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An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron.Cardata Announces Integration with Concur Expense to Optimize Vehicle Reimbursement
Bank of America signs again with FIFA for US-hosted Club World Cup that still has no TV deals
UCF and Tulsa will test their mettle against each other on Saturday afternoon in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Fla. The Knights will make their first appearance in the event since recording a two-point loss to Missouri in 2022, while Tulsa's last trip to the Orange Bowl Classic was a loss to Florida State in 2012. UCF (7-2) may have something to prove being away from Addition Financial Arena. The Knights are 7-0 at home, whereas a November trip to the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia produced an 86-70 loss to Wisconsin and a triple-overtime setback against LSU. The Knights relied heavily on their defense in Sunday's 66-51 win over Tarleton State. After a sluggish start offensively, UCF found its rhythm during a 37-point second half. Jordan Ivy-Curry finished with a game-high 16 points and freshman center Moustapha Thiam collected 10 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. UCF's Big 12 opener draws closer (at Texas Tech, Dec. 31), but head coach Johnny Dawkins remains focused on daily improvement. "I feel a sense of urgency to get better, not with regards to Big 12 play to be quite frank, but every game," Dawkins said. "I don't look too far in the future. Pretty much I've always been in the moment as a player and as a person, and so for me it's about just getting better because it's our standards." Tulsa (4-6) looks to stop a three-game slide following a 70-66 home loss to Southern University last Saturday. Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, netting a season-high 23 points off the bench. But Isaiah Barnes, one of three Golden Hurricane players to start all 10 games, was injured in the first half and played only eight minutes. To complicate matters, head coach Eric Konkol's team is 0-6 when trailing at halftime. "We got to get some guys healthy that can be healthy for next Saturday (against UCF)," Konkol said. "We got a couple other guys dealing with some different things, but then (also) having some planning to figure out what's the best way going forward for this group." --Field Level Media
RTE Fair City viewers were all left saying the same thing as Anna snook into the Medical Centre and printed off Carol's file. In tonight's episode, Gwen made Anna question whether Dolores knows about Pete’s threat. Joan advised Dolores it’s in her best interest to tell Carol the truth. Dolores was appalled to learn that Pete threatened Anna. Dolores assured Anna that revealing the mistake to Carol in the right way, at the right time will be best for everyone. Anna resented Dolores’ manipulation. Carol told Joan that she encouraged Rafferty to fight for her. Gwen convinced Anna that Dolores is just as bad as Pete and has no intention of ever telling Carol. Sick of Pete’s manipulation, Anna threatened to reveal the malpractice in front of everyone at McCoys. Gwen jumped in and prevented Anna from revealing the lies. Gwen convinced Anna there’s a better way to bring down Dolores and Pete without incriminating herself. Joan and Rafferty tried to keep things casual. Dolores believed Pete had smoothed things over with Anna. Anna snook into the Medical Centre and printed off Carol’s file. RTE Fair City viewers all flocked to social media to share their opinions. William said: "Anna could have just done this during the day!" Sylvia wrote: "Anna is useless." A third added: "Anna, Pete and Dolly between them would make you think about going to a doctor." Pamela said: "Jump ship Anna, it's not worth it." Elsewhere, Babs warmed towards Victor when she saw the bond he has with Ruby. Victor felt under pressure with Maxine’s work schedule but wouldn’t admit it. Maxine concealed her annoyance when Babs revealed that Victor used the work van to give Ruby a lift. When Maxine berated Victor for using the van to run personal errands, Babs defended him, causing tension between the new friends. Babs and Victor shared a warm moment. Sash tried to orchestrate an apology to Sean, but it backfired, and he refused to resume elf duties. Sash roped Hughie into feigning illness so Renee could ask Sean to step in as Santa. Sean fell for Sash’s ploy and was pressured into playing Santa for the day.
