Independent bank corp executive vice president sells $150,766 in stockENGLAND rugby World Cup hero Steve Thompson has bravely revealed that he often cannot remember the names of his children. Thompson , 46, packed away all the medals, trophies and memorabilia after his shock early-onset dementia diagnosis left him feeling suicidal. At the age of 42, the former front row was diagnosed with both dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2020. Thompson is set to bravely tell all in a TNT documentary that showcases the damage the sport has done to his mind. The loving dad-of-four young kids sat down with ex-team-mate Phil Vickery to share a heartbreaking update in his house in Cheshire . The pair first pointed to pictures of Thompson's young children as he tried to recall their names: Seren, Slone, Saskia and Saxon. Vickery began: "What do you remember of 2003?" A defeated Thompson responded: "It's weird. There's nothing there. I can't even remember being in Australia. "The whole lot is gone. And there's nothing there. My life, everything around then, is just not there." Vickery quizzed: "What about anything from when we got back, from the open top bus or the palace?" Thompson said: "No, nothing. It's just not there. My life has turned upside down. Getting lost, memory issues and anger issues. "I went through a massive guilt stage for the kids and Steph. Then I've been close to suicide. You feel like you're the most selfless person if you went. "When I see myself or see the other lads I feel like a phoney in a way. Like it weren't me that was there. Like I didn't do it." But this flanker-turned-hooker will go down in history a rugby legend, starring in all but one of England 's games en route to World Cup glory . And Thompson had only made his Red Rose debut a year prior against Scotland . His upbringing on one of Northampton’s most impoverished estates and a spell as a doorman meant he was fearless. Perhaps the saddest moment of his sit down with Vickery came when Thompson admitted that he regrets the career he once loved. He heartbreaking said: "The thing with rugby is, if I had my time again, I wouldn't do it. "I'd much rather just go and work on a building site, have a normal life. The way I look at is, that was our job, we got asked to do that. "And you do it to the best of your ability. You don't question anything around it. And that's why we probably did as well as we did." He can’t remember his first concussion, nor the last, just that across one of the great rugby careers he saw ‘the white dots’ most weeks. THE word 'dementia' is the name for a set of symptoms that includes memory loss, difficulty thinking, problem solving and struggling with language. A person with dementia will often experience changes in their mood and behaviour. Dementia is often triggered by diseases that damage the brain, including Alzheimer's disease as well as strokes. The disease is thought to be triggered by a build-up of proteins that form abnormal structures, known as 'plaques', in the brain. It's a progressive disease, which means that gradually over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens more symptoms emerge and get worse. Dementia is considered to be 'early onset' when someone is diagnosed before the age of 65. A study last year found that football and rugby players are six times more likely to have a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is linked to repetitive brain trauma. The Hemel Hempstead-born star, who grew up in Northampton, started the 2003 final Down Under at hooker. He played for Northampton Saints for nine years, making 195 appearances. After Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal won England their one and only World Cup, Thompson and co. were awarded Order of the British Empire medals by Queen Elizabeth II upon their return. But Thompson cannot recall any of it. While other players retired after 2003, he went on to play in the 2011 World Cup too despite having broken his neck in 2007. Steve’s professional career spanned 13 years until another neck break brought it to a close in 2011. "We treat them like bits of meat that just have to train and do what we tell them to do, and when they're no good we get rid of them - and that's what happens. In 2020, Thompson was one of a group of players who launched a legal case to sue rugby's governing bodies for negligence. The former Saints stalwart, as well as Michael Lipman and former Wales No8 Alix Popham, were all named as test cases in action being brought against the RFU, World Rugby and Welsh Rugby Union. The case is still ongoing four years later, with four more British & Irish Lions joining the list of players. Lee Byrne, Gareth Cooper, Harry Ellis and Phil Greening, who toured with the Lions between 2001 and 2009, are among a group of 43 who can now be identified. According to the Mail , British law firm Rylands Legal are in contact with over 100 other former players as part of the historic lawsuit. The claimants allege rugby union's governing bodies failed to put in place reasonable measures to protect their health and safety. A trial date for the lawsuit will not be set until 2025 at the earliest. Thompson told The Guardian in 2020: "I don't want the game to stop, but it's just everyone at the top looking down, saying the main asset of this lovely game is the players. "We've got to make sure we treat them like that. "We treat them like bits of meat that just have to train and do what we tell them to do, and when they're no good we get rid of them - and that's what happens. "They're all human beings, and we've got to make sure they have a proper life after the sport as well." Last year, Thompson became the first sportsperson to pledge their brain for research into the consequences of brain trauma, such as CTE, a disorder that is caused by repeated brain injuries. “When it comes to the CTE aspect and the repetitive head injuries, it’s coming from the training as well,” Thompson said on GMB in April. “World Rugby says it’s our number one priority looking after the players, they’re just about to put in another world tournament for clubs." The film documents all of this - from Thompson and his family trying to come to terms with his diagnosis, to him lending his voice to the fight to make rugby safer Thompson, who won 73 England caps, also says he suffers panic attack and forgets his wife Steph’s name sometimes. He previously told the BBC in April that the memory of his children's birth is now starting to fade. The former hooker, who helped the British Lions secure a 20-17 victory over Australia in 2013, is now the manager of one of his three daughter's U12 football sides.

