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WASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as . Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump’s catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. “Russ Vought is a far-right ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, leading Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said Vought wants to “dismantle the expert federal workforce” to the detriment of Americans who depend on everything from veterans' health care to Social Security benefits. “Pain itself is the agenda,” they said. Trump’s protests about Project 2025 always glossed over . Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump’s on Oct. 27. “America First Legal,” Miller’s organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” John Ratcliffe, Trump's , was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts.7 ejected late in Heat's comeback win over Rockets
Maura Higgins addresses media attention surrounding her and Pete Wicks' relationship
After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key rolesShare Tweet Share Share Email In the fiercely competitive and fast-evolving world of AI video generation, the recent progress of SORA and Veo2 has been remarkable, drawing significant attention and setting high standards. Meanwhile, KLING AI, which has made waves since its launch a few months ago, is stepping up with its new 1.6 model, poised to redefine the possibilities of video synthesis and provide users with a more seamless and engaging creative experience . With this update, KLING AI have significantly improved the response to prompt, the visual aesthetics, and the physical actions, bringing more consistent and vivid results. In an internal assessment, the latest 1.6 model has seen a remarkable 195%enhancement in its image-to-video generation capabilities compared to the previous 1.5 model. This evaluation mainly focuses on dimensions such as the model’s prompt adherence, dynamics, and image quality. KLING AI 1.6 upgrade focuses on enhancing prompt adherence. It now demonstrates an outstanding understanding of prompts, translating them into more consistent and vivid video outputs. Whether it’s a complex narrative or a specific visual concept, the model can render it with greater precision and details. Moreover, the visual aesthetics have a substantial improvement. The generated videos possess a captivating level of fidelity, with enhanced color palettes, sharper details, and more natural scenes. This not only makes the videos more visually attractive but also boosts the overall quality. Prompt: The mechanical wolf slowly stands up, and its mechanical limbs spread out smoothly. The camera slowly moves up, and its blue eyes narrow slightly. The neon lights flicker in the background, full of a mysterious futuristic feeling. Also, to meet diverse user needs, KLING AI 1.6 offers two modes. The Standard Mode has a user-friendly interface for beginners to easily generate high-quality videos. The Professional Mode provides advanced customization options for experienced users who desire more control over the creative process. This dual-mode approach makes the model accessible to a wide range of users. A screenshot from a video generated under the Professional Mode of the 1.6 model Just less than a month ago, KLING AI released the 1.5 model with revolutionary features. The Motion Brush allows users paint on the video canvas to precisely define object or character movements, unlocking new creative potential. Also, the Camera Movements feature provided diverse angles and motions, enhancing visual storytelling and making videos more engaging and cinematic. As of December 2024, KLING AI has over 6 million users who have created more than 65 million videos and 175 million images. Related Items: A New Leap in Video Generation , KLING AI Releases its Latest 1.6 Model Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments‘Living in a home that damages health the norm for far too many older people’
Football fairytales do still exist. Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!! At the start of the season, no one would have predicted Nottingham Forest to be guaranteed a place in the Premier League’s top three on New Year’s Day. The once mighty Forest, who famously won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, were in fact one of the favourites to be relegated this season, according to the bookmakers. After winning two of their last three matches to finish one place above the drop zone last campaign, that prediction made sense. But now, they are one place off top spot and everyone else has egg on their face. Forest moved to second with a 2-0 win at Everton in the early hours of Monday morning Australian time, and at worst they will start 2025 in third if Chelsea win at second-last Ipswich Town. It was their fifth consecutive victory in the league, which is the longest winning streak in English football’s top flight since 1995. Sitting on 37 points with 11 wins and four draws for 19 matches, they have already surpassed their entire points tally from last season by five. Forest returned to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years in the 2022/23 season and in their two previous campaigns back among England’s heavyweights, they only won nine games in each season. “We are enjoying it,” Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said of their league position. “We are especially enjoying because our fans are enjoying. “This is what we have to do together, let’s enjoy the journey, compete in every match. Nothing