roulette how to play
In the world of women's tennis, competition is fierce and the race for top honors is always tight. While Zheng Qunwen may have missed out on the Player of the Year award this time, her journey is far from over. With her talent and determination, there is no doubt that she will continue to make her mark on the sport and inspire fans with her exceptional performances.CU Buffs seniors proud of legacy left behind and the standard set for future success
Josh Norris scores late power-play goal in the Senators’ 3-1 victory over the WildThese Could Be 3 of the Best Stocks to Own in 2025
In August, the EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gave a rousing speech about a soon-to-launch “smart” border system that would track the movements of hundreds of millions of travelers in and out of the bloc using fingerprints and facial recognition. “Soon, we will switch on the most modern digital border management system in the world,” said Johansson, announcing a Nov. 10 launch date for the so-called Entry/Exit System. But a month before the scheduled debut, Johansson announced that EES wouldn’t be operational until 2025. It was the fourth time the project had been delayed in five years. And, according to internal correspondence between EU officials and contractors viewed by Bloomberg, a trio of companies with Atos at the center was largely responsible. The French IT firm, in consortium with International Business Machines Corp. and Leonardo SpA, won the €142 million contract in 2019 to build EES, but Atos was in charge of the bulk of the work—and at the center of many of the problems, according to hundreds of pages of documents seen by Bloomberg and investigative newsroom Lighthouse Reports as well as people familiar with the matter. The documents, whose contents haven’t been previously reported, represent years of internal reports and emails from EU-Lisa, the EU agency that oversees large-scale information technology projects, as well as communication between the agency and the companies in the consortium. They show how Atos effectively slowed work by only partially installing equipment, misplacing parts, taking weeks to fix bugs and often sending teams lacking in experience, leading to missed deadlines and millions in additional maintenance costs. These claims were corroborated by three people involved in the project. Representatives for Atos, IBM and Leonardo said they couldn’t comment due to confidentiality obligations. The EES is intended to radically change the EU’s approach to policing its borders. By integrating the immigration systems of the 29 countries in the Schengen area under a common technological umbrella for the first time, it will transform border control from a national to a European issue. Yet at a moment in which migration is upending the bloc’s political landscape, the documents raise questions about whether the EU will be able to introduce a unified border system effective enough to keep countries from implementing their own protectionist policies. The problems with EES have already had knock-on effects. One hundred and thirty staffers hired by EU border management agency Frontex to work on the European Travel Information and Authorization System, a €200 million visa waiver system built on the same underlying technology, had to be reassigned because of delays, according to two people familiar with the matter. EU-Lisa declined to comment on the setbacks, or any of the findings of the investigation. It said it did not “currently have access” to the documents or its communications with the consortium. Publicly, the EU has blamed the holdup on technical issues and contractor delays. Yet the documents paint a much more tense and chaotic picture, corroborated by people involved with the contract, who asked not to be identified discussing private business matters. A key supplier to both the French nuclear industry and the recent Paris Olympic Games, Atos has been on the brink of bankruptcy after a series of setbacks and profit warnings sent its market value from €8.2 billion euros ($8.6 billion) at the end of 2020 to about €74 million today. The company has cycled through seven CEOs since 2021 as it has grappled with debt and failed rescue plans. Last month, a French commercial court approved a restructuring strategy that will see its creditors take control of the troubled business and wipe out existing shareholders. Grand ambitions Currently, the EU has no automated way of tracking how long non-EU citizens without visas stay inside the bloc. Individual countries stamp visitors’ passports when they arrive, but have no way of knowing whether people travel to other EU countries, and when—or if—they leave. “No one has the faintest idea what the irregular or illegal population of third-country nationals in the EU is,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based economic think tank. “If you are a government, this is a deeply dissatisfying state of affairs and one that provides political ammunition for far-right anti-immigration parties.” The European parliament moved to establish the EES in 2017, describing it as a “priority initiative” with a planned launch date in 2022. The plan was to replace border agents stamping passports with an automated biometric system that uses self-service kiosks to capture faces and fingerprints, and which connects to a central registry that tracks cross-border movement. The consortium’s inability to meet deadlines became clear early on. Central and back-up data centers were completed eight months after a July 2020 deadline, according to an EU-Lisa letter addressed to the companies dated April 11, 2022. After that, the consortium “missed all milestones,” EU-Lisa’s Executive Director Krum Garkov wrote in that letter, even