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The signs at Nippon Steel read: “The world through steel,” underlining why Japan’s top steelmaker is pursuing its $15 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel. “We can’t expect demand in Japan to grow as the population is declining. We need to invest in production that leads to growth,” a company official, Masato Suzuki, said while giving reporters a look at a Nippon Steel plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Nippon Steel Corp. has its eyes on India, Southeast Asia and the U.S., Suzuki said. About 70% of the plant's output is exported. The Tokyo-based company remains optimistic, although the deal is opposed by President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and American steelworkers. During the tour, slabs of steel, glowing hot-orange at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, rolled through the cavernous plant to become giant spools of super-thin steel. Nippon Steel officials didn’t disclose details of the fine technology they said the planned acquisition would offer U.S. Steel. Under the proposed deal, first announced in 2023, U.S. Steel would keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, becoming a subsidiary of Nippon Steel. Nippon Steel already has manufacturing operations in the U.S. and Mexico, China and Southeast Asia. It supplies the world’s top automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., and makes steel for railways, pipes, appliances and skyscrapers. The American steel industry has waned as Chinese steelmakers have grown to dominate the market. Japan wants to leverage the decades-old U.S.-Japan security and political alliance to seal the acquisition, but the outlook is uncertain. In September, an arbitration board jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and United Steelworkers decided the proposed acquisition could proceed. But United Steelworkers union, which has 1.2 million members, have objected, citing worries about job losses and contract terms. The union has questioned Nippon Steel’s plans to transfer production locations and concerns about national security and domestic supply chains. When asked for comment, it referred to a recent letter to its members. “As a union, our primary concern is the future of our jobs and the communities we live and work in — not just this year, but also for the foreseeable future. We’ve seen job losses in the past, and we must do everything we can to avoid it in the future,” said the letter, co-signed by Mike Millsap, chairman of the negotiating committee, and its international president, David McCall. “While Japan is a political ally, it is also an economic competitor, one that has proven time and again that it is willing to promote its steel industry at our expense,” the union said. Nippon Steel is promising to “preserve the legacy” of U.S. Steel and protect jobs, pensions and benefits, pledging that there will be no layoffs or plant closures. The deal is expected to produce an economic boost for the region equivalent to nearly $1 billion in the first two years, create up to 5,000 construction jobs and generate almost $40 million in state and local taxes, according to Nippon Steel. William W. Grimes, professor of international relations and political science at Boston University, said Nippon Steel's commitment to keeping the U.S. Steel factories running would help preserve U.S.-based production of specialty steels. Nippon Steel also has also promised investments to make the factories more competitive. There is no militarily sensitive technology Nippon Steel would be able to take from the U.S., and the U.S. relies on steel produced in allied countries, including Japan, Grimes said. “If Japanese companies do draw a lesson, it should be to engage unions and local politicians early in the process,” he said.Jamie Carragher highlights the 'weakness' in Ruben Amorim's tactical approach after new Man United boss was held to a draw against Ipswich on debut Amorim claimed a point against Ipswich in his first match in charge on Sunday Carragher has since offered his evaluation of the United boss' tactical set-up SOCCER A-Z: Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Wednesday and Friday By JAMES COHEN Published: 16:51 EST, 25 November 2024 | Updated: 16:55 EST, 25 November 2024 e-mail View comments Jamie Carragher has revealed what he believes to be are the 'weaknesses' of Ruben Amorim's tactical set-up at Manchester United . Amorim got his first taste of English football on Sunday away to Ipswich Town, where a new-look United in a 3-4-3 system were held to a 1-1 draw. Marcus Rashford's early opening strike inside two minutes gave Amorim the perfect start to his reign, only for Ipswich to force themselves back into proceedings with Omari Hutchinson scoring a stunning long-range effort before half-time . During Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, Carragher took the opportunity to dissect Amorim's tactical set-up and revealed what he believes is their downfall. He said: ' I hear a lot of managers including Ruben Amorim saying systems don't matter too much. I believe that they do, no matter how many times managers tell me they don't because, well why do you play a different system? Different systems give you different things in different areas. 'For me, the weaknesses are in these spaces here, either side of the two central midfield players. The reason why is, when you play a conventional back four, your wide man can tuck in and help. Ruben Amorim was held to a draw against Ipswich in his first game as Man United manager Jamie Carragher has since offered his opinion on United's tactical set-up under Amorim 'But because you play a back three, when they get the ball they naturally go wider and wing backs go wider and higher. It means there's a lot more space around these two central midfield players, especially if the two attacking 10s don't drop back. There were the same issues on the Ipswich side as well. 'The big problem is - is it a midfielder who should drop in to fill that space or should a centre-back step in with someone? 