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‘Christmas Light Fight’ Host Carter Oosterhouse on Holiday Traditions, Marriage to Amy Smart & More
Titans kicker Nick Folk dealing with soreness so Tennessee added insurancejumped into in the standings with a , with , twice, scoring. came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a fifth win in six games and push Dortmund, last season's runner-up, out of the top eight. Torres came on in the 71st to replace , who had a quiet game against his former club. Just four minutes later, Torres scored a goal on the rebound from 's shot. 's second goal of the game leveled the score at 2-2 but Torres scored again in the 85th off s pass on the counter. gave Barcelona the lead before equalized from the penalty spot. Raphinha and Guirassy are tied for second place in the scoring chart on six goals, behind Lewandowski's competition-high seven. The top eight qualify directly for and the teams placed No. 9-24 go into a two-legged playoff. Danger for City Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by on Wednesday, the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions. City dropped to standings, with only the top 24 advancing. Progressing to the next round of the new-look format looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2022 and has won the last four Premier League titles. But not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players. City has won just one of its last 10 matches in all competitions, with goals by inflicting the latest defeat and igniting Juventus' qualification hopes. In-form Julian Alvarez Man City could sure do with at the moment. With a brilliant curling finish to open the scoring, the Argentina striker helped beat and provide a timely reminder of what City is missing after selling him for more than $100 million in August. Alvarez has 12 goals for the season, with four coming in the Champions League. scored Atletico's other two goals at Metropolitano stadium as the Spanish team climbed to 11th place after a 10th straight win in all competitions. Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 mainly thanks to two goals by Bukayo Saka to move into third place.Israel detains the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals, Palestinians say DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel’s army has detained the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals. The announcement on Saturday came after health officials said Israeli troops stormed the hospital on Friday and forced many staff and patients outside and told them to strip in winter weather. Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about the hospital director. It denied it had entered or set fire to the complex but acknowledged it had ordered people outside. It said it was conducting operations against Hamas in the area. The military repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan Hospital, which officials there have denied. Israeli airstrikes hit a Yemen airport as a jet with hundreds onboard was landing, UN official says UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. humanitarian official in Yemen says Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport as a civilian Airbus 320 with hundreds of passengers on board was landing this week. He says a U.N. delegation led by the head of the World Health Organization was waiting to leave on Thursday as two Israeli airstrikes hit the airport in the capital of Sanaa. Julien Harneis told U.N. reporters on Friday that the most frightening thing about the airstrikes wasn’t the effect on him and about 15 others in the VIP lounge at the international airport. Rather, it was the destruction of the airport control tower as a Yemenia Airways plane was taxiing in after touching down. Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump's request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The brief said Trump opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk. Some want to stay in the region at all costs. Others question the value of having gone in at all. Battles are so intense that commanders are unable to evacuate their dead. Lags in communication and poorly timed operations have cost lives and commanders say they have little way to counterattack. The overstretched Ukrainians have lost more then 40% of the territory they won in the lightning incursion that seized much of Kursk in August. US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves office WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States is expected to announce it will send another $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. It's part of a push by the Biden administration to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. Officials say the large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds. The officials say they expect the announcement will be made on Monday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. Canadian Cabinet ministers meet with Trump's nominee for commerce secretary in bid to avoid tariffs TORONTO (AP) — Two top Canadian Cabinet ministers have met with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary at Mar-a-Lago as Canada tries to avoid sweeping tariffs when Trump takes office. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department. The meeting was a follow up to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who instituted economic reforms, cremated in New Delhi NEW DELHI (AP) — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, has been cremated after a state funeral. The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died late Thursday at age 92. Singh’s body was taken Saturday to the headquarters of his Congress party in New Delhi, where party leaders and activists paid tributes to him and chanted “Manmohan Singh lives forever.” Later, his body was transported to a crematorium ground for his last rites as soldiers beat drums. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh was prime minister for 10 years until 2014. Winning ticket for $1.22 billion lottery jackpot sold in California, Mega Millions says ATLANTA (AP) — At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. The winning ticket matched the white balls 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the gold Mega Ball 6. The identity of the winner or winners was not immediately known. The estimated jackpot was the fifth-highest ever for Mega Millions. The total amount of the jackpot would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Friday night’s drawing is an estimated $549.7 million. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks.
