New laws and rules coming to Ontario next yearAP Sports SummaryBrief at 3:45 p.m. ESTLisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mikaela Shiffrin suffers abrasion on hip during crash on final run of World Cup giant slalom
The alarm bells are ringing in Latin America. Chinese president Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Latin America caps off a decade of remarkable advances for China in the United States’ shared neighborhood. Both Xi and President Biden attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. Both then traveled to Brazil for the G20 Summit meeting. The public imagery of the two meetings said a lot about China’s advance in Latin America with little to no U.S. pushback. Organizers say the APEC group photo placed leaders in alphabetical order, with Xi Jinping next to leaders from Canada and Chile, but it might as well have been a metaphor for waning U.S. influence and lack of strategy in Latin America. Biden was placed in the back row, far from Peruvian president Dina Boluarte. Meanwhile, Xi beamed in the front row next to his Peruvian host. Beyond Xi’s participation in APEC meetings, he also inaugurated a $3.5 billion deepwater megaport in Chancay , just north of Lima. This Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project will increase connectivity between Beijing and South America, trimming shipping times for agricultural and mineral commodities by about 10 days and avoiding stops in either Mexico or Los Angeles. Offering a direct shipping lane from South America to mainland China, Chancay will serve as the fulcrum of a burgeoning maritime-land corridor between China and Latin America. China says this will benefit not just Peru but also surrounding countries, with planned infrastructure projects allowing Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Colombia to leverage the port, too. Previous CSIS research utilizing satellite imagery has also highlighted Chancay’s potential for dual use. The berths at the port are wide enough for the People’s Liberation Army to dock naval vessels, something that has raised the concerns of the U.S. Southern Command. To sum up the bad news of the past decade—the opening of Chancay is the culmination of more than a decade of ceding influence to China in Latin America. Trade between Beijing and the region grew tenfold over the past two decades, and China has emerged as the second-largest trade partner for the region after the United States. When factoring out Mexico, China easily takes the number one spot. Since 2018, 22 of 26 eligible countries have joined China’s signature BRI, and the holdouts, large countries like Brazil and major U.S. trade partners like Colombia , are openly contemplating BRI accession. The region has formed a core part of China’s Global South strategy, remaining “ non-aligned ” while pursuing the reform of international organizations and spearheading alternative visions of global order with institutions such as the BRICS. To sum up the good news of the moment—the secretary of state nominee, Senator Marco Rubio, has spent much of his time in the Senate thinking about Latin America, and the incoming national security adviser, Representative Michael Waltz, understands the region and speaks frequently about its dynamics. In a world with active conflicts in multiple other theaters, the Trump administration is still poised to pay lots of attention to Latin America. Its legacy in the region could—and should—be placing the United States on a more competitive path with China in Latin America through the development of a U.S. strategy for China in the region. China has advanced rapidly in just about every corner of the region, including in highly strategic ways that go beyond mere increases in bilateral trade. Here are a few salient points: Beyond these specific projects, of note is China’s advance in U.S. partner countries, as well as those that set out to decrease the role of China in their economies and shun Chinese investment where possible. Mexico comes immediately to mind in the category of partner countries. The United States’ largest trading partner has seen growing Chinese influence lately. Last year, Chinese companies announced nearly $13 billion in new investments, and there are well-founded concerns about the undercounting of Chinese investment. The Rhodium Group estimates that Chinese investment in Mexico may be six times higher than the level shown in official government statistics, lending credence to U.S. and Canadian concerns regarding a Chinese “ backdoor ” via the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to circumvent tariffs on imports. Colombia is another country in the former category of partner countries. Often referred to as the linchpin and the United States’ greatest strategic ally in the region, the election of leftist president Gustavo Petro has been a game changer for China-Colombia relations. Beyond an uptick in trade flows—China will soon overtake the United States as Colombia’s largest trade partner—Colombia under Petro has expressed an interest in acceding to the BRI and joining the BRICS Bank . The country seeks up to $40 billion in climate financing and has said it will go to China if the United States is unwilling to partner. Key infrastructure projects, such as the Bogota metro, will be built by Chinese state-owned enterprises. In Argentina, President Milei came to power criticizing China and vowing to reduce the country’s influence . Furthermore, the libertarian president has sought a close working relationship with President Trump. However, he now calls the PRC an “ interesting trade partner ” and held a bilateral meeting with Xi at the recent G20 Summit. The PRC maintains a direct credit line between the Chinese central bank and Argentina’s central bank, furnishing it with considerable influence over Argentina’s ability to pay back the International Monetary Fund. In other countries, unforced errors have contributed to diminished U.S. influence. In Guyana, the world’s newest petro state , the Biden administration blocked $180 million in infrastructure financing through the Inter-American Development Bank. Guyana’s remarkable economic growth—last year, it was the world’s fastest-growing economy —has been catalyzed by major offshore oil discoveries, the reason the Biden administration blocked the loan. China has since filled the void, which is all the more frustrating given Exxon Mobil made the original oil discovery, and the consortium that will soon be pumping nearly one million barrels of oil per day includes Hess Corporation, another U.S. company. These wounds are of the self-inflicted variety. While Brazil declined to join the BRI at the recent G20 Summit, the country “ recognized the relevance ” of the initiative and is likely to join in the future. Still, China and Brazil signed nearly 40 agreements at the G20, hailing a “new phase” in their bilateral relationship. Beyond trade, the two countries are accelerating cooperation in sensitive areas such as space exploration, with Chinese commercial space companies set to launch satellites from Brazil’s Alcantara Space Station. Simply put, the United States can no longer afford to engage in strategic neglect of its own shared neighborhood. For too long, China has been able to advance its geopolitical aims in a near strategic vacuum. For too long, the Chinese offer has been the best offer for partners and allies—too often because it has been the only offer. Any realistic strategy must start by recognizing several things. First, China is here to stay in Latin America. An effective U.S. strategy cannot have as its goal extricating China from the region. Second, an effective U.S. strategy must preserve core U.S. interests in Latin America and play to both the regions and the United States’ strengths. The region must remain a hub of vibrant democracies driven by market economies. Political and economic models that are explicitly anti-Western should find no safe haven in the Western Hemisphere. With these principles in mind, in previous work , CSIS has outlined a grand strategy for addressing China in Latin America that can be summarized: insulate, curtail, and compete. Insulate: China is a coercive actor. The PRC often seeks to coopt political leaders, utilize the weight of the Chinese economy, and/or punish those it sees as overly critical or disloyal. These strategies can be especially baleful in unconsolidated and developing democracies. In this context, the United States must identify vulnerabilities in Latin American democracies that the Chinese Communist Party is likely to exploit, and it must insulate those vulnerable points to keep China from making large strategic gains. Such examples include opportunities for corruption and cooptation in procurement and the tender process for large infrastructure projects. China’s authoritarian nature has not prevented it from developing a nuanced understanding of the dynamics present in Latin America’s democracies. Forcing China to settle for strategies that would, at best, see the PRC make incremental gains in Latin America would be a massive improvement over current policy, affording the United States more space and time to compete effectively. Curtail: The biggest cliché about China’s presence in Latin America is that “countries do not want to choose between partners.” While the United States should not be in the habit of dictating Latin America’s trade partners, there are select areas where both the U.S. and the regional strategic interest should be overriding. The strategic community has not found consensus on exactly which areas, but one is slowly coming into focus: semiconductors, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, green technology, critical minerals, and cloud computing, among others. In short, sectors where dominance in the industry will help to write the future rules of global economic governance. In these select areas, the United States should demand Latin American countries make strategic choices—and lay out those choices clearly. Seeking to curtail Chinese activity in the region could easily backfire, so keeping this area circumscribed and marrying it with competition is key. Competition: The United States has more free trade architecture in Latin America than any other region of the world. It has an array of development agencies at its disposal to galvanize investment and private sector interest, such as the U.S. Development Finance Corporation. And it possesses the largest number of voting