'We listened to Ruben Amorim after the game and he spoke a lot about Jonny Evans not making that jump into the space to pick up a man. Because they played the same system, it almost became a man-to-man game. Football has become that.' Shared spoils helped United climb to 12th in the league standings and while it was a mixed showing, Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 system did get some joy against Ipswich. The attacking formation is new for United's stars and will take time to adjust to - as Amorim admitted - with the former Sporting Lisbon boss only afforded a couple of days training to work with his squad before his first game in charge. Amorim praised his players for trying to understand his vision after such a short period of time together. Speaking after the match, Amorim said: 'Bruno Fernandes, I think he improved his game by playing nearer the ball, feeling the ball, so he can give us sometimes the long pass. 'But you can not put him there all the time because he wants the long pass all the time. So we try to find things about the players, we will need a lot of time to work out these things. The former Sporting Lisbon boss only afforded a couple of days training to work with his squad before his first game in charge The Red Devils started well against Ipswich after scoring early but quickly began to fade 'Sometimes people talk about the 3-4-3, that is not the concern, the system is the system but the understanding of the game is what we have to improve a lot in this area.' Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot hailed the immediate impact of 'big personality' Amorim , claiming the new boss is exactly what Manchester United need to get back on top. 'It's gone really well,' Dalot said. 'He made an impact straight away, in terms of his philosophy and the way he wants us to play. 'It suits the standards of the club. High intensity football and working hard for the team. We just need to put it into practice now.' Ipswich Town Marcus Rashford Jamie Carragher Share or comment on this article: Jamie Carragher highlights the 'weakness' in Ruben Amorim's tactical approach after new Man United boss was held to a draw against Ipswich on debut e-mail Add commentDENVER — A federal appeals court upheld a ruling Tuesday that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in this week’s Mountain West Conference tournament after a legal complaint said she should be ineligible on grounds that she is transgender and thus stronger, posing a safety risk to teammates and opponents. A two-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. Magistrate S. Kato Crews in Denver. On Monday he rejected the request for an emergency injunction, finding the players and others who challenged the league’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to participate should have filed the complaint earlier. The tournament starts Wednesday in Las Vegas, but top-seeded Colorado State and second-seeded San Jose State have byes into Friday’s semifinal matches. They waited too long Judge Crews and the 10th Circuit noted the request for the emergency injunction was filed in mid-November, less than two weeks before the tournament was scheduled to start. The complaint could have been made weeks earlier, both courts said. The first conference forfeit happened Sept. 28. All the schools that canceled games against San Jose State acknowledged at the time that they would take a league loss, Crews noted. The players and others who sued are disappointed that the appeals court found it would be “too disruptive” to enter an injunction the day before the tournament is scheduled to start, said William Bock III, an attorney for the plaintiffs. The appeals court said the plaintiffs' "claims appear to present a substantial question and may have merit,” but they have not made a clear case for emergency relief. “Plaintiffs look forward to ultimately receiving justice in this case when they prove these legal violations in court and to the day when men are no longer allowed to harm women and wreak havoc in women’s sport," Bock said in a statement. Status quo The athlete has played for San Jose State since 2022, but her participation only became an issue this season. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player has also been in effect since 2022, the conference said. Injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo, Judge Crews said, and her playing is the status quo. The motions for an injunction also asked that the four teams that had conference losses for refusing to play against San Jose State during the regular season have those losses removed from their records and that the tournament be re-seeded based on the updated records. Crews denied that motion and the 10th Circuit did not address it. Neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews’ ruling referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. Transgender participation San Jose State “maintains an unwavering commitment to the participation, safety and privacy of all students at San Jose State and ensuring they are able to compete in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment,” Athletics Director Jeff Konya told students Tuesday. He praised the resilience student-athletes, the athletic department and staff have shown while the court challenges played out over the past nearly two weeks. “The fact that they have come to this point of the season as a team standing together on the volleyball court is a testament to their strength and passion for their sport,” Konya said. The conference said Monday it was “satisfied” with the judge’s decision and would continue upholding policies established by its board of directors, which “directly align with NCAA and USA Volleyball.” An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. In Friday's semifinals, San Jose State is scheduled to play the winner of Wednesday’s match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that forfeited matches to San Jose State during the regular season. Boise State associate athletic director Chris Kutz declined to comment Monday on whether the Broncos would play San Jose State if they won their first-round tournament game. Utah State associate athletic director Doug Hoffman said the university is reviewing the order and the team is preparing for Wednesday’s match. Wyoming and Utah State also forfeited matches against San Jose State. Some athletic associations, Republican legislatures and school districts have sought in recent years to restrict the ability of transgender athletes, in particular transgender girls and women, to compete in line with their gender identity. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women’s sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

Italian restaurant opens its doors at new retail park to high praise from diners

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who stunned the world this week by declaring martial law, has narrowly avoided being impeached, as his party's lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary vote on his ouster Saturday. The motion by opposition lawmakers accused him of insurrection, calling his decree an unconstitutional self-coup. "The president has betrayed the trust of the people and has lost the right to carry out state affairs," the impeachment motion read. Thousands of protesters had gathered outside the National Assembly to cheer on his removal. Now protests are expected to build. "We will not give up. We will prevail," liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said after the motion fell through. "By Christmas, we will bring people the end-of-year gift of restoring the country to normalcy." The liberal party said it would submit the motion again at the next parliamentary session on Wednesday — and every week after that until it passes. The question is whether enough members of Yoon's conservative ruling party will vote to oust him while he still has two-and-a-half years remaining in his term, potentially ceding the presidency to the liberal opposition. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of at least two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly — or 200 votes. Because the opposition coalition holds 192 seats, impeachment requires eight or more votes from Yoon's conservative People Power Party. In the days following the martial law declaration, a handful of ruling party legislators had indicated they would at least consider impeachment. But only three of them showed up for the vote Saturday, with the remaining 105 leaving the plenary hall in protest. Outside the National Assembly, the crowd gathered to call for Yoon's removal let out a cry of frustration. Among them were citizens who had traveled from hours away and college students studying for exams in the throng while keeping one eye on the news. "Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol!" they chanted as they marched down the promenade. In declaring martial law Tuesday, Yoon railed against the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which he accused of being a "den of criminals" and North Korea-sympathizers. Gen. Park An-su, whom Yoon designated as his martial law commander, subsequently suspended all political activity and declared the media under the military's control. For many in South Korea , the move chillingly harked to the country's past military dictatorships. But three hours after Yoon's decree, legislators — many of them scaling the gates of the locked-down National Assembly — unanimously voted to overrule Yoon, requiring him to lift the decree. On Saturday morning, in a two-minute address to the nation, Yoon apologized for inconveniencing the public and said that he had been motivated by "desperation." While Yoon reportedly told his officials and party members that his decree was meant to send a message to an adversarial legislature — which has filed numerous impeachments against his appointees and moved to investigate his wife on charges of graft and stock manipulation — many, including his own party members, say they believe he had much more sinister motives. Han Dong-hun, the leader of the People Power Party, said that there were signs that the special forces soldiers who had stormed the National Assembly were acting on orders to arrest him and other legislators. Opposition leader Lee, whom Yoon narrowly defeated in the presidential election two years ago, has said the same. "We've confirmed that President Yoon ordered the arrest of major politicians on the grounds that they were anti-state forces," Han said at a party meeting Friday. "I don't think we can pretend like nothing happened." While stating that this was based on "credible" sources, Han did not elaborate, offering only that these plans would be made public in due time "through various channels." In a meeting with Han that same day, Yoon denied giving such an order, Han said. Hong Jang-won, a senior official at the National Intelligence Service, the country's spy agency , told lawmakers Friday that Yoon called him to order the arrest of several lawmakers, including party leaders Lee and Han. Spy chief Cho Tae-yong has disputed Hong's allegations. Yet even while condemning the martial law declaration as unconstitutional and acknowledging that Yoon must ultimately be removed from office, Han and most of his party allies balked at impeachment. For the South Korean conservatives, impeachment is their exposed nerve, and they have reason to tread lightly. The first and only South Korean president to be successfully impeached was conservative Park Geun-hye, who was later investigated and jailed on corruption charges. Her downfall splintered the conservative camp and opened a path for liberal successor Moon Jae-in, whose term conservatives refer to as "the lost five years." Crucial to the success of Park's impeachment was a bloc of conservative legislators who joined the opposition to vote in favor. It is why many party stalwarts are determined to avoid the same fate this time around. "We cannot have any more traitors surrendering to the enemy, like the time with Park Geun-hye," Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo wrote on social media Wednesday. Instead, Yoon's party members have floated more moderate solutions that would make way for Yoon's "orderly resignation," such as revising the constitution to shorten Yoon's term, transferring some of his presidential powers to the prime minister or forming a bipartisan Cabinet. In his recent public address, Yoon said he would leave his fate to the party, hinting that he may relinquish much of his authority to Han, should he avoid impeachment. The liberal opposition has rejected any alternatives to impeachment, calling Yoon a "ticking time bomb." "He is in a very troubling mental state right now. We don't have time to discuss something like 'an orderly resignation,' " liberal party spokesperson Yoon Jong-kun told reporters Saturday morning. "Only Yoon's immediate removal from official duties and impeachment can alleviate the anger of the people and South Korea' s plummeting international credit rating." The liberal party has said that it would propose the motion again Wednesday. "We are going to propose it repeatedly," Lee Jae-myung said, "until it goes through." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of impeachment charges brought against him in 2023. The court on Friday said Paxton’s office any issue in the lawsuit by four former Paxton employees and agreed to any judgment in the case. “In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years,” a statement from Paxton’s office said. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs declined immediate comment, and a second attorney did not immediately return a phone call for comment. The they were improperly fired or forced out for bringing to the FBI allegations that Paxton was misusing his office to protect a friend and campaign donor, who in turn, they said, was helping the attorney general to conceal an extramarital affair. The Supreme Court ruling noted that the Texas governor and Legislature have expressed a desire to hear testimony from the witnesses prior to agreeing to appropriate funds to settle the lawsuit. The court said forcing Paxton, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, Chief of Staff Lesley French Henneke and senior advisor Michelle Smith to testify earlier could improperly be used for legislative purposes in deciding any appropriation. Under the , Paxton agreed to apologize to the former employees for calling them “rogue” employees, settle the case for $3.3 million and ask the state to pay for it, prompting the state House to reject the request and begin its own investigation, leading to the vote to impeach him. Paxton was after a Senate trial. The Supreme Court termed its ruling conditional upon the lower trial court complying with the decision, while saying it is “confident the trial court will comply” with the order.Pakistani police arrest thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of rally in the capital

THE Government’s target to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years risks leaving the UK hooked on high migration, experts have warned. Sir Keir Starmer last week vowed to go on an ambitious housebuilding frenzy — meaning the construction of around 900 a day for half a decade — to give families the “security” of their own home. But politicians and construction bosses warned the worthy aim risks turning into a humiliating flop because the UK has failed to train enough homegrown builders. The building industry says it is in “freefall” and needs another 300,000 workers over the next five years just to keep up with demand. And a woeful failure to train enough brickies, electricians and carpenters has left the UK reliant on foreign migrants at our building sites. Celebrity builder Ian Hodgkinson — who appears on hit TV show DIY SOS — said the target cannot be hit without bringing in more foreign workers. READ MORE ON HOME BUILDING He said the pledge is “teetering on the edge of disaster” and immediate action is needed to stop the housing crisis spiralling further out of control. Chris Philp , the shadow home secretary, warned that No 10 must “avoid reaching for high immigration to hit these construction targets”. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage said the housing crisis is caused by sky-high migration and demanded the “madness” of hiring brickies abroad to end. Currently, the UK is only on track to build around one million new homes over five years. Most read in The Sun Earlier this year, the Construction and Industry Training Board estimated that another 250,000 builders were needed in the next four years just to keep up with demand. The Home Builders Federation estimates that an extra 300,000 will be needed to hit the Government’s target. This would include 95,000 bricklayers, 37,000 carpenters and 15,000 plasterers. Yet they also warned Brits on vocational construction courses are not getting the skills they need and often not going into the building trade at all. Building firms are hiring foreign workers instead. This is fuelling sky-high net migration — which stood at 728,000 in the year ending in June. A long list of construction jobs are on the shortage occupation list, meaning bosses can hire from abroad. This includes bricklayers, welders, stonemasons, roofers, carpenters, joiners and other construction workers. Some 12,700 construction workers applied for visas to the UK between January 2021 and September 2024, according to the Home Office . There is no limit to how many “dependent” family members they can bring with them. But an estimated 120,000 foreign builders went home during the pandemic , leaving construction firms desperately short-staffed. The big building companies are only too happy to pay for foreign labour from abroad Mr Hodgkinson said there is no way the 1.5 million target would be hit without more foreign workers. He said: “Training new workers takes time — years, not months. “Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on housing targets, and construction companies are struggling to keep up with demand. The maths simply doesn’t add up: fewer workers, more houses, and no realistic solution to bridge the gap.” Britain is also facing a shortage of building supplies, he warned. Building 1.5 million homes will mean getting around six billion bricks, 20 million tons of concrete and five million tons of timber. Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Mr Farage says hiring foreign workers will backfire because it fuels migration and makes it harder for Brits to find a home. He says: “The big building companies are only too happy to pay for foreign labour from abroad. Not the answer “The reason is very simple indeed. They are just cheaper. But that means the immigration numbers go up, which means an even higher demand for housing. This takes us straight back to square one. This madness has got to end.” Tory frontbencher Mr Philp also warned immigration is not the answer. He said: “The British people overwhelmingly believe — and I agree — that immigration is far, far too high. “Importing workers to build new homes will actually make the housing crisis worse as they have to live somewhere themselves.” READ MORE SUN STORIES Housing minister Matthew Pennycook yesterday vowed that Britain would not rely on foreign workers to hit the building target. He said Britain must “do more to upskill our own workforce” and promised to ramp up apprenticeships. The Government has announced another 5,000 construction apprenticeships a year. By Nigel Farage , Leader of Reform THE Prime Minister has reiterated his determination to build 1,500,000 homes over the next five years — and to do so by whatever means necessary. If he has to rip up the planning rules he says that he will. The country desperately needs more houses as there is not only a shortage but the problem of affordability. More houses in theory should mean cheaper houses. But how on earth do you get to build them all? What he did not say — and what so few in our public life dare to mention — is the real reason behind this crisis. It is of course mass immigration — on a scale we have never seen before in this country. We are living through a population explosion which means we have to build one new home every two minutes just to keep up. It is a truly frightening statistic. To achieve these targets we are going to need tens of thousands more construction workers on site up and down the country. And this is where another problem begins. The big building companies are only too happy to pay for labour from abroad. The reason is very simple indeed. They are just cheaper. But that means immigration numbers go up. And that means an even higher demand for housing. This takes us straight back to square one. This madness has got to end. It is time our education system stopped pushing so many teenagers on to university to study social sciences. In most cases these students leave with large debts around their neck and with no advancement in the work marketplace. So I want to encourage our young people to become plumbers, carpenters and bricklayers. They will earn a far better living with a trade and a skill set for their future. There are also vast numbers of young people on disability benefits — in many cases, through conditions such as depression. To begin, we ought to try to inspire these young people so that they can do so much better for themselves and in their lives. Therefore they would be much happier and fulfilled. British workers need to fill this new huge demand placed on our construction industry. And if that means that the big building companies have to pay higher salaries and therefore make smaller profits then overall this has to be a good thing — not a bad thing. Equally there are those living on disability benefits that are using this support as a lifestyle choice. If necessary we will have to force these people back to work. And where better could they be used than on construction sites earning decent money? The population explosion can and must be stopped. We have to start saying British jobs for British workers — and actually mean it.

NoneDallas Stars (13-6, in the Central Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (14-5-1, in the Metropolitan Division) Raleigh, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars hit the road against the Carolina Hurricanes trying to extend a three-game road winning streak. Carolina has a 7-1-0 record at home and a 14-5-1 record overall. The Hurricanes are 6-1-0 in games their opponents commit more penalties. Dallas has a 5-4-0 record in road games and a 13-6 record overall. The Stars have a 6-2-0 record in games their opponents serve more penalty minutes. Monday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Martin Necas has scored 11 goals with 22 assists for the Hurricanes. Jackson Blake has over the past 10 games. Tyler Seguin has scored seven goals with nine assists for the Stars. Logan Stankoven has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 6-3-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.4 assists, three penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. Stars: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.5 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. INJURIES: Hurricanes: None listed. Stars: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressThe Union news-dumped their offseason roster moves late Tuesday, announcing a formal parting of ways with Leon Flach. The club retains 24 players under contract for 2025, to be coached by a person still to be determined after the firing of Jim Curtin. That group includes Mikael Uhre, whose option automatically vested earlier in the season, and Isaiah LeFlore. It does not include Flach, out of contract at the end of the season and whom the Union are letting walk. The Union declined options on Homegrowns Brandon Craig and Matthew Real, defender Jack Elliott and forward Joaquin Torres. They also declined the purchase option for on-loan left back Jamir Berdecio. The Union described “ongoing negotiations” with Elliott, Craig and Alejandro Bedoya, who is out of contract. Also out of contract is Sam Adeniran, though the Union don’t plan to bring the forward acquired midseason from St. Louis back. Flach, still just 23, played 116 games (107 starts) with two goals and 10 assists in four seasons since coming over from St. Pauli in the German 2.Bundesliga. A dual U.S.-German citizen, he was more of a defense-first presence, one rated more highly by Curtin than Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. Flach said in October that he had not had any discussions with the club on a new contract by his choice. Berdecio, 22, was acquired on loan from Oriente Petrolero. He made 28 appearances for MLS Next Pro runner-up Union II but never made the squad for the first team. He made his international debut with Bolivia over the summer. Craig, 19, is a Homegrown product who has made one appearance with the Union for three minutes in 2022. He was loaned to Austin FC but did not play in 2023, then spent 2024 on loan with El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship, with one goal in 19 appearances. Real, now 25, made 52 appearances for the Union since 2018. He spent the season with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, leading them to the USL title. LeFlore was signed by the Union last offseason from Houston but tore his ACL in the preseason and missed the entire year. Torres was loaned out to Chilean club Universidad Catolica in the spring. He was acquired from Montreal in 2023 but made just 14 appearances for the Union with one goal.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) took a sharp U-turn and turned net buyers in the first week of December, snapping their robust two-month selling streak over global cues. D-Street experts believe the trend reversal is a clear strategy for foreign investors to bank on year-end profits in the Indian stock market. FPIs were net sellers in Indian markets last month amid the uptrend in the US market and US bond yields, which was fueled by Republican Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections and the US Federal Reserve's interest rate cut verdict. However, the US Fed has clarified there is no hurry to cut rates. FPI sell-off hit a record high in October amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and cheaper valuations in the Chinese stock market. FPI outflows recorded in October were the highest ever in a single month in Indian markets. October's FPI outflow hit a 10-month high, the highest sell-off from the Indian market year-to-date (YTD). According to the National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) data, FPIs invested ₹ 24, 454 crore worth of Indian equities this month, and the net inflows stood at ₹ 34772 crore as of December 6, taking into account debt, hybrid, debt-VRR, and equities. The total debt investment was ₹ 355 crore so far this month.Commerce Bank Sells 792 Shares of Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)Why this $29 billion ASX 200 stock is on the move today

Coalition to release nuclear power costings in coming daysNone

Snooker world champ Kyren Wilson makes I'm A Celeb plea but has UK Championship problem

The cultural advisor for the Maori All Blacks says there's a story of unity - in TJ Perenara's hakaAlex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status Thursday after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from a three-game trip. The 39-year-old broke the leg in a shin-on-shin collision Monday night with Utah's Jack McBain, and some of his closest teammates knew it was not good news even before Ovechkin was listed as week to week and placed on injured reserve. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii could be available to play against Ireland on Saturday after the Wallabies’ medical staff ruled out any structural damage to his wrist after the Test rookie appeared to injure it in Sunday’s 14-point defeat against Scotland. Suaalii hurt his right wrist after tackling Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu with only 30 minutes gone in the game. The centre immediately left the field after losing function in his arm and experiencing severe pain but is recovering well enough to take part in training this week in Dublin ahead of the Wallabies’ final Test of the year. Suaalii was only starting his second game for the Wallabies, after his impressive debut against England and an 18-minute appearance off the bench against Wales. The early loss of Suaalii made life even more difficult for the Wallabies, with three tries conceded in his absence. Second-rower Jeremy Williams is also available for selection for the Wallabies against Ireland after illness ruled him out of the matchday squad just before kick-off against Scotland. Williams’ return is timely given Will Skelton has returned to his club La Rochelle in France, due to the Ireland Test falling outside World Rugby’s designated international window. The Wallabies are the chosen opponents for the Irish Rugby Football Union’s 150th-anniversary celebrations and will hope for an improved performance after being so clinically dispatched in Edinburgh. Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa revealed the team’s bitter disappointment after the game in Edinburgh at losing the opportunity of playing for a Grand Slam on Saturday. “The feeling in there was tough, like no one said a word, you could see the body language of the boys straight after the game,” Alaalatoa said. “Because there was real belief, that we could win the Grand Slam and that came through the way that we prepared throughout the whole year and the way that the whole squad has contributed. “So that’s footy I guess, and it wasn’t our night ... so we push on to the next goal, which is to beat Ireland in Dublin.” Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the ground after getting injured. Credit: Getty Images The Wallabies conceded 14 penalties in Edinburgh, their second-highest total under coach Joe Schmidt, only bettered by 15 against South Africa in their first game of the Rugby Championship in July. Alaalatoa experienced not only the frustration of the team’s disciplinary errors, but also the failure of their defensive system, after the team missed 34 tackles. “Especially around that first half, it was probably just the quality of our tackle, just finishing off those tackles ... our discipline, which are things that we can control,” Alaalatoa said. “So that’s the message for us as leaders, and through the coaches as well, that the momentum we gave them was through things that we can control.” Like the Wallabies, Ireland have two victories and one defeat in November, winning against Fiji and Argentina and losing to New Zealand. Alaalatoa is aware of the scale of the challenge in Dublin, but is motivated by upsetting the form book. Loading “(It’s) very important, Ireland obviously have been number one in the world for a while now, or number one and number two, and they’ve been a quality side for years, so we know how important this is, but I think more so for ourselves as well,” Alaalatoa said. “To come away three (wins) and one (defeat) will be awesome for our group. So, yeah, the boys are well aware of the challenge ahead, off the back of a short turn around. I’m sure the boys will prepare really well for it.” News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Wallabies Australian rugby World Rugby Jonathan Drennan is a sports reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald. Most Viewed in Sport Loading

It’s no secret that San Franciscans don’t feel particularly great about their city government. Residents have repeatedly signaled in surveys that they feel The City is heading in the wrong direction , and November’s election saw candidates promising change earn voters’ support. But feelings aside, just how effective is city government, and is it meeting its own goals? The City Controller’s Office asks these questions every year and assembles a plethora of data to grade city departments. On Thursday, the Controller’s Office released its Annual Performance Results report, which features data from the fiscal year from July 2023 through June 2024. The goal is to not only provide San Franciscans with a snapshot of government performance, but help departments make decisions based on real data. “Good data informs good policy. We aim to provide something that’s a useful snapshot of our city’s service delivery performance — something to supplement the narratives that don’t always capture a complete picture of complicated issues,” Controller Greg Wagner said in a statement. “Departments can hopefully see at a glance what’s working well and where there’s more work to be done.” The Examiner pored over the report and highlighted a few noteworthy nuggets below. Libraries Maybe it’s just a symptom of bookflation , but the San Francisco Public Library has never been busier. The library system lent out about 14 million materials, which includes electronic and physical items, in the last fiscal year. That’s beyond the quantity in any other year in the last decade, and a pronounced recovery from a COVID-19 pandemic drop-off. The library system took steps during the pandemic to make electronic materials easier to access. It’s also seeing a rise in physical media distribution, which was up 12% last year, which is partly attributed to a change in policy that allowed patrons to renew physical materials for up to five times instead of three. ( Editor’s note: This is especially handy for items like cookbooks. Get comfortable, “The Levantine Vegetarian” by Salma Hage, you’re staying a while.) The circulation increase comes despite the fact that the number of physical people entering a physical library remains less than two-thirds of what it was prior to the pandemic, though even that figure continues to rise every year since COVID-safety restrictions were lifted. The jails Both violent and property crime continued to trend downward in San Francisco, but its jails are more full than in any other year included in the controller’s analysis. The average daily jail population in San Francisco rose by 34% from fiscal year 2023 to 2024, and its jails were at 86% of their rated capacity. The change is likely due to a couple of factors. The City joined up with state and federal law enforcement in May 2023 to launch a coordinated crackdown on low- and high-level drug dealing in and around the Tenderloin and Civic Center, where open-air drug markets had become commonplace. The jail population also began to rise after a pandemic-induced dropoff. Prior to 2020, the number of people in jail was above what it is now — 1,322 in fiscal year 2019, compared to the 1,099 on average for the last year — although capacity was higher at the time. 911 response A shortage of emergency dispatchers continues to plague The City’s 911 call-response times. In August, KQED reported The City is short about 40 dispatchers of its goal of 160 to 165. Just 76% of 911 calls were responded to within 15 seconds in fiscal year 2024. This was the fourth consecutive year in which response times worsened, according to the controller’s data. As recently as 2020, 94% of 911 calls were answered within 15 seconds. City data for the current fiscal year shows a moderate improvement within the last few months, with 82% of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds in September. San Francisco dispatchers not matched that monthly average response time in more than two years. The controller’s report attributes worsening performance to a shortage in staffing exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it notes causes for hope. The Department of Emergency Management told the controller’s office that it has hired a recruiter and shortened its hiring process by 20%. Its last two 911 Dispatch Academy classes were its largest since prior to the pandemic and officials expect staffing to improve throughout the next fiscal year. Despite the dispatcher shortage, emergency responders were able to dramatically improve their response times to “A” emergencies — the most extreme situations — by nearly a full minute, from 6.9 last year to 6 this year. That’s significantly under the target of 8 minutes. Naloxone distribution After an alarming and steep increase in fatal opioid overdoses in recent years, city health officials have touted a steady dropoff throughout this year. One factor in the improvement may be The City’s drastic escalation in its distribution of naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses. Though it still fell short of its target for the year, the Department of Public Health reported giving out 157,528 doses of naloxone in fiscal year 2024, more than twice what it did just two years prior. The Examiner’s Evan Wyloge contributed data visualizations to this story.Canadian men win RAN Sevens tournament, qualify for World Rugby Challenger SeriesOllie's CEO John Swygert sells $413k in stock