changes, we have to realise we didn’t achieve anything.” It has been a stunning turnaround, and it has been built off the back of staunch defence. The 26 goals they have scored so far is the equal least, alongside Aston Villa, among the top 12 teams, but they have still presented a serious attacking threat. New Zealander Chris Wood has been the hero up front with 11 goals after earlier in the year knocking back the pursuits of the A-League’s newest team, Auckland FC. The tall striker is a major threat in the air and is a proven finisher with a double figure goal tally in six different Premier League seasons across his stints at Forest and Burnley. The 33-year-old is on track to better his best season tally of 14, which he has reached twice, and sits equal fourth in the golden boot standings, six shy of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. Everton boss, and Wood’s former mentor at Burnley, Sean Dyche was full of praise for Wood after he scored at Goodison Park. “He’s got a different format they’re working to there which seems to be to his liking. He’s got wide players, they’ve got a strength behind them, and they get the ball up to him quickly,” Dyche said. “That seems to be a thing that’s good for him and not massively dissimilar to what we were trying to achieve at Burnley. “But yeah, I think a lot of credit to him, credit to his professionalism to keep on top of himself. He had a quiet spell when he first went there and [there were] a few question marks over him. “That can happen with strikers. He’s had that before, and he’s come through it. Certainly a very good player, and someone I’ve got a lot of respect for.” But it is at the other end of the pitch where Forest are causing the most headaches for their opponents. Goalkeeper Matz Sels boasts the most clean sheets in the league with eight, and has made many crucial stops throughout the first half of the season. In front of Sels is real the star of the show, however. Centre back Nikola Milenkovic was bought from Fiorentina for £12 million in the summer and is proving to be bargain in comparison to what the richer clubs fork out for the linchpins of their defences. In fact, the 27-year-old is widely regarded as the best signing of the season. “The Serbian defender has helped turn Nottingham Forest into one of the best defensive sides in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo’s guidance, with an old-school appetite for the battle with his centre-forward,” The UK Telegraph’s sports writer Lawrence Ostlere wrote. “He’s also added a set-piece threat at the other end of the pitch, with a couple of goals and an assist already this season, and must have added plenty of value to his £12m transfer fee.” Milenkovic’s impact has been so great, that it has even forgiven other missteps Forest have made in transfer windows past. “Nottingham Forest were mocked, sometimes rightly, for signing vast numbers of players in recent years; so many that they didn’t have room in the squad for some of them,” The UK Telegraph’s senior football correspondent Richard Jolly wrote. “Yet recruitment has clearly been refined: less quantity, more quality. Their side now has a series of fine buys. Nikola Milenkovic may be the best: not merely in what he is – a giant, dominant central defender – but in terms of what Forest lacks. “He complements the excellent Murillo wonderfully. Forest now have one of the best central-defensive partnerships and defences in the division. And at £12m, Milenkovic is a bargain.” In midfield, captain Morgan Gibbs-White has been inspirational. He followed manager Nuno from Wolves to the City Ground, and has since become an England international. Gibbs-White scored in their most recent outing at Everton, but it his creativity in the middle of the pitch that has drawn the most praise. At Goodison Park, he also set up Wood’s goal and has been dubbed by his manager a “talented player” who is “fantastic”. He along with Wood and Milenkovic will need to maintain their high standards if Forest are to challenge for the title or hang on to a Champions League place. Chants of ‘we’re going to win the league’ have rung out from the Forest fans regularly in recent months, but with every win they are becoming less tongue-in-cheek. It would take a mighty collapse from league leaders Liverpool, who are eight points clear with a game in hand, but the fact Forest and the Reds are battling it out at the pointy end of the table is a providing older fans with a lot of nostalgia. Forest won the English First Division in 1978 with Liverpool finishing second, the following year their places were reversed. During the 1980s, Forest finished third on three occasions and they last played in the European Cup, now the Champions League, in the 1980-81 season. Now, the dream is real of hearing the Champions League theme on a Tuesday or Wednesday night at the City Ground. It will be a challenge, but their biggest tests might be behind them. In the second half of the season, their clashes with fellow top five teams Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are all at home. That Liverpool match is only two weeks away, first they will travel to an in form Wolves in a grudge match for Nuno, and after that clash we will have a better understanding how serious about being a top team Forest truly are. Their current standing proves this is more than merely a good start, but it remains unclear whether this could be another Leicester City fairytale title, an Aston Villa of last season charge to the Champions League, or a campaign that fades into the middle of the table.
