BIG TEN ROUNDUP
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Australia Senate committee backs bill to ban social media for children
Minister Wilkinson highlights the government's tax break for all Canadians and new Working Canadians BenefitCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score, and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. NO. 25 ILLINOIS 38, RUTGERS 31: Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending Illinois to a wild road victory over Rutgers. Illinois (8-3, 5-3) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short. After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07. IOWA 29, MARYLAND 13: Kaleb Johnson rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 35 carries, and Kamari Moulton scored on a 68-yard run in the fourth quarter to help Iowa outlast Maryland in College Park. Johnson scored from 2 yards out in the second quarter for his 21st rushing touchdown of the season, and the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3) rebounded from their loss to UCLA in their previous game. Maryland (4-7, 1-7) needed to win its final two regular-season games to reach six wins and bowl eligibility, but the Terrapins were dominated in the first half and eventually fell behind 16-0. Drew Stevens made five field goals for Iowa, including kicks from 54 yards in the second quarter, then 50 and 49 in the third. LATE FRIDAY MICHIGAN STATE 24, PURDUE 17: Aidan Chiles threw for two scores in the first half to build a three-touchdown lead and Michigan State (5-6, 3-5) held on to beat Purdue (1-10, 0-8) at home. The Spartans are a win away from being eligible for a bowl with first-year coach Jonathan Smith and they play Rutgers at home in the final regular-season game. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Australia's House of Representatives passes bill that would ban young children from social mediaSEOUL, Dec 8 — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, several cabinet ministers, military commanders and police officials face criminal investigations over his botched attempt on Tuesday to impose martial law. Prosecutors, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have all launched probes into Yoon and the officials, seeking to pursue charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others. Here is what we know about the investigations so far: Who is under investigation? Besides Yoon, his interior minister Lee Sang-min, now-former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun and army chief Park An-su, who was named martial law commander, face investigations. Others involved in the case include the chiefs of the Capital Defence Command, the army’s Special Warfare Command and the Defence Counterintelligence Command, as well as six other military generals and several senior police officials, including the police chief, who are accused of playing a role in the martial law plan. Investigators have also filed a request with the Justice Ministry for a travel ban on Kim and the 10 military commanders. What’s the scale of investigations? The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office has created a special investigation bureau to examine the case for the first time since it probed a 2016 corruption scandal engulfing then-President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and eventually ousted, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday. The defence ministry said military prosecutors would also be dispatched to that team, and Yonhap said it would include more than a dozen investigators. The chief of investigations for the national police agency also confirmed the launch of its investigation at a parliamentary hearing on Thursday, and Yonhap said its team would include some 120 officers and investigators. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said it had separately opened an investigation after receiving complaints about police chief Cho Ji-ho and other senior police officials. The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday called for the appointment of a special counsel to look into the case, and a bill could be put up for a vote as early as next week. If it is passed, the special counsel would lead a collective investigation with support from other agencies. What charges are sought? The officials face potential charges of insurrection, abuse of authority and obstructing other people from exercising their rights. If convicted, the crime of leading an insurrection is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with or without prison labour. For those who participated in an insurrection plot or engaged in other essential activities punishment could range from death, to life imprisonment down to imprisonment without prison labour for at least five years. People who merely joined in the plot or violence face imprisonment, with or without prison labour, for less than five years. Abuse of authority brings penalties of imprisonment for less than five years or fines of up to 10 million won (RM31,186), while obstructing other people’s rights is punishable by a prison term of less than five years or fines of up to 7 million won. South Korea last handed down a death sentence in 2016, but has not executed anyone since 1997. — Reuters
Democrats plan to elect new party leader just days after Trump's inauguration{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "dateCreated": "2024-12-04T21:23:30+02:00", "datePublished": "2024-12-04T21:23:30+02:00", "dateModified": "2024-12-05T06:51:58+02:00", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22351/news/economy/pay-rise-should-precede-pension-contribution-increase-labour-unions", "headline": "Pay rise should precede pension contribution increase – labour unions", "description": "Labour unions have urged the government to prioritize raising workers’ salaries to address the high cost of living before implementing proposed...", "keywords": "", "inLanguage": "en", "mainEntityOfPage":{ "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22351/news/economy/pay-rise-should-precede-pension-contribution-increase-labour-unions" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/04/65626.jpg", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/04/65626.jpg" }, "articleBody": "Labour unions have urged the government to prioritize raising workers’ salaries to address the high cost of living before implementing proposed increases in pension contributions. Their reactions come amid the government’s proposed pension reforms that are due to take effect in January 2025. They include increasing monthly pension contributions from the current 6 per cent of an employee’s monthly basic salary to 12 per cent of their monthly gross salary. ALSO READ: Mandatory pension contributions to double in January Also, the pension contribution rate is expected to gradually increase further to 20 per cent of the employee’s gross salary by the year 2030, and will be split equally between the employer and employee, as Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) – the administrator of the mandatory pension scheme – indicated in a statement on November 28. According to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the reforms are expected to ensure long-term sustainability of the pension fund, improve the living conditions of the existing retirees and ensure social security for future generations. Labour unions expressed concern over a lack of consultation with workers’ representatives so that they provide inputs to proposed changes, instead of imposing them on employees – for which the pension scheme ideally exists – as contributors and ultimately beneficiaries. ALSO READ: Labour union appeals for pay rise amid high cost of living Africain Biraboneye, the General Secretary of Rwanda Workers’ Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR) said that normally, increasing pension contribution rate per se is okay, as long as the employee is guaranteed more retirement benefits. “However, it comes when we have been indicating that there is a need for reforms for salaries to match prices on the market. Increasing [pension] contribution rate will result in the reduction of the even small pay an employee has been receiving, which will affect living conditions,” he said. “We think that it should be carefully considered with the participation of all stakeholders as it is done for labour law [review] whereby representatives of employers and employees are consulted and provide their inputs on their behalf,” he observed. ALSO READ: Should RSSB increase pension contributions? Eric Nzabandora, president of Labour Congress and Workers’ Brotherhood in Rwanda (COTRAF Rwanda) said that they have been advocating for setting up a minimum wage that responds to the current market realities but this has not yet been done. He added that while they have been pushing for increasing workers’ salaries to deal with the rise in the cost of living, no solution has been provided to that end. For Nzabandora, increasing pension contributions to come from the small remunerations an employee has been getting, should not be a priority, but rather, it should follow the raise in workers’ pay and their ability to meet their basic needs amid the current high cost of living. He held that it is an employee’s salary that is mainly factored in while determining the pension benefits they will get during retirement, rather than contribution rate. “When an employee’s salary is small, they will not get significant retirement benefits,” he said. As RSSB made many investments using employees’ contributions (savings), and therefore, Nzabandora said, it should show how they are managed and contribute to social security. He added that they want to understand how RSSB arrived at the proposed pension contribution rates. Labour unions concurred that there should be consultations with employees or their representatives for evidence-based decisions that consider a common ground. Employees should be involved in pension-related decisions Nzabandora decried the fact that workers’ representatives were not consulted regarding the proposed pension reforms yet they concern them as the contributors to the social security scheme. Again, he said, employees are not represented in terms of how RSSB makes investment decisions, despite paying contributions to the scheme. As employees contribute to the social security body, they should also have a say in the decisions regarding contributions – such as through their representatives – so that they provide their ideas before proposed changes are presented to Cabinet [for approval], Nzabandora suggested. While briefing journalists on new reforms on December 2, RSSB Chief Executive Officer Regis Rugemanshuro said that the social security fund (which is pension scheme dominated) currently has about Rwf2.6 trillion in assets. The social security fund is healthy, Rugemanshuro observed, indicating that from 2019/20 to 2023/24, RSSB’s net assets increased by 15 per cent compounded annual growth rate. He added that it registered more than Rwf418 billion in net income (profit) in 2023/24, of which he said Rwf240 billion came from its return on investment which he said was at 11 per cent. ALSO READ: Pension body looks to triple profit by 2025 According to Rugemanshuro, only nine per cent of public and private sector workers in Rwanda are covered by the mandatory pension scheme. 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Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development , is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican's Cabinet. Here are some things to know about Turner: From professional football to politics Turner grew up in a Dallas suburb, Richardson, and graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a defensive back and spent nine seasons in the NFL beginning in 1995, playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. During offseasons, he worked as an intern then-Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. After Turner retired in 2004, he worked full time for the congressman. In 2006, Turner ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in California’s 50th Congressional District. Turner joined the Texas House in 2013 as part of a large crop of tea party-supported lawmakers. He tried unsuccessfully to become speaker before he finished his second term in 2016. He did not seek a third term. Motivational speaker and pastor Turner also worked for a software company in a position called “chief inspiration officer” and said he acted as a professional mentor, pastor, and councilor for the employees and executive team. He has also been a motivational speaker. He and his wife, Robin Turner, founded a nonprofit promoting initiatives to improve childhood literacy. His church, Prestonwood Baptist Church, lists him as an associate pastor. He is also chair of the center for education opportunity at America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers to lay the groundwork if he won a second term. Headed council in Trump's first term Trump introduced Turner in April 2019 as the head of the new White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Trump credited Turner with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” The mission of the council was to coordinate with various federal agencies to attract investment to so-called “Opportunity Zones," which were economically depressed areas eligible to be used for the federal tax incentives. The role of HUD HUD is responsible for addressing the nation’s housing needs. It also is charged with fair housing laws and oversees housing for the poorest Americans, sheltering more than 4.3 million low-income families through public housing, rental subsidy and voucher programs. The agency, with a budget of tens of billions of dollars, runs a multitude of programs that do everything from reducing homelessness to promoting homeownership. It also funds the construction of affordable housing and provides vouchers that allow low income families pay for housing in the private market. During the campaign, Trump focused mostly on the prices of housing, not public housing. He railed against the high cost of housing and said he could make it more affordable by cracking down on illegal immigration and reducing inflation. He also said he would work to reduce regulations on home construction and make some federal land available for residential construction. ___ Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated PressWith more than half of the 16 teams still mathematically alive to make the conference championship game, the Big 12 will command a lot of attention in the final week of the regular season. No. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Iowa State would play for the Big 12 title and likely College Football Playoff spot on Dec. 7 if they both win Saturday and there's a four-way tie for first place. There are seven other teams that begin this week with hopes, slim in most cases, of getting into the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Last week it was No. 19 BYU and No. 23 Colorado that had the inside track to the championship game. Arizona State beat the Cougars and Kansas knocked off the Buffaloes, and here we are. "Everybody counted us out, I think, two weeks ago," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said after his team beat Utah 31-28. "We didn't flinch. We didn't waver. And we just keep fighting." The Cyclones were national darlings the first half of the season as they won seven straight games to match the best start in program history. Back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Kansas followed. Now they've won two straight heading into "Farmageddon," their rivalry game against Kansas State at home. "Right now they've got the pen and they continue to write the story," Campbell said of his players, "and I hope they will continue to write it the way they've got the ability to write it. Unwavering. Tough, mentally tough, physically tough. This group has stood for it every step of the way." Arizona State has been an even better story than the Cyclones. The Sun Devils have six more wins than they did last season, when they went 3-9. They were picked to finish last in their first year in the Big 12. They'll go for their fifth straight victory when they play at Arizona on Saturday. "These guys came off no momentum and everybody doubting them, and everybody is still doubting them. That's what makes this special," second-year coach Kenny Dillingham said. "Hopefully the expectations become higher. I don't know if there's a way we can exceed expectations more than we're exceeding them right now." Checking in on five of the Top 25: The Ducks were idle Saturday after clinching a spot in the Big Ten championship game with their win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16. Oregon can go 12-0 in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if it beats Washington at home this week. Oregon's only two losses last season came against the Huskies, both decided by three points. The first was a top-10 matchup in the regular season and the second was a top-five matchup in the Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks are 19 1/2-point favorites this time, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Buckeyes' showdown with upstart Indiana combined with Michigan's dropoff after winning the national championship have lowered the volume on this week's meeting with the Wolverines at the Horseshoe. If Michigan beats Ohio State a fourth straight time and it keeps the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship game and playoff ... well, there'll be lots of noise in Columbus then. The Lone Star Showdown returns to the gridiron for the first time since 2011, when Texas and Texas A&M were in the Big 12. The Longhorns head to No. 20 Texas A&M on a four-game win streak. The Aggies have lost two of three after Saturday's four-overtime loss at Auburn. The winner advances to the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia. The Broncos are tied with Notre Dame for the second-longest active win streak, at nine games, and they seem to have adopted a survive-and-advance mantra. They trailed 23-point underdog Wyoming in the fourth quarter before winning 17-13 and clinching a spot in the Mountain West championship game. They won their previous game, 42-21 against San Jose State, but didn't pull away until the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago they beat a three-win Nevada team 28-21. Just when you think Illinois is about to cash in for the season, they do what they did against Rutgers. The Illini were down 31-30 when they lined up for a 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds left. Ethan Moczulski missed. But wait. Rutgers called timeout before the snap, and Bret Bielema thought better of trying another kick and sent his offense back on the field. Luke Altmyer passed to Pat Bryant for the winning 40-yard touchdown. The Illini won't play for the Big Ten title, but they have a chance for nine wins and a nice bowl. Ohio State played in three of the five regular-season top-five matchups and won three of them. The Buckeyes lost to Oregon and beat Penn State and Indiana. ... Kansas' 37-21 win over Colorado made the Jayhawks the first FBS team with a losing record to beat three straight Top 25 opponents. The Jayhawks, who were 2-6 a month ago, will be bowl eligible if they win at Baylor. ... Nebraska ended the longest power conference bowl drought with its 44-25 win over Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers haven't played in a bowl since 2016. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic through the Australian Open The recently retired Andy Murray is going to team up with longtime rival Novak Djokovic as his coach, they both announced Saturday, with plans to prepare for — and work together through — the Australian Open in January. Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press Nov 23, 2024 8:54 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, and Britain's Andy Murray pose for a picture at the net prior to their match in the final of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, June 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) The recently retired Andy Murray is going to team up with longtime rival Novak Djokovic as his coach, they both announced Saturday, with plans to prepare for — and work together through — the Australian Open in January. It was a stunning bit of news as tennis moves toward its offseason , a pairing of two of the most successful and popular players in the sport, both of whom are sometimes referred to as members of a so-called Big Four that also included Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal . Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. Murray won three major trophies and two Olympic singles gold medals and finished 2016 atop the ATP rankings. He ended his playing career after the Paris Summer Games in August. Both men are 37 and were born a week apart in May 1987. They started facing each other as juniors and wound up meeting 36 times as professionals, with Djokovic holding a 25-11 advantage. “We played each other since we were boys — 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game-changers, risk-takers, history-makers,” Djokovic posted on social media over photos and videos from some of their matches. “I thought our story may be over. Turns out, it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome on board, Coach — Andy Murray.” Djokovic's 2024 season is over, and it was not up to his usual, high standards. He didn't win a Grand Slam trophy ; his only title, though, was meaningful to him: a gold medal for Serbia in singles at the Summer Games. Djokovic has been without a full-time coach since splitting in March from Goran Ivanisevic. “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the offseason, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open," Murray said in a statement released by his management team. "I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.” Their head-to-head series on tour includes an 11-8 lead for Djokovic in finals, and 8-2 at Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic beat Murray four times in the Australian Open final alone — in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Two of the most important victories of Murray's career came with Djokovic on the other side of the net. One was in the 2012 U.S. Open final , when Murray claimed his first Grand Slam title. The other was in the 2013 Wimbledon final , when Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the singles championship at the All England Club. Next year's Australian Open starts on Jan. 12. ___ AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Tennis Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini lift Italy past Australia and back to the Davis Cup final Nov 23, 2024 9:15 AM The man who ended Nadal's career helps the Netherlands beat Germany to reach the Davis Cup final Nov 22, 2024 1:57 PM The man who ended Nadal's career helps the Netherlands take a Davis Cup lead against Germany Nov 22, 2024 11:22 AMA Deep Dive Into Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley’s Relationship Timeline and Breakup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chair of the Democratic National Committee informed party leaders on Monday that the DNC will choose his successor in February, an election that will speak volumes about how the party wants to present itself during four more years of Donald Trump in the White House. Jaime Harrison, in a letter to members of the party’s powerful Rules & Bylaws Committee, outlined the process of how the party will elect its new chair. Harrison said in the letter that the committee will host four candidate forums — some in person and some virtually — in January, with the final election on Feb. 1 during the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. The race to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, while an insular party affair, will come days after Trump is inaugurated for a second term. Democrats' selection of a leader after Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 loss will be a key starting point as the party starts to move forward, including addressing any structural problems and determining how to oppose Trump. Members of the Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet on Dec. 12 to establish the rules for these elections, which beyond the chair position will include top party roles like vice chairs, treasurer, secretary and national finance chair. The committee will also use that meeting to decide the requirements for gaining access to the ballot for those top party roles. In 2021, candidates were required to submit a nominating statement that included signatures from 40 DNC members and that will likely be the same standard for the 2025 campaigns. “The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “Electing the Chair and DNC officers is one of the most important responsibilities of the DNC Membership, and our staff will run an inclusive and transparent process that gives members the opportunity to get to know the candidates as they prepare to cast their votes.” Two Democrats have announced campaigns for chair: Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a vice chair of the national party, and Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Other top Democrats are either considering a run to succeed Harrison or are being pushed by party insiders, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Michael Blake, a former vice chair of the party; Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin; Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and a former Chicago mayor; Sen. Mallory McMorrow, majority whip of the Michigan Senate, and Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist. The next chair of the committee will be tasked with rebuilding a party demoralized by a second Trump victory. They will also oversee the party’s 2028 nominating process, a complex and contentious exercise that will make the chair central to the next presidential election. Harrison, of South Carolina, made clear in his letter to the rules committee that the four forums hosted by the party would be live streamed and the party would give grassroots Democrats across the country the ability to engage with the process through those events. He also said he intends to remain neutral during the chair election. This story has been corrected to show that McMorrow is a senator, not a representative.