The Patriots placed defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy on injured reserve Friday, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Roy’s year ends after six game appearances, 17 tackles and two sacks. The Patriots originally signed him to their practice squad on Sept. 10, then their active roster on Oct. 5. Roy debuted as a rookie last season in Minnesota. Roy seemingly injured his foot during Wednesday’s practice. He did not practice Friday. Roy’s absence still leaves the Patriots with Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Eric Johnson at defensive tackle. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins returned to practice Friday after missing Thursday’s session with an illness. A bug seems to be going around the locker room, with defensive back back Marcus Jones missing practice this week, and safety Kyle Dugger wearing a mask in the facility this week. Dugger is officially questionable for Sunday’s game at Arizona. Other injured Patriots include star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, plus offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (shoulder), offensive lineman Cole Strange (knee) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore. All are officially questionable for Sunday. Pats wide receiver Javon Baker (concussion) and offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (ankle) have been ruled out.UP man arrested for posting fake news about Amit Shah's 'demise'The World Bank raised its 2024 China growth forecast to 4.9%, from 4.8% previously. In summary from the Bank's report: Economic Growth Performance: China's economic growth was robust at 4.8% during the first three quarters of 2024. Growth has slowed since Q2 2024 due to subdued domestic demand and a prolonged property sector downturn. 2024 and 2025 Projections: Growth is estimated at 4.9% in 2024 and projected to moderate to 4.5% in 2025 . Policy easing measures are expected to provide moderate support. Key Challenges: Subdued household and business confidence. Continued headwinds from the property sector downturn. Structural constraints including: Low domestic consumption. High debt levels among property developers and local governments. An ageing population. Policy Efforts: The government is providing policy stimulus to balance short-term demand support with long-term financial stability. Emphasis on addressing the property sector crisis, strengthening social safety nets, and improving local government finances. World Bank Perspective: Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for China, Mongolia, and Korea , emphasizes the need for: Balancing short-term growth support with structural reforms. Implementing clear and specific policy measures to boost market and household confidence. Unlocking sustained recovery through structural adjustments. *** None of those "key challenges" highlighted in the report should come as any surprise. The 'World Bank perspective' )policy adive) is not surprising either.
RTE Fair City viewers were all left saying the same thing as Anna snook into the Medical Centre and printed off Carol's file. In tonight's episode, Gwen made Anna question whether Dolores knows about Pete’s threat. Joan advised Dolores it’s in her best interest to tell Carol the truth. Dolores was appalled to learn that Pete threatened Anna. Dolores assured Anna that revealing the mistake to Carol in the right way, at the right time will be best for everyone. Anna resented Dolores’ manipulation. Carol told Joan that she encouraged Rafferty to fight for her. Gwen convinced Anna that Dolores is just as bad as Pete and has no intention of ever telling Carol. Sick of Pete’s manipulation, Anna threatened to reveal the malpractice in front of everyone at McCoys. Gwen jumped in and prevented Anna from revealing the lies. Gwen convinced Anna there’s a better way to bring down Dolores and Pete without incriminating herself. Joan and Rafferty tried to keep things casual. Dolores believed Pete had smoothed things over with Anna. Anna snook into the Medical Centre and printed off Carol’s file. RTE Fair City viewers all flocked to social media to share their opinions. William said: "Anna could have just done this during the day!" Sylvia wrote: "Anna is useless." A third added: "Anna, Pete and Dolly between them would make you think about going to a doctor." Pamela said: "Jump ship Anna, it's not worth it." Elsewhere, Babs warmed towards Victor when she saw the bond he has with Ruby. Victor felt under pressure with Maxine’s work schedule but wouldn’t admit it. Maxine concealed her annoyance when Babs revealed that Victor used the work van to give Ruby a lift. When Maxine berated Victor for using the van to run personal errands, Babs defended him, causing tension between the new friends. Babs and Victor shared a warm moment. Sash tried to orchestrate an apology to Sean, but it backfired, and he refused to resume elf duties. Sash roped Hughie into feigning illness so Renee could ask Sean to step in as Santa. Sean fell for Sash’s ploy and was pressured into playing Santa for the day.DALLAS (AP) — The championship vision that led Nathan Eovaldi to sign with Texas as a free agent two years ago is the same one that brought him back to the Rangers. A World Series title in his first season was followed by a losing record this year. “I believe in the guys in the group that we have. We were able to do it in ‘23. I don’t feel a lot has changed,” Eovaldi said Friday, a day after finalizing a $75 million, three-year contract . “We had a down year last year, but I've said it before, you learn a lot from losing seasons.” Eovaldi had declined a $20 million player option to become a free agent again and reaching an agreement during the winter meetings in Dallas. Texas also acquired slugging corner infielder Jake Burger in a swap with Miami. Burger had fallen asleep before getting a call late Tuesday night that he had been traded to Texas, where his family was already planning to move after the October birth of a daughter with Down syndrome. “The other city that is really good other than Nashville in terms of children's hospital and resources for her Downs is in Dallas," Burger said. “Not just from the baseball spectrum, from the life aspect as well ... I feel like it was meant to be, and we couldn’t be more more excited about that.” In the Nashville area, Burger lives close to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, whom he plans to visit with soon. His former Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker , was hired last month by the Rangers as as a senior adviser for baseball operations, and Luis Urueta, Miami’s bench coach the past two seasons, recently joined Bochy’s on-field coaching staff for 2025. Burger and Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning were once roommates in the Chicago White Sox organization. Burger hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs in 137 games for the Marlins last season, when he started 59 games at third base and 50 starts at first. He was with the White Sox in Texas when he got traded to Miami on Aug. 1, 2023, and four days later hit his first homer with the Marlins at Globe Life Field. When the Rangers made the title run in 2023, Eovaldi was 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts. He was the winning pitcher in their World Series-clinching Game 5 at Arizona. He was also part of Boston’s 2018 title. Eovaldi was 12-8 this year with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts, the last seven scoreless innings in the regular-season finale. He is 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts for Texas the past two seasons. The new deal for the Texas native, who who turns 35 in February, includes a $12 million signing bonus, half payable on Nov. 15, 2026, and the rest on Jan. 15, 2028, and salaries of $18 million next season, $25 million in 2026 and $20 million in 2027. He gets a full no-trade provision. After being welcomed back by Chris Young, the Rangers president of baseball operations, the pitcher said he never felt like he really left. The Rangers stayed in contact throughout the process after he declined his option Nov. 4. “Kind of listening to the market and everything, I’m extremely happy to be back. I’m glad we were we were able to make it all work out,” Eovaldi said. “We had a lot of teams reach out right away and we were in contact with most them across the league. Ultimately we were able to make it back here.” AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Mason Falslev scored 27 points as Utah State beat South Florida 88-67 on Saturday night for the Aggies' best start in school history. Falslev had nine rebounds, nine assists, and three steals for the Aggies (10-0). Ian Martinez scored 15 points while shooting 4 for 12 (1 for 6 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five assists. Karson Templin finished 5 of 8 from the field to finish with 12 points. Quincy Adekokoya led the Bulls (5-5) in scoring, finishing with 12 points. Kasen Jennings added 11 points and five assists for South Florida. Brandon Stroud finished with 10 points and two steals. NEXT UP Up next for Utah State is a Tuesday matchup with UCSD at home, and South Florida hosts Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .NEW YORK (AP) — Police don't know who he is, where he is, or why he did it. As the frustrating search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer got underway for a fifth day Sunday, investigators reckoned with a tantalizing contradiction: They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma. One conclusion they are confident of, however: It was a targeted attack , not a random one. They know he ambushed Thompson at 6:44 a.m. Wednesday as the executive arrived at the Hilton for his company’s annual investor conference, using a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. They know ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics . The fact that the shooter knew UnitedHealthcare group was holding a conference at the hotel and what route Thompson might take to get there suggested that he could possibly be a disgruntled employee or client, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. Police divers were seen searching a pond in Central Park, where the killer fled after the shooting. Officers have been scouring the park for days for any possible clues and found his backpack there Friday. They didn’t immediately reveal what, if anything, it contained but said it would be tested and analyzed. On Sunday morning, police declined to comment on the contents of the backpack, or on the results of the search in the pond, saying no updates were planned. Investigators have urged patience, saying the process of logging evidence that stands up in court isn’t as quick as it looks like on TV . Hundreds of detectives are combing through video recordings and social media, vetting tips from the public and interviewing people who might have information, including Thompson’s family and coworkers and the shooter’s randomly assigned roommates at the Manhattan hostel where he stayed. Investigators caught a break when they came across security camera images of an unguarded moment at the hostel in which he briefly showed his face. Retracing the gunman’s steps using surveillance video, police say, it appears he left the city by bus soon after the shooting outside the New York Hilton Midtown. He was seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later, Kenny said. With the high-profile search expanding across state lines, the FBI announced late Friday that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to a reward of up to $10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone. Police distributed the images to news outlets and on social media but so far haven’t been able to ID him using facial recognition — possibly because of the angle of the images or limitations on how the NYPD is allowed to use that technology, Kenny said. Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected shooter that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the vehicle and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue, medical-style mask.
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Over the past decade or so, there has been massive innovation when it comes to gaming technology, as well as the types of wagers that are most attractive to gamblers. On the slot machine side of casinos, reel-based slot machines and “low-volatility” games that have lots of smaller payouts have largely been replaced by ever-advancing digital games that focus on big payouts. As a result, gamblers largely play them with the hopes of hitting elusive bonus games and winning hand-paid jackpots (a single slot machine win of $1,200 or more must be manually paid out by casino staff and IRS tax forms issued). Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares surprising topless pool deck news Generally speaking, table games are designed around the main portion of the game. If you sit down at a $10 blackjack table, you’ll win $10 on some hands, lose $10 on others, and hope that your wins outnumber your losses, and you can cash out ahead at the end of the night. There are often side bets and progressives with table games, but they are typically little more than a straightforward way to wager an extra dollar or two in order for a long-shot chance at a big prize. And one big pain point is that the progressives are often difficult to understand, with pay tables, rules, and payouts that aren’t prominently displayed and need to be searched for. While table games like blackjack and three-card poker have begun incorporating side bets that offer potentially large payouts, slots have clearly been the more attractive place to pursue big wins. But that’s starting to change. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Image source: Matthew Frankel/ComeCruiseWith.com Carnival is bringing big jackpots to table games Galaxy Gaming's Galaxy Operating System (GOS) is now live on over 50 ships operated by Carnival Corporation (this includes Princess and Holland America ships as well as Carnival Cruise Line). In simple terms, the GOS incorporates progressive jackpots into table games, and in just months since its deployment has already awarded more than $5 million in jackpots to table game players. Now, the idea of progressive jackpots incorporated into table games isn’t exactly a new idea. There have been progressive jackpots on table games for achieving certain rare hands for many years. But the GOS takes it to another level with new progressive jackpot options and innovative capabilities. Just to name a few things, the GOS allows operators to add multiple jackpots with different tiers and denominations. As an example, there could be separate progressives for a $5 and $10 bonus bet at a certain game. It also extends beyond card games, such as a “make’em all” progressive on dice tables. There are digital tracking capabilities that let players see past numbers, streaks, and more. And, it features prominent displays and animations to boost engagement and to generally make the progressive aspects of table games more exciting. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Carnival make table games more exciting (and profitable) To be perfectly clear, any type of side bet on a table game at a casino generally has significantly worse odds than the main game. Table games like blackjack and craps are well-known for having some of the best payback percentages in a casino, but the same is not true for side bets and progressives. ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise They can certainly add some excitement to your favorite games, but be aware that the odds on these bets are tilted more in the house’s favor. In addition, these side games are generally weighted like slot machines when it comes to earning casino points. This could make the table games more attractive to gamblers who like card and dice games but also want to earn free cruises. More Carnival news: With that in mind, if you’re a player who enjoys chasing large wins, Carnival is offering some new and exciting ways to do it from your favorite table games. If you’re looking for a hand-pay jackpot, you don’t necessarily need to find it from a slot machine. Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.CORNELIUS, N.C. and NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpha Modus Corp. ("Alpha Modus" or the "Company"), a technology company with a core focus on artificial intelligence in retail, and Insight Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company INAQ plan to close their business combination today. Alpha Modus expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbols "AMOD" (its common stock) and "AMODW" (its warrants) on Monday, December 16, 2024. About Alpha Modus Alpha Modus engages in creating, developing and licensing data-driven technologies to enhance consumers' in-store digital experience at the point of decision. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina. For additional information, please visit alphamodus.com. About Insight Acquisition Corp. Prior to the closing, Insight Acquisition Corp. INAQ is a special purpose acquisition company formed solely to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Insight Acquisition Corp. is sponsored by Insight Acquisition Sponsor LLC. For additional information, please visit insightacqcorp.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Insight's and Alpha Modus' actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Insight's and Alpha Modus' expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the Business Combination. Insight and Alpha Modus caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Insight and Alpha Modus do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Contacts: Alpha Modus Shannon Devine MZ Group +1(203) 741-8841 shannon.devine@mzgroup.us © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s elusive killer yields new evidence, but few answersThe Witcher I was surprised to see The Witcher 4 open this year’s Game Awards ceremony. The trailer for the upcoming game from Polish studio CD Projekt Red was both unexpected and exciting. But I admit to having some mixed feelings about several aspects of the trailer and the implications of Ciri as the next game’s protagonist. Indeed, Ciri will be the protagonist of the next three games, starring in her very own trilogy. First, there’s the bizarre new look for the character. She just doesn’t look at all like Ciri from The Witcher 3. It’s not just that she’s older. Her entire bone structure has changed. Her face looks different and her voice has changed far more than mere aging would dictate. (While Doug Cockle returns as the voice of Geralt, Jo Wyatt is not returning as Ciri—more’s the pity). So while I think she still looks fine and sounds fine, it’s a radical and jarring enough transformation that if I didn’t have the scar to go by, I wouldn’t know she was the same character at all. This brings up perhaps an even more important issue with The Witcher 4. Should Ciri even be the main playable character in a series about Witchers? There’s much debate over whether she is or isn’t an actual Witcher, for one thing. Following the release of the trailer, however, CDPR confirmed that in this version of the story Ciri has taken Trial of Grasses , giving her the mutations necessary to drink potions and have her eyes change like that. It’s possible she went to a different school than Geralt (Wolf) such as the school of the Lynx. Frankly, I’m okay with Ciri having somehow become a full-blown Witcher even if it breaks lore, because I can accept the games are and always have been different from the books. But what does this mean for Ciri’s own magical powers? She has the Elder Blood in her, which is one reason she couldn’t take the Trials (the other being she’s a woman, and Witchers are always men). Has she lost her powers? The trailer indicates that she has at least some of them, but surely this also shows us a huge downgrade from where she was at the end of The Witcher 3. A Ciri game where she traveled through space and time, had teleportation powers and other abilities, could be really cool on its own, but it wouldn’t really be a game about a monster-hunting mutant Witcher, either. Microsoft Warns 400 Million Windows Users—Do Not Update Your PC ‘Black Doves’ Dethroned In Netflix’s Top 10 List By A New Show Google’s Security Nightmare—Just 14 Days To Change Your Phone What I’ve been hoping for since The Witcher 2 was a fully customizable Witcher that players could build from the ground up. Again, I’d be more than happy to bend lore and make this a male or female character that players could choose and then customize the appearance, voice, etc. This would add greatly to our roleplaying options. That being said, CDPR seems to realize that players want room to shape their own character, and since Ciri is at the start of her Witcher journey—as opposed to Geralt, who was already a veteran monster hunter—players will have “more opportunities to be able to feel that they define their experience.” The other issue with having Ciri as the protagonist is the timeline. A lot of people were hoping for a new timeline entirely, set either much earlier or later than Geralt’s story. (And some gamers were just upset Geralt wasn’t the lead, but his story was told and CDPR has said for years that he wasn’t returning as the hero). Still, when all is said and done I really like Ciri as a character and I think this could be a great game. The trailer is dark and exciting, and even though that last line—“There are no gods here, only monsters”—is super derivative of the debut Witcher 3 trailer—“What are you doing? “Killing monsters”—it nevertheless has me excited to play. Sometime in 2028 or whenever it finally releases. P.S. People have noted that Geralt in this cinematic trailer didn’t look exactly like Geralt in The Witcher 3, so it’s possible Ciri will follow suit. I don’t think this is a very good argument. For one thing, he looked pretty close. For another, you only barely see his face the entire time, whereas you see lots and lots of Ciri’s in The Witcher 4 trailer. The other argument I’ve heard about appearances is that Geralt also changed from game to game. This is certainly true: The Witcher But this was also done because A) technology changed radically between each game, and CDPR’s budget and experience grew along with it and B) they made Geralt look more attractive with each game. I don’t think they’ve made Ciri look more attractive or higher fidelity. She just looks different. Almost unrecognizably different. I think a bit of skepticism is warranted in this day and age of video games and the oft-strange choices developers have been making. Compound that with CDPR’s failed launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and I’d say it makes sense to be cautious. All that being said, I’m still cautiously optimistic. Whatever changes have occurred at the studio, CDPR’s track record is still mostly great and this remains one of my favorite fantasy universes. If nothing else, this trailer has made me want to fire up The Witcher 3 again. Of course, if CDPR screws up again gamers might not be so lenient. As Geralt once said: “You’d better pay up, or the invisible hand of the market will smack you so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures
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