By BEN FINLEY The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages , from English to Japanese. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, “Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early.” NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the one in 2018 , and this year . Here’s how it began and why the phones keep ringing. It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy’s mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80 foot (18-by-24 meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from “those who do not believe in Christmas.” Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup’s story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy’s call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child’s call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. “When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. “People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa’s story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada —- known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, mountain standard time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.Former Giant Duffy delivers ringing endorsement of Adames signing
Review: It’s alright, Ma — Dylan biopic works better than many fearedRISING CASES OF ABANDONED BABIES
NEW DELHI: Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL inaugurated its defence equipment manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, the company said on Tuesday. The new facility will produce defence technologies, including HFCL's indigenously developed thermal weapon sights, electronic fuzes, high-capacity radio relay (HCRR) systems and surveillance radars. "HFCL is proud to inaugurate this advanced defence equipment manufacturing facility in Hosur, which symbolises our unwavering dedication to innovation, excellence, and national progress. This facility will allow us to deliver world-class defence technologies to armed forces, enabling them to operate with greater efficiency and confidence in critical missions," HFCL Managing Director Mahendra Nahata said. The facility has the capacity to manufacture up to 5,000 thermal weapon sights, 250,000 electronic fuzes, 1,000 units each of high-capacity radio relays and ground surveillance radars annually, the statement said. HFCL's thermal weapon sights are compatible with small arms, such as rifles, light machine guns (LMGs), and rocket launchers, and offer features like high-resolution imaging etc.Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement from international soccer quietly, which is how she does most everything save for keeping the ball from crossing the goal line. News coverage of her decision last week reinforced her importance to the U.S. women's national team with a simple statement: No other goalkeeper has recorded a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. That counts as an impressive achievement (or two). But it risks reducing Naeher’s career to a trivia answer. Her time with the USWNT has been so much more impactful than that. MORE: USWNT wins on Lynn Williams goal in Alyssa Naeher finale Her greatest moment in a USWNT kit did not even come in a championship setting. As with Christian Laettner’s shot in the 1992 NCAA Elite Eight or Joe Montana’s pass touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the 1982 NFC title game, Naeher’s pinnacle came in a game before The Game. Naeher's save of an 84th-minute penalty kick attempt from England defender Steph Houghton in the semifinal of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is in the pantheon of iconic American soccer moments. That indelible play ranks alongside Paul Caliguiri’s goal to qualify the U.S. men for the 1990 World Cup, Brandi Chastain's clinching shootout kick at the 1999 Women’s World Cup and Landon Donovan’s injury-time goal against Algeria at South Africa 2010. Naeher waited until Houghton let slip a tell that suggested the kick would go to the keeper’s right, leaped in that direction and smothered the ball. The 2-1 lead that had been imperiled stood until the end of the match, and the USWNT went on to win their fourth World Cup. “Honestly, she saved our ass,” star forward Alex Morgan said following that game. MORE: Complete USWNT results from 2024, including Olympic gold Naehere's USWNT swan song, which came Tuesday in the Netherlands, was not a shutout. But the 2-1 comeback victory was a quintessential Naeher masterpiece. The 36-year-old goalkeeper produced several essential saves, including another dazzler in the 69th minute on a sliding shot by Danielle van de Donk from six feet out. That stop kept the score tied — and positioned the Americans to take the lead on Lynn Williams' goal 90 seconds later. In the first half, she made a savvy veteran move to go down with an injury — or "injury," perhaps — when the young Americans were besieged by the Dutch attack. That allowed coach Emma Hayes to gather the field players and address their early struggles. That is just the sort of calm, measured, insightful maneuver to be expected from Naeher. MORE: USWNT vs. the Netherlands: Timeline of the rivalry As her international retirement commences, her greatest contribution to the USWNT is more than any one play. She rescued the entire program from the volatility that lurked throughout predecessor Hope Solo’s decade in the lineup. Solo stands as probably the most dynamic keeper ever in the women’s game, as well as an impressive technician as her career advanced. But she also was a persistent problem for U.S. Soccer. From the comments about her semifinal benching, which then got her excluded from the team’s final game at the 2007 World Cup, to the arrest of her husband in 2015 while driving one of the team’s vans, to her postgame harangue of 2016 Olympic opponent Sweden for bunkering and eventually eliminating the U.S. in a penalty shootout – she called the Swedes “a bunch of cowards” – Solo kept the program’s headquarters furiously busy. When the USWNT finally had enough, Naeher was the likely replacement, and yet not an obvious one. She’d made 10 appearances between 2014 and 2016 and was a backup keeper at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, but she did not play in either of those tournaments. The only thing she did obviously better than Solo was keep her thoughts to herself. As the program built toward the 2019 World Cup, the talent among the field players might have been the best, or at least closest to the career peak, of any USWNT squad: Alex Morgan at forward, Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath on the wings, Julie Ertz owning the defensive midfield and Becky Sauerbrunn a fixture in central defense. The team was so loaded that Lindsey Horan, Christen Press and Carli Lloyd were frequently – or exclusively – deployed as substitutes. The goalkeeper spot, though, seemed less secure, as team legend Brianna Scurry acknowledged: “There’s one difference this World Cup team has, the USA, that no other team previously has had, and that’s a question mark at the goalkeeper position.” Naeher entered the tournament at 31 years old as a two-time All-American in 2007 and 2008 at Penn State, Golden Glove winner for the 2008 FIFA U20 World Cup champs and 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year in the NWSL. Her résumé for the full national team, though, consisted primarily of watching Solo play. She did not start the 2019 World Cup in perfect form, as the late Grant Wahl described when writing about that memorable semifinal penalty save for Sports Illustrated. “Yes, there were worries about Naeher—worries that didn’t abate