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This was the best part, when you think about it: The Columbia Lions were unimpressed with themselves. Here they were, dying moments of a basketball game that would soon be the source of bewilderment for college basketball fans everywhere — “Wait, that score’s backward, isn’t it?” — and the least surprised people inside Finneran Pavilion were the Lions themselves. “Honestly,” Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa says, “it wasn’t that big a surprise to us.” Everywhere else? Yes. Columbia 90, Villanova 80, that was a surprise. That was a stunner. Maybe Villanova isn’t where it was a few years ago under Jay Wright, but this was still a Big East team vs. an Ivy League team, still inside the Cats’ lair, and the Lions seized a 10-point lead midway though the second half and simply eased on home. That was Nov. 6.
Guest Opinion: Minnesota is about to give a crash course in bipartisanshipHayleys Fentons Limited announced the opening of its inaugural Experience Centre located at Nawala Road, Nugegoda. This pioneering facility is designed to provide an immersive, hands-on exploration of the company’s cutting-edge solutions across 12 key sectors: Solar Power, ICT, Security and Communication, Audio-Visual Integration (AVI), Electrical and Lighting, Fire Safety Solutions, Air Conditioning and Ventilation, Plumbing and Gas, Facilities Management, Uninterrupted Power Supply and Battery Backups, Architectural Drawings and 3D Visualisation and Industrial Accessories Trading. Equipped with advanced technologies, the Experience Centre offers interactive product demonstrations, visually dynamic installations, and dedicated spaces for training, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. It enables visitors to explore and engage with Hayleys Fentonsinnovative services in a hands-on environment. Sustainability takes centre stage at the Experience Centre featuring a BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaic) roofing system by Hayleys Solar, symbolising the company’s dedication to renewable energy and green innovation. Hayleys Fentons Limited Managing Director Hasith Prematillake stated; “We are dedicated to delivering innovative, integrated services that meet our customers’ evolving needs. The Hayleys Fentons Experience Centre is a hub for collaboration, innovation, and growth. This one-stop destination allows customers to experience cutting edge solutions from some of the world’s best brands tailored to their specific requirements, in a cohesive and unified way – thus simplifying their decision-making process.General Hospital fans slam ‘misogynistic’ storyline as they complain writers ‘dumbed Anna and Carly down'
Genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping held extensive, fruitful meetings with socialist Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday that concluded with the countries agreeing to elevate their diplomatic ties to that of “Community for a Shared Brazil-China Future for a More Just World and More Sustainable Planet.” That elevation consisted in part of the signing of 37 different agreements, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported , that span “agricultural products, educational exchange, and technological cooperation in areas such as trade, investments, infrastructure, industry, energy, mining, finance, communications, sustainable development, tourism, sports, health, and culture.” The two leaders agreed to expand the scope of their cooperation as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure plan in which China offers predatory loans to poor countries to be used to fund cost-prohibitive infrastructure projects. When the countries cannot pay the loans back, China uses the opportunity to seize the projects themselves or otherwise compromise the sovereignty of the country in question, as has happened to Sri Lanka and Zambia . Some reports indicate China also exploits BRI projects to gather intelligence in targeted countries. Lula, a radical leftist, has invested heavily in expanding China’s influence in his country since his first term in office began in 2003. In addition to joining the BRI, Lula helped found the BRICS coalition, an anti-American group initially consisting of China and Brazil alongside Russia, India, and South Africa. Lula served his first two terms from 2003 to 2011 and was repeatedly convicted on corruption charges related to a massive infrastructure fraud scheme known as “Operation Car Wash.” He won the 2022 presidential election after Brazil’s top court overturned his prison sentences on procedural grounds. “Chinese companies have been bidding for infrastructure projects and have been partners in ventures such as the construction of hydroelectric installations and railroads. This means jobs, income and sustainability for Brazil,” Lula declared in a speech alongside Xi on Wednesday. “Brazilian industries are also expanding their presence in China, such as WEG, Suzano and Randon. At the same time, agribusiness continues to ensure Chinese food security. Since 2017, Brazil has been China’s largest food supplier.” Xi declared the relationship between Brazil and China to be “at the best in its history” and celebrated the two countries for making “outstanding contributions to world peace and stability.” In reality, Beijing is a primary enabler of some of the most nefarious rogue regimes in the world, including Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, while Brazil under Lula has vocally opposed sanctions and other actions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Brazil and China have united to pressure Ukraine to accept terms favorable to Russia in exchange for ending the invasion, which Lula celebrated in his remarks. “China and Brazil prioritize peace, diplomacy, and dialogue. Our common understanding of the Ukraine crisis is an example of our convergence on international security matters,” he said. Xi chose to emphasize the expansion of the BRI and Brazil’s support for China’s “core interests,” typically including China’s false claims to the nation of Taiwan as a renegade province. “Xi called on the two sides to firmly support each other on issues concerning core interests such as sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” the state-run Global Times reported , “be strategic partners of mutual trust and set a good example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and common development for countries in the Global South.” The “Global South” is a term typically used to mean the world’s poor and developing countries; China includes itself as a leader of the “Global South” despite being the world’s second-largest economy and being located in the Northern Hemisphere. The provisions of the official declaration on elevating bilateral ties indeed mentions China’s false claims to Taiwan. “The