Bears interim coach Thomas Brown insists he's focused on task at hand and not what his future holdsVilla came into the game winless in eight matches in all competitions but they jumped back into the top half of the Premier League with a scintillating performance in the opening 45 minutes. Unai Emery has never gone nine matches without a win as manager but Brentford never posed a threat to prolong that run as Villa cashed in on a dominant first period with goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash. Brentford have only managed one point away from home all season and Mikkel Damsgaard’s effort after the break proved to be in vain as their miserable run on the road continued. Tyrone Mings made his first start in the Premier League since August 2023 in place of Pau Torres while Leon Bailey was brought into the side following their heavy loss to Chelsea. Bees boss Thomas Frank opted for Vitaly Janelt and Yehor Yarmoliuk over Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen. Kevin Schade completed his first career hat-trick at the weekend and showed his confidence six minutes in when his drilled shot was deflected narrowly behind. It took a quarter of an hour but Villa began to knock the ball about and Watkins bent an effort towards goal but Mark Flekken was brought into action for the first time to collect. The tension inside Villa Park alleviated as the hosts took the lead in the 21st minute. Boubacar Kamara’s beautiful turn in the middle of the park set Watkins on his way and he teed up Rogers outside the box who whipped into the far corner in magnificent fashion. The hosts almost added a second straight away as Bailey got in behind the Bees back line but blasted straight at Flekken. Villa had another opportunity to go two in front when Ethan Pinnock dragged Watkins down inside the area and the penalty was eventually given by referee Lewis Smith. And England striker Watkins dusted himself down and snuck his spot-kick into the bottom right corner from 12 yards. Emery’s side showed no mercy and added a third 11 minutes before the break as Lucas Digne’s cross fell to Cash who was waiting at the back post to slam home. Things threatened to get worse for Brentford after the interval when Flekken came to punch Youri Tielemans’ corner away but almost diverted it into his own goal before he got back to push behind for a corner. The Bees got themselves on the scoresheet in the 54th minute as Bryan Mbeumo’s cross was diverted into the path of Damsgaard who cut back and lashed high into the net. Watkins wasted an opportunity to restore Villa’s three-goal advantage as he pounced on a loose pass but aimed straight at Flekken. The visiting goalkeeper was again called on to deny substitute Jhon Duran but Villa settle dfor three goals as they returned to winning ways.
Iran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN’s atomic watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue. “A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed,” the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement. Baghaei described the upcoming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran’s atomic programme, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon — something Tehran has repeatedly denied. In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a “series of new and advanced centrifuges”. Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235). “We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organisation spokesman, told state TV. The country, however, also said it planned to continue its “technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA”. During a recent visit to Tehran by IAEA head Rafael Grossi, Iran agreed to the agency’s demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. – ‘Doubts and ambiguities’ – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove “doubts and ambiguities” about his country’s nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. On Sunday afternoon, the United Kingdom confirmed the upcoming meeting between Iran and the three European countries. “We remain committed to taking every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback if necessary,” London’s Foreign Office said. The 2015 deal contains a “snapback” mechanism that can be triggered in case of “significant non-performance” of commitments by Iran, allowing many sanctions to be reimposed. Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP that Friday’s meeting was set to happen earlier, but “those plans were derailed as a result of Iran-Israel tensions” over the Gaza war. Though the parties will be meeting “without knowing what the incoming Trump administration wants to do”, Vaez said that “after a lose-lose cycle of mutual escalation, now both sides are back to realising that engagement might be the least costly option.” Tehran has since 2021 decreased its cooperation with the IAEA by deactivating surveillance devices monitoring the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, it has increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium and the level of enrichment to 60 percent. That level is close, according to the IAEA, to the 90 percent-plus threshold required for a nuclear warhead, and substantially higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
Oklahoma residents on Sunday mourned the death of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Fred Harris , a trailblazer in progressive politics in the state who ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1976. Harris died on Saturday at 94. Democratic Party members across Oklahoma remembered Harris for his commitment to economic and social justice during the 1960s — a period of historical turbulence. Harris chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1969 to 1970 and helped unify the party after its tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago. “Fred Harris showed us what is possible when we lead with both heart and principle. He worked to ensure everyone had a voice and a seat at the table,” said Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. Harris appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year as a guest speaker for the Oklahoma delegation, where he reflected on progress and unity. "Standing alongside him in Chicago this summer was a reminder of how his legacy continues to inspire,” Andrews said. Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma and the DNC, said that there is no one else in public service whom she admired more than the former senator. “He was a friend, a mentor, a hero and my True North. Oklahoma and America have lost a powerful advocate and voice,” Free said in a statement. “His work for Indian Country will always be remembered.” “Senator Harris truly was an Oklahoma treasure and was ahead of his time in so many ways,” said Jeff Berrong, whose grandfather served in the state Senate with Harris. “He never forgot where he came from and he always remained focused on building a society that would provide equality of opportunity for all.” Harris served eight years in the state Senate before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served another eight years before his 1976 presidential campaign. State party leaders commemorated his work on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, or the Kerner Commission, to investigate the 1960s riots. Harris was the last surviving member of the commission. Shortly after his presidential campaign, Harris left politics and moved to New Mexico and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. —- Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Percentages: FG .333, FT .714. 3-Point Goals: 4-21, .190 (Jusianiec 1-2, Ivanauskas 1-4, Planutis 1-4, Lemelman 1-5, Gamble 0-1, Lang 0-1, Blunt 0-2, Reichert 0-2). Team Rebounds: 0. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Ivanauskas 3, Martin, Planutis). Turnovers: 6 (Ivanauskas 3, Lemelman, Rathan-Mayes, Reichert). Steals: 7 (Lemelman 3, Martin, Planutis, Rathan-Mayes, Thomas). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .646, FT .556. 3-Point Goals: 15-21, .714 (Taylor 7-10, Kearney 4-5, Mills 2-2, Springer 1-1, Duskin 1-2, Brown 0-1). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 2 (Duskin, Kearney). Turnovers: 11 (Walker 3, Celichowski 2, Mills 2, Brown, Cooper, Kearney, Marshall). Steals: 4 (Duskin 2, Marshall, Taylor). Technical Fouls: None. A_1,737 (5,858).OAKLAND — The city will be thoroughly reshaped by the almost-final Nov. 5 election results, which included a successful recall of Mayor Sheng Thao and victories by three new City Council candidates, with another replacement likely on the way. The political stakes amid all this turnover are high, with a crippling budget crisis and unresolved sale of the Coliseum leaving the city possibly on the path to fiscal insolvency. Who are the eight council members set to lead Oakland next year, alongside a new mayor? Here’s where things stand: The only seat to represent the entire city was fought over by 10 candidates vying to replace retiring Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. Brown, a staffer for state Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, emerged successful, fending off the name recognition of former police Chief LeRonne Armstrong by a 56% to 43% margin in ranked-choice votes. Of all the candidates for council, Brown received the most financial support from SEIU Local 1021, the city’s largest labor union. She has promised a multi-pronged solution for taking on crime, including an increase in funds for Oakland’s unarmed crisis-response program, MACRO. Brown, who did not respond to an interview request, could possibly look to avoid some more contentious routes to fixing the budget, including negotiating a pay cut for the unions or slashing city services to spare reductions at the Oakland Police Department, which frequently overspends. Unger handily won the race to succeed retiring Councilmember Dan Kalb in representing areas of North Oakland near the Emeryville border and the Rockridge, Piedmont and Grand Lake neighborhoods, plus part of Adams Point above Lake Merritt. His labor backing will come as no surprise given his longtime role leading the Oakland firefighters’ union and his previous political alliance with Thao. But the Brown University and UC Berkeley grad, a former firefighter, bills himself as a “pragmatist” who has seen the city renegotiate its past labor contracts and recognizes that such a move could be part of a solution to the crisis. “We need to fund public safety fully,” Unger said of police, fire and other violence-prevention staff, though he said cops and firefighters may ultimately be lost through attrition. He also noted a possible quarter-cent sales tax may appear on next spring’s special election ballot to replace the mayor. Thao is likely to leave office after the council certifies election results at a Dec. 17 meeting, at which point Bas, who has two years left in her District 2 term, would become interim mayor as president of the council. But she may end up holding that office for only a few weeks. Bas likely will join the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in January, if her lead over Emeryville’s John Bauters remains when results are finalized. At that point, the new City Council would select from its 2025 roster both a new president and someone to serve as interim mayor, given that the current next in line, President Pro-Tempore Kalb, is also leaving office. Bas’ likely departure means Oakland would have another special election next year to permanently fill her District 2 seat, which represents Chinatown, Jack London Square and areas south of Lake Merritt, including the San Antonio neighborhood. The election would take place within 120 days of Bas leaving office, per the city charter, but the council may also have a pathway to appoint a temporary replacement until then. It’s very possible the election, which county officials estimate will cost several million dollars, could replace Thao and Bas in one go. By a 58% to 41% ranked-choice margin, Fife defeated her closest opponent, Warren Logan, withstanding the financial backing he received from a tougher-on-crime, more fiscally conservative political outfit. She credited a boots-on-the-ground campaign approach for her success. But now she faces a budget crisis exacerbated by the still-pending sale of the Oakland Coliseum. Meanwhile, she is pondering a mayoral run next spring if Congresswoman Barbara Lee isn’t convinced by Fife and other Democrats in Oakland to go for the job. At a meeting last week, she railed against unnamed city officials for misrepresenting the core problems behind the crisis — heavily intimating that the police department should be held to account for its overspending. Ramachandran, who just gave birth to a son, is on maternity leave “for the next few weeks,” she told this news organization on Nov. 18. How long she’s gone may end up being relevant to the council’s ability to hold quorum, with Bas leaving District 2 vacant and another member likely to become the interim mayor. The eight-member council needs five members present to hold meetings and vote, and additional absences could jeopardize that if Ramachandran misses extended time. A social-justice lawyer, Ramachandran has been most notable on the council for opposing Thao’s budget plans and pushing for more conservative spending amid an uncertain Coliseum sale. She has said a mayoral run isn’t under consideration, despite the last three mayors hailing from District 4, which spans a diverse range of Oakland neighborhoods from Allendale in the east to Montclair in the north. Gallo soon will be the longest-tenured councilmember — and in recent years, the one who’s least engaged in policy talks. But his community work and name recognition helped him win 59% of ranked-choice votes in a bid to continue representing District 5, which covers parts of East Oakland between 23rd and 54th avenues, including the Fruitvale neighborhood. He is often hostile toward city officials over Oakland’s budgetary woes and is likely to support hardline measures for fixing the crisis. As the city’s financial situation worsens, Jenkins is adamant that the council’s budgeting of still-pending Coliseum revenues in the summer had its benefits. He was keen to note at a meeting last week how budget saves in the fire department may have helped spare homes during the recent Oakland Hills wildfire. Jenkins’ community relationships are steadily growing his clout as a first-term councilmember in District 6, which spans areas between the Coliseum and Merritt College and across to the Eastmont Hills neighborhood. The fast-talking Houston benefited from a chaotic musical-chairs game that followed Treva Reid’s decision not to seek another term to represent East Oakland near the San Leandro and Alameda borders in District 7. Houston, who won 52% of the ranked-choice votes, is as vocally pro-police as anyone on the council next year and his lack of political experience make him a wild card in the upcoming budget talks. He didn’t respond to an interview request.Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers
Native American patients are sent to collections for debts the government owes
This review takes a close look the final flight of the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which was the first aircraft to fly on another world. Engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and AeroVironment are completing a detailed assessment of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s final flight on Jan. 18, 2024, which will be published in the next few weeks as a NASA technical report. Designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity was the first aircraft on another world. It operated for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 30 times farther than planned while accumulating over two hours of flight time. The investigation concludes that the inability of Ingenuity’s navigation system to provide accurate data during the flight likely caused a chain of events that ended the mission. The report’s findings are expected to benefit future Mars helicopters, as well as other aircraft destined to operate on other worlds. was planned as a brief vertical hop to assess Ingenuity’s flight systems and photograph the area. Data from the flight shows Ingenuity climbing to 40 feet (12 meters), hovering, and capturing images. It initiated its descent at 19 seconds, and by 32 seconds the helicopter was back on the surface and had halted communications. The following day, the mission reestablished communications, and images that came down six days after the flight revealed Ingenuity had sustained severe damage to its rotor blades. “When running an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, you don’t have any black boxes or eyewitnesses,” said Ingenuity’s first pilot, Håvard Grip of JPL. “While multiple scenarios are viable with the available data, we have one we believe is most likely: Lack of surface texture gave the navigation system too little information to work with.” The helicopter’s vision navigation system was designed to track visual features on the surface using a downward-looking camera over well-textured (pebbly) but flat terrain. This limited tracking capability was more than sufficient for carrying out Ingenuity’s first five flights, but by Flight 72 the helicopter was in a region of Jezero Crater filled with steep, relatively featureless sand ripples. One of the navigation system’s main requirements was to provide velocity estimates that would enable the helicopter to land within a small envelope of vertical and horizontal velocities. Data sent down during Flight 72 shows that, around 20 seconds after takeoff, the navigation system couldn’t find enough surface features to track. Photographs taken after the flight indicate the navigation errors created high horizontal velocities at touchdown. In the most likely scenario, the hard impact on the sand ripple’s slope caused Ingenuity to pitch and roll. The rapid attitude change resulted in loads on the fast-rotating rotor blades beyond their design limits, snapping all four of them off at their weakest point — about a third of the way from the tip. The damaged blades caused excessive vibration in the rotor system, ripping the remainder of one blade from its root and generating an excessive power demand that resulted in loss of communications. This short animation depicts a NASA concept for a proposed follow-on to the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter called Mars Chopper, which remains in early conceptual and design stages. In addition to scouting, such a helicopter could carry science instruments to study terrain rovers can’t reach. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech This short animation depicts a NASA concept for a proposed follow-on to the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter called Mars Chopper, which remains in early conceptual and design stages. In addition to scouting, such a helicopter could carry science instruments to study terrain rovers can’t reach. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Although Flight 72 permanently grounded Ingenuity, the helicopter still beams weather and avionics test data to the Perseverance rover about once a week. The weather information could benefit future explorers of the Red Planet. The avionics data is already proving useful to engineers working on future designs of aircraft and other vehicles for the Red Planet. “Because Ingenuity was designed to be affordable while demanding huge amounts of computer power, we became the first mission to fly commercial off-the-shelf cellphone processors in deep space,” said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity’s project manager. “We’re now approaching four years of continuous operations, suggesting that not everything needs to be bigger, heavier, and radiation-hardened to work in the harsh Martian environment.” Inspired by Ingenuity’s longevity, NASA engineers have been testing smaller, lighter avionics that could be used in vehicle designs for the Mars Sample Return campaign. The data is also helping engineers as they research what a future Mars helicopter could look like — and do. During a Wednesday, Dec. 11, briefing at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington, Tzanetos shared details on the Mars Chopper rotorcraft, a concept that he and other Ingenuity alumni are researching. As designed, Chopper is approximately 20 times heavier than Ingenuity, could fly several pounds of science equipment, and autonomously explore remote Martian locations while traveling up to 2 miles (3 kilometers) in a day. (Ingenuity’s longest flight was 2,310 feet, or 704 meters.) “Ingenuity has given us the confidence and data to envision the future of flight at Mars,” said Tzanetos. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment, Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. For more information about Ingenuity: AstrobiologyHezbollah rockets land near Tel Aviv
We have been at the edge of a precipice since December 1990 and more so since April 1991. The foreign exchange crisis constitutes a serious threat to the sustainability of growth processes and orderly implementation of our development programmes. Due to the combination of unfavourable internal and external factors, the inflationary pressures on the price level have increased very substantially since mid-1990. The people of India have to face double digit inflation which hurts most the poorer sections of our society. In sum, the crisis in the economy is both acute and deep. We have not experienced anything similar in the history of independent India... ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Also Read: Manmohan Singh: The reformist who mastered the art of wielding delegated authority Also Read: Manmohan Singh passes away at 92; PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and others mourn former PM's demise There is no time to lose. Neither the government nor the economy can live beyond its means year after year. The room for maneuver, to live on borrowed money or time, does not exist any more. Any further postponement of macroeconomic adjustment, long overdue, would mean that the balance of payments situation, now exceedingly difficult, would become unmanageable and inflation, already high, would exceed limits of tolerance. Also Read: Remembering Dr. Manmohan Singh: A legacy of economic reforms and leadership Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program For improving the management of the economy, the starting point, and indeed the centre-piece of our strategy, should be a credible fiscal adjustment and macroeconomic stabilisation during the current financial year, to be followed by continued fiscal consolidation thereafter. This process would, inevitably, need at least three years, if not longer, to complete. But there can be no adjustment without pain. The people must be prepared to make necessary sacrifices to preserve our economic independence and restore the health of our economy. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
S&P/TSX composite down more than 100 points Tuesday, U.S. stock markets also lower TORONTO — Canada's main stock index lost more than 100 points Tuesday ahead of an expected interest rate cut Wednesday, while U.S. markets were also down. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 121.09 points at 25,504.33. Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press Dec 10, 2024 1:44 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message The TMX logo is shown in Toronto, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paige Taylor White TORONTO — Canada's main stock index lost more than 100 points Tuesday ahead of an expected interest rate cut Wednesday, while U.S. markets were also down. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 121.09 points at 25,504.33. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 154.10 points at 44,247.83. The S&P 500 index was down 17.94 points at 6,034.91, while the Nasdaq composite was down 49.45 points at 19,687.24. “Relative to the churn we have seen in the markets the last few days ... today being a little bit of a boring day would be fairly welcome for many investors,” said Stephen Duench, vice-president and portfolio manager for AGF Investments Inc. Wednesday is set to be more exciting, with an interest rate cut expected in Canada and important consumer inflation data coming in the U.S. “I do expect a little bit more fireworks tomorrow,” said Duench. The Bank of Canada is widely expected to announce an outsized cut Wednesday of half a percentage point, he said. “Anything other than that would be a surprise.” The U.S. Federal Reserve has its last decision of the year scheduled for next week, and market watchers are leaning toward a smaller quarter-percentage-point cut there, said Duench. It would be the third cut this year after the central bank hiked rates to a two-decade high to fight inflation. The inflation report will be the last significant data point before the central bank’s decision, Duench said. If the inflation report shows price growth is proving more stubborn than expected, that could change the Fed’s thinking on rates next week, he said. “Maybe that's part of the reason we've seen churn in the market the last few days in the U.S.” Beneath the surface, there was some movement in the tech sector, where Oracle sank 6.7 per cent after its latest earnings report missed expectations. Meanwhile, Google's stock price rose by more than five per cent. The company on Tuesday unveiled its new chip meant for quantum computing. Duench said after the advent of artificial technology led a rally earlier this year, quantum computing could be another frontier for investors to keep an eye on. The Canadian dollar traded for 70.59 cents US compared with 70.77 cents US on Monday. The January crude oil contract was up 12 cents at US$68.59 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down two cents at US$3.16 per mmBTU. The February gold contract was up US$32.60 at US$2,718.40 an ounce and the March copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.27 a pound. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More The Mix Proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is halted by federal, state judges Dec 10, 2024 2:02 PM GM to retreat from robotaxis and stop funding its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit Dec 10, 2024 1:58 PM Key details about the man accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Dec 10, 2024 1:49 PM Featured FlyerArsenal boss Arteta hails 'will to win' after downing Manchester UnitedWhile the chance of a heated political discussion at your Thanksgiving table might be extra high this year, the chance of getting COVID at your family gathering is lower than it has been in the past several years. That’s even with millions of Californians . “The bottom line is that we’re in a very, very good place at this moment,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. Going into the fifth year of post-COVID Thanksgiving festivities, levels of the virus are low statewide, and around most of the country. Santa Clara County’s wastewater testing, which measures levels of the virus in local sewer sheds, shows the virus at low levels across the county. Data from California’s public health department shows “RSV and influenza activity are low but increasing” and “COVID-19 is currently low in California,” according to data through November 16. As of this fall, California public health officials publish data on COVID, along with flu and RSV, in weekly respiratory virus updates. The update from the week before Thanksgiving shows the test positivity rates for influenza and RSV have started to rise, while COVID test positivity, hospitalizations and deaths remain low. “We went through a really late summer wave, and that really got a lot of Americans immunized,” Swartzberg noted, as a possible explanation for why COVID has yet to start surging this winter, typically a season when rates are high. In past winters, COVID started to surge in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. While rates are low now, the threat of COVID has hardly disappeared. While the risk has diminished, it still takes a devastating toll, killing Californians every day. Since June 30 of this year, the beginning of the respiratory virus season, . In the same time, 49 have died from influenza, and another 10 have died from RSV. And while COVID was once seen as less of a threat to young children than other respiratory illnesses, it has accounted for three pediatric deaths so far this season. Meanwhile, one pediatric death has been attributed to flu in the first four and a half months since the respiratory virus season began. The continued deadly threat of the virus is why public health officials continue to prioritize vaccination, especially for the most vulnerable, those most likely to have a bad outcome. But given rising skepticism around the COVID vaccine, many public health agencies are taking a different approach to encouraging people to get a shot. And those new approaches might be working this year, with vaccination rates up around the country compared to the same time the year before. But there is lots of progress to be made, said Swartzberg, adding that annual flu vaccine uptake is still much higher than for the COVID vaccine. Related Articles “Americans have it sort of backwards” Swartzberg said. “There are many more [Americans] immunized against influenza than COVID, yet COVID is a much more serious disease.” As of this week, 18% of eligible people in Santa Clara County had received an updated COVID vaccine, about twice the statewide vaccination rate of 9.6%. But this year. ”Even though our rates are low, we are still doing better than last year,” , adding that she and her agency are still looking for new strategies to encourage vaccination. “Our strategies are changing away from telling and more to listening and understanding,” she said.
