South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law marks a new warning for the worldwide fragility of democracy, even in a country hailed as a model of political transformation. Yoon's overnight attempt to shut down political activity, censor media and lock out opposition lawmakers stunned South Korea's longtime ally, the United States, which said it had no advance warning and issued a statement of concern. South Korea's transition to elected rule since a mass uprising in 1987 had been seen as so thorough that the United States increasingly spoke of its ally as a global partner. Meanwhile, Seoul billed itself as a new, ideal hub for international media as China clamped down on Hong Kong. President Joe Biden had even chosen Yoon as the host in March of his final Summit for Democracy -- a signature initiative of the outgoing US leader, who sought to champion liberal values globally, in an unstated repudiation of Donald Trump, who returns to the White House next month. But observers, while stunned by Yoon, said there were warning signs. Danny Russel, a top US diplomat for Asia under former president Barack Obama and who earlier served in South Korea, pointed to the deadlock in parliament where the opposition repeatedly sought impeachments against Yoon's administration. Yoon's move "was a complete surprise to me (but) yes, there were very obvious structural forces at work," he said. "There is a radically polarized political scene in Korea. The opposition has been pursuing scorched-earth political obstruction tactics," he said. But he pointed to the quick, large-scale protests that erupted after Yoon's declaration as a sign of a vibrant civil society ready to defend democracy. "One certainly would hope that this would serve as a wake-up call to both the ruling conservative party and the progressive opposition that both sides have gone too far and that there needs to be some process of reconciliation, of dealing with legitimate differences and grievances." Yoon himself had earlier shown signs of authoritarianism. In a national address last year, Yoon raged against supposed communists who have "disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates or progressive activists." A prosecutor, Yoon narrowly won the 2022 election on a platform of economic reform and advocated close ties with the United States as well as historic rival Japan. But his popularity swiftly slid and the opposition won the National Assembly. Celeste Arrington, a Korea expert at George Washington University, noted that Yoon had never held elected office before and had become increasingly frustrated. "This is really an extreme move that may signal, I think, the president's lack of political experience," she said. She said that martial law showed "some cracks in democracy" but that the quick reversal "gives me hope in the health and strength and vibrancy of democracy in South Korea." Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, expected Yoon's career to be over after attempting martial law, which constitutionally can only be imposed for wars or other emergencies. "Yoon's action is a damning reversal to decades of South Korean efforts to put its authoritarian past behind it," he said. The number of democracies worldwide soared starting in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union collapsed and student-led uprisings brought reforms elsewhere. But globally, democracy has been in retreat for the last 18 straight years, according to the Washington-based group Freedom House, which promotes political liberty. Democratically elected leaders have taken increasingly authoritarian steps in countries as diverse as India, Turkey and Hungary. V-Dem, another closely watched democracy index, had most recently ranked South Korea third in Asia after Taiwan and Japan. In the United States, Trump has rejected long-held norms, refusing to accept he lost to Biden four years ago -- culminating in his supporters violently rampaging through the US Capitol. Trump's rejection of democracy ultimately worked out for him: campaigning on the rage of 2020, he won last month's election. But experts said Yoon's power play -- and its reversal -- could in fact show a victory for democratic values. "Yoon is a deeply unpopular and ineffectual leader, but there was nothing I saw of people being dissatisfied with the way government runs," Alan Yu, a senior vice president at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said after a recent trip to Seoul. Darcie Draudt-Vejares of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that with the swift response to Yoon, "this crisis may ultimately strengthen Korean democracy by reaffirming civilian control and demonstrating institutional resilience." sct/nroMark Drakeford is preparing outline the Welsh government's £25bn spending plans that will take Wales into 2026. Wales' finance secretary will publish the budget, which impacts the economy and some taxes paid by people and businesses, on Tuesday afternoon. But with Labour just short of a majority in the Senedd, a deal must be struck with another party in order to get it through. Here's what to look out for. First Minister Eluned Morgan made a big admission recently when she called record-long waiting times for NHS care "a crisis". Reducing the backlog of operations created by Covid was the Welsh government's top priority after the pandemic. Three years later - the majority of which Morgan was health minister - and more people than ever are waiting. Health will swallow half this budget, which covers the period up to the next Senedd election in 2026. But Mark Dayan, a policy expert at the Nuffield Trust, says it takes time to improve things. "What I think we've seen, both when waiting times improved before in the '00s and in some of the cautious improvements we've seen elsewhere in the UK, is even once you start to turn things around it takes a really long period of time before the amount of weeks the average person will be waiting is really significantly changing," he said. In October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the Welsh government an extra £1bn to spend in this budget. It puts them in "a different world" after a long period of spending squeezes and high inflation, says Drakeford. Experts at Cardiff University say it should allow for a boost to NHS spending without having to raid other departments. But the picture is not so rosy after 2026, which could create difficult decisions for public services in the not-too-distant future. Most of those services are run by Wales's 22 local authorities, some of whom have issued dire warnings about their finances . Social care, schools, bin collections, libraries and swimming pools are all provided by councils, which get most of their funding from Drakeford. Yawning gaps have appeared in their budgets and it's not clear how some will balance the books . Their leaders argue the NHS cannot be sorted out unless social care is fixed. But the companies delivering care say there's barely enough funding to pay staff the Real Living Wage that the Welsh government wants. Soon they will also have a bigger National Insurance bill as a result of the UK government's Budget . Drakeford is chuffed Reeves has given him more to spend, but every week in the Senedd opponents attack other big decisions she has taken. They include means-testing pensioners for the winter fuel payment and maintaining the two-child benefits cap. The Scottish government has offered to provide help for people affected. Even though the Welsh government does not have the same powers over the benefits system as Scotland, it will still face calls to help people with the cost of living. It does, however, have some powers over tax, including over a portion of income tax and the land transaction tax you pay when buying a home. They could give ministers some more money to spend. Lots of businesses saw their rates go up after the last budget . But hiking income tax would be a huge decision. The Welsh rates haven't changed since they were devolved in 2019. Because it has fewer than half the seats in the Senedd, Labour can't make this budget a reality unless it can convince at least one member from another party to back it in a crucial vote next year. We can expect a lot of negotiation and bargaining behind the scenes, if it hasn't started already. Morgan has tried to up the ante, with a blood-curdling warning about the money Wales loses if her budget fails to pass . Losing votes could also lop 10p off every £1 of income tax, depriving the Welsh government of crucial funds. That might appeal to some, but it would represent a political and financial crisis for the Senedd – and it's difficult to see a government surviving that. Drakeford says the draft of his budget will offer a "bright future for Wales". The Welsh Conservatives said social care needed more funding, as did the NHS "which is at crisis point". Tory shadow finance minister Peter Fox also called for a "root and branch review so that taxpayers' money is well-spent and efficiently allocated". The support of the Welsh Liberal Democrats' sole MS, Jane Dodds, would be enough to pass the budget. Her spokesperson said she wanted more funding for social care, child poverty and rural investment. The last three budgets passed as part of a co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru, which has now ended. Plaid finance spokesperson Heledd Fychan said the first minister should "fight for a fair deal" from Keir Starmer's UK government. "If she fails, then Labour's budget will mean more cuts and NHS funding that delivers ever-diminishing returns," she said.

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'Better Looking Than Us': Kangana Ranaut Compares Himachali Local Women With Actors Preity Zinta, Yami GautamNow the Saints, who’ve remained mathematically alive in the playoff race by winning three of four, might have to play without Carr again — and it didn’t go well the last time. Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi declined on Monday to rule out Carr for any of New Orleans' final four games because of his injured non-throwing hand or his concussion . Both injuries occurred when he tried to leap for a first down and crashed hard to the turf during the fourth quarter of New Orleans' 14-11 victory over the reeling New York Giants on Sunday. “We’re not going to rule him out just yet,” Rizzi said. “We have to see in the next day or two what the healing process is like and see if he can function. “The good news it’s not his throwing hand,” Rizzi said. “The bad news is we’re obviously dealing with an injury here that we have to kind of play it by ear.” Rizzi noted that Carr must clear the concussion protocol first. After that, he said, the Saints can see how well Carr can operate with his hand injury. “It's been done before,” Rizzi said when asked about the prospect of an NFL QB playing with an injured non-throwing hand. “It appears at moment that it's non-surgical, which is a big aspect of it. ... That's why we're going to discuss the options.” Last season, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert played with a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand . Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen has played part of this season with an injured non-throwing hand . If Carr can't play, his replacement will be either second-year pro Jake Haener or rookie Spencer Rattler. Rattler started three games earlier this season when Carr had an oblique injury — all losses by New Orleans, which was in the midst of a seven-game skid. “We've just got to surround whomever it is and pick him up and get him rolling with the rest of us,” guard Lucas Patrick said. “It's just another step of adversity in this long season that we’ve had.” New Orleans' interior defensive line is coming off one of its better games. Defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Khalen Saunders accounted for both New Orleans' sacks in New York. The Saints also held the Giants to 112 yards rushing — a lower opponent rushing total than in seven other games this season. The Saints' 92 yards rushing offensively was their fourth-lowest total all season and the lowest in any of their victories. Running back Kendre Miller's future is looking a bit brighter now. He has played in just three games this season because of hamstring injuries and his lack of readiness was criticized by since-fired coach Dennis Allen earlier this season. Miller also has yet to rush for more than 36 yards in a game. But against the Giants, he earned praise for the speed, strength and elusiveness he was able to show on a couple of clutch runs, including an 8-yard run for his first and only touchdown this season. Patrick said Miller deserved credit on his scoring run for staying upright and continuing to push forward — with the help of some teammates — after he was met at the 5-yard line by a Giants defender. Patrick said if Miller didn't give the extra effort and stay on his feet, his teammates would not have had the chance to help push him across the goal line. “Kendre's definitely a bright, young runner and he's exciting to block for,” Patrick said. Blake Grupe was 0 for 2 on field goal attempts, although both were from beyond 50 yards and one was blocked. Those were Grupe's first two failures from beyond 50 yards this season. In addition to Carr, reserve linebacker D’Marco Jackson left Sunday's game with an ankle injury. 