after a new timeline was established. While IBM developed some of the system’s overall architecture and managed the project, Atos was tasked with building EES’s hardware and software. A former senior executive at Atos, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter, said the French IT company was responsible for the core part of the project, which represented about two-thirds of the work. Leonardo provided cybersecurity. In the April 11 letter, EU-Lisa complained that the consortium often sent “young teams with no experience to perform complex tasks,” and that the companies had regularly been “unable to mobilize the necessary resources to provide fixes within the agreed schedules.” In one case, the consortium took more than six weeks to “deploy a single bug fixing release team,” illustrating its “lack of competence” in critical moments. “Despite all the efforts deployed by EU-Lisa and member states,” the letter continued, the consortium “still repeatedly missed deadlines, performed partial installations and/or mixed delivery sites.” It cited “missing cables, misconfigured devices, transportation returned from border for missing delivery documentation” and having hardware retained by border police as among the problems. Two people with direct knowledge of the matter said these issues were Atos’s responsibility. Excluding ESS, the EU has stumbled on several ambitious tech infrastructure projects in recent years. A 2020 initiative to modernize the bloc’s customs operations was beset by financial and logistical problems. Gaia-X, a cloud computing platform for Europe intended to challenge the market dominance of US companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, never managed to gain momentum. (Gaia-X’s Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Ahle said that his organization’s core mission was to enhance data sovereignty, not compete directly with cloud companies.) Maegan Hendow, a senior researcher at International Centre for Migration Policy Development, a Vienna-based think tank, noted that the EES delays were perhaps not surprising given the system’s complexity. It not only has to seamlessly integrate the immigration systems of all member states, but also be able to cross-reference other biometric databases such as Eurodac, which monitors asylum seekers. “If any of those elements don’t function across any member state,” she said, “the whole thing doesn’t function.” Troubled start In the early months of 2022, the situation became so dire that EU-Lisa established daily “war room” meetings to troubleshoot EES problems, according to the documents. Those highlighted tensions as IBM, Atos and Leonardo would argue amongst themselves in front of their client. Meetings devolved into EU representatives adjudicating disputes between companies, rather than working on the project together. In its April 11 letter to the consortium, EU-Lisa accused the trio of having “failed completely in its role.” By June, the consortium proposed cutting corners on testing parts of the system in order to meet a 2023 launch date, according to a letter it sent EU-Lisa that month. Overall, the former Atos executive said, the company badly managed the EES project. He added that it was flagged to the chief executive that year as one that needed more careful supervision. Two EU-Lisa officials affirmed this view, saying they held Atos mostly responsible. Atos declined to comment. Still, two EU officials who asked not to be named discussing private matters said that EU-Lisa needs to shoulder some of the blame. While building an incredibly complex database system does require outsourcing, they noted that the small agency outsourced everything, even project management. EU-Lisa and the consortium were also under pressure from outgoing Home Affairs Commissioner Johansson to complete and implement the entire system before her tenure was up. Johansson delivered her speech announcing the Nov. 10 launch date against the objections of members states, according to an EU official, as they were concerned that the system was still too buggy and should be introduced country-by-country. A representative for Johansson declined to comment. Responding to a public information request about the delays, Garkov, who left EU-Lisa in late 2022, declined to single any company out. However, he wrote in a public letter that the consortium “substantially underestimated the complexity of the work for development and implementation of EES,” and that the “quality of key deliverables did not meet requirements.” Payment disputes After missing the first few milestones, the consortium asked the EU to waive penalties on late deliveries, while also requesting an early payment of about €2.5 million. Although EU-Lisa described the demand as “outrageous” in annotations on the request letter from the consortium that was shared internally, the EU did agree to allow the companies to pay their late fees at the end of the project in order to ensure that work on the system wouldn’t be interrupted. In a report published earlier this year on the spending practices of EU agencies in 2023, the European Court of Auditors noted that the three members of the consortium “refused to cover the extra cost of maintenance for certain IT products.” That added about €20 million in additional costs for EU-Lisa, according to internal documents seen by this investigation. By the end of 2023, a rollout the following year was looking plausible. But as the November launch date loomed, new problems emerged. A system set up over the summer to allow member states to test EES couldn’t handle more than one country using it at a time, two of the people said. Member states had to book slots to test it. An October dress rehearsal for the launch of EES was chaotic, with some