The common murre, a large black-and-white seabird native to northern waters, has become far less common in Alaska over the past decade due to the impacts of climate change. A study published Thursday in Science reveals that a record-breaking marine heat wave in the northeast Pacific from 2014 to 2016 triggered a catastrophic population collapse, wiping out four million birds — about half the species in the region. Strikingly, they have shown little signs of rebounding, suggesting long-term shifts in the food web that have locked the ecosystem into a troubling new equilibrium. “There’s a lot of talk about declines of species that are tied to changes in temperature, but in this case, it was not a long term result,” lead author Heather Renner of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge told AFP. “To our knowledge, this is the largest mortality event of any wildlife species reported during the modern era,” she and her colleagues emphasized in their paper. The finding triggers “alarm bells,” Renner said in an interview, as human-caused climate change makes heat waves more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting. – Emaciated Carcasses – With their dapper, tuxedoed look, common murres are sometimes called the “penguins of the north.” Their slender wings power them across vast distances in search of food and make them expert divers. But even these hardy seabirds were no match for an unprecedented environmental catastrophe. The largest marine heat wave ever recorded began in the late fall of 2014, spanning a massive swath of the northeast Pacific Ocean from California to Alaska. It persisted for over two years, leaving devastation in its wake. During this time, some 62,000 emaciated murres washed ashore along the North American Pacific coastline — dead or dying from starvation. Experts point to two key reasons for the bird deaths: elevated ocean temperatures reduced both the quality and quantity of phytoplankton, impacting fish like herring, sardines, and anchovies — the mainstay of the murre diet. At the same time, warmer waters increased the energy demands of larger fish, such as salmon and Pacific cod, which compete with murres for the same prey. “We knew then it was a big deal, but unfortunately, we couldn’t really quantify the effects,” explained Renner. For years after the event, breeding colonies failed to produce chicks, complicating efforts to assess the full impact. Earlier estimates pegged the number of deaths at around a million, but a more robust analysis — drawing on data from 13 murre colonies — revealed the toll was four times higher. “It is just so much worse than we thought it was,” Renner said of the new findings. – Climate winners and losers – The marine heat wave didn’t just impact common murres. Pacific cod stocks collapsed, king salmon populations dwindled, and as many as 7,000 humpback whales perished. Yet the crisis created an uneven playing field: some species emerged unscathed, while others even thrived. Thick-billed murres, which often share nesting cliffs with common murres, were largely unaffected, possibly due to their more adaptable diet, Renner noted. For common murres, however, the fallout lingers. Despite nearly a decade since the heat wave, their numbers show no sign of bouncing back — and the losses may well be permanent. Part of the reason lies in the long-term decline of some of their prey. Another factor is murres’ survival strategy relies on numbers: they aggregate in massive colonies to protect their eggs from opportunistic predators like eagles and gulls. With their populations slashed, these birds have lost their critical safety buffer. Still, Renner offered a glimmer of hope. While addressing global warming is essential for curbing long-term climate change, conservation efforts can make a difference in the short term, she said. Removing invasive species like foxes and rats from murre nesting islands could also provide the beleaguered birds with a fighting chance. 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.Toshakhana case against Nawaz, Zardari, Gilani transferred to FIA court
After being at the centre of dating rumours for the last few months, Maura Higgins has finally set the record straight on if she's dating Pete Wicks . In tonight's episode of I'm A Celebrity , the Love Island star addressed the rumours with fellow campmate GK Barry. While washing their underwear in the creek, Maura mentioned a situation where the press asked her if she was dating Pete. She responded: "You know more than me! No, I'm single. People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow." Adding about the press: "What’s the point in getting them involved too soon, when you just don’t know where it’s gonna go, you know?" Grace opened up about trying to keep her relationship with footballer Ella Rutherford a secret as Maura said of her and Pete: "Well we’ve already been papped, tongues down each other’s necks and we had no idea!" This isn't the first time Maura has addressed the situation as in Sunday night's episode, she mentioned she was seeing someone before she flew out to Australia. She said: "I am but I was seeing someone before I came in, but I'm not in a relationship." Dean McCullough asked if she was dating someone who was also in the public eye and she said: "Yeah." The two first set tongues wagging back in August when they were spotted looking cosy in London. Then in October, they were pictured at the National Television Awards together, again sparking speculation they were dating. Both have denied the rumours and have insisted they are just friends on multiple occasions. Pete has publicly expressed his support for Maura on social media during her time on the show, sharing stories with encouraging messages of support. Maura entered the jungle a week in with fellow latecomer Reverend Richard Coles and the pair were sent to the jungle junkyard. The pair had to fool the main camp into thinking they were in bad conditions but in reality they were entitled to luxuries including a fridge, a double bed and a gas cooker. I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! continues