0 — The number of games the Saints have won when Carr does not play. They've gone 5-5 in his starts this season. The Saints are back home Sunday against Washington in what could be ex-New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore's first game with the Commanders. The game also marks the return to Louisiana of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman Troply last year at LSU. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSocial media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont's high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents' wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella's suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella's son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school's assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct" that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn't want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn't say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court's mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.” John Klar, who also represents the Politellas, went a step further, telling the AP that the Vermont Supreme Court ruling means that “as a matter of law” schools can get away with vaccinating students without parental consent and that parents can only sue on the federal level if death or serious bodily injury results. — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .

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Catch all the action as the Red River Roughriders and the Fargo North Spartans match up on the rink for our Game of the Week tonight, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., broadcasting on WDAY 2 and streaming on WDAY+. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. You can watch high-quality, professional broadcasts of your favorite local sports teams with WDAY+ livestreams. When you can’t attend the game, watch from anywhere with these affordable season or weekly game passes to view the action. WDAY+ is presented by Cass Clay & Sanford Health. SUBSCRIPTION RATES & PLANS WDAY Sports+ is available for $9.99 per month or $100 per year and also includes access to weekly high school games in North Dakota and western Minnesota and games involving Minnesota State University Moorhead. Subscribers outside of the WDAY-TV broadcast footprint will not be able to access Bison games live but can watch them on the site after they conclude. SUBSCRIBE HERE ** Note: If you have an existing news subscription, you will need a separate livestream subscription to access this content **

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Lakers looking to get their offense back on trackA Stanford University in a federal court case in Minnesota for submitting a sworn declaration that contained made-up information has blamed an artificial intelligence chatbot. And the bot generated more errors than the one highlighted by the plaintiffs in the case, professor Jeff Hancock wrote in an apologetic court filing, saying he did not intend to mislead the court or any lawyers. “I express my sincere regret for any confusion this may have caused,” Hancock wrote. Lawyers for a YouTuber and Minnesota state legislator suing to overturn a Minnesota law said in a court filing last month that Hancock’s expert-witness declaration contained a reference to a study, by authors Huang, Zhang, Wang, that did not exist. They believed Hancock had used a chatbot in preparing the 12-page document, and called for the submission to be thrown out because it might contain more, undiscovered AI fabrications. It did: After the lawyers called out Hancock, he found two other AI “hallucinations” in his declaration, according to his filing in Minnesota District Court. The professor, founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab, was brought into the case by Minnesota’s attorney general as an expert defense witness in a lawsuit by the state legislator and the satirist YouTuber. The lawmaker and the social-media influencer are seeking a court order declaring unconstitutional a state law criminalizing election-related, AI-generated “deepfake” photos, video and sound. Hancock’s legal imbroglio illustrates one of the most common , a technology that has since San Francisco’s OpenAI released its in November 2022. The AI chatbots and image generators often produce errors known as hallucinations, which in text can involve misinformation, and in images, absurdities like six-fingered hands. In his regretful filing with the court, Hancock — who studies AI’s effects on misinformation and trust — detailed how his use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to produce his expert submission led to the errors. Hancock confessed that in addition to the fake study by Huang, Zhang, Wang, he had also included in his declaration “a nonexistent 2023 article by De keersmaecker & Roets,” plus four “incorrect” authors for another study. Seeking to bolster his credibility with “specifics” of his expertise, Hancock claimed in the filing that he co-wrote “the foundational piece” on communication mediated by AI. “I have published extensively on misinformation in particular, including the psychological dynamics of misinformation, its prevalence, and possible solutions and interventions,” Hancock wrote. He used ChatGPT 4.0 to help find and summarize articles for his submission, but the errors likely got in later when he was drafting the document, Hancock wrote in the filing. He had inserted the word “cite” into the text he gave the chatbot, to remind himself to add academic citations to points he was making, he wrote. “The response from GPT-4o, then, was to generate a citation, which is where I believe the hallucinated citations came from,” Hancock wrote, adding that he believed