member states struggling to connect to the central database. The November deadline was missed a month later after France, the Netherlands and Germany said the technology wasn’t ready. The project, still overseen by the consortium, has now been postponed to 2025, with no fixed launch date. A spokesperson for the European Commission said that despite initial plans to simultaneously launch EES across all member states, it would now take a progressive approach to allow for a “period of adjustment for authorities and travelers.” “The EU can’t afford to get this wrong, for obvious political reasons,” Kirkegaard said. “Nobody wants chaos at the airports or external borders.” With assistance from Gian Volpicelli and Benoit Berthelot/BloombergThe local student who was banned from wearing an “only two genders” shirt to middle school is receiving support from 18 states and free speech groups , as they call on the Supreme Court to hear his case. The lawyers for Middleboro student Liam Morrison recently filed a petition with the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court in Boston ruled against him earlier this year. Now, 18 states and free speech advocates have filed friend-of-the-court briefs with the Supreme Court, asking it to take the case. Liam last year was banned by school officials from wearing a shirt to school that read, “There are only two genders.” The 7th grader then wore a shirt that stated, “There are censored genders,” and again, he was ordered to take off the shirt. A U.S. district judge previously ruled in favor of the Middleboro school officials, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit then affirmed the district court’s ruling. This prompted Liam’s attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom to ask the Supreme Court to review the case and rule that Nichols Middle School violated the First Amendment when it stopped the student from wearing his shirts to school. “Our legal system is built on the truth that the government cannot silence any speaker just because it disapproves of what they say,” ADF Senior Counsel and VP of U.S. Litigation David Cortman said in a statement. “We appreciate the many states and organizations that have joined us in urging the Supreme Court to take this critical free speech case,” the lawyer added. The 18 states backing Liam’s case are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. The multi-state brief was led by the states of South Carolina and West Virginia. “... the First Circuit’s decision undercuts one of the most important purposes of public education: forming civic virtues by pursuing truth — even when uncomfortable,” reads the multi-state brief. “The Court should grant the Petition to restore that function. “By silencing L.M., the First Circuit created a speech-hostile standard that — contrary to (Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District) — allows schools to restrain even silent, passive displays of speech that cause no actual disruption,” the states added. “It split from other circuits on issues like what facts a school must show to justify a restriction on student speech. And it effectively sanctioned viewpoint discrimination in public schools. If the decision below holds, public schools could become an incomplete forum of ideas, more concerned with avoiding offense than developing character.” The Middleboro school district each year celebrates Pride month, hanging Pride flags and sending the message that there are “an unlimited number of genders,” one of Liam’s lawyers had argued in front of the appeals court. In response to the school’s view, Liam wore the controversial shirt to Nichols Middle School last year. School officials in response told Liam to either take off the shirt or leave school for the day. Liam chose to miss the rest of his classes that day. When the Middleboro principal pulled Liam out of class and told him he had to take off his shirt, the principal said they had received complaints about the words on his shirt — and that the words might make some students feel unsafe. “Middleborough was enforcing a dress code, so it was making a forecast regarding the disruptive impact of a particular means of expression and not of, say, a stray remark on a playground, a point made during discussion or debate, or a classroom inquiry,” the appeals court wrote in its ruling. “The forecast concerned the predicted impact of a message that would confront any student proximate to it throughout the school day.” School officials “knew the serious nature of the struggles, including suicidal ideation, that some of those students had experienced related to their treatment based on their gender identities by other students, and the effect those struggles could have on those students’ ability to learn,” the appeals court wrote. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is one of the free speech groups backing Liam’s case. “Here, instead of teaching students to discuss controversial topics, the school censored Petitioner’s passive non-disruptive expression, subjectively fearing possible future psychological harm to other students,” FIRE wrote in its brief. “To ensure our public grade schools educate the next generation of Americans about the First Amendment in both word and deed, FIRE files this brief in support of Petitioner.” “If the First Circuit’s broad expansion of Tinker’s ‘invasion of the rights of others’ exception is allowed to stand, school administrators nationwide will wield it to censor unpopular or dissenting viewpoints — miseducating students about their expressive rights in our pluralist society,” FIRE added. “This Court should grant certiorari to reverse the First Circuit and reaffirm Tinker’s limitations on schools’ ability to censor non-disruptive student speech.”