nightly at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX.New Brunswick's child and youth advocate has delivered a mostly failing grade to the provincial government's work on recommendations in 2021 to address mental health issues among First Nations youth. In a report released Monday morning, Kelly Lamrock calls the government's efforts "lacklustre," concluding that it took no action on 12 of the 20 recommendations and only "somewhat implemented" the eight others. He told reporters that the response has been "profoundly underwhelming." Lamrock called for a "nation-to-nation" approach to the issue, including co-management by the province and First Nations governments of funding for mental health services. "At some point one either accepts that we need a distinct process to deal with the crisis in First Nations communities or we do not," Lamrock said. "And that dividing line really animates the report. My submission respectfully to the legislature is we do, and we have not had one." He noted that young Indigenous people are almost eight times as likely to take their own lives as other New Brunswick youth. "Anybody that thinks you can simply attack this problem by saying 'take the strategy for the whole province and add Aboriginal people' probably has not reflected long enough on the very unique causes and very unique challenges in First Nations communities." Lamrock asked government departments for an accounting of their work on the proposals submitted by a First Nations advisory council to his predecessor Norm Bossé, as part of the advocate's broader review of suicide prevention and youth mental health services. He said the responses "do not meaningfully address the substance of the recommendations," often equating the creation of committees — or just the discussion of who might sit on committees — with concrete actions. "In several cases it appears that authorities are providing unrelated or tangential responses as a means to avoid rejecting the recommendations," he wrote. "This indicates both a failure of the authorities to address the issue and a failure to take accountability for their inaction." Lamrock's report makes five new recommendations that he says are intended to "kickstart this process after three lost years," including a "nation-to-nation" agreement with First Nations for the co-management of funding for youth mental health services. Roxanne Sappier, who co-chaired the advisory council for Bossé's report, said she was hopeful the proposals would spark movement. "The lack of action means that our youth are suffering, that we're not meeting the needs of our families in our communities, and that has huge, huge costs," she said. In a statement, Rob McKee, the Liberal minister responsible for mental health and addiction services, said "a number of initiatives are underway ...and are in various stages of implementation" — the kind of phrasing that Lamrock's report criticized.. McKee's statement said that includes creating programs that are "culturally safe" for Indigenous people, but he did not mention the idea of co-managing funding. Lamrock also called for clearer accounting of federal funds transferred to the province for First Nations mental health to ensure it's being spent properly and the creation of clear indicators for measuring progress. He was reluctant to discuss whether the previous Progressive Conservative government of Blaine Higgs was to blame or whether the new Liberal government of Premier Susan Holt would make a difference. His job, he said, was to report to the legislature — meaning 49 MLAs from three different parties — and leave it to them to hold specific politicians accountable. "My job is to say what has come out of the department, and it's nothing." Roxanne Sappier, who co-chaired the advisory council for Bossé's report, says they've been waiting 'a long, long time' for gains to be made. (Mikael Mayer/Radio-Canada) But Sappier said she believes the attitudes of those holding political power can't be ignored. "It's been very challenging without that support from the top. So we're really hopeful that now that we do have mandates from this government supporting this work, that we will make some gains that we've been waiting for for a long, long time," she said. Progressive Conservative MLA Rob Weir, who was first elected in October and who worked as a political assistant in the PC government, was reluctant to say why so little progress had happened. "I can't answer that because I was not in the room," he said. PC MLA Rob Weir, who was first elected in October, was reluctant to say why so little progress had happened. (Jacques Poitras/CBC) "I will guarantee that moving forward, I will be an advocate for paying attention to the issues that we have and solving the problems moving forward." Green Party leader David Coon said the Higgs government was clearly responsible for the inaction, "but they're gone," and he called on the legislature's social policy committee to be given a mandate to monitor the implementation of the recommendations. Among the 2021 recommendations where Lamrock found no action was taken: The launch of a separate review by the provincial government of Indigenous youth mental health services. Changes to health care structures and processes with a long-term goal of "cultural safety" for Indigenous youth and better outcomes. A forum that includes federal and provincial governments and Indigenous leaders to develop a framework for "culturally appropriate, competent and safe" mental health services. Improving the transparency of how federal government money transferred to the province is spent on Indigenous mental health services. Cultural training for judges and Crown prosecutors. Among recommendations that Lamrock said were "somewhat" implemented: Formal support and recognition of the Mi'gmaq, Peskotomuhkati and Wolastoqey languages through provincial legislation and programs. The offering of "culturally relevant" mental wellness, health and addiction services for Indigenous youth, with an emphasis on Indigenous-led services. A more culturally inclusive education policy.