QIB receives two Asian Banker awardsPens, Habs going in opposite directions ahead of matchup
Dec. 27—As the calendar year winds down, the Sentinel's sports staff looks back on some of the top stories from 2024. "It's the way you want to draw it up every year." The Hershey Bears' 2023-24 season featured a storybook ending when Matt Strome scored the goal 66 seconds into overtime that clinched the club's record 13th Calder Cup championship and ended a wild Game 6 against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in front of a home crowd that packed the Giant Center. Hershey had also beaten Coachella Valley in the 2023 Calder Cup Final and lifted the trophy in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009-10. Before the historic celebration on the Giant Center ice in June, the Bears had weathered adversity on their path to another title. They lost a handful of players, notably defensemen, to injury on their playoff run, and in the Eastern Conference Finals, a comfortable 3-0 lead against the Cleveland Monsters slipped into a tense winner-take-all Game 7 in Hershey. But the Bears answered each time. Garrett Roe punched in the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Final, and Hershey's defense, backstopped by goaltender Hunter Shepard, held off the high-powered Coachella Valley attack just enough to give the Bears an edge. Hershey's postseason run piggybacked a thrilling regular season that featured another record-setting Teddy Bear Toss and the best record in the club's 86-year history, one win shy of the AHL record. In the final week of the 2024 calendar year, the Bears — hunting for a threepeat — sat atop the Atlantic Division standings. Tim Gross is the sports editor at The Sentinel and cumberlink.com . Email him at tgross@cumberlink.com and follow him on Twitter at: @ByTimGross (c)2024 The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) Visit The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) at www.cumberlink.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.
Pakistan’s long-standing crisis can be resolved if Nawaz, Imran and Zardari sit together: Rana Sanaullah
‘Christmas Light Fight’ Host Carter Oosterhouse on Holiday Traditions, Marriage to Amy Smart & More1 in 6 Congresswomen Targeted by AI-Generated Sexually Explicit Deepfakes‘Christmas Light Fight’ Host Carter Oosterhouse on Holiday Traditions, Marriage to Amy Smart & More
The Wallabies are trusting in some backline wizardry, handing a debut to winger Harry Potter and returning Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to the starting line-up for the Scotland Test match. And after a "complicated" week in Edinburgh when frozen pitches limited their training options, coach Joe Schmidt was left grateful to his hosts for allowing them to have a run-out at Murrayfield on Friday. The Wallabies are hoping to continue their hot form in the cold with Suaalii set for his biggest examination yet in the gold as he returns to start at outside centre for the third leg of their British Isles grand slam bid on Sunday (Monday AEDT). In a side featuring six changes from that which crushed Wales last Sunday, Schmidt will also hope for a touch of magic from Potter, the English-born back who will become Wallaby No.989 in the city where his fictional namesake was invented. Schmidt has also shown faith in openside flanker Carlo Tizzano to step in for key forward Fraser McReight, who's getting a break after his 80-minute, 21-tackle shift against Wales. "Forty years on, we'd love to emulate it, but we're not trying to emulate it," said Schmidt, when asked about the prospect of the Wallabies moving to within one win of matching the 1984 Wallabies' 'grand slam'. "We're just trying to win this weekend and trying to have a good week's training, or a good week's preparation." Easier said than done as plummeting temperatures disrupted preparations. "We've been quite limited in what we've done," admitted Schmidt. "The grounds have been frozen but the Scottish Rugby Union were super today, they let us train at Murrayfield so we could actually get a session on the grass. We're very appreciative." Schmidt says he has full confidence in offering chances to his squad, with 26-year-old utility back Potter being the 18th Wallabies debutant of 2024 on the left wing, replacing the benched Max Jorgensen. It's a big moment for the Western Force's London-born Potter, who earned his spurs in England when starring in Leicester's Premiership title triumph. "We're trying to let Max heal a bit. He's just a kid of 20, who's still growing into the game. He's an exciting young prospect, but we just thought Harry's played a lot in this hemisphere, and quite successfully, so it's a good opportunity to give him his first