Daniel Penny Considers Suing Alvin Bragg for Malicious ProsecutionCONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Chaos erupted at a soccer game in Guinea after fans protested a referee’s call and thousands of panicked spectators tried to flee the stadium, leaving at least 56 people dead in the West African nation, officials and witnesses said Monday. Amid the confusion, security forces used tear gas, local news website Media Guinea reported. Many of the dead were crushed as they tried to escape through the stadium gates, a journalist covering the game for a local sports website told The Associated Press. “The gates, that’s where the stampede happened,” said Cissé Lancine, who got away by climbing over one of the stadium walls. “I was saved because I did not rush towards the exit." The world's latest sports crowd disaster unfurled Sunday in the second-largest city in a military-run nation where information is sparse and government-controlled at the best of times. It was not immediately clear how much the death toll could grow. Lancine said between 20,000 and 30,000 people were present at the Third of April stadium to watch the local Labe and Nzerekore teams compete in the final of the first national tournament honoring military leader Mamadi Doumbouya. Checkpoints were set up Monday throughout Nzerekore, a city of about 200,000 that was at a standstill as soldiers guarded the hospital where victims were being treated. Most shops were closed. Video, apparently from the scene, showed shouting fans protesting the refereeing. People ran as they tried to escape the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence. “Supporters threw stones. This is why the security services used tear gas,” reported Media Guinea, which also wrote that several of the dead were children and some of the injured were in critical condition. The footage showed people lying on the floor of a hospital as members of a crowd helped the wounded. Enock Loua, a resident of Nzerekore, learned over the phone that his niece Aline Olivier had been killed. "We have a hard time realizing what happened to us, it is as if the sky has fallen on our heads,” Loua told The Associated Press. Authorities are trying to establish who was responsible, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on national television. The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition said the tournament was organized to drum up support for Doumbouya's “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions. Doumbouya, who ousted then-President Alpha Conde in 2021 , has been eyeing a possible run for the presidential election, for which the date has not been set. The transition charter put in place by his own regime does not allow him to run. Guinea is one of a number of West African countries — including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Doumbouya said he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised. Guinea’s leader announced three days of national mourning starting on Tuesday, in a presidential decree read on national television. Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was granted a reprieve complete with a second swing at hiring a head coach in Chicago. Poles will interview candidates and select a replacement for Matt Eberflus, who was fired Friday after the Bears' sixth consecutive loss and fourth of the season decided on a final play. "Ryan Poles is the general manager of the Chicago Bears, and he will remain the general manager of the Chicago Bears," president and CEO Kevin Warren said Monday. "Ryan will serve as the point person of our upcoming search for a head football coach. We will closely, we will work together on a daily basis to make sure we have the right person as our head football coach." Warren said the McCaskey family provided "all the resources" to build a championship environment. He confirmed that Thomas Brown, who a month ago was passing game coordinator before replacing Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, will serve as interim head coach and shift from the press box to the sideline starting this week. Warren did not say whether Brown would automatically receive an interview for the full-time coaching position, which he said "will be the most coveted head coaching job in the National Football League." Poles said consideration will be given to candidates with the plan to develop rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, but there are no set plans to involve the quarterback in the interview process. He said the Bears showed great progress through two seasons but couldn't sustain growth. "At the end of the day, we just came up short too many times," Poles said of firing Eberflus, his pick to be the Bears' head coach in January 2022. Brown promoted wide receivers coach Chris Beatty to interim offensive coordinator on Monday and announced that defensive coordinator Eric Washington will be the defensive play caller, a role Eberflus previously held. Trailing 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day, the Bears were within field-goal range when quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked. With 32 seconds remaining, Eberflus elected not to use his final timeout as Williams heaved an incompletion down the right sideline as time expired. "When you look at the end-of-the-game situations, detailing to finish in some of those moments. We all know a lot of games come down to those critical moments where we weren't able to get over the hump," Poles said. Eberflus said after the game that everything was handled properly and held a press conference via Zoom on Friday voicing confidence he'd have the team ready to play the 49ers this week. But three hours later, he was fired. Warren admitted the franchise could've handled the timing better, but clarified there was no decision on Eberflus' status at the time of his media session. "The decision was made to terminate the employment of head coach Matt Eberflus," Warren said 72 hours later. "We try to do everything in a professional manner. That decision was made on Friday." "Coach Eberflus had his press conference, we had not made a final decision. I think you know me, you know Ryan you know George McCaskey. One thing we stand for is family, integrity, doing it the right way. In retrospect, could we have done it better? Absolutely." Eberflus, 54, went 14-32 in two-plus seasons. The Bears (4-8) travel to San Francisco (5-7) in Week 1. --Field Level MediaHUNTINGTON, W.Va. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Services of America Corporation (the "Company" or "Energy Services") (Nasdaq: ESOA) has completed the previously announced purchase of Tribute Contracting & Consultants, LLC ("Tribute"), an underground utility contractor that employs approximately 90 construction workers and primarily specializes in water and wastewater system installations in Ohio , Kentucky , and West Virginia. As previously noted, Energy Services purchased substantially all of the assets of Tribute for $22 million in cash, less any assumed debt and working capital adjustments, and $2.0 million of Energy Services' common stock. Todd Harrah and Tommy Enyart will continue their employment with Energy Services' new subsidiary and commented on the announcement, "We are excited to join forces with Energy Services and look forward to contributing to the company's continued success." Douglas Reynolds , President, commented on the announcement. "We are excited to add Tribute to the Energy Services team. This acquisition is consistent with our strategy of buying companies that are familiar to us and further enhances our presence in the water distribution and wastewater categories." About Energy Services Energy Services of America Corporation (NASDAQ: ESOA), headquartered in Huntington, WV , is a contractor and service company that operates primarily in the mid-Atlantic and Central regions of the United States and provides services to customers in the natural gas, petroleum, water distribution, automotive, chemical, and power industries. Energy Services employs 1,200+ employees on a regular basis. The Company's core values are safety, quality, and production. Certain statements contained in the release including, without limitation, the words "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects" or words of similar import, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements of the Company expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, general economic and business conditions, changes in business strategy or development plans, the integration of acquired business and other factors referenced in this release. Given these uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/energy-services-of-america-completes-acquisition-302319926.html SOURCE Energy Services of America Corporation
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring a new series to Netflix in December, revealing the “grit behind the glamour” in the high-stakes world of polo. The five-part series will debut globally on December 10, following elite global players on and off the field as they compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. A trailer for the series titled Polo, executive produced by Harry and Meghan, was released on Thursday, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the “fast-paced and glamorous world of polo”. In a statement, Harry said: “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour. “We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport — and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.” It has been produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions, having previously released three documentaries with Netflix as part of a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming giant. Heart Of Invictus, which aired last August, followed a group of service members on their road to the Invictus Games, the Paralympic-style sporting competition set up by Harry in 2014 for injured and sick military personnel and veterans. Netflix also released the documentary series Live To Lead and the controversial six-part Harry & Meghan documentary in December 2022. Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020 after stepping down from royal duties.The M2 MacBook Air is one of a million products on sale for Cyber Monday this year. If you're interested in the best tech on sale today, see our best Cyber Monday tech deals page for a broader view of all the best discounts you can get right now. Prices are accurate as of the time of writing, but you can expect them to fluctuate and inventory to sell out, so you may not want to hesitate if you see a sale that grabs you. Apple makes some of the best laptops for the general public, and the MacBook Air series has consistently been one of its most popular. The 16 GB RAM version of the M2 MacBook Air is on sale or $749 for Cyber Monday (originally $999) on Amazon, the lowest price it has been according to price-tracking tools . It's available in space gray, midnight, silver, and starlight colors. This 16GB RAM version had dropped to $799 earlier this month and was an incredible value back then. Now with its current Cyber Monday deal, it drops another $50. While you can buy slightly cheaper MacBooks with 8GB of RAM instead, the extra memory in this model is a better deal, and will make your laptop last much longer. Just earlier this year in April, the cost to double your RAM to 16GB was $200. As Tech Editor Jake Peterson explains, this could be the last laptop you ever buy . The M2 MacBook Air came out in 2022, and judging from how Apple still backs up the M1, you can expect many years of support for the M2. The M2 comes with a 13.6-inch display with a resolution of 2560x1664, and a battery life of about 17 hours, according to CNET's review . If you already have an M1 Mac, here are the difference between the M1 and M2 to help you decide if the upgrade is worth it. If you're comparing the M2 and the M3, you can see our full breakdown comparing the two .What Is Willow, Google’s New Computing Quantum Chip?
