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HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Khaden Bennett's 23 points helped Quinnipiac defeat Sacred Heart 83-73 on Sunday. Bennett added five rebounds for the Bobcats (5-5, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Amarri Tice added 19 points while shooting 6 for 16 (2 for 11 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line while they also had five rebounds and eight steals. Paul Otieno shot 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points, while adding three blocks. Amiri Stewart led the Pioneers (4-6, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Anquan Hill added 15 points for Sacred Heart. Bryce Johnson also had 11 points. Quinnipiac plays Tuesday against Holy Cross at home, and Sacred Heart hosts Albany (NY) on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
I didn’t expect to say either of these things to you when 2024 began: the new Call of Duty single-player campaign is a blast. And you can play it for $1 . A week before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 , Microsoft removed the ability to try 1-month of Game Pass for $1. However, the option has returned with a tweak: $1 now buys you 14 days and appears to be exclusive to PC. On console, you can get a month for $9.99, which remains comparably reasonable for a new Call of Duty campaign. Which means, you can now play the entirety of the Black Ops 6 campaign this weekend for pocket change. And trust me: you should. I’m not a Call of Duty zealot. Despite an early obsession, beginning with Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360, my fandom disintegrated around Black Ops 2 in 2012. And though I’ve played nearly every campaign, I haven’t enjoyed that time since Infinite Warfare . That was eight years ago. So when I say Black Ops 6 campaign is a treat, I am doing so with the context of the full franchise. Good and bad. I wouldn’t say this campaign’s a return to form. Instead, its creators cleverly reimagine other great gaming franchises through the lens of COD. Each mission riffs on a sub-genre of first-person shooters, from an open-world map à la Far Cry to a science laboratory that echoes the works of Arkane Studios and the late Irrational Games. Holding together the disparate stages? An abandoned mansion hub, where characters chat about their bizarro alternate Cold War history while the player is free to solve little puzzles and unlock perks and buffs to carry into the next mission. Taken holistically, the Black Ops 6 campaign is like a Mission: Impossible movie, but instead of setpieces set in iconic international locales, they’re dropped into a syllabus for FPS 101. And if you don’t like it? I have 25 other games for you . Action Gaming News Shopping Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Topline The federal prosecutions of Donald Trump officially came to an end Tuesday when a federal appeals court dismissed Trump’s case for allegedly withholding White House documents, after Special Counsel Jack Smith asked on Monday that the felony charges against Trump be dropped—ending the historic saga. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . Crucial Quote Trump responded to the cases being dropped, saying on Truth Social these cases—and the others he has faced in New York and Georgia—were “empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” He continued : “It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON.” What To Watch For Smith’s two cases were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the federal government could try and charge Trump again after he leaves office—though it’s unclear if they will, and if doing so would be allowed under the statute of limitations. Key Background Trump was charged by the Justice Department in August 2023 with trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, one of four indictments brought against Trump at the state and federal level—a historic move, marking the first time a former president has faced criminal charges. Trump attempted to have the charges thrown out by arguing he had “presidential immunity,” and the Supreme Court ultimately sided with him, ruling mostly in his favor by saying he could not be charged for any activities that were “official” presidential duties. After the court’s ruling, Smith’s team issued a new , slimmed down indictment against Trump in August for the same four felonies. The second indictment more clearly argued Trump was not acting as president in his efforts to overturn the election, but was acting as a presidential candidate. Separately, Trump was indicted in the federal documents case last June for allegedly withholding national security documents and obstructing justice. Prosecutors alleged Trump intentionally tried to conceal classified documents and prevent them from being returned to the government, leading to 40 federal felony charges . Trump argued he was legally allowed to have the documents because of the Presidential Records Act, though experts said his argument was flawed. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges brought against him and described them as a “witch hunt” by President Joe Biden’s DOJ in an attempt to ruin his presidential campaign. In October before he was elected, Trump said if he returned to the White House he would “fire [Smith] within two seconds” and called the prosecutor a “scoundrel” and a “very dishonest man.” Tangent Last week, Trump’s criminal sentencing in his New York hush money case was postponed indefinitely . Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and was scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26, but Judge Juan Merchan paused the sentencing and asked for briefs on whether the case should be dismissed to be filed by Dec. 9. There’s not yet a clear path forward for when the sentencing could take place, but prosecutors proposed sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office. Meanwhile, Trump’s criminal charges in Georgia for trying to reverse his election loss are on hold amid an appeals court fight over the prosecutor. Further Reading
( MENAFN - IANS) Bengaluru, Dec 24 (IANS) The office market in India saw a robust 14 per cent growth (year-on-year) in 2024, with leasing activity across the top six cities reaching 66.4 million square feet, according to a report on Tuesday. Bengaluru led the Grade A office space demand, with highest-ever leasing volume of 21.7 million square feet, marking an impressive 40 per cent growth, according to a Colliers report. Demand scale-up was also evident in Hyderabad and Mumbai. With 12.5 and 10.0 million square feet of leasing activity respectively, both cities witnessed double-digit annual office space demand for the first time in 2024. Delhi-NCR too witnessed healthy space uptake and Grade A demand almost touched 10 million square feet mark in 2024. “New supply during the year also remained above the 50 million sq feet mark and kept vacancy levels rangebound. 2025 demand can potentially stabilise at elevated levels and annual space uptake exceeding 60 million sq feet is likely to be the new norm over the next few years,” explained Arpit Mehrotra, Managing Director, Office services, India, Colliers. The fourth quarter (Q4) 2024 saw the highest leasing during the year, at 19.7 million square feet, a 14 per cent increase over the previous quarter. At 4.7 million square feet, flex spaces saw their highest ever quarterly leasing. The flex space demand accounted for 24 per cent of the Grade A space uptake in Q4 2024. While technology sector continued to drive annual office space demand with almost one-fourth share in overall leasing, flex spaces accounted for almost one-fifth of the Grade A space uptake in 2024. BFSI and engineering and manufacturing sectors too demonstrated healthy leasing activity, both crossing the 10 million square feet leasing this year. “The occupier preference for managed office spaces augurs well for leading operators, who are likely to increasingly foray into tier 2/3 cities throughout 2025 and expedite their fund-raising plans through primary markets as well,” said Vimal Nadar, Senior Director and Head of Research, Colliers India. On the supply side, Q4 2024 witnessed 15.9 million sq feet of new completions, pushing the total to 53.3 million sq feet for the year, said the report. MENAFN23122024000231011071ID1109025873 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals
Our family looks forward to a busy holiday event attended by thousands in our town each year. We've given the oldest of our four kids more independence, even at this crowded event. We use technology and the trust we have in our community to keep our kids safe. Each year, on the first Saturday of December, our town hosts its annual holiday light-up night to kick off the festive season. Our quaint main street is packed with vendors, goodies, local musicians, and reindeer games. Local businesses sling seasonal cocktails for the grownups and set up craft stations for the kids. The town kicks off the evening by welcoming Santa and Mrs. Claus to the town center where everybody cheers as the massive Christmas tree comes to life with thousands of twinkling lights. If I'm being honest, it's a scene straight out of a holiday movie. My husband and I have been attending this event for a decade, ever since we relocated to the tiny Pittsburgh borough of Bellevue with infant twins and a toddler in tow. Since our first light-up night, the event has grown substantially — and so has our family. I'll admit it hasn't always been easy helping four kids navigate a main drag packed with a couple of thousand neighbors, but we trudge the two blocks to the center of town religiously every year. It's a chance to hug neighbors, let the kids run free, and celebrate the loving community we are so thankful to be a part of. We created our village I often hear other moms bemoan the "loss of the village ," and the way modern motherhood can feel insular and lonely . This is true on many levels. Shifts in the fabric of American society have left today's mothers with less support than our moms had, and the 24-hour news cycle has left even more mothers fearful