Handling the unexpectedOne thing is certain: the resolution to arrest the president has opened a new chapter in South Korea's history, one that will test the resilience of its democracy and the will of its people to forge a better future. Only time will tell what lies ahead, but one thing is clear – the road to justice is long and fraught with obstacles, but it is a journey that must be undertaken for the sake of the nation and its citizens.
Ray J Scolds Wack 100 For Accusing Diddy Of Putting Out A Hit On Jackie Long Over Kim PorterChennai: The two-member fact-finding committee of the National Commission for Women (NCW) arrived in Chennai on Sunday to probe the alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old student at Anna University. On Saturday (December 28), NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar constituted the committee to investigate and recommend action. The two-member committee consists of Mamta Kumari, a Member of the NCW, and Praveen Dixit, IPS (retd.), former Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra and Special Rapporteur for Maharashtra and Goa in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Praveen Dixit arrived in Chennai via an Indigo flight from Pune while Mamta Kumari arrived via an Indigo flight from Kolkata. The committee will investigate the case, examine the circumstances leading to the incident, and assess the actions taken by the authorities, as per the statement. The committee will also interact with concerned officials, the victim, her family, friends, and various NGOs to ascertain the facts and propose measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. The Commission has taken a suo moto cognisance of an alleged sexual assault of a student at Anna University. It has already issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) regarding the incident. On Saturday, the Madras High Court ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three IPS officers to investigate the Anna University alleged sexual assault case. A second-year student of Anna University was allegedly sexually assaulted on the Anna University campus on Monday night, Chennai Police said. One person has been arrested in connection with the case. In her December 23 complaint to police, the student alleged that an unidentified man had threatened and sexually assaulted her when she was talking to her friend on campus on Monday around 8 p.m. Based on the complaint, a case has been registered at the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station and an investigation is underway. Pulling up the Chennai Police for revealing the contents of the FIR on its website, including the rape survivor’s identity, a Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and V. Lakshminarayanan ordered the Tamil Nadu government to pay an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the victim.The controversy surrounding Yoon Seok-yeol stems from allegations of misuse of power and obstruction of justice. The National Assembly has accused Yoon of abusing his authority to pursue politically motivated investigations and interfering in the work of other prosecutors. Calls for his arrest have intensified as evidence of his alleged misconduct has surfaced.
Kings hope to find answers in meeting with MavsThe Government will block new incinerators if they do not help meet environmental objectives under rules unveiled on Monday. Developers will have to show that their project either helps reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste going to landfill, or replaces an older, less efficient incinerator. The move forms part of the Government’s drive to increase recycling rates, which have held at about 45% of household waste since 2015. Environment minister Mary Creagh said: “For far too long, the nation has seen its recycling rates stagnate and relied on burning household waste, rather than supporting communities to keep resources in use for longer. Environment minister Mary Creagh said recycling rates had stagnated (Lauren Hurley/PA) Developers will also have to ensure their incinerators are ready for carbon capture technology, and demonstrate how the heat they produce can be used to help cut heating bills for households. The Government expects that its “crackdown” on new incinerators will mean only a limited number are built, while still reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and enabling the country to process the waste it produces. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the country was almost at the point where it had enough waste facilities to handle non-recyclable rubbish, and so had limited need for new incinerators. But the proposals stop short of the plans included in the Conservatives’ 2024 manifesto, which committed to a complete ban on new incinerators due to their “impact on local communities” and declining demand as recycling increased.The investigation into the kindergarten, which remains unnamed at this time, uncovered several serious violations that have prompted the district’s jurisdiction to take immediate action. Among the most concerning findings was the lack of properly trained staff and education professionals at the kindergarten. It was discovered that some of the teachers did not meet the required qualifications and certifications to work in early childhood education. This oversight not only puts the children at risk but also raises questions about the overall standards of the educational environment.