the chatbot also made up the four incorrect authors. Related Articles Hancock had declared under penalty of perjury that he “identified the academic, scientific, and other materials referenced” in his expert submission, the YouTuber and legislator said in their Nov. 16 filing. That filing also questioned Hancock’s reliability as an expert witness. Hancock, in apologizing to the court, asserted that the three errors, “do not impact any of the scientific evidence or opinions” he presented as an expert. The judge in the case has set a Dec. 17 hearing to determine whether Hancock’s expert declaration should be thrown out, and whether the Minnesota attorney general can file a corrected version of the submission. Stanford, where students can be for using a chatbot to “ ” without permission from their instructor, did not immediately respond to questions about whether Hancock would face disciplinary measures. Hancock did not immediately respond to similar questions. Hancock is not the first to submit a court filing containing AI-generated nonsense. Last year, lawyers Steven A. Schwartz and Peter LoDuca were fined $5,000 each in federal court in New York for submitting a personal-injury lawsuit filing that contained fake past court cases invented by ChatGPT to back up their arguments. “I did not comprehend that ChatGPT could fabricate cases,” Schwartz told the judge.

Georgia state senators work on real world guardrails for fantastical world of AIArsenal crush Sporting in Champions League to extend revivalSocial media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. But the ruling by Vermont's high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents' wishes. THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella's suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, the Politella's son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school's assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated. Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued. “We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.” The PREP Act , enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct" that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington. Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says. “The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn't want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’” Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19. Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.” “Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email. Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn't say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended. “The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.” Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court's mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.” — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .

The confidential briefing note is part of the tranche of documents made public in the annual release of State papers from the Irish National Archives. An Irish Department of Foreign Affairs official focusing on justice and security created the list in October 2002. The document starts by referencing a 1999 interview given by George Mitchell, the chairman of the Good Friday Agreement negotiations, in which he claimed the British and Irish governments, as well as Northern Ireland’s political parties, had leaked information to manipulate public opinion. However, he further accused the NIO of attempting to sabotage the process by leaking information on British Government policy to the media. Mr Mitchell, a former US senator, is said to have expressed alarm and anger over the frequency of leaks from the NIO – saying they were uniquely “designed to undermine the policy of the British Government of which they were a part”. The Irish civil servant notes Mr Mitchell himself was subjected to an attempted “smear” when he first arrived in Northern Ireland, as newspaper articles falsely claimed his chief of staff Martha Pope had had a liaison with Sinn Fein representative Gerry Kelly with ulterior motives. The Irish civil servant goes on to list several “leaks”, starting with the publication of a proposed deal in a newspaper while “intense negotiations” for the Downing Street Declaration were under way. Next, the Department lists two “high-profile and damaging leaks issued from the NIO”. A so-called “gameplan” document was leaked in February 1998, showing papers had been prepared weeks before the Drumcree march on July 6, 1997. In the preceding years, there had been standoffs and clashes as nationalists opposed the procession of an Orange parade down Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The gameplan document showed then secretary of state for Northern Ireland Mo Mowlam, who was publicly expressing a desire for a negotiated solution to the 1997 parade, advocated “finding the lowest common denominator for getting some Orange feet on the Garvaghy Road”. In 1997, a large number of security forces were deployed to the area to allow the march to proceed. The incident sparked heightened tension and a wave of rioting. The document further describes the release of a document submitted by the NIO’s director of communications to the secretary of state as a “second major leak”. It claims a publicity strategy was released to the DUP in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement and showed how the UK Government would support a yes vote in a referendum following any talks agreement. In addition, it is claimed unionists used leaked sections of the Patten report on policing to invalidate its findings ahead of its publication in 1999. The report recommended the replacement of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the changing of symbols, and a 50-50 recruitment policy for Catholics and Protestants. At the time, UUP leader David Trimble said the recommendations would lead to a corruption of policing in Northern Ireland. Chris Patten, chairman of the independent commission on policing, said some of the assertions were a “total fabrication” and designed to “muddy the waters” to create a difficult political atmosphere. Elsewhere, the author notes it was leaked to the media there was serious disagreement between the governments of the UK and Ireland on the composition of that commission – with not a single name submitted by the Irish side being accepted by the other. The