of leaning on their community. Thankfully, that has not been our experience. While I would like to say we magically found our "village," the truth is that sometimes we have to create one. Related stories It's not easy to lean on neighbors (or strangers), but I've learned over our decade in this little town that people are willing to look out for each other, if you open up your heart and let them. A few years ago, we briefly lost our youngest child at this very same holiday event. While those moments when she wasn't in our eyesight were terrifying, I knew in my gut during those frantic moments that the adults in our town were looking out for her. As a neighbor I barely knew hoisted my kiddo above the crowd so I could find her, I teared up. This community we are a part of looks out for one another. Giving our kids independence Our kids are older now; 13, 11 (twins), and 6. We've given our big three more independence in our walkable town throughout the year. With kid-safe cell phones in hand and kid-friendly debit cards at their fingertips, we trusted our village enough to set them loose on the main street once that giant evergreen was shining brightly at the center of town. While my 13-year-old and one of my 11-year-old twins spent some time with us throughout the evening, our son Ezra disappeared into the festive fray almost immediately. I wasn't surprised. He's extroverted and confident and has never met a festival he didn't love. For many parents, not seeing their fifth grader for two hours on a dark and chilly evening may induce panic, but this village we've built and come to rely on gave us the confidence to let him test his wings. The location dot on his cell phone let us know he was still at the event, and a few spending notifications told us he was well hydrated and warm, thanks to a pair of LED gloves he purchased from a street vendor. It seems like our son had a great night We heard snippets about Ezra's evening from others. Our town librarian heard the DJ say his name at one point, and another friend let us know he helped pass out raffle baskets to the winners at the end of the evening. A fellow parent let me know she told his friend group to move their horseplay away from some younger kids, and they readily complied. I thanked her for being willing to offer guidance when I didn't have eyes on him. "Sure," she said. "I would want you to do the same if you saw my kid being a knucklehead, too." We laughed, but I know she means it. Once the festivities had concluded, Ezra sent us a text asking if he could help the adults in charge clean up the event. We often say his big personality is paired with an even bigger heart. Of course we said yes. Once he finally burst through our front door at the end of the evening, brought home by a friend's older cousin, he was cold and exhausted. It was after 10 p.m. and he crashed quickly into bed. I asked him how his night went since we had not seen him for over two hours. "It was fun," he said. "I think I did everything they had to do." Within minutes, he was out cold. I'm glad we can trust our children — and our town — to do the right thing A few days later, a local photographer shared a photo album from the festivities. Within an hour I had a dozen text messages telling me to take a look. I opened the link and gasped. There was Ezra, on stage, holding a tambourine. The thousand-watt smile on his face says it all. He had the best night. I have never seen a photo that better encapsulates my son. Modern parenting is designed to provoke anxiety . From online urban legends and hysteria to a general lack of trust in our neighbors, it's easy to give into the temptation to clip our kids' wings and worry about how the world may harm them. I know the world is scary. I worry every day about my kids' safety. I worry about gun violence, online bullying, and the general divisiveness and hatred that seems to permeate today's culture. Rather than give into the temptation to shelter them at home, though, I've found strength in leaning on our community and working hard to foster independence in our kids. With a bit of help from modern technology and a whole lot of help from trusted adults, teaching our kids to navigate the world on their own feels like the best possible tool we can give them.Could this be the next domino to fall with the struggling New York Rangers? And after the volatile trade of former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks and former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the Rangers are making an eyebrow-raising roster move. Veteran Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured member of the Rangers, is being made a healthy scratch by coach Peter Laviolette for Monday afternoon's game against the rival New Jersey Devils. The Rangers continue to be in complete disarray, having won only four times in their last 16 games. Despite getting back into the win column on Friday with a 3-1 win... Michael Whitaker
Hyperchanging Tech Markets Demand Smarter Procurement and Agile Evaluation, Says Info-Tech Research GroupAP News Summary at 5:39 p.m. ESTNone