No. 24 Arizona is coming off consecutive defeats for the first time in the Tommy Lloyd era when it faces undefeated Davidson on Wednesday to begin the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Arizona (2-2) lost at Wisconsin 103-88 on Nov. 15 and followed that with a home loss against Duke 69-55 on Friday. The Wildcats have dropped 15 spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in two weeks. Arizona's record is .500 this early in a season for the first time since it was 3-3 to start the 2017-18 schedule. "I've got work to do, so let's get to work," said Lloyd, in his fourth year as Arizona's head coach. "Let's see where we're at in a month, and if we're still struggling, you know what I'll do? I still got work to do, but I'm gonna get to it." Arizona shot 39.6 percent from the field against Duke, and just 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were outrebounded by 43-30 and their 15 turnovers led to 19 points. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 18 points and KJ Lewis added 12. Preseason All-American Caleb Love had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range. Arizona made only one field goal in the last 5:39 as Duke pulled away after its lead was trimmed to six points. "We didn't play great," Lloyd said. "Now we need to take a step back and figure out why. Are there some schematic problems? Are there some problems with how our personnel is kind of put together? "We got to figure out what our certainties are, and the things we have to have, and then over the course of the next couple of days, if there's adjustments we need to make, we need to figure out what those are." Davidson is 4-0 after a 15-17 record last season, in which it lost its last six games to put an end to postseason hopes. A 93-66 win over visiting VMI on Friday followed a 91-85 win at Bowling Green and 76-70 victory over visiting East Tennessee State. The two wins by 10 points or fewer are important because Davidson was 6-12 in such games last season. It was 4-11 in games decided by five points or fewer. "The goal (is) to get better," Davidson head coach Matt McKillop said after the season opener. "We talk about fighting to win every possession. I think we had to figure out what that really felt like with the lights on." Davidson made 13 shots from 3-point range in the win over VMI. Reed Bailey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bobby Durkin added 19 points, including 17 of them and a career-best five 3-pointers in the first half. Bailey leads Davidson in scoring (19 points per game) and rebounding (7.8). Durkin is shooting 57.9 percent (22 of 38) from the field and 54.2 percent (13 of 24) from 3-point range. By contrast, Arizona's Love is shooting 32 percent (16 of 50) from the field and 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc. Bradley leads Arizona with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and is 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from 3-point range. --Field Level MediaAny proposal to ban children from social media would need to ensure young Australians can still connect with peers online, the internet safety watchdog says. Login or signup to continue reading As the federal government looks to pass its proposal to ban under 16s from using social media platforms, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant says children must be protected online, but also still need to communicate via the internet. "We've only seen the social media sites moving incrementally, not monumentally, in terms of keeping kids safe and so we understand the ideas behind this," Ms Inman Grant told ABC Radio on Monday. "We also need to make sure that particularly vulnerable and marginalised kids still have a way to connect and to create and explore. "When we implement what will become the law, we'll try and do this in a way that is really protective of the range of children's rights, including their ability to communicate and express themselves online." Under the proposal, which has support from both the government and the opposition, under 16s would be barred from using Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Social media companies would be fined up to $50 million for breaches of the law if they do not take reasonable steps to prevent young people from having an account. The laws will come into effect a year from when they pass parliament. There has been criticism the world-first laws have been rushed, with independent senator David Pocock saying there has not been enough scrutiny of the proposal. Experts will appear before a parliamentary inquiry into the social media ban on Monday, including mental health organisation Headspace and the Australian Information Commissioner. Senator Pocock said social media harms needed to be addressed, but the laws had to be looked over properly. "This seems like policy on the run, that they're taking this approach where they're saying, 'well this is a silver bullet'," he told ABC Radio. "The major parties ...are happy to forgo all scrutiny and just ram something through when, one, it's in their self interest, or two, they can then hold that up going into an election saying 'well, at least we've done something'." Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!