start," said Schmidt. With Samu Kerevi's tour over after his red card against Wales, Len Ikitau will revert to the No.12 shirt with Suaalii at 13. After his head injury, Jake Gordon returns to take over the scrum-half berth from Nic White. Up front, Harry Wilson returns to the No.8 and the captaincy, while Tizzano comes in at seven and the tireless Rob Valetini moves to blindside flanker. Jeremy Williams comes back into the second row in place of Nick Frost, who also put in a full shift, complete with galloping try, against Wales. "They both played 80 minutes, and accumulated quite a bit of fatigue and a few knocks," said Schmidt, of McReight and Frost. "They're both okay. "Carlo played both South African games and the two games in Argentina, he made 66 out of 67 tackles, got half a dozen turnovers and added value ... I think it's a vote of confidence for how Carlo went." Prop Taniela Tupou was fit to play but has been left out as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
China’s ‘Ice City’ welcomes influx of foreign visitors amid winter tourism boomArmy-Navy game has added buzzFor one Hemel Hempstead family, it has meant a battle lasting six years – and counting – to get a child the support he needs. Diagnosis Alfie, 11, was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old. Ever since, his mum, Natasha, has been fighting his corner with the health service and with Hertfordshire County Council, who provide the area’s SEND services. But, at a time when Alfie should be finishing his first term at secondary school, he has been left without a suitable school place. Constant delays and a lack of communication are regular features of a system that Natasha says seems to be “built against parents”. The impact on Alfie has been serious as he has become “socially isolated” and now also struggles academically. Alfie also suffered a mental health crisis earlier this year, which Natasha believes was caused by failings from the authorities that should be helping to meet his needs. Natasha has had to become an expert on a failing system to fight Alfie’s corner – but the hurdles they have come up against at every turn have been so severe they were even mentioned by Hemel Hempstead’s new MP, David Taylor, in his maiden speech in parliament. The problems reach back all the way to Alfie’s initial diagnosis, while he was a pupil in his early years at Jupiter Primary School. Fight for care plan Natasha began trying to get him an education, health and care plan, but says she met with resistance from the school who refused to support an application for one until Mike Penning, the then MP for Hemel Hempstead, intervened. Even then, the county council initially refused to assess. Natasha appealed the decision, and it went to mediation – the date of which was changed multiple times, including on one occasion because it had been carelessly booked on a bank holiday. The day before mediation was eventually set to go ahead, the county council conceded and said they would assess Alfie – a familiar story to many parents, with around 90 per cent of appeals being lost or conceded before they are heard. “They made us wait six months just to agree to assess anyway ... it’s crazy,” Natasha said. It then took over a year from the initial application to Alfie receiving his EHCP – far longer than the legal deadline of 20 weeks – and the process itself was poor, Natasha said. In the year to September 2024, just 56 per cent of EHCPs were completed by the deadline, and earlier this year, Hertfordshire Police opened an investigation into county council officials over possible ‘misconduct in public office ‘regarding the way EHCP requests were being dealt with. Natasha says Alfie’s cognitive ability was not assessed during the EHCP application process and continues. “We saw an educational psychologist, but they did not assess Alfie during the visit,” she said, “ No standardised testing, nothing. “They pretty much just read reports and then made their own report based on them. Alfie was in the room, but they didn’t even talk to him ... he was just there.” When the EHCP was finally completed, Natasha says, it was “not worth the paper it was written on” and was unsuitable for his needs. Throughout this time, Alfie was at Jupiter, where he suffered “a lot of bullying”, both physical and verbal, and fell behind academically. He was temporarily suspended from the school three times in the space of two months, including an hour into SATS week, at a time when Natasha believed the school was understaffed and not offering Alfie one-to-one support. Alfie’s primary school years ended with a mental health crisis, and Natasha believes a lack of support from Jupiter contributed to his deteriorating mental health. In one incident, Natasha says, a teacher at the school deliberately broke Alfie’s comfort item – a stick – in front of other pupils. Alfie’s distress led to him “trashing the classroom,” an incident Natasha only learned about when a pupil told her about it in the playground after school. She believes the teacher “ridiculed” Alfie, and that staff saw her son as a “disruption”. Despite Alfie’s experience, Jupiter was recently awarded for its “outstanding” mental health and wellbeing provision. Secondary school When it came time to apply for a secondary school place, Natasha believed Alfie needed a place in a specialist school. Her view was supported by others. A PALMS ( positive behaviour, autism, learning disability and mental health service) psychiatrist said they were “concerned” Alfie would “struggle even more” in a mainstream secondary school. One such mainstream secondary school refused to take Alfie, saying in its consultation response that he “clearly needs a much more nurturing and bespoke curriculum and setting than any mainstream school could offer”. In fact, every school consulted, both mainstream and specialist, said they could not take Alfie – except one. Adeyfield Academy, Alfie’s closest mainstream secondary school, raised “concerns” about their suitability for his needs – they said he “may not manage the rigours of a mainstream secondary curriculum” – but did not outright object to taking him. It meant Alfie was allocated a place at the school, starting in September this year. But he has not been able to go. Natasha says that when she met Adeyfield’s SEND leaders she was “told that he would not get one-to-one [support], he would be expected to wear full school uniform – which he isn’t able to because of his sensory needs – and he will be expected to go into each class independently and do the same work as everyone else”. “Alfie’s working at a Year 1 level academically and he requires a lot of support just to access that, and this school is saying he will be doing Year 7 work, with no support. “They’re not able to meet his needs,” Natasha said. An alternative provision for a few hours a week is provided for Alfie, but even this was not in place at the start of the term. Appeals and tribunals Natasha appealed the decision to send him to Adeyfield, with an initial tribunal held in September and then adjourned until December. She and Alfie are now awaiting the results of that tribunal after a process that Natasha says is in “disarray”. There has been some progress – Hertfordshire County Council have agreed that a specialist school would be most suited for Alfie’s needs. But, Natasha says, more than 20 schools in Hertfordshire and further afield have now been consulted on whether they can take him, and all have refused. She had been told that the council was looking at special resource provision (SRP) units within mainstream schools, and prepared for the tribunal on that basis – only to find they were now looking at social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) schools. Natasha says the experience – which she has had to handle alongside bringing up both Alfie and his younger brother – is “incredibly stressful”. “You’re going into a hearing with all your evidence ... and they’re not interested in that anymore, so you’re not prepared. “I’m just a parent, I don’t have any legal background, I’m muddling my way through this really confusing system, and to be in these tribunals is stressful enough without being put on the back foot like that.” Natasha has looked at moderate learning difficulties (MLD) schools too, but they have also said they can’t take Alfie: “The MLD schools felt that Alfie’s main need was SEMH, and the SEMH schools felt his main need was MLD.” The result of the initial tribunal, which should have been sent to Natasha within two weeks, was only received a month later after she chased it up: “It’s yet another SEND system that doesn’t stick to its own deadlines.” The tribunal also involved changes to Alfie’s EHCP, with Natasha’s appeal resulting in 26 points being added to the plan that the county council had previously declined to include. There have been further issues with the tribunals, too. At one, the county council turned up with an undeclared witness who, Natasha says, the judge had to ask to leave because they had not submitted the required paperwork. Deadlines for consulting schools have been missed. Schools have been slow in coming back. The information they have provided in their responses when challenged at the tribunal, has been shown to be incorrect. Delays are common When Natasha submitted a subject access request to see the consultation reports from schools – which are not given to parents automatically – she had to wait “seven months for them