Alibaba, as a leading technology company, places the utmost priority on the security and reliability of its cloud computing services. The company has invested heavily in building state-of-the-art data centers equipped with the latest fire prevention and control measures. In this particular case, the fire was contained before it could spread to any critical infrastructure, thanks to the swift response of the firefighting teams and the robust safety protocols in place.Several prominent business leaders and government officials also took the stage to share their insights and perspectives on the future of barter trade in China. They emphasized the role of innovation and technology in enhancing the efficiency and security of barter transactions, and highlighted the opportunities for businesses to expand their market reach and establish mutually beneficial partnerships through the China International Barter Trading Center.The Toulouse vs Ulster live stream will see the Irish side trying to cause a major upset when they take on the defending champions at Stade-Ernest Wallon. Below we have all the information on how to watch Toulouse vs Ulster from anywhere, with details on worldwide TV channels, broadcasters and live streams on TV screens, laptops, tablets and mobiles. Event date: Sunday, December 8 Kick-off: 3.15pm GMT / 10.15am ET / 7.15am PT France TV (France) Use NordVPN to watch from anywhere Toulouse head into the European Champions Cup as heavy favorites and it’s easy to see why. The French side clinched a sixth European Champions Cup trophy last season and won the Top 14 for the 23rd time. That impressive form has carried over to this season as they sit top of the table after winning eight of their first 11 games. They also possess a hugely talented squad that includes Antoine Dupont, currently the best player in world rugby. It’s an extremely tough European opener for Ulster who less than 12 months ago suffered a bruising 48-24 defeat to Toulouse in Belfast. They’re also not in the best of form having lost their last two games in the United Rugby Championship. However, coach Richie Murphy will be able to call upon the returning Ireland squad members such as Stuart McCloskey, Iain Henderson, Tom O’Toole and Cormac Izuchukwu. Here's where to watch a Toulouse vs Ulster live stream online and catch the European Rugby Champions Cup 2024/25 action from anywhere. FREE Toulouse vs Ulster live stream broadcasters Toulouse vs Ulster live stream will be available to watch for FREE on France TV in France. France TV – French-language Use a VPN to watch Toulouse vs Ulster for free on your usual French streaming service above if you are away from home. Use a VPN to watch any Toulouse vs Ulster stream NordVPN – try it risk-free for 30 days Use NordVPN to watch your usual Toulouse vs Ulster live stream from abroad. We test all the providers and we rate Nord as the best VPN . There's 24/7 support available, a money-back guarantee and, best of all, there's currently over 70% off with this deal. How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the US You can watch a Toulouse vs Ulster live stream on FloRugby in the US, with the streaming service set to show every game of the European Rugby Champions Cup. Plans start from $29.99 a month, or you can opt for the $150 annual subscription. French viewer traveling in the US? Don't worry, you can still watch Toulouse vs Ulster for free on France TV, you'll just need to use a VPN – we'd suggest NordVPN . How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the UK In the UK, the Toulouse vs Ulster live stream and all of the European Rugby Champions Cup games will be shown on Premier Sports . A subscription costs £15.99 per month, but if you're willing to commit to a year you'll pay £131.88, which works out at £10.99 each month. Premier Sports also holds the rights to the Challenge Cup, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship, La Liga and Coppa Italia. Traveling in the UK from France? You can still access your usual France TV free stream by using a VPN – our favorite is NordVPN . How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in Australia Fans based in Australia can watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams on EPCR TV , which costs €49.99 for a season pass that will let you watch every European Rugby Champions Cup game live. Not at home right now? Using a streaming VPN can help you to access your normal service – our top choice is NordVPN . Watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the rest of the world New Zealand Sky Sport is the 2024/25 European Rugby Champions Cup TV rights holder in New Zealand. You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV, or get a live stream with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per week. Away from New Zealand on holiday? Using a streaming VPN can help you to access your normal service – we recommend NordVPN . Canada FloRugby has the rights to the European Rugby Champions Cup in Canada. South Africa The European Rugby Champions Cup is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, & Netherlands Viaplay has the rights to the European Rugby Champions Cup in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Netherlands. Rest of the world The European Rugby Champions Cup is being shown on EPCR TV in every country where the competition hasn't been picked up by a broadcaster. Yes, if you're in France! French viewers can tune into France TV to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live stream for free. Action kicks off at 4.15pm local time. Not in France right now but still want to watch? See above to find out how a good VPN like NordVPN can help you to access your usual service even when traveling abroad. Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser. You can also stay up-to-date with all things European Rugby Champions Cup on the official ERCC social media channels on YouTube ( @ChampionsCup ) and Instagram ( @EuropeanRugbyChmapionsCup ). We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Title: Unique Charm and Exceptional Charisma! The Stunning Figure of Li Yunrui Without Jacket Leaves People in Awe