Daniel Farke hailed “old man” Sam Byram’s wonder goal as L eeds stormed back to the top of the Championship. The utility player, back in his second spell at Elland Road, scored a brilliant scissor-kick opener as United swept past Luton. It was the 31 year-old’s first goal of the season and it prompted beaming celebrations from team-mates and coaching staff alike. A smiling Farke said: “Even in training he celebrates his goals with a pistolero or something like this because he’s not that well known for scoring goals. But he’s dangerous out of set-pieces and this goal was a bit special. "A left/right movement and, normally for this magic, it’s players like Largie [Ramazani] or Willy [Gnonto]. So I like that the old man has shown this today. It was a crucial goal. "At 1-0, it’s always the most important. And I’m happy as he’s great. He’s so reliable. Whenever we need him he’s there. Sometimes when he’s not playing, he’s never complaining. He’s always there for the team. He’s a cornerstone of our group.” Joel Piroe and Dan James also netted as dominant United eased home on the night they saluted legendary Gary Speed. It’s been 13 years since the Leeds icon - who wore the No.11 shirt with such grace and distinction - tragically died aged just 42. Clearly, he will never be forgotten here. Fittingly, Byram’s classy strike came just moments before the Elland Road crowd rose as one to pay tribute to the former Wales ace in the 11th minute. Farke only made one change to the side that twice came from behind to win 4-3 in Sunday’s wild contest at Swansea. James enjoyed three assists in that game, including an injury-time assist for Willy Gnonto after a last-minute Swansea equaliser. But he was dropped to the bench with Gnonto coming into the starting line-up. In fairness, Italy winger Gnonto was one of Leeds’ liveliest players along with the excellent Ao Tanaka. But, with Piroe scoring their second in first half injury-time, James made sure of yet another victory in the 81st minute. Not long after replacing Gnonto, he latched onto Jayden Bogle’s brilliant through ball to coolly lob Thomas Kaminski. The West Yorkshire side dominated the first half, amassing a huge 78.5 percent of possession and, at times, toying with their 16th-placed opponents. But as United fans know, they never make it easy for themselves. After Byram's moment of magic, Luton arguably had the two clearest chances of the opening 45 minutes. Captain Pascal Struijk was needed to make a spectacular goalline clearance to deny Victor Moses an 18th minute equalizer. And Reece Burke wasted a gilt-edged opportunity, heading wide when left free from Carlton Morris’ cross in the 42nd minute. United made the most of that let-off with Piroe doubling their lead just before the break. Joe Rothwell swung in a corner, Struijk’s header forced a Kaminski save but Piroe was on hand to fire in the rebound for his seventh of the campaign. Leeds were relieved given Brenden Aaronson had already bombed one chance, trying to find Gnonto rather than shooting himself. Gnonto had also gone close in one of countless United raids. Leeds had already threatened plenty before Byram gave them a tenth minute lead. It came from some classy build-up play into the penalty area before the midfielder’s equally classy volley left Kaminski beaten. Luton, who have plummeted since last season’s relegation from the Premier League , arrived in decent nick. Saturday’s victory over Hull was a second win in three games. But Rob Edwards’ side never truly looked like scoring in the second period until a couple of late chances. And James’ superb finish reminded them how far off they still remain. Edwards conceded: "The frustrations for us are we made some poor decisions. We couldn’t find our balance. Ultimately, this is probably the most difficult place to come in the Championship at the moment - and it looked like that tonight. “We don’t see this [lack of confidence] at home but we do away. Clearly it’s a great clearance the first one and then Burkey’s chance was a big one. It’s all ifs, buts and maybes.”In a world of great need there are more ways to donate money than ever. How should you give?
The Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence once again showcased the very best of Manx businesses and community initiatives. Held at the Villa Marina on Thursday evening, the night was filled with success stories and well-deserved recognition. The glittering ceremony saw 16 prizes awarded to leading businesses and individuals from the local community, honoured for their achievements during the last 12 months, plus a special Lifetime Achievement Award. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was deservedly presented to the recently knighted Sir Mark Cavendish, for his services to sport in the Isle of Man and his incredible cycling career which recently saw him become the man with the most Tour De France stage wins. The Business of the Year Award was won by the International Finance Group (IFG), while the Leader of the Year Award went to John Knight, the CEO of Hospice Isle of Man. Hospice Isle of Man were also awarded with Employer of the Year. Other winners on the night are listed below: - The Fish Market in the Local Food and Drink category. - Crossroads for Community Initiative of the Year. - Willaston, Dhoon and Laxey schools for Education and Learning Initiative of the Year. - Comis Hotel and Golf Resort in the Sustainable Business of the Year category. - The Energy Policy Team from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture in Environmental Initiative of the Year. - Two Feathers Productions in the New Business of the Year category. - Computer Network Defence (CND) for Digital Innovation of the Year. - Mannin Doctors for Health and Wellbeing Initiative of the Year. - Hello Little People in partnership with the Manx Wildlife Trust in the Nurturing our Arts, Culture and Heritage category. - Synapse360 in the Small/Medium Enterprise of the Year category. - Ruth Cooil Physiotherapy and Healthcare Services for Excellence in Customer Service. - Isle of Man TT Marshalls in the Teams Working Together category. - The Isle of Man Flying School in the Freedom to Flourish category. This year’s event looked to showcase UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, and Media Isle of Man were ‘particularly privileged’ to be able to play our part in highlighting this vision and strategy for a sustainable future, including promoting ‘the five E’s’ under which this work will be delivered. Richard Hollingham, a science and environment journalist, was the host for this year’s event. Richard is an experienced radio producer and presenter, feature writer for ‘BBC Future’ and a reporter and launch commentator for the European Space Agency. The Isle of Man’s very own Jersey Boys also made an appearance at the Villa Marina, performing some of the best hits from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
Making a $1B investment in the US? Trump pledges expedited permits — but there are hurdles WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is promising expedited federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion. But like other Trump plans, the idea is likely to run into regulatory and legislative hurdles, including a landmark law that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impact before deciding on major projects. Environmental groups called the plan a clear violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The chief policy advocacy officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council says Trump should be careful what he wishes for. She said, "What if someone wants to build a waste incinerator next to Mar-a-Lago or a coal mine next to Bedminster golf course?” Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Andrew Ferguson to be the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Ferguson is already one of the FTC's five commissioners. He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday evening that Ferguson has “a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country.” The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. Proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is halted by federal, state judges The proposed $24.6 billion merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons floundered on Tuesday after judges overseeing two separate cases both halted the merger. A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the proposed merger until an in-house administrative judge at the Federal Trade Commission considers it. Shortly afterward, a judge in Washington state issued a permanent injunction barring the merger in that state, saying it lessens competition. Kroger and Albertsons in 2022 proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Washington sued earlier this year. Kroger and Albertsons said Tuesday they are disappointed in the decisions and are reviewing their options. Biden says he was 'stupid' not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, like Donald Trump had done in 2020. He noted Tuesday in a speech at the Brookings Institution that Trump likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he defended his economic record and challenged Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. Trump’s decision to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Former chairman of state-owned bank China Everbright Group jailed for 12 years for corruption BEIJING (AP) — Chinese official broadcaster CCTV says a former chairman of the state-owned bank China Everbright Group has been jailed 12 years for embezzlement and bribery. Tang Shuangning, who had also held senior posts at the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, was arrested in January, part of a wider wave of prosecutions of senior officials accused of financial crimes. A court in the city of Tangshan, about 100 miles east of Beijing, found him guilty of taking advantage of his position at the state-owned bank in “seeking convenience for others” in jobs and loans, in exchange for illegal payments. The court said he had accepted illegal property with a total value of more than $1.5 million. Trustee over Infowars auction asks court to approve The Onion's winning bid A trustee who oversaw the bankruptcy auction of Alex Jones’ Infowars is asking a judge to approve The Onion’s winning bid for the conspiracy-filled platform. Trustee Christopher Murray took the stand Tuesday in the second day of testimony at a hearing where a judge is scrutinizing the satirical news outlet’s winning offer. He told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston that he was there asking a court to approve the sale of Infowars’ parent company to The Onion’s parent company. It is not clear how quickly Lopez will rule. The Onion wants to turn Infowars’ website and social media accounts into parodies. GM to retreat from robotaxis and stop funding its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems like its Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. In a statement