
Australia facing grim situation in Adelaide Test but Justin Langer tips ‘fightback’BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State on Monday in the Idaho Potato Bowl. Dimopoulos, who played quarterback in high school, also converted the two-point conversion when he passed it to quarterback Josh Holst for his second completion of the season. Holst, a freshman walk-on, was making just his third start at quarterback as NIU was without starter Ethan Hampton, who entered with 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with six interceptions. Holst completed 18 of 30 passes for 182 and two touchdowns for Northern Illinois (8-5). He was also intercepted on the first play of the game. Both teams missed a 35-yard field goal in the final three minutes of regulation, including Dylan Lynch’s third miss of the game on the final play to send it to overtime. Fresno State started overtime with a touchdown when Bryson Donelson was left wide open out of the backfield to haul in a 9-yard touchdown pass. NIU needed five plays, and a defensive holding penalty, to score as Holst found Grayson Barnes for a 3-yard touchdown. RELATED COVERAGE Hajj-Malik Williams throws 2 TDs passes to help No. 24 UNLV beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl Mike Shula is back in the SEC at South Carolina after nearly two decades since Alabama fired him College Football Playoff picks: SMU, Clemson, Vols, Hoosiers beware as CFP opens on campus Donelson finished with 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (6-7). He added three catches for 28 yards and another score. Dual-threat quarterback Joshua Wood was 16 of 23 for 180 yards and a touchdown. Mac Dalena made six catches for 118 yards to help go over 1,000 yards for the season. Fresno State was without 14 players, including starting quarterback Mikey Keene after he transferred to Michigan. Two top-three receivers, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, also did not play as the Bulldogs were forced to use five new starters. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballAmazon To Meta: These Companies Are Donating Huge Amounts To Trump's 2025 Inaugural Fund
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US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal be returned to Washington, complaining of "unfair" treatment of American ships and hinting at China's growing influence. Here are five things to know about the waterway connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The 80-kilometer (50-mile) interoceanic waterway is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous public entity. The Central American nation's constitution describes the canal as an "inalienable heritage of the Panamanian nation" that is open to vessels "of all nations." The United States is its main user, accounting for 74 percent of cargo, followed by China with 21 percent. Panama's government sets the price of tolls based on canal needs and international demand. Rates depends on a vessel's cargo capacity. "The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union, nor the United States or any other power," Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said Sunday as he dismissed Trump's threat. All vessels, including warships and submarines, are given a Panama Canal pilot. Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903 is linked to the canal. Following the failure of French count Ferdinand de Lesseps to open a channel through the isthmus, the United States promoted the separation of the province of Panama and signed a treaty with the nascent country that ceded land and water in perpetuity to build it. After 10 years of construction and an investment of $380 million, the canal was inaugurated on August 15, 1914 with the transit of the steamer Ancon. Some 25,000 deaths from disease and accidents were recorded during its construction. The canal "is part of our history" and "an irreversible achievement," Mulino said. Washington's establishment of a "Canal Zone" -- an enclave with its own military bases, police and justice system -- gave rise to decades of demands by Panamanians to reunify the country and take control of the waterway. In 1977, Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos and US president Jimmy Carter signed treaties that allowed the canal to be transferred to Panama on December 31, 1999. "Any attempt to reverse this historic achievement not only dishonors our struggle, but is also an insult to the memory of those who made it possible," former president Martin Torrijos, the general's son, wrote on social media. Under the treaties, supported by more than 40 countries, the canal is deemed neutral and any ship can pass through. The only conditions are that ships must comply with safety regulations and military vessels from countries at war must not pass through at the same time. Unlike Egypt's Suez Canal, the Panama Canal operates using freshwater stored in two reservoirs. A drought led to a reduction in the number of transits in 2023, but the situation has since normalized. The canal, which has a system of locks to raise and lower vessels, transformed global shipping. Crafts can travel between the two oceans in about eight hours without having to sail all the way around Cape Horn, the southern tip of the Americas. The canal allows a ship to shave 20,300 kilometers off a journey from New York to San Francisco. Five percent of world maritime trade passes through the canal, which connects more than 1,900 ports in 170 countries. By the early 21st century, it had become too small, so it was expanded between 2009 and 2016. Today, the canal can accommodate ships up to 366 meters long and 49 meters wide (1,200 feet by 161 feet) -- equivalent to almost four football pitches. It generates six percent of Panama's national economic output and since 2000 has pumped more than $28 billion into state coffers. More than 11,200 ships transited the canal in the last fiscal year carrying 423 million tons of cargo. jjr/fj/dr/mlmAgartala, Dec 21, 2024 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Union Cabinet recently decided to establish three semiconductor units in the northeast for the development of the semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem which would create 20,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect job opportunities. While addressing the 72nd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), the Home Minister said that one of the three semiconductor units, Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Private Limited, would be set up in Assam with an investment of approximately Rs 27,000 crore, which would be the largest investment so far. Shah said that keeping this future potential in mind, the Union Ministry of Education is preparing courses in collaboration with universities in the northeast to equip the youth with relevant education and knowledge. He emphasised that this would generate a large number of jobs for the youth in all eight states of the Northeast. The Home Minister said that in the last 10 years, due to the unprecedented development of infrastructure in the northeast, not only has the physical distance been reduced, but Prime Minister Modi has also worked to bridge the distance between the people of this region and Delhi. Shah said that when Prime Minister Modi gave priority to the Northeast himself, it naturally became the priority of the entire central government. Noting that today the northeast region is on the path of development despite much diversity, he said that 10 years ago, more than 200 tribal groups and more than 195 dialects and languages of the region had become our weakness in a way, causing different kinds of conflicts. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has done the work of converting that weakness into strength and power and more than 200 tribal groups, due to their cultural diversity, have become the centre of attraction for the entire world, and over 195 dialects and languages have contributed to making the northeast one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. The Home Minister said that there are more than 7,500 species of flowers in the northeast alone, along with various types of wildlife and water resources. The Modi government has made significant efforts over the past 10 years to preserve these natural diversities and transform the region into a preferred tourist destination, he added. Shah mentioned that during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) was established. Saying that the Modi government has left no stone unturned in preserving the culture of the northeast, he mentioned that it was the Modi government that worked to include most languages from the northeast in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. He noted that now, it is time to give a big push to the country’s efforts to become a 5 trillion dollar economy through the development of the northeast region. Shah mentioned that for this, the ministries of DONER and the North Eastern Council (NEC) are working to implement the mantra of “Act East, Act Fast, and Act First.” The Union Home Minister said that over the past 50 years, the NEC has served as an important platform for discussing the aspirations, needs, and potential solutions to challenges, and has worked to become the blueprint for the development of the Northeast. He stated that in the last 10 years, violent incidents in the northeast have reduced by 71 per cent, and civilian deaths have reduced by 86 per cent. He added that nearly 10,574 insurgents have surrendered, and due to several peace agreements, the Central Government has succeeded in establishing peace across the northeast. Shah said that the allocation under the PM-DevINE scheme was approximately Rs 6600 crore, but it would soon be increased to Rs 9,000 crore. He mentioned that for the development of the northeast, more than 111 projects, including roads, power, education, healthcare services, sports infrastructure, and tourism are being implemented. He added that from 2014-15, the budget for the northeast has increased by 153 per cent, and through the Bamboo Mission, the government has set an ambitious goal to make the entire northeast prosperous. Regarding the flood problem in the northeast states, the Home Minister said that by using technology to create pathways in the natural course, the budget for constructing roads could be reduced by at least 30 per cent.(Agency)
Resorts World Las Vegas Establishes Board of Directors with Jim Murren as Chairman, Appoints Alex Dixon as Chief Executive OfficerDALLAS, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beneficient (NASDAQ: BENF) (“Ben” or the “Company”), a technology-enabled platform providing exit opportunities and primary capital solutions and related trust and custody services to holders of alternative assets through its proprietary online platform AltAccess, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Mercantile Bank International Corp. (“Mercantile Bank”), a Puerto Rico-based International Financial Entity (“IFE”), in exchange for an aggregate purchase price of $1.5 million, which is payable in up to approximately 2.1 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and cash. “We are very excited about the potential avenues for revenue growth that would be facilitated through this acquisition,” said Beneficient. “Acquiring Mercantile Bank would enable the Company to offer an expanded range of companion custody and other fee-based services that complement our existing businesses on a broader scale with the potential to generate additional cash flow in the near term. Our objective is to deliver additional alternative