OTTAWA - Canada got back in the win column at the world junior hockey championship. It wasn’t pretty. Oliver Bonk, Caden Price and Mathieu Cataford, into the empty net, scored as the wobbly host country picked up an unconvincing 3-0 victory over Germany on Sunday. Carter George made 25 saves to register the goaltender’s second straight shutout for the Canadians, who were coming off Friday’s stunning 3-2 upset loss to Latvia in a shootout. Nico Pertuch stopped 33 shots for Germany, which dropped its Group A opener at the men’s under-20 tournament to the United States 10-4 before falling 3-1 to Finland. Canada entered with a 17-0 record all-time and a combined 107-26 score against Germany at the world juniors, including last year’s 6-3 victory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an 11-2 drubbing at the 2023 event in Halifax. Despite another sub-par performance, the victory sets up a New Year’s Eve matchup against the U.S. for first place in the pool after the Americans fell 4-3 to the Finns in overtime earlier Sunday. Canada suffered one of the powerhouse nation’s worst defeats in tournament history Friday when Latvia — outscored 41-4 in four previous meetings at the event — shocked the hockey world. And while the plucky Latvians were full marks for their victory, the Canadians were largely disjointed and surrendered the middle of the ice for long stretches despite firing 57 shots on goal. There was more of the same Sunday. Head coach Dave Cameron made a couple of changes to Canada’s lineup — one out of necessity and another for tactical reasons. With star defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who could go No. 1 at the 2025 NHL draft, out of the world juniors after suffering an upper-body injury against Latvia, Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio drew in. Cameron also sat forward Porter Martone in favour of Carson Rehkopf. Canada opened the scoring on the power play, which also had a new look after going 1-for-7 through the first two games, when Bonk scored from his normal bumper position in the slot off an Easton Cowan feed at 9:40 of the first period. Sam Dickinson then chimed a one-timer off the post on another man advantage before George, who was in goal for Canada’s 4-0 opener against the Finns, made a couple of stops on the penalty kill inside a red-clad Canadian Tire Centre. Petruch made a big stop off Tanner Howe in the second before also denying Calum Ritchie from the slot on a power play, but the Canadians again looked completely out of sorts against what was a decidedly inferior opponent on paper. Berkly Catton hit another post for Canada early in the third. Tanner Molendyk also found iron. Unable to register a 5-on-5 goal against either Latvia or Germany through more than 120 minutes of action, Price scored on a shot that caromed off the end boards and went in off Pertuch with 4:58 left in regulation to make it 2-0 before Cataford iced it into the empty net on another nervy night for the 20-time gold medallists. LATVIAN REACTION The U.S. beat Latvia 5-1 on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Europeans’ upset of Canada. American captain Ryan Leonard said the Latvians were impressive — even on short rest. “That team’s no joke,” said the Washington Capitals prospect. “You can’t really treat anyone different, especially in this short of a tournament.” UP NEXT Germany will meet Latvia on Monday in a crucial game at the bottom of the Group A standings. Canada now turns its attention to Tuesday’s clash against the U.S. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2024.