A Japanese sake maker is going where no sake maker has gone before: space. Asahi Shuzo, the company behind the popular Japanese sake brand Dassai, plans to blast sake ingredients to the International Space Station (ISS) to ferment a very special brew. Related video above: The dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say If it works, just one 100ml bottle will be offered for sale on Earth at 100 million yen, or about $653,000. A standard serve is 80ml, making it one very expensive drink. “There is no guarantee of 100% success for the fermentation tests,” said Souya Uetsuki, the brewer in charge of the project at Asahi Shuzo. He said the difference in gravity could affect how heat transfers in fluid, causing a different fermentation process in space than on Earth. The company has paid the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for access to the Kibo experiment module, part of the ISS developed by Japan, where tests can be conducted in a “special microgravity environment.” The national space agency said they would not comment on the privately paid project. Sake is made of Japanese rice, water, yeast and koji (a type of mold). It traditionally takes about two months to make through a series of precise steps that involve steaming, stirring and fermenting. The drink is sipped from a glass at many Japanese cultural occasions — from weddings to meals at pub-like izakaya restaurants — and last week landed a spot on UNESCO’s list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” Dassai — meaning “otter festival” in Japanese — is one of the most popular sake brands on the market. However, its maker is also behind premium products that are popular with collectors, some willing to spend up to thousands of dollars for a bottle. Asahi Shuzo’s foray into space is more than just another attempt to make another rare sake, according to the brewer. Uetsuki said the company hoped the project would offer insights into how fermentation works in space, so perhaps one day they can make sake on the moon. “In a future where humans can freely travel between the moon and Earth, some will visit the moon as tourists. This project aims to create sake that can be enjoyed on the moon, allowing visitors to have delightful moments there,” he said. He hopes the technology will also benefit future space tourists who have a penchant for other types of fermented food. “Many Japanese foods, such as natto and miso, are fermented, and this technology could expand into these areas,” Uetsuki said. The company is developing space brewing equipment, with a planned launch date later in 2025.Is Enron back? If it’s a joke, some former employees aren’t laughing
Hundreds of trans patients admitted to hospital as women despite having conditions only suffered by MENThe National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) denies it has been lobbied to change a commissioner to sway an investigation into former premier Thaksin Shinawatra 's police hospital detention. NACC secretary-general Sarote Phuengramphan, who is also the agency's spokesman, denied lobbying had taken place to change the commissioner in charge of the case, as reported. The lobbying was alleged by activist and former red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan who claimed during a live session on Facebook on Dec 25 that an attempt was made to coax Ekkawit Watchawanku into stepping aside as commissioner in charge of the Thaksin hospital detention case. Mr Sarote said on Sunday the NACC has accepted the case for probe with the entire panel of commissioners supervising the process. The NACC earlier this month agreed to investigate officials accused of letting Thaksin stay in relative comfort at the Police General Hospital (PGH) instead of prison. Thaksin, sentenced to eight years in prison across three cases before receiving royal clemency, reducing his term to one year, was detained in a ward on the 14th floor of the hospital for approximately six months. He was paroled and discharged from the PGH on Feb 18, completing his one-year prison term on Aug 31. The commission decided to take up the case in response to claims that officials at the Department of Corrections and the hospital sent Thaksin to the PGH so he did not have to serve his term in prison. Thaksin spent 180 days at the PGH, although he was believed not to have been seriously ill. The NACC said it had gathered enough facts, witnesses and evidence to conduct the probe so decided to proceed with the case. The investigation would focus on 12 officials at the Department of Corrections and the PGH, the commission said. On his Facebook session, Mr Jatuporn said Mr Ekkawit was subject to lobbying to stand down in favour of another commissioner. The activist suggested the lobbying may have come from someone within the commission. He said Mr Ekkawit, a former Supreme Court chief justice, assumed a prominent role in the probe and it was natural for him to be target of lobbying to have him sidelined. Although a switch of commissioner in charge may not end in the case being dropped, it would at least delay the investigation, Mr Jatuporn said. However, Mr Jatuporn said it was up to Mr Ekkawit if he would cave in to pressure. "My message to NACC is simply this. The country had endured enough tribulations. The agency must recognise that there are no secrets in the world," he said.Discover the Hidden Beauty of Our Busy World in U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón's New Picture Book "And, Too, the Fox" illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro
Mr Bayrou, 73, a crucial partner in Macron’s centrist alliance, has been a well-known figure in French politics for decades. His political experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability as no single party holds a majority at the National Assembly. Mr Macron’s office said in a statement that Mr Bayrou “has been charged with forming a new government”. During the handover ceremony, Mr Bayrou said that “no one knows the difficulty of the situation better” than he does. “I’ve taken reckless risks all along my political life to raise the issue of debt and deficits in the most important elections,” he said. France is under pressure from the European Union’s executive body and financial markets to reduce its colossal debt, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year. “I know that the risks of difficulties are much greater than the chances of success,” Mr Bayrou said, adding that he hopes to lead the country towards a “needed reconciliation”. “I think this is the only possible path to success,” he said. The new prime minister is expected to hold talks with political leaders from various parties in the coming days in order to choose new ministers. Former prime minister Michel Barnier resigned last week following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government. Mr Macron in an address to the nation vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027. Mr Macron’s centrist alliance does not have a majority in parliament and Mr Bayrou’s Cabinet will need to rely on moderate lawmakers from the left and the right to be able to stay in power. Some conservatives are expected to be part of the new government. Mr Macron’s strategy aims at preventing far-right leader Marine Le Pen from holding “make or break” power over the government. Ms Le Pen helped oust Mr Barnier by joining her National Rally party’s forces to the left to pass the no-confidence motion last week. Mr Bayrou’s appointment is also in line with Mr Macron’s efforts to build a non-aggression pact with the Socialists so that they commit not to vote against the government in any future confidence motion. Mr Bayrou leads the centrist Democratic Movement, known as MoDem, which he founded in 2007. In 2017, he supported Mr Macron’s first presidential bid and became a weighty partner in the French president’s centrist alliance. At the time, he was appointed justice minister, but he quickly resigned from the government amid an investigation into the MoDem’s alleged embezzlement of European Parliament funds. Mr Bayrou this year was cleared in the case by a Paris court, which found eight other party officials guilty and sentenced the party to pay a fine. Mr Bayrou became well known to the French public when he was education minister from 1993 to 1997 in a conservative government. He was three times a candidate for president: in 2002, 2007 and 2012.