to give me three sheets of paper”. Natasha says the process “takes over every aspect of your life”. “My daily life is fighting this system to get Alfie what he should be getting. And every single person ... is working against us. “You are left helpless, and it feels like a system in which you can’t win. “It almost feels like we’re living in a third-world country, where you can’t get a school place for your child. “It feels like we are looked at as if we’re overreacting. We’re not taken seriously. “Our views are not heard or understood, and the children’s needs are not heard or understood.” And, throughout all this time, Alfie goes without schooling. Natasha warns that the issue, which also affects many other children in Hertfordshire, could have long-term consequences: “We’re going to end up with a whole generation of adults who are not able to fit into society because they’ve been at home when they should have been at school. “They’re not going to have the qualifications and knowledge to get jobs; they’re not going to be able to socialise properly. “Where are these children going to go when they become adults? Alfie and Natasha have faced issues with health services, too. Alfie was referred for an assessment for possible ADHD, and a PALMS psychiatrist earlier this year said the assessment “will be crucial to his progress”, with treatment available after a formal diagnosis. But – after a month-long back and forth between PALMS and CAMHS (children and adolescent mental health services) as to who should deal with Alfie going forward – no assessment has yet been done. When Natasha chased CAMHS up, she says she was told they had no record of Alfie and he was not on the waiting list for an assessment. It was only after Natasha asked MP David Taylor to step in that they got in touch to confirm an appointment for spring 2025, more than a year after Alfie was initially referred. Natasha believes she was “not listened to” by CAMHS when she raised concerns about Alfie’s mental health, 18 months before he suffered his crisis earlier this year. She adds that she felt like she was “failing as a parent” after one “really awful” assessment where the medical professional did not speak once to Alfie. David Taylor said he had been “deeply moved” to hear about Natasha and Alfie’s “inexcusable and hellish nightmare”. He said he will do “everything in my power to ensure no other families in Hertfordshire are put through the pain they experienced”, and welcomed the £1bn for SEND services nationally that was announced in the government’s recent Budget. Natasha says she is “so grateful” for Mr Taylor’s support, and suggests other SEND parents should take their cases up with their MPs too. Natasha’s aims are simple: to get Alfie a place at a school suited to his needs; an EHCP that’s fit for purpose; and an assessment for whether he has ADHD. But six years on, their battle continues – and with no end in sight. Spokespeople for Jupiter Primary School, Adeyfield Academy and Hertfordshire County Council said they could not comment on individual cases. The spokesperson for Jupiter said the school is “committed to the wellbeing and education of all our pupils”. “Any concerns or complaints brought to our attention are handled in accordance with the [Danes Educational] Trust’s policies or procedures. “These processes are designed to ensure that all matters raised are listened to, carefully considered, and addressed appropriately.” The Adeyfield Academy spokesperson said the school “prides itself on providing an inclusive and caring learning environment for all” and works “tirelessly to offer the right support to each child so that they can meet their potential”. It is understood that a county council officer is also examining how Adeyfield responds to consultations on whether it is a suitable school for children with SEND. The county council spokesperson said they “are committed to ensuring that the right provision and support is in place to meet the individual needs of every child”. “Amid increasing need for our SEND services and increasing numbers of complex cases, we are committed to working in partnership with young people, parents, carers, the NHS and schools to ensure that all children and young people with SEND and EHCPs in Hertfordshire receive the support they need and deserve.” They said “that many families have not experienced the service and support they need and deserve in the past” but that they now “have comprehensive improvement plans in place, which are being independently monitored”. The spokesperson added that the council has “expanded local special school capacity in Hertfordshire by creating 764 additional special school places since 2018” – though Alfie has not been given one of those places.