author notes this incident, still under the heading “NIO leaks”, was believed by British officials to have emanated from the Irish side. The report turns to leaks of other origin, claiming “disgruntled Special Branch officers in Northern Ireland” were blamed by the British Government for a series of releases about the IRA which were designed to damage Sinn Fein in the 2001 general election in Northern Ireland. One senior Whitehall source was quoted in the Guardian as complaining that Special Branch was “leaking like a sieve” after details of an IRA intelligence database containing the names of leading Tories – described at the time as a “hit list” – was passed to the BBC in April 2002. The briefing note adds: “This was followed days later by a leak to The Sunday Telegraph which alleged that senior IRA commanders bought Russian special forces rifles in Moscow last year. “The newspaper said it was passed details by military intelligence in London.” The briefing note adds that other Special Branch leaks were associated with the Castlereagh break-in. The final incident in the document notes the Police Ombudsman’s Report on the Omagh bombing was also leaked to the press in December 2001. Then Northern Ireland secretary John Reid said at the time: “Leaks are never helpful and usually malicious – I will not be commenting on this report until I have seen the final version.” The reason for creating the list of leaks, which the Irish National Archives holds in a folder alongside briefing notes for ministers ahead of meetings with officials from the UK Government and NIO, is not outlined in the document itself. – This document is based on material in 2024/130/6.Giants release quarterback Daniel Jones just days after benching him EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Daniel Jones era in New York is over. The Giants quarterback was granted his release by the team just days after the franchise said it was benching him in favor of third-stringer Tommy DeVito. New York president John Mara said Jones approached the team about releasing him and the club obliged. Mara added he was “disappointed” at the quick dissolution of a once-promising relationship between Jones and the team. Giants coach Brian Daboll benched Jones in favor of DeVito following a loss to the Panthers in Germany that dropped New York's record to 2-8. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. Week 16 game between Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers flexed to Thursday night spot The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime time appearance. Justin Herbert and company have had their Dec. 22 game against the Denver Broncos flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday’s announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season where Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days notice prior to the game. The matchup of AFC West division rivals bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Red Bull brings wrong rear wing to Las Vegas in mistake that could stall Verstappen's title chances LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen is suddenly in jeopardy of being denied a fourth consecutive Formula 1 title Saturday night. Red Bull apparently brought the wrong rear wing to Las Vegas and GPS data showed its two cars to be significantly slower on the straights than both McLaren and Mercedes, which led both practice sessions. Red Bull says it doesn’t have a replacement rear wing in Las Vegas to fix the issue and little chance of getting two flown in from England ahead of the race. Caitlin Clark to join Cincinnati bid for 16th National Women's Soccer League team WNBA star Caitlin Clark has joined Cincinnati’s bid for an expansion National Women’s Soccer League team. Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati is heading the group vying to bring a women’s pro team to the city. The club issued a statement confirming Clark had joined the bid group. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said the league plans to announce the league’s 16th team by the end of the year. The league's 15th team will begin play in 2026 in Boston. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Aaron Judge won't be bothered if Juan Soto gets bigger contract from Yankees than his $360M deal NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won’t be bothered if Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain’s $360 million, nine-year contract. Speaking a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second MVP, Judge says “It ain’t my money” and adds "that’s never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks in his first season with the Yankees, then became a free agent at age 26. In a 'Final Four-type weekend,' two top-6 clashes put women's college basketball focus on West Coast LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two games featuring four powerhouse teams has put the focus in women's college basketball on the West Coast this weekend. JuJu Watkins and No. 3 Southern California host Hannah Hidalgo and No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. Top-ranked South Carolina visits Lauren Betts and fifth-ranked UCLA on Sunday. Both games are nationally televised and the arenas are expected to be packed. WNBA scouts will be on hand to check out some of the nation's top talent. Two teams will come away with their first losses of the season. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb calls it “a Final Four-type weekend.” A documentary featuring Watkins will air on NBC ahead of USC's game, which leads into the Army-Notre Dame football game. Noodles and wine are the secret ingredients for a strange new twist in China's doping saga Blame it on the noodles. That's what one Chinese official suggested when anti-doping leaders were looking for answers for the doping scandal that cast a shadow over this year's Olympic swim meet. Earlier this year, reports that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication emerged. None were sanctioned because Chinese authorities determined the swimmers were contaminated by traces of the drug spread about a hotel kitchen. In a strange twist, the leader of China's anti-doping agency suggested this case could have been similar to one in which criminals were responsible for tainting noodles that were later eaten by another Chinese athlete who also tested positive for the drug.