Columbia opens new gymnasium with nod to the pastSaturday Night Live has lined up its last trio of hosts for 2024. After a season full of nostalgic bits, political bites, and even some emotional moments, Season 50’s first stretch will conclude with three back-to-back-to-back episodes in December. Here’s what to know about how to tune in for the last three episodes of the year.0 Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Smokers have been urged to kick the habit in the new year after new analysis shows how much of their lives are lost by each cigarette smoked. Men lose 17 minutes of life with every cigarette they smoke while a woman’s life is cut short by 22 minutes with each cigarette, experts have estimated. This is more than previous estimates, which suggest that each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 11 minutes. The new estimates, which suggest that each cigarette leads to 20 minutes loss of live on average across both genders, are based on more up-to-date figures from long-term studies tracking the health of the population. Researchers from University College London said that the harm caused by smoking is “cumulative” and the sooner a person stops smoking, and the more cigarettes they avoid smoking, the longer they live. The new analysis, commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care, suggests that if a 10-cigarettes-a-day smoker quits on January 1, then by January 8 they could “prevent loss of a full day of life”. By February 20, their lives could be extended by a whole week. And if their quitting is successful until August 5, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke. The authors added: “Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life. Make 2025 the year you quit smoking for good. There’s lots of free support available to help you. Find out more 🔽 — WHH 🏥 (@WHHNHS) “Thus smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability. “So a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.” The analysis, to be published in the Journal of Addiction, concludes: “We estimate that on average, smokers in Britain who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette they smoke. “This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health. “Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be.” Dr Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow from the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, said: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy. “The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke. “The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. “Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately. “It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.” There are so many reasons to quit smoking this New Year – for your health, for more money, and for your family. Make a fresh quit for 2025 – find tips and support at or — North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (@NTeesHpoolNHSFT) Health officials have said that smokers can find advice, support and resources with the NHS Quit Smoking app, as well as the online Personal Quit Plan. Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit. “The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step.” Commenting on the paper, Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals but also for our healthcare system and economy. “This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the UK.”Billionaire Warren Buffett's Bet On Domino's Pizza Looks Primed to Deliver Returns for Decades to Come
Bluesky takes bite out of X, as global users flee social media giant: analystHUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Trey Fort had 27 points in Samford's 97-90 win against Alabama A&M on Saturday night. Fort added five rebounds for the Bulldogs (10-3). Collin Holloway shot 4 of 5 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line to add 16 points. Julian Brown shot 4 for 5 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. The Bulldogs (4-8) were led by Anthony Bryant, who recorded 22 points. Alabama A&M also got 21 points and 10 assists from Bilal Abdur-Rahman. Quincy McGriff also had 13 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Irish Government doubted UK campaign to ‘save David’ TrimbleFourth-quarter surge sends Xaverian back to GilletteBarcelona's late-game flop at Celta Vigo seemed to be isolated to the final 10 minutes, but Hansi Flick was far more critical of his side than that. The Blaugrana seemed on their way to three points as they led 2-0 late on thanks to goals from the league's Golden Boot leaders Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Yet Marc Casado's 82nd-minute red card led to a complete collapse, as Celta Vigo scored in the 84th and 86th minutes to snatch a point. The Barcelona head coach was livid with his side, labeling the entirety of the 90 minutes on the north coast as a disaster. MORE: All the latest soccer news | Barcelona news "Not just the final 10 minutes. I didn’t like the whole performance," Flick told the media in his post-match press conference. "We made too many mistakes. We did not control the ball. We must return to our level." "If we're being honest, it was a very bad match," Flick continued, later labeling their performance as "awful" and saying it wasn't up to regular Barcelona standards. Helena Condis of Spanish publication Cope reported that Flick held a post-match team talk with all Barcelona players in the locker room. Condis stated that Flick was "very angry" with the squad and told them there was "no excuses." MORE: Lewandowski, Raphinha lead La Liga top goal scorer list The German placed the blame on the team's ability to remain focused across the entire 90 minutes, appearing to claim they got complacent as they reached the final stages with a multi-goal lead. "It's all about concentration, you have to focus on the small details," said Flick. "Sometimes they may think it's too easy to win, but that's not how it happens." Multiple players will be frustrated with their performance in the match. Casado is an obvious scapegoal for his careless second yellow, but Jules Kounde's error was to blame for Celta Vigo's first goal and Fermin Lopez and Raphinha both missed big second-half chances to put the game away. At the end of the 90 minutes, Barcelona found themselves significantly out-shot by Celta Vigo who produced 2.60 xG on 15 efforts, putting a whopping eight of them on frame.