The United Kingdom on Wednesday indefinitely banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat minors for gender dysphoria. The announcement comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving state bans on puberty-suppressing medication and other forms of transition-related care for minors. Puberty blockers are commonly prescribed to transgender children in countries throughout the Western world to delay the onset of puberty or pause it as it is transpiring. The medication is prescribed with the goal of giving children who are experiencing gender dysphoria more time to decide if they want to take more permanent steps to transition genders. Puberty resumes when the medication is no longer taken. The indefinite ban on the medication in Britain comes several months after an independent study commissioned by England’s National Health Service concluded that the medical evidence around transition-related care for minors is “remarkably weak” and that more research is needed. “Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led,” British Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said in a press release . “The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.” Dr. Hilary Cass, the author of the independent study, known as the “Cass report,” said she supported the ban, according to the same release. “Puberty blockers are powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks, and that is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed following a multi-disciplinary assessment and within a research protocol,” she said. Transgender activists around the world condemned the ban. “I wouldn’t wish medical negligence on my worst enemy. Labour activists just wished it on my entire community,” Iris Duane, a former candidate for Britain’s Parliament, wrote on X . “To friends, family and community, many of us will survive, and we will remind them that hell is calling.” Trans minors in the U.K. who are already taking the medication can continue doing so, according to the government, and cisgender minors who experience puberty at an abnormally early age will still be able to receive new prescriptions for the medication. A temporary ban on new puberty-blocker prescriptions for British minors experiencing gender dysphoria was already put in place over the summer. Wednesday’s announcement extends the ban indefinitely as the government begins clinical trials on the medications starting next year. The ban will be revisited in 2027. The U.K. ban comes as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Tennessee is one of more than two dozen states that restrict such care in the U.S.
knows there are tons of questions about his future with the . He might get traded, he might leave as a free agent next summer, he might exercise a $52.4 million option to return to the Heat, or he might get a new contract. "Who knows?" Butler asked. The Heat forward, who has led the team to a pair of NBA Finals trips in his Miami tenure, said Wednesday that he doesn't mind his name being in the rumor mill. The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, earlier this week. That wouldn't be surprising, given Butler's contract status and the possibility that he might leave with the Heat getting nothing in return next summer. "I actually like it," said Butler, who is averaging 19 points per game this season. "It's good to be talked about. I don't think there's such a thing as bad publicity -- to a point." The Heat could have offered an extension last summer and chose not to, presumably for a variety of reasons including Butler's age -- he's 35 -- and the fact that he missed 26% of Miami's games over his first five seasons with the team. He still clearly impacts winning: Miami is 8-2 this season when he scores at least 18 points. And the Heat aren't new to trade speculation; has been the centerpiece of rumors in each of the past three summers. Butler said Wednesday that money doesn't really matter to him at this point, adding that he's not fixated on extensions or trades. "My kids matter, my happiness matters, my well-being matters and my family matters," Butler said. "Right now, it's all about competing, staying healthy, playing some great basketball. I think I've done that so far, so we'll see what we got." He stopped short of saying that he wants to absolutely remain in Miami. "I'm pretty sure y'all are going to get a report that's going to say otherwise anyways, so there's no sense in me answering that question," Butler said. It has been social media fodder for a few days, with some even suggesting that Butler's hair dye in recent weeks -- sometimes yellow, sometimes blue, sometimes red -- has matched the teams some of the trade speculation links him to like , and . That said, he has insisted since arriving in Miami that he wants to bring the team another championship. That stance has not changed. "We're going to continue to win and I'm proud of the guys," Butler said. "You see everybody out here working and we know what we're capable of."SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As he vowed to do on X , U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., on Wednesday announced he is introducing legislation to eliminate federal funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which