Brazilian side reiterated that it firmly adheres to the One China principle, recognized that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory,” the text read, “while the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legal government representing all of China.” “Brazil supports China’s efforts to achieve peaceful national reunification. The Chinese side expressed great appreciation in this regard,” it added. The declaration also listed “finance, infrastructure, supply chain development, investments, ecological transformation, science, and technology and innovation” as areas of cooperation. Xi is currently concluding a South America tour that began in Peru, where he helped inaugurate an incomplete deep-water port alongside President Dina Boluarte and attended the annual support of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group. He then traveled to Rio de Janeiro to attend the G20 summit and concluded his trip with a stop in Brasilia for the official state visit to Brazil. The Chinese dictator was a dominant presence at both the APEC summit and the G20, particularly in the absence of any meaningful American leadership. Outgoing President Joe Biden attended both summits but made little impact and appeared to be routinely ignored or sidelined by the other participants. The G20 was nonetheless the site of significant discord, reports on the ground indicated, as many countries’ diplomats navigated apprehension about the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. The ultimate joint statement from the summit avoided specific promises on many critical issues, opting instead to generally call for an end to hunger and war. Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.While Cleveland heads into Sunday's home matchup with the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics sporting the league's best record, the Cavaliers also come in trying to avoid a three-game losing streak. Cleveland had its 15-game winning streak to open the season interrupted in its last meeting with Boston, a 120-117 win for the host Celtics on Nov. 19. The Cavaliers recovered with a pair of wins over Toronto and New Orleans, but fell in meetings with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and Friday. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Russell Vought, one of the chief architects of Project 2025 — a conservative blueprint for the next presidency — is no fan of the federal government that President-elect Donald Trump will soon lead. He believes "woke" civil servants and "so-called expert authorities" wield illegitimate power to block conservative White House directives from deep within federal agencies, and wants Trump to "bend or break" that bureaucracy to his will, he wrote in the second chapter of the Project 2025 playbook. Vought is a vocal proponent of a plan known as Schedule F, under which Trump would fire thousands of career civil servants with extensive experience in their fields and replace them with his own political loyalists, and of Christian nationalism, which would see American governance aligned with Christian teachings. Both are core tenets of Project 2025. Throughout his campaign, Trump adamantly disavowed Project 2025, even though its policies overlapped with his and some of its authors worked in his first administration. He castigated anyone who suggested the blueprint, which polls showed was deeply unpopular among voters, represented his aims for the presidency. But last week, the president-elect nominated Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the White House budget and its policy agenda across the federal government. Trump called Vought, who held the same role during his first term, an "aggressive cost cutter and deregulator" who "knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government." The nomination was one of several Trump has made since his election that have called into question his claims on the campaign trail that Project 2025 was not his playbook and held no sway over him or his plans for a second term. He selected Tom Homan, a Project 2025 contributor and former visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative organization behind the blueprint, as his "border czar." Trump named Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner also linked to Project 2025, as his deputy chief of staff for policy. Both also served in the first Trump administration. He also named Brendan Carr to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote a chapter of Project 2025 on the FCC, which regulates U.S. internet access and TV and radio networks, and has echoed Trump's claims that news broadcasters have engaged in political bias against Trump. Trump named John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director and Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada. Both are Project 2025 contributors. It has also been reported that the Trump transition team is filling lower-level government spots using a Project 2025 database of conservative candidates. During the campaign Trump said that he knew "nothing about" Project 2025 and that he found some of its ideas "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal." In response to news in July that Project 2025's director, Paul Dans, was leaving his post, Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles — whom the president-elect has since named his chief of staff — issued a statement saying that "reports of Project 2025's demise would be greatly welcomed." Asked about Trump's selection of several people with Project 2025 connections to serve in his administration, Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded with a statement, saying Trump "never had anything to do with Project 2025." "This has always been a lie pushed by the Democrats and the legacy media, but clearly the American people did not buy it because they overwhelmingly voted for President Trump to implement the promises that he made on the campaign trail," Leavitt wrote. "All of President Trump's cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups." Leavitt too has ties to Project 2025, having appeared in a training video for it. In addition to calling for much greater power in the hands of the president, Project 2025 calls for less federal intervention in certain areas — including through the elimination of the Department of Education. It calls for much stricter immigration enforcement and mass deportations — a policy priority of Trump's as well — and rails against environmental protections, calling for the demolition of key environmental agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. It calls for tougher restrictions on abortion and for the federal government to collect data on women who seek an abortion, and backs a slew of measures that would strip rights from LGBTQ+ people. For Trump's critics, his selections