Football is a sport bound together and upheld by family trees. In rare cases — the Shanahans, the Harbaughs — these trees are rooted in biology. More often, they grow from coaching relationships — a shared mentor, long years spent side by side on the same staff, belief in the same tactics and philosophies. And then we get a game such as Monday night’s showdown between the Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers, which will bring two branches of the same tree into sharp conflict. The headlines begin with the brothers atop these two AFC contenders. John and Jim Harbaugh have not coached against one another since Super Bowl 47, 12 years ago. With Jim in the college ranks and John still in the NFL, it was easy for them to maintain a mutual support network, even shipping developing coaches back and forth from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Baltimore. Now, the brothers are back to chasing the same prize, and a passel of those coaches, executives and players who cut their teeth with the Ravens will be on the other side. It’s an important game for the Ravens as they try to bounce back from an and maintain a foothold in the AFC North race. To win it, they’ll have to overcome the one opponent most built in their image. “We’ve been joking that it’s going to be like playing the L.A. Ravens,” fullback Pat Ricard said. A not-so-quick rundown of the : • General manager Joe Hortiz spent the first 25 years of his career with the Ravens, learning how to build a roster first from Ozzie Newsome and then from Eric DeCosta. • Offensive coordinator Greg Roman held the same position with the Ravens from 2019 to 2022, laying the framework for Lamar Jackson’s first NFL Most Valuable Player season. • Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter coached on the Ravens’ staff from 2017 to 2020, right beside his Baltimore counterpart, Zach Orr. • No. 1 and No. 2 running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards held the same positions on the Ravens as recently as the beginning of last season. • Reserve tight end Hayden Hurst was the Ravens’ first first-round draft pick in 2018, the year they traded into the last spot of that round to select Jackson. Starting center Bradley Bozeman was Baltimore’s sixth-round pick the same year. The ties that bind indeed. There are tactical concerns at play with such familiarity. We’ll get to those. But Mark Andrews, who became a star in Roman’s tight end-friendly offense, pointed out that Monday night’s game will also be an unusual chance to celebrate the NFL roots reaching out from Baltimore. “I think it’s definitely a unique thing,” Andrews said. “I think it’s a tribute to the culture that we have here and just the type of organization that we have. We’ve had a bunch of incredible players and people and personnel that [are] on [the Chargers] and are doing great things. So it’s cool.” The Chargers (7-3) freely acknowledge the Baltimore influence on their franchise as they reset from a dispiriting 5-12 season under previous coach Brandon Staley. “Down throughout the roster, it’s kind of what we’re driving for,” Jim Harbaugh told the “Rich Eisen Show.” “When you watch the Ravens or watch our team, we hope to be looking in the mirror. That’s how much respect we have for the Baltimore Ravens.” John Harbaugh said he already sees his brother’s touch, and by extension those of all those other Ravens, in everything the Chargers do. “The culture, the way things are done, how they play, the schemes are very similar,” he said. “Not exactly the same but in a lot of ways, mirror images. With that, it’s two different football teams. It’s two teams squaring off in a really important game. That’s really what it’s going to be about, the guys out there playing the game.” So, is it harder to trick your mirror image when constructing a game plan? Players and coaches usually downplay the impact of having a former colleague embedded with a rival. In this case, however, several Chargers were intimately involved in designing the Ravens’ roster and strategy. Minter is four years and two defensive coordinators removed from his time in Baltimore. But Roman worked closely with Jackson and many other key offensive players, and Hortiz scouted most of the Ravens’ roster. Dobbins and Edwards played in coordinator Todd Monken’s offense a year ago. John Harbaugh said he couldn’t remember a game in which he faced two coordinators who’d worked for him. “It’s different than other games, sure,” he said. “We know the schemes pretty much. But there will be wrinkles. It’s the old ‘they know what we know that we know that they know that we know that they know what we know.’ With that, there will be wrinkles. But it’s going to come down, in the end, to the players. All the scheme stuff is important, but most important is really how the game is played.” The Ravens don’t seem concerned about the Chargers having inside knowledge of their playbook. Related Articles “Teams see everything we do on film anyway,” Ricard said. “The thing they know is us personally.” For all the acclaim around quarterback Justin Herbert’s efficient performance in Jim Harbaugh and Roman’s system, Minter’s defense has been the unexpected star, going from 24th in points allowed last season to first this season. The Chargers are doing it without a signature element. They deceive with ever-changing coverages, get to the quarterback without relying on all-out blitzes and take the ball away, much like the Ravens did last year. On offense, Roman can’t use all the run designs he developed for Jackson, but Ravens defenders see plenty that’s familiar when they peruse Chargers film. “It’s two like-minded teams,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “It is somewhat similar. You don’t have the same people. You don’t have Lamar. ... It’s hard-nosed football. You know where the ball’s going. You know what’s going to happen. It’s can you stop it or not? There’s some beauty in that.”