seeks to build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The line would start with the much more modest route of Merced to Bakersfield. The project has already spent around $6.8 billion in federal dollars and is seeking an additional $8 billion from the U.S. government. Kiley’s bill would make the California high-speed rail project ineligible for any further federal funding. Kiley is working in tandem with billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom were tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to co-chair a Department of Government Efficiency. The DOGE, as they are calling it, isn’t really a department, and any recommendations they make would have to be approved by both Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress, but it does have a goal to eliminate vast swaths of federal spending and bureaucracy. In a statement Wednesday, Kiley called the California high-speed rail project a failure due to “political ineptitude,” and added that “there is no plausible scenario where the cost to federal or state taxpayers can be justified.” “Our share of federal transportation funding should go towards real infrastructure needs, such as improving roads that rank among the worst in the country,” he said. Kiley sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is controlled by Republicans who long have been critical of the project. Should Kiley’s bill pass the House, it would also need to be approved by the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, and be signed by Trump. That’s likely to be difficult, though, because it would probably take 60 votes to limit debate and both of California’s U.S. senators are Democrats. The Sacramento Bee has reached out to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for comment. In a previous statement to The Bee, authority spokesperson Toni Tinoco said that the agency “continues to make significant progress.” Tinoco pointed out that the project has been environmentally cleared for all but 31 miles between L.A. and San Francisco, making the project “shovel-ready for future phases of investment.” Tinoco also pushed back against statements by Kiley and the DOGE about how the project has been beset by both delays (it was initially estimated to be complete by 2020) and massive cost overruns (ballooning from an initial cost estimate of $45 billion to as much as $127.9 billion). “It did not account for inflation or any unknown scope, a lesson learned as our estimates now account for inflation and project scope, helping explain cost difference,” Tinoco wrote. ©2024 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New YorkThe Foreign Ministry appointed Ambassador to Nouakchott Burhan Köroğlu as a temporary charge d'affaires for Türkiye's Embassy in Syria's capital Damascus in light of recent developments. The embassy was closed in March 2012 following clashes between Assad regime forces and pro-democracy protestors. The appointment of Köroğlu came shortly after Türkiye's top intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın visited the Syrian capital on Thursday. Syria's anti-regime forces entered the capital Damascus early Sunday ending the Bashar Assad regime's decadeslong rule. The capture also overthrew the Baath Party, the Arab socialist group that had come to power in Syria in a 1963 coup. The anti-regime forces also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region, allies who propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict. Türkiye, which said it gave no support and had no involvement in the offensive led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said it wanted the new Syrian administration to be inclusive and for Syrians to determine their own future. Ankara openly backed the Syrian opposition to the Assad regime since the unrest evolved into a civil war in the neighboring country more than a decade ago. Until Assad’s fall, Ankara sought to normalize ties with Damascus and find a political solution to the civil war. While several countries, including Egypt, Iraq and Italy, swiftly reopened their diplomatic missions in Damascus following the opposition offensive, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara was waiting for the “right conditions to emerge” to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital. Dr. Köroğlu was appointed as ambassador to Mauritania in Dec. 2023. He completed his master's degree in Jordan and received his PhD in Islamic Philosophy from Marmara University. He worked as an academic in several universities and headed various research centers. He is fluent in English and Arabic.Turning snow into gold: China’s winter sports boom ignites trillion-yuan market
The Art Of Hair: Mielle Organics and Rolling Out Journey On Hair ExpressionMikel Arteta insists Arsenal will need time to adapt without Bukayo Saka after their win over Ipswich - as the Gunners boss reveals the forward could be out for 'more than two months'LANSING, MI – The Michigan House gallery at the Capitol Building has been closed to the public mid-session Wednesday due to unspecified security concerns. A spokesperson for the Michigan House Democratic Caucus, which controls the House, declined to give further details about the security concern amid the ongoing lame duck session.