AMESBURY, Mass. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Provident Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:PVBC), the holding company for BankProv (the "Bank"), today announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a new stock repurchase program. Under the repurchase program, the Company may repurchase up to 883,366 shares of its common stock, or approximately five percent of the current outstanding shares. The repurchase program was adopted following the receipt of non-objection from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston . The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions, through block trades, and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Repurchases will be made at management's discretion at prices management considers to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders, subject to the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company's financial performance. Open market purchases will be conducted in accordance with the limitations set forth in Rule 10b -18 of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other applicable legal requirements. The repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified at any time for any reason, including market conditions, the cost of repurchasing shares, the availability of alternative investment opportunities, liquidity, and other factors deemed appropriate. These factors may also affect the timing and amount of share repurchases. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares. About Provident Bancorp, Inc. Provident Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:PVBC) is the holding company for BankProv, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Massachusetts . With retail branches in the Seacoast Region of Northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire , as well as commercial banking offices in the Manchester / Concord market in Central New Hampshire , BankProv delivers a unique combination of traditional banking services and innovative financial solutions to its markets. Founded in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1828, BankProv holds the honor of being the 10th oldest bank in the nation. The Bank insures 100% of deposits through a combination of insurance provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). For more information, visit bankprov.com . Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements, such as statements of the Company's or the Bank's plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as, "expects," "subject," "believe," "will," "intends," "may," "will be" or "would." These statements are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which are beyond the Company's or the Bank's control), and actual results may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements (which reflect management's analysis of factors only as of the date on which they are given). These factors include: general economic conditions; interest rates; inflation; levels of unemployment; legislative, regulatory and accounting changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank; deposit flows; our ability to access cost-effective funding; changes in liquidity, including the size and composition of our deposit portfolio and the percentage of uninsured deposits in the portfolio; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; competition; our ability to successfully shift the balance sheet to that of a traditional community bank; real estate values in the market area; loan demand; the adequacy of our level and methodology for calculating our allowance for credit losses; changes in the quality of our loan and securities portfolios; the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans; our ability to retain key employees; failures or breaches of our IT systems, including cyberattacks; the failure to maintain current technologies; the ability of the Company or the Bank to effectively manage its growth; global and national war and terrorism; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other pandemic on our operations and financial results and those of our customers; and results of regulatory examinations, among other factors. The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Readers should carefully review the risk factors described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Investor contact: Joseph Reilly President and Chief Executive Officer Provident Bancorp, Inc. jreilly@bankprov.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/provident-bancorp-inc-adopts-stock-repurchase-program-302320082.html SOURCE Provident Bancorp, Inc.NIPC partners Afreximbank as firm commits $50m
Alberta UCP backbenchers support loosening ethics rules
EDMONTON - Alberta’s Opposition NDP says the province would become the most corrupt and secretive government in Canada if potential ethics rule changes become law. United Conservative Party legislature committee members are urging the government to exempt most political staffers from being bound by conflict of interest rules. Those rules currently limit how much staffers can accept in the form of gifts and spell out if they need to be reported. NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir says if adopted, the proposals would mean no one would know who might be buying the government. He says loosened restrictions made last year already shield the government from being transparent and it would be worse if the new rules went ahead. The push comes after multiple ministers said they accepted hockey playoff tickets from a medical supplier involved in a $70-million deal to purchase medication from Turkey that has yet to be delivered. UCP backbencher Grant Hunter says Alberta is an outlier among the provinces in including senior public servants under ethics rules.