make it clear that his disavowal of the conservative playbook was nothing more than a campaign ploy to pacify voters who viewed the plan as too far to the right. It's an argument many were making before the election as well. "There are many of us who tried to sound the alarm bell before the election," when voters still had the power to keep such a plan from coming to fruition, said Ben Olinsky, senior vice president of structural reform and governance at the liberal Center for American Progress. Now, he said, he expects many of the more "draconian pieces" of Project 2025 to start being implemented given the nominees Trump has put forward. That includes Vought's plan to eviscerate the career civil service, the core of American government, by doing away with merit-based staffing in favor of loyalty-based appointments, Olinsky said. "We know what happened before there was a merit-based civil service. There was cronyism in American government, and we can look back through history and see that kind of graft and cronyism," Olinsky said. Filling the government with Trump loyalists will clear the way for more policies of Project 2025 to be implemented without resistance, Olinsky said. Olinsky said the Supreme Court and the Republican-controlled House have already proved they are not willing to stand up to Trump. There are "still some institutionalists" in the Senate — soon to be controlled by Republicans, as well — who could leverage their power to push back, he said, but it is not clear that they will. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has signaled that he may be willing to do so: According to reports from his home state, he said at a local Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday that all presidents try to push policy through executive action, and that Congress "sometimes will have to put the brakes on." In the end, Olinsky said, real resistance might come only once Americans start realizing that Trump's new government, stripped of all of its experts, is failing them in serious ways. "They do care about their Social Security checks being delivered. They do care about the nation being defended properly. They care that, when they turn on the faucet, they will drink water that won't sicken them and their kids," Olinsky said. "And that's what requires expertise." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Mikaela Shiffrin has abrasion after crash in World Cup giant slalomGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport has improved its passenger experience by opening a new International Arrivals Curb. Improving the passenger experience George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston is the second-busiest airport in Texas, only behind Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport . Home to a United Airlines hub, more than 46 million passengers flew through IAH in 2023. Vehicular traffic congestion has long been a problem at IAH, and today, the airport has unveiled a new International Arrivals Curb, which should help alleviate the problem. The curb opened at 05:00 today, and the airport called it a significant piece of infrastructure. Since January 2022, passengers have been forced to use a temporary Terminal E pick-up zone as construction was being done on a new terminal. After nearly three years of a temporary curb, passengers can finally experience something new. Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation at Houston Airports called the temporary Terminal E curb the bane of the airport’s existence. He added, “With the opening of the new International Arrivals Curb, we’ve listened to feedback, addressed frustrations and delivered a safer, more streamlined solution. This marks a new chapter in how we serve our passengers, fulfilling our commitment to providing a world-class experience while laying the groundwork for the future of international travel in Houston.” A few days ago, the airport authority celebrated the development of the new curb with a special “international” guest. The Moon RACER is a lunar rover finalist for a NASA contract. NASA currently has a project called Artemis, which aims to put man on the moon again in the next three years. The Moon RACER test-drove the new curb two days ago. The airport’s announcement said, “Bush Airport opened in June 1969 with a handful of international destinations, just as man prepared to land on the moon. Today, 55 years later, Bush Airport is preparing to open its new international terminal, which offers nonstop flights to 195 destinations across five continents. Intuitive Machines is working to not only return man to the moon but also create the technology needed for man to roam the lunar surface.” The new curb has eight dedicated pick-up lanes, six of which are now open. The remaining two will open in January 2025. On the second level, the airport will open a departures area with 11 lanes. According to Szczesniak, the new area will open before spring break 2025. Together, there will be 19 new lanes with the new international terminal. International operations at IAH According to data from Cirium , an aviation analytics firm, there are nearly 8,000 international flights scheduled from IAH in December. Twenty airlines operate flights from various countries, but United has the largest market share. Of the nearly 8,000 flights, United has more than 5,800. United Airlines cited temporary waivers that the DOT has granted to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue. Data shows there are nearly 1.4 million international seats available in December. United alone has more than 900,000 seats available. The busiest international route from Houston is to Mexico City. There are 659 flights scheduled in both directions and nearly 110,000 seats available to the Mexican capital. Four airlines operate the route, with United having more than double its closest competitor. United’s competitors are Aeromexico, Mexico’s flag carrier, VivaAerobus, and Volaris. The second-busiest route is also to Mexico, but to the city of Monterrey. According to Cirium, there are 216 roundtrips (432) total flights to Monterrey in December. Only two airlines operate this route, with United having a nearly 70% market share. Most of United’s flights are operated by SkyWest and its Embraer E175s, but United mainline also has some flights, and Mesa Airlines operates one daily roundtrip. In total, nearly 58,000 seats are available on the route. In third place is also a Mexican route, but to an extremely popular tourist destination. Cancún, located on the Yucatán Peninsula, has 200 roundtrips from Houston in December. The seat offering on this route is greater than 72,000. United’s only competition on the Cancún route is Spirit Airlines, which only has 14 flights this month. United has more than 370 flights and 66,000+ seats. The Star Alliance carrier has six daily roundtrips.