after she whiffed on a ball that ended up in the net against Chile (but was ruled offside) or after her hospital-ball pass in the back helped gift a goal to Spain in the round of 16," Wahl wrote . "Those worries were compounded when you looked in the stands and saw Solo, dropped from the team in 2016 for reasons outside of soccer, looming over the proceedings from her BBC pedestal.” In her time as the USWNT's No. 1 goalkeeper, Naeher was known for her contemplative approach, for her comfort in solitude. I sat in an outdoor cafe in Reims, France, before the United States’ opening game at the 2019 World Cup. Behind me was a table filled with Megan Rapinoe, defender Ali Krieger, backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and forward Jessica McDonald, all of them eating and chatting following a shopping trip to the cosmetics shop Sephora. In front of me was a table where Naeher sat, alone, working on a crossword puzzle. “As much as I am at peace with the decision – I know that, in my head, it’s the right time and I feel good about it and I feel at peace with it – it’s still the end of something,” Naeher said of her international retirement. “Change is scary. I’m going to miss being a part of these camps and this team.” MORE: Who will take over as starting goalkeeper for the USWNT? Naeher probably could have held the starting job a while longer if she wished. In major tournaments, she allowed just 12 goals in 22 starts. That includes four shutouts in six games at the 2024 Summer Games as the USWNT claimed the fourth Olympic gold medal in program history. Her performance included a leaping save with her left foot off a point-blank header by Germany in the semis, as well as her ridiculous right-handed save off an unchallenged header from Adriana in the final against Brazil. The first of those came in extra time, with the U.S. protecting a 1-0 lead and just seconds away from playing for the gold; the second was delivered in added time to secure the same score and another major tournament triumph. Whatever one thinks of talent or artistry or achievement, it’s hard to argue any U.S. goalkeeper ever produced more essential clutch saves under greater pressure than Naeher. "As soon as the whistle blew," defender Naomi Girma told Yahoo! Sports after the Olympic final against Brazil , "I was like, 'My last sprint of the tournament is to give Alyssa a hug.'" In the end, Naeher was noticed for all the right reasons in her time with the USWNT. Before leaving for the locker room after Tuesday's win, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers. And Girma made sure to hug her again, for one final time on the field of play.
GENEVA (AP) — World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time Tuesday, signing for the Club World Cup that still has no broadcast deals just over six months before games start. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the United States, two days before the group-stage draw in Miami for the revamped 32-team club event . It features recent European champions Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. “FIFA is going to take America by storm and we’re going to be right at their side,” the bank’s head of marketing, David Tyrie, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Bank of America joins 2026 World Cup sponsors Hisense and Budweiser brewer AB InBev in separately also backing the club event, and more deals are expected after Saudi Arabia is confirmed next week as the 2034 World Cup host. While games at the next World Cup, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, will be watched by hundreds of millions globally mostly on free-to-air public networks, the Club World Cup broadcast picture is unclear. FIFA has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money for the 32 clubs to share but is yet to announce any broadcast deals for the month-long tournament. It is expected to land on a streaming service. “You have to think about how you are going to connect with these fans,” Tyrie told the Associated Press from Boston. “TV is one, sure, social media is a big avenue. “The smart marketing capabilities are able to say ‘Hey, we need to tilt this one a little bit more away from TV-type marketing into social-type marketing.’ We have got a pretty decent strategy that we’re putting in place to do activation.” Engaging Bank of America’s customers and 250,000 employees are key to that strategy, Tyrie said. “It’s going to be for our clients, and entertainment, it’s going to be for our employees in creating excitement. All of the above.” The Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across 11 cities, including Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C, and Lumen Field where the hometown Seattle Sounders play three group-stage games. European powers Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich lead a 12-strong European challenge. Teams qualified by winning continental titles or posting consistently good results across four years of those competitions. The exception is Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who FIFA gave the entry reserved for a host nation team in October based on regular season record without waiting for the MLS Cup final. LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls playing for that national title Saturday. Messi’s team opens the FIFA tournament June 15 in the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium and will play its three group games in Florida. “The more brand players you bring in, the bigger the following you have got,” Tyrie acknowledged, though adding Messi being involved was “not a make or break for the event.” The Club World Cup final is July 13 at Met Life Stadium near New York, which also will host the World Cup final one year later. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerAP Business SummaryBrief at 1:39 p.m. ESTTrump's sudden fixation on Panama may be tied to his shady businessNone
Rangers 1-1 Tottenham: Spurs escape Ibrox cauldron with a point in Europa League Battle of BritainBy BEN FINLEY The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Related Articles National News | Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights National News | Prosecutors withdraw appeal of dismissed case against Alec Baldwin in fatal movie set shooting National News | Bill Clinton is hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says National News | Why Finland is vaccinating farmers against bird flu — but California isn't National News | Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages , from English to Japanese. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, “Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early.” NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the one in 2018 , and this year . Here’s how it began and why the phones keep ringing. It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy’s mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80 foot (18-by-24 meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from “those who do not believe in Christmas.” Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup’s story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy’s call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child’s call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. “When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. “People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa’s story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada —- known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, mountain standard time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.
