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Aceh Tsunami: Monuments Help To Remember Disasters - And Forget ThemPHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He's 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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Preview: Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Holstein Kiel - prediction, team news, lineupsU.S. District Court Awards 10x Genomics Permanent Injunction in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Bruker Corporation's GeoMx ProductsThe Lions continue to get healthier on offense. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since injuring his shoulder in the team’s Thanksgiving win over the Bears. Reader was listed as a limited participant in practice. Defensive end Josh Paschal (knee) returned to practice on Wednesday and he moved up to full participation on Thursday. Paschal’s last appearance was also on Thanksgiving. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) was limited for the second day in a row while left tackle Taylor Decker (knee) and defensive lineman Alim McNeill (concussion) remained full practice participants. Linebacker Trevor Nowaske was added to the injury report with a concussion and did not practice. He’s likely out for Sunday’s game against the Bills and the team will issue injury designations for any of their other players on Friday afternoon.
Overachievers collide when Georgia Tech, Vandy play in BirminghamTaoiseach Simon Harris said he spoke to Nikita Hand on Saturday after winning her case against the mixed martial arts fighter. Ireland’s premier has spoken to the Dublin woman who won a civil case against mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor to praise her courage. Taoiseach Simon Harris said he also wanted to tell Nikita Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh, that her case had prompted an increase in women coming forward to ask for support. Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in the Irish capital on Friday. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,714.31). Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal against the decision. That post has since been deleted. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Harris said he told Ms Hand of the support she has from people across Ireland. “I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. “I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday – that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita’s bravery.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case has had a “profound effect” on the people the charity supports, and that over the first 10 days of the High Court case, calls to its national helpline increased by almost 20%. It said that first-time callers increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, and were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence who were distressed and anxious from the details of case and the views people had to it. Mr Harris said: “I wanted to speak with her and I wanted to wish her and her daughter, Freya, all the very best night, and I was very grateful to talk with Nikita today. “Her bravery, her courage, her voice has made a real difference in a country in which we must continue to work to get to zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. “I don’t want to say too much more, because conscious there could be further legal processes, but I absolutely want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her courage, for using her voice.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. She said: “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Mr Harris and Ms McEntee stressed the importance of the DPP’s independence on whether to prosecute. “There are obviously structures in place where the DPP can meet a victim and can outline to them their reasons for not taking the case,” Mr Harris said. “But there’s also always an opportunity for the DPP in any situation – and I speak broadly in relation to this – to review a decision, to consider any new information that may come to light, and I don’t want to say anything that may ever cut across the ongoing work of the DPP.” Ms McEntee stressed that there should “never be any political interference” in the independence of the DPP’s decisions. “I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs,” she said.If you’re sitting on a pile of travel or credit card rewards with no immediate travel plans, donating them to a charity is an easy way to have a positive impact. And it's a popular way to give: In 2021, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members donated around 94 million miles to charities at an approximate cash value of $2.6 million, according to the airline. Beyond the social benefits, miles donations also qualify as activity on your loyalty account and can prevent the rest of your rewards from expiring . But if you’re in the habit of maximizing points and miles, you might also want to stretch the value of your charitable donations as far as possible. And by that measure, some methods of donating points and miles fall short. Here’s what to consider before donating your miles and points . Many loyalty programs make it easy to redeem your points and miles for a donation directly through their rewards portals. But some portals — especially those from airline and hotel programs — don’t publish the cash value a charity will receive for your miles or points. That means the charity may receive less value for your donation than you’d think, while also making it hard to compare the value of a donation with the value of other options for redeeming your points. Best Western Rewards is one of the few loyalty programs that publishes a cash value for charitable points donations. The charity will receive $2 for every 500 points you donate, for a point a value of 0.4 cent each. NerdWallet values Best Western points at 0.6 cent apiece, so you would receive 33% less value for your donation relative to using them for a hotel stay. Generally, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t count points and miles as a source of income, so if you donate them, you can't deduct the cash value of your gift. This lack of favorable tax treatment for the consumer combined with the uncertain value you’ll often receive for miles and points donations should have you at least consider other avenues for your philanthropic endeavors. Keep in mind that this drawback only matters for taxpayers who itemize deductions on their income tax returns. If you're like most people and take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, you wouldn't be able to get a charitable tax deduction from any donation. Some rewards programs have a minimum donation amount for select charities. For example, you’d have to donate at least 2,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points for a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That minimum amount makes it tougher to donate points that may be collecting dust in your loyalty account. To maximize the value of your donation, consider a charity that books travel directly with your miles or points rather than donating directly through your loyalty program's portal. For example, Miles4Migrants uses donated airline miles and credit card points to directly book award travel for refugees and asylum seekers. “Instead of maximizing points and miles to book a dream trip, we do it to help refugees reach safe new beginnings,” said Patrick Stouffer, partnerships manager at Miles4Migrants, in an email. Miles4Migrants has redeemed over 775 million donated miles in pursuit of their mission, with a cash value of over $17 million. That expertise allows them to get more value out of every donation. “Our team has the specialized knowledge necessary to stretch the value of every point or mile, ensuring donations go as far as possible,” Stouffer said. “Even if you aren’t able to reap any tax advantages of donating your points, at least you’ll know they made the largest possible impact.” Direct cash donations help avoid the downsides of donating miles and points. If you have a credit card that earns cash back , or if you earn cash rewards through a shopping portal like TopCashBack or Rakuten , consider cashing out and donating those rewards instead of your miles and points. With a cash donation, you’ll know the exact value a charity will receive from your donation and likely qualify for a potential itemized deduction on your taxes. Some rewards programs make this process simple and transparent. Travel rewards programs sometimes incentivize charitable giving by offering bonus points for your cash donations. For example, American Airlines offers 10 AAdvantage miles for every dollar members contribute to the charity Stand Up To Cancer. That extra incentive can be an individual boon for your charitable donation. Just be aware that any points or miles you receive from such promotions will reduce the tax deductibility of your contribution. American Airlines values those bonus miles you receive through donations at 3 cents each. So if you donate $100 and receive 1,000 AAdvantage miles, American values those miles at $30. You’ll receive a tax form declaring those rewards as $30 in income, giving you a qualifying tax deduction of $70. When you donate cash and receive bonus points, the charity still receives your full donation and you get a slug of points. While you'll have to pay taxes on those points, it can still be a big win for your future travel plans. More From NerdWallet Craig Joseph writes for NerdWallet. Email: cjoseph@nerdwallet.com . The article Should You Donate Your Points and Miles to Charity? originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Even before Trump is inaugurated, the USA and China are beginning a trade war Even though Donald Trump has not yet taken office, the USA and Chins are getting ready for a trade war. China’s reaction seems to have come because Mr Trump has been threatening to slap tariffs on Chinese imports, which he has doubled down on by his threat to BRICS nations to impose tariffs on them if they tried to develop an alternative joint currency to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Publicly, Chinese leaders have said that a trade war would suit no one, but they have been preparing for such a clash. Of course, such a clash will not help the world. If China has become the ‘workshop of the world’, the USA is its largest customer. Mr Trump has a choice: engage in full-fledged trade war, or back off, and just take token steps to satisfy his base. China exports to the USA because its consumers find Chinese manufactures good enough and cheap enough to buy. If US manufacturers produced goods cheaper and better than Chinese, they would sell. The last time, as President, Mr Trump ended the trade war when China agreed to buy more soybeans to serve as cattle feed. This time, one of the cards China looks likely to play is to buy more US oil and LNG. Trade in hydrocarbons is bad for the environment, but Mr Trump is one of the climate change deniers. However, he might want to rethink a strategy which involves selling more primary products. Chinese manufacturers want to have access to technologically sophisticated products, such as computer chips. It is not as if China is worse at producing commodities than the USA. However, Mr Trump should realize that China is already ahead in such key fields of the future, such as green energy and electric vehicles, and an exchange would be fruitful. He must also avoid driving China to seek advanced technology from Europe, as it has bfgun to do. Pakistan must tread carefully. While it is hardly an economic powerhouse, its economic ties to China are greater than the USA. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s decision-makers tend to think in purely geopolitical terms, and make decisions accordingly.Pakistan must think in this case with its pocketbook, and keep a weather eye open for how the USA will bring India into play against China on the economic front. In his last term, Trump din’t make nice to India for nothing. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );‘The smiling one’ Ruben Amorim says he can be ruthless when he needs to beInfluencers are now a source of news for many Americans
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is firmly in his Swiftie era. Trudeau attended the Taylor Swift concert in Toronto on Friday, the Eras Tour’s second-last night in the city. Press secretary Jenna Ghassabeh confirmed that the prime minister was at the concert with family members. Saturday wraps up two weekends of concerts in Toronto for the Eras Tour, which ends in Vancouver with three shows at BC Place from Dec. 6 to 8. The Eras Tour kicked off in March 2023 and touched down in five continents with nearly 150 performances. Before the Canadian dates were announced, Trudeau had reached out to Swift on social media, asking her to bring the tour to Canada.
Bill Belichick had just been introduced Thursday as North Carolina's next football coach when chancellor Lee Roberts came armed with a gift: a short-sleeved gray hoodie — a bit of a trademark from Belichick's NFL coaching days — bearing a blue interlocking “NC” logo. It was the visual confirmation, which will take some getting used to, that the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach whose name became synonymous with NFL success has taken an unexpected first dive into college coaching. He now leads a program at a school with a national name brand but one that has been unable to sustain fleeting pockets of high-level success when it comes to football. “I've always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said during his introductory campus news conference. “It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK.” The school's trustees approved terms of the deal to hire Belichick as the new football coach earlier Thursday. Specific terms have yet to be released, though the school said Wednesday there was a five-year agreement. Belichick arrived wearing a dark suit, a light blue dress shirt and a tie bearing a white-and-light-blue pattern. He sat between Roberts and athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who paid his own tribute by donning a suit jacket with the sleeves cut off to mimic Belichick's cut-off sideline look. “I’m here to, as Bubba said, teach, develop and build a program in the way that I believe in,” Belichick said. Moving on from the 73-year-old Mack Brown to hire the 72-year-old Belichick means UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet had incredible success in the NFL alongside quarterback Tom Brady throughout most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, which ended last season. Belichick holds 333 career regular-season and postseason wins in the NFL, trailing only Don Shula’s 347 for the NFL record, while his 31 playoff wins are the most in league history. He had been linked to NFL jobs in the time since his departure from the Patriots, notably the Atlanta Falcons in January. That’s why word of Belichick’s conversations with UNC — first reported by Inside Carolina and confirmed by the AP last week — stirred such surprise as an unexpected and unconventional candidate. There’s also at least a small family tie to the UNC program for Belichick; his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953-55. When asked about fan concerns that he might leave quickly for the next NFL job, Belichick said: “I didn't come here to leave." And when asked how long he might want to keep coaching, he quipped: “It beats working. My dad told me this: when you love what you do, it's not work. I love what I do. I love coaching." He’s arriving on campus at a time of rapid changes in college athletics, from free player movement through the transfer portal and athletes’ ability to cash in on endorsements to the looming arrival of revenue sharing. And he's taking over a program that for a school with a national name-brand — particularly as a tradition-rich blueblood in college basketball — has never sustained elite football success in its long history. RODRIGUEZ RETURNING TO WEST VIRGINIA Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the head football coach at West Virginia University,” Rodriguez said. “My family and I are filled with gratitude to lead the Mountaineer football program again and look forward to working with the many supporters, fans, and friends to build the best football program in America! Take Me Home!” Rodriguez, 61, will be tasked with restoring a consistent winning climate at West Virginia, which hasn’t been ranked or had back-to-back winning seasons since 2018. The Mountaineers have yet to qualify for the Big 12 championship game since joining the league in 2012. Its best finish was a tie for second place in 2016. Success was a standard at West Virginia under Rodriguez, who went 60-26 from 2001 to 2007 after replacing Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen. With star players such as quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton, Rodriguez led the Mountaineers to four Big East titles in five years and one of the greatest victories in school history, an upset win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl following the 2005 season. But many in the West Virginia fanbase remain jaded over his long-ago exit. Needing a win in their 2007 regular season finale to advance to the BCS national championship game, the Mountaineers lost at home to heavy underdog Pittsburgh, 13-9. “We picked an awful time to have our worst offensive game in years,” Rodriguez said after the game. Despite earning a berth in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma as a consolation prize, Rodriguez was gone two weeks later, taking some of his assistant coaches and recruits with him to Michigan. Rodriguez has insisted the Pitt loss had nothing to do with him leaving. He has said promises made by the school’s administration were not kept and his request for more money for his assistant coaches was rejected. Rodriguez said his relationship with then-athletic director Ed Pastilong had disintegrated by August 2007 to the point that the two men barely spoke.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen may be hard-pressed to top 4,000 yards passing for a fifth consecutive season. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen may be hard-pressed to top 4,000 yards passing for a fifth consecutive season. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen may be hard-pressed to top 4,000 yards passing for a fifth consecutive season. And that’s not a bad thing. As much as the five-time defending AFC East champion Bills (12-3) rely on Allen to run what’s still a highly productive offense that’s averaging 31.3 points per outing, a James Cook-led running attack has provided Buffalo an added dimension. Take Buffalo’s 24-21 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, for example. In a first half in which the defense struggled to get the Pats off the field and Allen went 9 of 17 for 78 yards, Cook injected the necessary spark with a 46-yard touchdown run in helping Buffalo rally from a 14-0 deficit. The touchdown was Cook’s 14th rushing of the season, moving him into a tie for the NFL lead entering Monday. And it was Buffalo’s 29th TD rushing of the season, matching the team record set in 2016. Allen’s passing numbers have dipped — he’s averaging 237 yards per outing, as opposed to 284 in 2020 when he shattered the Bills single-season record. The run game has picked up the slack. Buffalo is averaging 366.5 yards per outing — down slightly from last season (374.5). And yet it hasn’t dented the team’s record. The Bills have 12 wins for the eighth time in team history, and third since 2020. This is the balance coach Sean McDermott not only envisioned, but demanded when changing offensive coordinators midway through last season by replacing Ken Dorsey with Joe Brady. McDermott has always emphasized his belief of games being won at the line of scrimmage. And the Bills have been a different team with Brady overseeing the offense and incorporating six-man fronts to help open holes for the running game. Buffalo’s running attack takes the pressure off Allen having to win games with his arm. It also gives the Bills a ball-control dimension to ease the load from a patchwork and injury-depleted defense, which should be McDermott’s most pressing concern entering the playoffs. The defense — missing four starters including three in the secondary — overcame its depleted ranks against New England with takeaways on the Patriots first three possessions of the second half. The turnover run was capped by cornerback Taron Johnson falling on a loose ball for a touchdown to put the Bills ahead 24-14 with 10:10 left after rookie Drake Maye’s backward pass glanced off the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson. The Bills improved to 24-2 against quarterbacks with 16 or fewer starts since 2019. But that won’t matter much if Buffalo envisions a deep playoff run in an AFC bracket that already includes the experienced likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. Meantime, McDermott has another growing concern on his hands involving a mistake-prone special teams unit. Three weeks ago, in a 44-42 loss to the Rams, Buffalo couldn’t muster a punt block in the final seconds because it only fielded nine players. Against New England, the Patriots caught Buffalo sleeping with a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-1 at its 23. “We got to do a better job there in making sure we get the right grouping on the field,” McDermott said, before acknowledging the decision fell on coordinator Matthew Smiley. What’s working Generating takeaways. The defense has forced a turnover in all but one outing this season. Buffalo enjoys a league-best 20-plus turnover differential entering Monday. What needs help An injury-depleted defense that allowed 379 yards to New England — the ninth time this season an opponent has topped 350 yards. In its past three games, Buffalo has allowed a combined 1,357 yards and 86 first downs, with opponents going 24 of 40 on third downs. Stock up Cook. The third-year running back’s 14 rushing TDs rank third on the team’s single-season list. Only Allen, with 15 last season, and O.J. Simpson, with 16 in a 14-game season in 1975, have more. Stock down Smiley. Special teams breakdowns continue to grow for a coordinator who was promoted to the job after Heath Farwell left Buffalo following a 42-36 OT loss to Kansas City in the 2021 playoffs. The Bills were second-guessed for kicking off into the end zone, allowing the Chiefs to gain 44 yards on two plays in the final 13 seconds to set up Harrison Butker’s game-tying 49-yard field goal. Injuries Allen hurt his throwing elbow but did not miss a snap. Buffalo’s defense was minus LB Matt Milano (groin), safeties Taylor Rapp (neck shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (ribs), and cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee). LB Baylon Spector, starting in place of Milano, is week to week after hurting his calf on Sunday. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 4 — Number of times the Bills have finished with 13 wins. Next steps Have a chance to finish 8-0 at Orchard Park for just the second time in team history in closing their home schedule against the New York Jets on Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement Advertisement