shares in multilateral financial institutions, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Inter-American Development Bank, that can catalyze investment. When the United States seeks to curtail Chinese investment and activity in key industries, it must compete to put a viable, cost-competitive alternative on the table. If it does not, countries in the region will interpret our presence as filled with moral lessons but little else. In some cases, that alternative might be American, but it just as often might not be. The United States should work to bring more Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and European investment to the region, especially in sectors where the United States is less likely to invest or where partner countries can bring their comparative advantages. The next administration will face daunting international tasks. Resolving conflicts in multiple theaters will require considerable energy and political will. Yet, China’s advance in the United States’ shared neighborhood should be of critical concern. The bad news is how dramatically China has grown its presence in recent years; the good news is that it is not too late to push back and regain the U.S. foothold. The Trump administration should leave a legacy of placing the United States on a more competitive footing with China in Latin America. Ryan C. Berg is director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Sony and other game makers are running all kinds of Black Friday sales right now, allowing you to save on games, consoles, and plenty of accessories. However, one of the better offers still available is on the latest , which is on sale at , , and Sony’s for an all-time low of $374 ($75 off). It’s also available at as part of a bundle that includes some in-game cosmetics and other freebies. Alternatively, if you prefer your console to come with its disc drive (instead of having to potentially add one later), you can get a for $424 (regularly $499) at , , , and (in that same bundle). , the ongoing promo should last through the holidays. So, while you may have time to mull it over, there’s no guarantee your preferred retailer (or the one you collect rewards points from) will have it in stock the whole time. The PlayStation 5 Digital doesn’t come with a disc drive, but you can buy one separately if you later decide you want one. The console otherwise plays all of the same games as the version equipped with a disc drive. Sony’s new standard PlayStation 5 includes a removable disc drive, dual front-facing USB-C ports, 1TB of storage, and a slightly smaller and lighter design. The PS5 has been with us for more than four years now, so it’s built up an expansive lineup of 4K-capable games and now offers a little something for everyone. It may not seem as special now that the is out, but at this discounted price, the PS5 “slim” is almost half the cost of a $699 Pro (and even with the Pro, ). The regular PS5s may not have the same level of graphical performance as the Pro, but in the end, they all play the same games. And if you’re not the type to notice or care about the tiniest of details when it comes to resolution, frame rate, or extras like raytraced lighting, the difference between a PS5 and PS5 Pro may not be very stark. / /
ATLANTA , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- KORE Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: KORE) ("KORE" or the "Company"), the global pure-play Internet of Things ("IoT") hyperscaler and provider of IoT Connectivity, Solutions, and Analytics, today announced it has received notification (the "Acceptance Letter") from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") that the NYSE has accepted the Company's previously-submitted plan (the "Plan") to regain compliance with the NYSE's continued listing standards set forth in Section 802.01B of the NYSE Listed Company Manual relating to minimum market capitalization and stockholders' equity. In the Acceptance Letter, the NYSE granted the Company an 18-month period from September 12, 2024 (the "Plan Period") to regain compliance with the continued listing standards. As part of the Plan, the Company is required to provide the NYSE quarterly updates regarding its progress towards the goals and initiatives in the Plan. In the Plan, Kore included details regarding previously reported operational restructuring activities, as well as an outlook on the Company's business. The Company expects its common stock will continue to be listed on the NYSE during the Plan Period, subject to the Company adherence to the Plan and compliance with other applicable NYSE continued listing standards. The Company's receipt of such notification from the NYSE does not affect the Company's business, operations or reporting requirements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "guidance," "project," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expected progress with the Company's compliance plan submitted to the NYSE, expected compliance with continued listing standards of the NYSE and expected continued listing of the Company's common stock on the NYSE. These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of KORE's management. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor or other person as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of KORE. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including general economic, financial, legal, political and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; the potential effects of COVID-19; risks related to the rollout of KORE's business and the timing of expected business milestones; risks relating to the integration of KORE's acquired companies, including the acquisition of Twilio's IoT business, changes in the assumptions underlying KORE's expectations regarding its future business; our ability to negotiate and sign a definitive contract with a customer in our sales funnel; our ability to realize some or all of estimates relating to customer contracts as revenue, including any contractual options available to customers or contractual periods that are subject to termination for convenience provisions; the effects of competition on KORE's future business; and the outcome of judicial proceedings to which KORE is, or may become a party. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that KORE presently does not know or that KORE currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect KORE's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. KORE anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause these assessments to change. However, while KORE may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, KORE specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing KORE's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. KORE Investor Contact: Vik Vijayvergiya Vice President, IR, Corporate Development and Strategy vvijayvergiya@korewireless.com (770) 280-0324 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kore-announces-nyse-acceptance-of-plan-to-regain-listing-compliance-302338621.html SOURCE KORE Group Holdings, Inc.Polls close in Ghana's general election in the shadow of the worst economic crisis in a generationAMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Quinton Mincey had 27 points in UMass-Lowell's 96-83 victory over UMass on Saturday. Mincey added six rebounds for the River Hawks (6-4). Martin Somerville scored 22 points and added five assists. Yuri Covington had 19 points and shot 5 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 8 from the line. Jayden Ndjigue led the way for the Minutemen (3-7) with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jaylen Curry added 17 points and two steals for UMass. Marqui Worthy finished with 15 points. UMass-Lowell took a 17-13 lead in the first half with a 10-0 run. Led by 12 first-half points from Covington, UMass-Lowell carried a 40-38 lead into the break. UMass-Lowell took the lead for what would be the final time on Xzavier Lino's jump shot with 15:41 left in the contest. His team would outscore UMass by 11 points in the final half. UMass-Lowell plays Wednesday against LIU at home, and UMass hosts UMass-Boston on Saturday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Strictly Come Dancing fans were left in disbelief after Tess Daly's "embarrassing" remark to Chris McCausland . During Musicals Week, Chris and his dance partner Dianne Buswell performed a Quickstep to a number from Anything Goes. However, the mood shifted when Tess was heard saying to Chris and Dianne as they approached her, "can you see how happy she is with you". This comment sparked outrage among viewers, as Chris is visually impaired due to retinitis pigmentosa. Fans expressed their dismay on social media, with one commenting: "No Tess, Chris can't see how happy he made Dianne...... #strictly." Another stated: "Surely Tess didn't just ask Chris 'can you see how happy she is with you? ' #Strictly." A third viewer posted: "Tess saying to Chris 'can you see how happy she is? '....um no Tess, he can't #Strictly," while another remarked: "Tess just asked Chris if he could see how happy Diane was...." One more added: "did tess actually just say 'can you see how happy she is with you' to chris. a blind man." Another wrote: "Did um...did Tess really just ask 'can you see how happy she is with you?'" Chris has previously shared that he was "terrified" about being the first blind contestant to take part in the show. He discussed how his blindness is a hereditary condition, but he's determined to make it a manageable aspect of his life. Speaking to Big Issue, he shared: "Being blind wasn't just something that happened to me, it was hereditary. Nan was blind, my mum was losing her sight. It was always treated as just part of life, so you get on with it. That's fed into my way of viewing it. "But I did always think, things are moving so fast, we've got the internet now, surely there will be a cure and I'll be able to see by the time I'm 30. I mean 40. I mean... and it just moves on and on." He added: "When you're losing your sight gradually, there's never a clear moment when you are forced to deal with it. I'd refuse to be associated with things connected to it, like, 'I'm not using a stick, I'm going to pretend I can see'. But you get into more trouble pretending there's nothing wrong. It wasn't until I lost my sight completely that I accepted it." * Strictly Come Dancing airs Sunday night on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.