asset custody services to customers with the potential to generate higher fee rates than are generally available for traditional custody services. We also believe the acquisition has the potential to enhance and broaden our current offerings in ways that may open new international opportunities, allowing us to further democratize the market for illiquid alternative assets.” IFEs are licensed and regulated by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (the “OCIF”) and may provide specific banking and other financial activity from Puerto Rico for persons, entities, and organizations around the globe that are non-residents of Puerto Rico. An IFE’s authorized activities may include custody, clearing, and payments and related traditional and digital products and services and, as approved by the OCIF, traditional banking services, such as deposits, lending, investments, and trusts. Upon closing of the acquisition, the Company, which has primarily focused on meeting the needs of individual investors and small-to-midsized institutions, expects to expand its offering of custody services to also address the current needs of large institutional investors and the growing needs of third-party alternative trading systems and foreign securities exchanges. The acquisition would position Ben to offer alternative asset custody services that include, among other potential items, a companion line of business focused on issuing depositary receipts to assist holders of foreign investments gain access to the capital markets of additional international jurisdictions. The Company believes these alternative asset custody services may yield higher fee assessments than more traditional custody offerings. The Company expects this companion business line to begin generating custody and depositary receipt issuance fee-based revenue and cash flow during calendar year 2025 that it would deploy to fund Ben’s ongoing operations and ultimately our core alternative asset liquidity product offerings. The acquisition reflects Beneficient’s execution on its objective of expanding its alternative asset custody fee-based service offerings to third parties and institutional investors. Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among other things, approval by OCIF, and is anticipated to be completed in the second calendar quarter of 2025. About Beneficient Beneficient (Nasdaq: BENF) – Ben, for short – is on a mission to democratize the global alternative asset investment market by providing traditionally underserved investors − mid-to-high net worth individuals, small-to-midsized institutions and General Partners seeking exit options, anchor commitments and valued-added services for their funds− with solutions that could help them unlock the value in their alternative assets. Ben’s AltQuoteTM tool provides customers with a range of potential exit options within minutes, while customers can log on to the AltAccess® portal to explore opportunities and receive proposals in a secure online environment. Its subsidiary, Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, L.L.C., received its charter under the State of Kansas’ Technology-Enabled Fiduciary Financial Institution (TEFFI) Act and is subject to regulatory oversight by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. For more information, visit www.trustben.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Contacts Matt Kreps: 214-597-8200, mkreps@darrowir.com Michael Wetherington: 214-284-1199, mwetherington@darrowir.com Investor Relations: investors@beneficient.com Disclaimer and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can be generally identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and, in each case, their negative or other various or comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements relating to the anticipated timing of closing the acquisition, benefits of the acquisition and the Company’s anticipated product and service offerings following the closing of the acquisition. These forward-looking statements reflect our views with respect to future events as of the date of this document and are based on our management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts, projections, assumptions, beliefs and information. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. All such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control, and could cause future events or results to be materially different from those stated or implied in this document. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. These risks include, but are not limited to, the ultimate outcome of the acquisition; the Company’s ability to consummate the acquisition in a timely manner or at all; the ability of the parties to satisfy the closing conditions to the acquisition; the possibility that the Company may be unable to successfully integrate Mercantile Bank’s operations with those of the Company or realize the expected benefits of the acquisition; the possibility that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming, or costly than expected; the risk that operating costs, customer loss, and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, contractors, and customers) may be greater than expected following the acquisition or the public announcement of the acquisition; the Company’s ability to retain certain key employees of Mercantile Bank; the ability to launch and receive market acceptance for new products and services; and risks related to the entry into a new line of business; the risk factors that are described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this document and in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.Advisory council okays draft of new cyber security actAdvisory council okays draft of new cyber security act
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