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Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. The flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 3,200 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli soldiers raided a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya on Tuesday, as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.TORONTO — Canada's premiers are calling on the federal government to extend the deadline for claiming charitable donations on tax returns through to the end of February. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the request in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Christmas Eve, sent in his capacity as chair of the Council of the Federation. "Charitable organizations across Canada depend on year-end fundraising to support their operations throughout the year," Ford wrote. "However, this year's efforts have been severely impacted by the Canada Post strike, which has prevented donors from making their usual holiday donations." Charities have reported major declines in mail-in donations during what's typically their busiest time of year. They blame the Canada Post strike, which brought letter mail to a standstill for a month starting in mid-November, preventing donors from sending cheques the old-fashioned way. The premiers are requesting that the federal government extend the deadline from the end of the year to the end of February 2025, which would allow donors to send their cheques later than usual but still get credited for the 2024 tax year. The premiers are echoing calls from chief executives of three groups that represent Canadian charities – Cooperation Canada, Imagine Canada and the Health Charities Coalition of Canada – who co-wrote an op-ed published Monday in The Hill Times. "The effects of the postal strike will be felt well into 2025," the groups wrote. "Extending the donations receipting period into the first quarter of 2025 is a simple and effective solution to provide immediate relief and support the charitable sector in recovering lost revenue." The Salvation Army, which is reporting a drop of more than 50 per cent in holiday donations this year that it attributes to the strike, has also been advocating for an extension to the tax deadline. "This is, we believe, about doing the right thing for those who need help daily. And we're grateful to the premiers for seeing the significance of this," said Lt.-Col. John Murray, a spokesman for the charity. Murray said he's "cautiously optimistic" that the premiers adding their voice to the call could yield results, but if not, the charity will have to "thoroughly assess" the services it can offer in 2025. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers — representing more than 55,000 members — began its job action Nov. 15 over issues that include how to deploy staff for proposed weekend delivery shifts. The mail carriers were ordered back to work Dec. 17 when the Canada Industrial Relations Board declared the two parties were at an impasse and would be unable to reach a deal by the end of the year. Post offices started accepting new mail two days later. But by then, time was running out for donors to send in their cheques. Murray said mail-in appeals are particularly effective because the Army’s core donors are over the age of 55 and more likely to rely on the postal service. Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024. Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press

Wednesday, December 25, 2024 The holiday season is in full swing, and for many, that means embarking on journeys to reunite with loved ones or explore new destinations. However, the festive spirit is often accompanied by the stress of navigating crowded airports, delayed flights, and long lines. This year, the travel industry is witnessing a surge in demand, particularly in regions like America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, which are experiencing a resurgence in tourism following the pandemic. While this is undoubtedly good news for the industry, it also presents challenges for travelers and highlights the need for better infrastructure and more efficient travel solutions. A Global Travel Boom The travel industry is experiencing a significant rebound, with many regions witnessing a surge in demand. In the United States, domestic travel remains strong, with millions of Americans hitting the road or taking to the skies to visit family and friends during the holiday season. International travel is also on the rise, with popular destinations like Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean attracting a large number of American tourists. Europe, a perennial favorite among travelers, is witnessing a similar trend. Cities like London, Paris, and Rome are teeming with tourists, eager to experience the festive atmosphere and soak in the cultural richness of these iconic destinations. The continent’s efficient transportation network, coupled with its diverse attractions, makes it a popular choice for both leisure and business travelers. Asia, too, is experiencing a travel boom, with countries like Japan, Thailand, and Singapore witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals. The region’s unique cultural experiences, coupled with its stunning natural beauty, are attracting travelers from all corners of the globe. Moreover, the easing of travel restrictions in many Asian countries has further fueled the growth of the tourism sector. Australia, known for its stunning beaches, vibrant cities, and diverse wildlife, is also witnessing a resurgence in tourism. The country’s unique appeal, coupled with its robust infrastructure and welcoming culture, is attracting travelers from all over the world. Challenges and Opportunities While the surge in travel demand is undoubtedly a positive sign for the industry, it also presents several challenges. Overcrowding at airports and tourist hotspots, delayed flights, and long queues are becoming increasingly common, leading to frustration and inconvenience for travelers. To address these challenges, the travel industry needs to invest in infrastructure upgrades, such as expanding airport capacity and improving transportation networks. Additionally, there is a need for more efficient travel solutions, such as self-service kiosks, automated baggage handling systems, and mobile check-in options. The rise of technology is also playing a crucial role in shaping the future of the travel industry. Online travel agencies, travel apps, and social media platforms are empowering travelers with information and making it easier to plan and book their trips. Moreover, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming various aspects of the travel experience, from personalized recommendations to automated customer service. The Human Element Despite the increasing role of technology, the human element remains crucial in the travel industry. The quality of customer service, the warmth of hospitality, and the genuine human connection can make or break a travel experience. As the industry continues to evolve, it is essential to prioritize the human element and ensure that travelers feel valued and appreciated. Looking Ahead The travel industry is poised for continued growth in the coming years, driven by factors such as increasing disposable incomes, a growing global middle class, and a greater emphasis on leisure and experiential travel. However, the industry must also address the challenges associated with this growth, such as environmental sustainability and the impact of tourism on local communities. By embracing innovation, investing in infrastructure, and prioritizing the human element, the travel industry can continue to thrive while ensuring a positive and sustainable future for both travelers and the destinations they visit. Additional Insights Conclusion The travel industry is experiencing a period of significant growth, with regions like America, Europe, Australia, and Asia leading the way. While this surge in demand presents challenges, it also offers exciting opportunities for the industry to innovate and evolve. By embracing technology, prioritizing sustainability, and focusing on the human element, the travel industry can continue to thrive while ensuring a positive and enriching experience for travelers around the world. Discover everything and anything about travel , tourism , trade shows at the Travel And Tour World , including breaking travel news and weekly travel updates for travel trade , airlines , cruise , railways , technology , travel association , DMCs, and video interviews and promotional videos .Quarterback Joe Burrow's home broken into during Monday night game: Officials

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