Tuesday, GM said it would get out of robotaxis due to what it described as the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market. What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google has released its annual “Year in Search," rounding up 2024's top trending searches. It shows terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated overall search trends, led by queries for Copa América, the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year’s Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google’s people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. US defense secretary in Japan to support alliance as Osprey aircraft safety causes concern TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with officials in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington's commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea. Austin’s visit on Tuesday also came amid growing concerns over the safety of Ospreys. The military aircraft have been grounded in the United States following a near crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident was caused by weakened metal components. It was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year. The U.S. measure prompted the suspension of Ospreys operated by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force. Small businesses plan events, start marketing earlier to deal with shorter holiday shopping season The holiday shopping season is underway, and this year small businesses have less time to capitalize on the busy shopping period. Only 27 days separate Thanksgiving and Christmas — five fewer than last year. But there are still ways to make the most of a shorter season. One key strategy is for owners to promote deals to customers wherever they can, from social media to physical ads. The National Retail Federation predicts that retail sales will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. Online shopping is expected to grow too. Adobe Digital Insights predicts an 8.4% increase online for the full season.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Elway says any remorse over bypassing Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft is quickly dissipating with rookie Bo Nix's rapid rise, suggesting the Denver Broncos have finally found their next franchise quarterback. Elway said Nix, the sixth passer selected in April's draft, is an ideal fit in Denver with coach Sean Payton navigating his transition to the pros and Vance Joseph's defense serving as a pressure release valve for the former Oregon QB. “We’ve seen the progression of Bo in continuing to get better and better each week and Sean giving him more each week and trusting him more and more to where last week we saw his best game of the year,” Elway said in a nod to Nix's first game with 300 yards and four touchdown throws in a rout of Atlanta. For that performance, Nix earned his second straight NFL Rookie of the Week honor along with the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. “I think the sky’s the limit," Elway said, “and that’s just going to continue to get better and better.” In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Elway also touted former coach Mike Shanahan's Hall of Fame credentials, spoke about the future of University of Colorado star and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter and discussed his ongoing bout with a chronic hand condition. Elway spent the last half of his decade as the Broncos’ GM in a futile search for a worthy successor to Peyton Manning, a pursuit that continued as he transitioned into a two-year consultant role that ended after the 2022 season. “You have all these young quarterbacks and you look at the ones that make it and the ones that don’t and it’s so important to have the right system and a coach that really knows how to tutelage quarterbacks, and Sean’s really good at that,” Elway said. “I think the combination of Bo’s maturity, having started 61 games in college, his athletic ability and his knowledge of the game has been such a tremendous help for him,'" Elway added. “But also Vance Joseph’s done a heck of a job on the defensive side to where all that pressure’s not being put on Bo and the offense to score all the time.” Payton and his staff have methodically expanded Nix’s repertoire and incorporated his speed into their blueprints. Elway lauded them for “what they’re doing offensively and how they’re breaking Bo into the NFL because it’s a huge jump and I think patience is something that goes a long way in the NFL when it comes down to quarterbacks.” Elway said he hopes to sit down with Nix at some point when things slow down for the rookie. Nix, whose six wins are one more than Elway had as a rookie, said he looks forward to meeting the man who won two Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame playing career and another from the front office. “He’s a legend not only here for this organization, but for the entire NFL," Nix said, adding, "most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway, just pick his brain. It’s just awesome that I’m even in that situation.” Orange Crush linebacker Randy Gradishar joined Elway in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, something Elway called “way, way overdue.” Elway suggested it's also long past time for the Hall to honor Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver with Elway at QB and whose footprint you see every weekend in the NFL because of his expansive coaching tree. Elway called University of Colorado stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders “both great athletes." He said he really hopes Sanders gets drafted by a team that will bring him along like the Broncos have done with Nix and he sees Hunter being able to play both ways in the pros but not full time. Elway said he thinks Hunter will be primarily a corner in the NFL but with significant contributions on offense: “He's great at both. He's got great instincts, and that's what you need at corner." It's been five years since Elway announced he was dealing with Dupuytren’s contracture, a chronic condition that typically appears after age 40 and causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. Elway's ring fingers on both hands were originally affected and he said now the middle finger on his right hand is starting to pull forward. So, he’ll get another injection of a drug called Xiaflex, which is the only FDA-approved non-surgical treatment, one that he's endorsing in an awareness campaign for the chronic condition that affects 17 million Americans. The condition can make it difficult to do everyday tasks such as shaking hands or picking up a coffee mug. Elway said what bothered him most was “I couldn't pick up a football and I could not imagine not being able to put my hand around a football." AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl