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haha 777 games download NoneGrowing up on a tropical island means being able to catch and harvest your own food, and for Nornie Bero, it is these practices, closely tied to culture and community, which inspired a culinary career. or signup to continue reading Bero is from the Komet tribe of the Meriam people on Mer Island and said her family instilled her love of food when she was a child. "My dad made half of our house into a tuck shop and he used to make pumpkin dampers and pumpkin buns and make fish burgers and stuff to keep the lights on for us, to get money for the generators," she said. "When you grow up in a a family on an island you've got so many aunties and uncles that are hunting and gathering all the time and food is a big conversation in island households. "It's always been part of my life and I've always loved the traditional foods that I grew up with." The celebrated chef founded native food business Mabu Mabu, and flagship restaurant Big Esso in Melbourne with plans to expand to Sydney. "I love being Australian because we have our own flavour here, we just don't utilise it to the best that we can," Bero said. "We're such a multicultural country and we have so many different cuisines here so I'm just putting island cuisine on the map too and showcasing Australian food that comes out of the soil." Her mission to put the foods of her childhood on the map has taken her back to her home, where she recently filmed a cooking show, Island Echoes with Nornie Bero. As host, Bero travels across the Torres Strait, meeting with local community members, showcasing the landscape, making traditional foods and sharing the stories behind them. "It was so nice to be able to do a lot of outdoor cooking... cooking on the beach and people inviting us into their back yards, or even front yards, which is usually a beach," she said. "As a chef that's a dream right, to be able to go back home and showcase how beautiful your home is." Not only is Bero thrilled to bring island cuisine to the forefront, she said it's just as exciting to return to her homeand share new ways to prepare traditional foods with her family and community. "It's part of our lifeblood, the food that comes out of the ocean and in their backyards," she said. "It's so great to be able to be someone like myself who's come all the way down here to the city and create the stuff I've been taught along the way from many different places and then take it back home and showcase what they could do with traditional foods that we already have." In the midst of writing a new cookbook, Bero said there's a lot of things on the horizon for her and Mabu Mabu. One thing is certain, she's determined to continue her mission to champion native ingredients and the flavours of her home. Island Echoes with Nornie Bero will premiere on January 9 on NITV. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

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LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland finds that mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor assaulted a woman in a hotel. (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert misstated the claim the jury found him liable for.).Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week

What is the state of the global mortgage market and to what extent can we rely on the headline data? The company BestBrokers has issued report on the housing affordability and real mortgage interest rates. This report reveals that Russia tops that list, with a rate of 12.30 percent. What does this headline rate reveal? Perhaps not as much as economists hope since the nominal mortgage interest rate does not always depict a realistic picture of the real estate market. BestBrokers have calculated the ‘real’ mortgage interest rates across 62 countries around the world by subtracting the inflation rate from the nominal mortgage rate. Based on data for the third quarter of 2024, it was found out that Russia holds the highest real mortgage interest rate with 12.30 percent. The Dominican Republic ranks second with an average real rate of 9.55 percent, followed by Mexico in the third place with a real mortgage rate of 7.48 percent. To fight inflation, the Bank of Russia increased its key interest rate five times in 2023, and by July of this year, it had reached 16 percent. In late October, the central bank hiked the interest rate to record-high 21 percent. How affordable is this? By considering the average net salary in Russia (which is $848.55) and an 8 percent inflation rate (which was current for the third quarter of year) then the “real” salary drops to $780.67 per month. This means Russia actually ranks 30th in terms of home price-to-income. In 2020 the Russian government introduced a preferential mortgage programme with rates of up to 8 percent. The approach was intended to support the real estate market during the COVID-19 pandemic. This policy also became popular among homebuyers and was extended until 2024. That was 2019. In 2024, is this mortgage goal within reach of the average citizen under Putin? The cost of a 100-square-metre property in Russia is about 222 real monthly wages ($173,481.50 according to Numbeo). This equals the average net earnings for 18 years and 6 months in the country. Mortgages vary considerably from one country to another. Beyond Russia, Sweden has the lowest real interest rate in Europe with minus 1.21 percent, followed by Belgium with minus 0.52 percent and Malta with minus 0.44 percent. Another interesting country is India, now ranking 10th with 6.63 percent, while South Africa appears on the list in11th position with 6.55 percent. Indonesia is 13th on the list with a rate of 5.73 percent, followed by Brazil with 5.55 percent and Poland where the real mortgage interest is 5.1 percent. As a comparator, the U.S. ranks 17th with 3.98 percent. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.The Oklahoma City Thunder and host Charlotte Hornets couldn't look much different going into Saturday night's contest. The Thunder have won four games in a row since falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup championship. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. As property values continue to outpace inflation, property taxes are taking a bigger bite out of homeowners’ wallets. A new analysis from Construction Coverage breaks down property tax rates by state, county, and city to reveal where homeowners have the greatest burden. Click for more. Where Are U.S. Property Taxes Highest and Lowest? A State, County, and City AnalysisJoe Burrow's home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro-athlete home invasion

LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie. “It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.” McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.” The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.” McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Derrick Butler's 35 points led Bowling Green over Morgan State 102-81 on Saturday. Butler also added six rebounds for the Falcons (4-5). Trey Thomas scored 16 points while shooting 6 for 10, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc. Javontae Campbell finished 6 of 8 from the field to finish with 13 points. Will Thomas led the way for the Bears (5-7) with 19 points. Morgan State also got 12 points from Kameron Hobbs. Ahmarie Simpkins also had 11 points. Bowling Green took the lead with 14:52 left in the first half and never looked back. The score was 55-37 at halftime, with Butler racking up 22 points. Bowling Green extended its lead to 63-39 during the second half, fueled by an 8-0 scoring run. Trey Thomas scored a team-high 16 points in the second half as his team closed out the win. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Syria rebel leader discusses 'transfer of power' after Assad's fall

Syria's Islamist rebel leader on Monday began discussions on transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance dramatically unseated president Bashar al-Assad following decades of brutal rule. Assad fled Syria as the Islamist-led rebels swept into the capital, bringing a spectacular end on Sunday to five decades of brutal rule by his clan. He oversaw a crackdown on a democracy movement that erupted in 2011, sparking a war that killed 500,000 people and forced half the country to flee their homes, millions of them finding refuge abroad. Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali "to coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of services" to Syria's people, said a statement posted on the rebels' Telegram channels. At the core of the system of rule that Assad inherited from his father Hafez was a brutal complex of prisons and detention centres used to eliminate dissent by those suspected of stepping out of the ruling Baath party's line. Thousands of Syrians gathered on Monday outside a jail synonymous with the worst atrocities of Assad's rule to search for relatives, many of whom have spent years in the Saydnaya facility outside Damascus, AFP correspondents said. Rescuers from the Syrian White Helmets group had earlier said they were looking for potential secret doors or basements in Saydnaya. "I ran like crazy" to get to the prison, said Aida Taha, 65, searching for her brother who was arrested in 2012. "But I found out that some of the prisoners were still in the basements. There are three or four floors underground." Crowds of freed prisoners wandered the streets of Damascus distinguishable by the marks of their ordeal: maimed by torture, weakened by illness and emaciated by hunger. While Syria had been at war for over 13 years, the government's collapse came in a matter of days in a lightning offensive led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In central Damascus on Monday, despite all the uncertainty over the future, the joy was palpable. "It's indescribable. We never thought this nightmare would end. We are reborn," Rim Ramadan, 49, a civil servant at the finance ministry, told AFP. "We were afraid for 55 years of speaking, even at home. We used to say the walls had ears," Ramadan said, as people honked car horns and rebels fired their guns into the air. Syria's parliament, formerly pro-Assad like the prime minister, said it supports "the will of the people to build a new Syria towards a better future governed by law and justice". The Baath party said it will support "a transitional phase in Syria aimed at defending the unity of the country." Syrian state television's logo on the Telegram messaging app now displays the rebel flag. During the offensive launched on November 27, rebels met little resistance as they wrested city after city from Assad's control, opening the gates of prisons along the way and freeing thousands, many of them held on political charges. Some, like Fadwa Mahmoud, whose husband and son are missing, posted calls for help on social media. "Where are you, Maher and Abdel Aziz? it's time for me to hear your news. Oh God, please come back," wrote Mahmoud, herself a former detainee. Rooted in Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda, HTS is proscribed by Western governments as a terrorist group but has sought to soften its image in recent years. Germany and France said in a statement they were ready to cooperate with Syria's new leadership "on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in Saudi Arabia on Monday, said HTS must reject "terrorism and violence" before Britain can engage with the group designated "terrorist" by Britain. Washington's top diplomat, Antony Blinken, said the United States -- with hundreds of troops in Syria as part of a coalition against Islamic State group jihadists -- is determined to prevent IS re-establishing safe havens there. "We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, mass migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism," Blinken said. The United Nations said that whoever ends up in power in Syria must hold the Assad regime to account. But how Assad might face justice remains unclear, especially after the Kremlin refused on Monday to confirm reports by Russian news agencies that he had fled to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said that if Russia granted asylum to Assad and his family, this would be a decision taken by President Vladimir Putin. The Syrian embassy in Moscow raised the opposition's flag, and the Kremlin said it would discuss the status of its bases in Syria with the new authorities. Russia played an instrumental role in keeping Assad in power, directly intervening in the war starting in 2015 and providing air cover to the army during the rebellion. Israel, which borders Syria, sent troops into a buffer zone on the east of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights after Assad's fall, in what Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described as a "limited and temporary step" for "security reasons". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported more than 100 Israeli air strikes to "destroy the former regime's military capabilities." These were against weapons depots, boats from the Assad government's navy, and a research centre that Western countries suspected of having links to chemical weapons production, the Observatory said. Lebanon's Hezbollah condemned the strikes late Monday, despite having been allied to Assad, and lambasted Israel for "occupying more land in the Golan Heights". In northern Syria, a Turkish drone strike on a Kurdish-held area killed 11 civilians, six of them children, according to the Britain-based Observatory. bur-ser/jsa/it/giv

On Monday, ( ) shares started the week with a decent gain. The telco giant's shares rose 1% to $4.02 after investors responded positively to that the company has agreed to sell its stake in Foxtel. ( ) and Telstra signed an agreement with global sports streaming platform to sell the pay TV business for an enterprise value of $3.4 billion. The deal will see Telstra divest its 35% stake in Foxtel to DAZN Group in exchange for $128 million in cash for repayment of shareholder loans and a 3% shareholding in DAZN Group. Does this deal make Telstra shares a buy? Let's see what analysts at Goldman Sachs are saying about the transaction. What are analysts saying? According to a note out of the investment bank, its analysts appear to be pleased with the deal. Commenting on the transaction, the broker said: (1) According to the announcement, the transaction represents an enterprise value of >7x FY24 EBITDA (inc. NWS/TLS A$706mn outstanding shareholder loans & transfer of US$777mn Foxtel debt to DAZN); (2) NWS to receive cash proceeds of A$578mn or US$364mn at spot, which on our estimates implies FY25E group net debt/EBITDA of -0.4X (vs. 0.2X prior) and total liquidity of US$3.1bn; (3) According to the announcement, NWS will hold a c. 6% equity interest in DAZN providing a larger exposure to global sports streaming and entertainment (300mn viewers across 200 markets) as DAZN continues to pursue expansion into new markets. (4) Telstra to also sell its minority interest in Foxtel (A$128mn cash received for repayment of shareholder loan and will hold an approximate 3% shareholding in DAZN); (5) News Corp to have a heightened focus on the faster growing Digital Real Estate and Dow Jones global businesses. We note that News Corp FY21-24 EBITDA CAGR was +5% including Foxtel, but +9% excluding; (6) In our view the sale could increase competition for sports rights in Australian given DAZN's existing presence in global streaming sports rights. Are Telstra shares a buy? In response, Goldman Sachs has reaffirmed its buy rating and $4.50 price target on Telstra's shares. Based on its current share price of $4.02, this implies potential upside of 12% for investors over the next 12 months. Goldman believes that the Foxtel sale could be just one of a number of divestments from the telco giant. It explains: We also believe that Telstra has a meaningful medium term opportunity to crystallise value through commencing the process to monetize its InfraCo Fixed assets – which we estimate could be worth between A$22-33bn. Although there is some debate around the strategic benefits, we see a strong rationale for monetizing the recurring NBN payment stream, given its inflation-linked, long duration cash flows could be worth A$14.5bn to A$17.9bn, with no loss of strategic benefit. Outside this, the broker believes that Telstra's shares are attractively priced when adjusting out NBN recurring payments. It concludes: Although at a headline level, Telstra valuation appears relatively full (vs. peers and vs. 10Y yield), we note: (1) Adjusting out NBN recurring payments (a unique asset), Telstra trades at a much more compelling multiple; (2) Although its yield spread is compressed vs. history, when factoring dividend growth this is more attractive. Hence we rate Telstra Buy.

NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm by ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating: Markforged Holding Corporation (NYSE: MKFG ) , relating to its proposed merger with Nano Dimension Ltd. Under the terms of the agreement, Markforged stockholders will be entitled to receive $5.00 in cash per share of Markforged they own. ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for December 5, 2024. Click here for more information: https://monteverdelaw.com/case/markforged-holding-corporation/ . It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. Crossfirst Bankshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: CFB ) , relating to its proposed merger with First Busey Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Crossfirst common stock will automatically be converted into the right to receive 0.6675 shares of Busey common stock. ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for December 20, 2024. Click here for more information https://monteverdelaw.com/case/crossfirst-bankshares-inc/ . It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. Arch Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ARCH ) , relating to its proposed merger with Consol Energy, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, all Arch Resources common stock will be automatically converted into the right to receive 1.326 shares of Consol Energy stock. ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for January 9, 2025. Click here for more information https://monteverdelaw.com/case/arch-resources-inc/ . It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask: Do you file class actions and go to Court? When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders? What cases did you recover money in and how much? About Monteverde & Associates PC Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders...and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in any of the above listed companies and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740 New York, NY 10118 United States of America jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2024 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara released a statement Friday slamming the "100% false" media reports that suggested he had thrown his final pass for the Hawkeyes. McNamara has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion during the Oct. 26 win against Northwestern. Backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan has started the last two games for the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) but is out with an ankle injury for Saturday's game at Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said earlier this week that Jackson Stratton will be the likely starter against the Terrapins if McNamara is unavailable. McNamara's cloudy status prompted speculation on a podcast this week that he was "not mentally ready to play." The podcast hosts from the Des Moines Register and The Athletic also suggested that McNamara -- who played three years at Michigan (2020-22) before transferring to Iowa -- is not "fit to play quarterback in the Big Ten right now." "We don't want to bury his career yet, but it does seem like that interception against Northwestern was his last snap as a Hawkeye," Leistikow said. McNamara, who passed for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games this season, released a statement updating his current status. "My status is the same as it's always been -- a proud member of this football team," he said. McNamara said he has not yet been cleared to play. He said he was cleared to practice on Sunday but suffered an "adverse reaction" and was unable to practice this week and therefore unable to travel with the team to Maryland. "I have been working with the University of Iowa doctors and trainers, a concussion specialist focused on vision training, as well as engaging in hyperbaric treatments as frequently as possible," McNamara said. "I have every intention to play versus Nebraska next Friday night and I am confident that my teammates will return from Maryland with a win." Including his time with the Wolverines, McNamara has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,703 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 34 games. --Field Level MediaThe Founder of the MOK Foundation, Quantity Surveyor Muyideen Okunlola Kayode, has enjoined the three tiers of government in Nigeria to strengthen collaboration with private individuals and organisations involved in grassroots philanthropy to address the socio-economic challenges the nation is grappling with. Kayode made this call while delivering a keynote address at the Strategic Media Seminar organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Sobi FM Chapel, on Friday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. He noted that, while government-driven social investment programmes such as the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) have been instrumental in supporting a huge vulnerable population, significant gaps still remain, leaving many underserved. He said: “Despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest economy, we still grapple with poverty, inequality, and social injustice. “Government programmes, though well-intentioned, cannot sufficiently cater to the needs of all vulnerable groups. This is where private grassroots philanthropy becomes essential.” Kayode, who said that grassroots philanthropic voluntary contributions from individuals and organisations had been filling the void left by government programmes, lamented that the lack of synergy between government initiatives and private efforts often leads to inefficiencies and duplications. The Keynote Speaker, however, emphasised the critical role of the media in bridging these gaps, urging journalists to amplify the needs of underserved populations, facilitate collaboration between stakeholders, and hold both government and private philanthropists accountable. “The media has a watchdog role that ensures transparency and effectiveness in social investment programmes. By fostering public awareness and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders, the media can create a platform for impactful collaborations,” he stated. Kayode, who revealed how his MOK Foundation has assisted over 29,000 people in Kwara State over the past 18 months, said his foundation has leveraged local and mainstream media platforms to publicise its activities, ensuring that the public remains informed and engaged. “The MOK Foundation was born out of a desire to alleviate the financial burdens of individuals and groups. The media has been instrumental in amplifying our efforts, and we look forward to a sustained partnership with media strategists,” he said. Kayode urged the government to actively engage with private philanthropists to develop coordinated frameworks that maximise impact, said “collaboration between government programmes and grassroots philanthropists will reduce duplication and inefficiencies, creating a more just and equitable society”. He called on all stakeholders, including the media, to play their roles in creating a society where no one is left behind. “Together, we can bridge the gap between government programmes and private philanthropic gestures for the collective good of Nigerians,” he added.

Seven years ago, El Salvador made global headlines as the first country in the world to ban all metal mining. The decision was hailed as a victory for environmental protection, celebrated by local communities, environmentalists and even the Catholic Church. That was then. President Nayib Bukele is now calling for a reversal of the landmark ban, claiming that beneath the country's fertile soil lies an untapped fortune. According to Bukele, the small Central American nation sits atop an estimated $3 trillion in unmined gold reserves—a potential jackpot that could radically transform El Salvador's financial future. "We potentially have the largest gold deposits per square kilometer in the world," Bukele declared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter ). He claimed that extracting just 4 percent of the country's gold deposits could generate approximately $131 billion, a sum equivalent to 380 percent of El Salvador's current GDP. "God placed a gigantic treasure underneath our feet," Bukele wrote, calling the 2017 mining ban "absurd." It wasn't always this way. When Bukele ran for president in 2019, he supported the mining ban, which had been passed unanimously by El Salvador's Legislative Assembly in a 70-0 vote. The ban had broad support and was seen as essential to protecting the country's vulnerable water resources from contamination caused by mining operations. But his views have since shifted. Since taking office in 2019, Bukele has become one of the ban's most vocal critics, pushing for what he calls "modern and sustainable" mining that, he claims, will safeguard the environment while unlocking the nation's hidden wealth. Bukele, who previously made waves by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender and is simultaneously overseeing one of the biggest organized crime crackdowns in the world, now sees mining as a potential economic miracle. He argues that responsible resource exploitation could dramatically transform the nation's economic prospects. This week, Bukele doubled down on his proposal, and his critics were quick to respond. They fear that reopening mining could lead to the contamination of water sources, especially given the amount of freshwater needed for mining operations and the risks posed by heavy metals used in the process. "The president claims that 'responsible mining' can be done, but there is no evidence to support this claim," Pedro Cabezas, a member of the Central American Alliance against Mining (ACAFREMIN), told Newsweek . "There are no examples of 'responsible mining' that haven't caused serious impacts. The effects in El Salvador would be terrible," he warned. For Bukele, however, the push to reopen mining is part of a broader ambition to overhaul El Salvador's economy. His administration is already known for what he calls a "security miracle," which has seen the mass incarceration of more than 80,000 Salvadorans accused of gang affiliation since March 2022. Now, he aims to replicate that same top-down approach to the Salvadoran economy. As one of the most popular leaders in the world, Bukele was reelected earlier this year with overwhelming support. His party holds a commanding majority in El Salvador's Congress and with his opponents politically weakened, there's little standing in the way of his mining agenda. "When Bukele won a congressional supermajority that allowed him to bypass many democratic checks and balances, a major concern was that he would eventually start making unpopular decisions, and those opposing them would have little or no recourse," Adam Isacson, director of the Washington Office on Latin America's (WOLA) Defense Oversight program, told Newsweek . "A rush back into gold mining, at the expense of communities living atop the gold deposits, would be a prime example of that," he added. Signs of a possible resumption of mining activity first emerged in October 2022 with the creation of the General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons, and Mines within the Salvadoran government. Environmental concerns deepened when El Salvador joined the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development (IGF), a global association of countries addressing mining issues. For a nation that was the first to ban all metallic mining operations, joining such a forum struck many as an unusual move that preceded a national pivot on the issue.Assad’s fall after 24-year rule creates power vacuum in Middle EastFlyers can't close out again, fall in OT to Bruins