Eagle Point Credit Management sells $144,563 in Acres commercial stockTrump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’CLEVELAND (AP) — Germain Ifedi became the fourth left tackle to start this season for the Cleveland Browns, lining up Thursday night against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Ifedi moved up the depth chart and into the lineup after starter Dawand Jones broke his left leg last week at New Orleans and had surgery. He'll be responsible for blocking quarterback Jameis Winston's blindside. Jedrick Wills Jr., who had lost his starting job to Jones, figured to start against the Steelers (8-2), but was ruled out Wednesday with a knee injury that has bothered him for weeks. A first-round pick in 2020, Wills recently caused a stir by saying he made a “business decision” to sit out a game on Oct. 27 against Baltimore because of his knee. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Wills used a “poor choice of words.” James Hudson started Cleveland's first two games at left tackle while the Browns (2-8) waited for Wills to recover from knee surgery in December. The first-place Steelers were without outside linebacker/edge rusher Alex Highsmith, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
However, the N-Dubz star has since left the jungle following a public vote but viewers of the show are shocked at her actions since. Before heading into the Australian jungle, celebrities often share pictures of themselves in their camp uniforms and the ITV show also shares videos and images of them while they’re in there which they share to their own personal accounts. However, viewers noticed the lack of Instagram posts about Tulisa’s time in the jungle following her exit. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans of the show noticed the singer has deleted her posts about the ITV show and her involvement. After leaving the show, Tulisa would’ve been given her phone back so it’s likely she deleted the posts herself. One viewer said: “Why has Tulisa deleted everything from her socials in relation to #ImACeleb”. (function (d, s, n) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; js = d.createElement(s); js.className = n; js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/2f5c6247-a6df-4753-aa85-a602dd967f57"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); js.setAttribute('programmatic', 'true'); js.onload = function () { const playerApi237931 = ExCoPlayer.connect('2f5c6247-a6df-4753-aa85-a602dd967f57'); playerApi237931.init({ "autoPlay": false, "mute": true, "showAds": true, "playbackMode": "play-in-view", "content": { "playFirst": [ { "title": "How much is Ant and Dec's net worth?", "src": "https://large-cdn.ex.co/transformations/production/3dac3c05-257d-45d2-b760-c1524f8b72f3/720p.mp4" } ], "playlistId": "649d69cd79e0a90012b5b8bc" }, "sticky": { "mode": "persistent", "closeButton": true, "pauseOnClose": true, "desktop": { "enabled": false, "position": "bottom-right" }, "mobile": { "enabled": false, "position": "upper-small" } }}); }; }(document, 'script', 'exco-player')); Another commented: “Why has Tulisa deleted all traces of I’m a celeb off her socials?” A third called the singer out, saying: “So grateful you delete all trace of I’m a Celeb on your Instagram ey Tulisa?” After public votes, three celebrities have been eliminated from the ITV show so far. Loose Women star Jane Moore was the first to leave while Dean McCullough, a BBC Radio 1 presenter, was the second to be reunited with loved ones. Recommended reading: N-Dubz star Tulisa was the third to leave the jungle and said: “It is tough in there, leaving is still a happy thing.” Speaking about her I'm A Celebrity experience, she added: “I just think you're more grateful for everything, the food you eat, being around the people you love, the home comforts, just makes you very appreciative of life.” Tonight (December 3), another celebrity will leave the jungle. I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues nightly at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX.
LA Galaxy 'Have To Redefine Who We're Going To Be' After Riqui Puig InjuryHow to use an air fryer to elevate your charcuterie board – tried and tested tips from a trained chef