck, a program scientist at NASA Headquarters and heliophysicist who worked on one of the mission’s instruments. “By getting firsthand accounts of what’s happening in the solar atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe has revolutionized our understanding of the Sun.” Previous passes have already aided scientists’ understanding of the Sun. When the spacecraft first passed into the solar atmosphere in 2021, it found the outer boundary of the corona is wrinkled with spikes and valleys, contrary to what was expected. Parker Solar Probe also pinpointed the origin of important zig-zag-shaped structures in the solar wind, called switchbacks, at the visible surface of the Sun — the photosphere. Since that initial pass into the Sun, the spacecraft has been spending more time in the corona, where most of the critical physical processes occur. “We now understand the solar wind and its acceleration away from the Sun,” said Adam Szabo, the Parker Solar Probe mission scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This close approach will give us more data to understand how it’s accelerated closer in.” Parker Solar Probe has also made discoveries across the inner solar system. Observations showed how giant solar explosions called coronal mass ejections vacuum up dust as they sweep across the solar system, and other observations revealed unexpected findings about solar energetic particles . Flybys of Venus have documented the planet’s natural radio emissions from its atmosphere, as well as the first complete image of its orbital dust ring . So far, the spacecraft has only transmitted that it’s safe, but soon it will be in a location that will allow it to downlink the data it collected on this latest solar pass. The data that will come down from the spacecraft will be fresh information about a place that we, as humanity, have never been. Joe Westlake Heliophysics Division Director, NASA Headquarters “The data that will come down from the spacecraft will be fresh information about a place that we, as humanity, have never been,” said Joe Westlake, the director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “It’s an amazing accomplishment.” The spacecraft’s next planned close solar passes come on March 22, 2025, and June 19, 2025. By Mara Johnson-Groh NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Sarah Frazier
BAKE Cheese Tart Returns To Singapore: A Freshly Baked Delight From Hokkaido Media Outreach Newswire APACNo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not announced plans to ban Hershey's chocolateFlag football uses talent camps to uncover new stars
From Vinesh Phogat's Disqualification To CSK's Defeat Against RCB: 5 Heartbreaking Moments Of 2024JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
FEMA under investigation over Trump supporter discriminationKolkata Fatafat Result Today: Kolkata FF Result for December 30, 2024 Declared, Check Winning Numbers and Result Chart of Satta Matka-Type Lottery GameGlobal Garment Inventory Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Fishbowl, Oracle Corporation, Priority Software, Prodsmart, Deskera
FEMA under investigation over Trump supporter discriminationUS sanctions founder of Georgia’s ruling political party