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday maintained that he was in the dark about his former communications director’s alleged misconduct until seeing public records requests for his personnel file, despite having sent urgent text messages about Ronnie Reese days before his termination. At an unrelated news conference in Englewood, the mayor again told reporters that “like everybody else,” he learned about the sexual harassment, misogyny, racism, antisemitism and homophobic complaints against Reese after a Freedom of Information Act request was made. The Tribune filed a FOIA for those records on Oct. 25, after news broke that the mayor’s longtime friend and former press secretary for his mayoral campaign and for the Chicago Teachers Union was being fired. But Oct. 19 texts that the Tribune also obtained via FOIA show the mayor making an apparent reference to Reese while messaging CTU President Stacy Davis Gates just four days before Reese was given notice of his termination. “Ronnie!” he wrote. “Call me. Message from the Elders.” Davis Gates responded to the apparent reference to Reese, who previously worked with her and Johnson at the teachers union, with only an exclamation reaction, according to a copy of the text exchange. She said this week that she did not engage further nor know about the accusations surrounding Reese until the Tribune reported on them. Johnson on Thursday addressed his October texts by saying, “I have conversations and text messages with a variety of people, and I’ve communicated to Stacy on a number of occasions of where there are opportunities for us to continue to grow our city through the lens of public education.” Asked why he couldn’t elaborate on what he wanted to discuss with Davis-Gates concerning Reese, the mayor merely said, “I’m actually saying more than more. ... I’ve said repeatedly that when the FOIA requests came through and it was made public, that’s when I found out.” Mayor Brandon Johnson, left, arrives with then-press secretary Ronnie Reese to discuss safety planning for Memorial Day weekend on May 25, 2023, at 63rd Street Beach. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) The mayor also claimed he did not have specific information on earlier accusations made against Reese in 2023, which the Tribune reported on back in January. “If you’re referring to individuals that were dismissed from the department, that’s a personnel matter, right?” Johnson said when asked whether he was aware of the first batch of complaints. “And as I’ve said repeatedly, we don’t discuss personnel matters. But when those individuals who were dismissed from the city of Chicago as employees, there was no discussion around or information around their specific interactions with their supervisor at that time.” In August 2023, three of Reese’s staffers were fired after complaining about how Reese and Johnson senior adviser Jason Lee treated them. They were then placed on the city’s Do Not Hire list, with two of them only getting removed last week after the new allegations against Reese became public. The Tribune story from January notes that Reese’s employees had complained to Mondine Harding with the mayor’s office about his treatment of women, including allegedly telling female staffers they “laugh too much” while “in contrast, Ronnie would joke with male colleagues.” The mayor on Thursday also hinted at future, unspecified changes to City Hall’s reporting mechanism for personnel complaints. “There is a break within that system where information was not made readily available until the FOIA request,” Johnson said. “Now that is something that we certainly should explore and look into. But make no mistake about it, the most important thing here is that I have no tolerance for sexism, racism, antisemitism, anti-Blackness, anti LGBTQ-plus.”
Spotting and cruising through spectacular Australian landscapes are among the things Greg Esnouf loves about being a . or signup to continue reading "I'm out in the bush today; I'm driving around, I just saw an ... and I showed my guests some wallabies," he said. "I'm in the in Western Victoria, which is magic country and I'm enjoying it as much as they are because I just love being out and about and showing people things." As president of Tour Guides Australia, Mr Esnouf welcomed the federal government listing tour guides on its Occupation Shortage List. "Tour guides are Australia's on-the-ground ambassadors, bringing our natural environment and local culture to life," he said. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census data, about 39 per cent of tour guides in Australia are aged 55 and over. Mr Esnouf, 68, of Melbourne, has been a tour guide for about 15 years. He previously worked in emergency services and saw tour guiding as a way to do a "change of life experience". He started doing it part-time alongside his day job and has since transitioned to tour guiding being his career. Ms Esnouf said it's not uncommon for people who have been in stressful corporate roles to later become tour guides. "They know the local area because they've generally lived there for a long time, they've got stories that they can write to [that go] back a long time because they've lived that experience," he said. Mr Esnoug said mature people were well suited to the role as they could talk about their own experiences as well as the history and culture. He said there was a mix of employment opportunities, for example being a sole trader like himself, or working for a company. "It can be whatever you want it to be, depending on how you operate and what you want to get out of it," he said. Mr Esnouf said good money could be made from the profession if people wanted it. He said tour guiding is an unregulated occupation in Australia, but it is something he would like to see happen for quality and safety purposes. Tour Guides Australia offers a three-day course to help new guides acquire the essential skills, plus a Professional Tour Guide Accreditation Program. Share your thoughts in a . 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 AdvertisementBiohong Group Initiates the "Microspherization Technology Era" in Skincare
GENEVA (AP) — World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time Tuesday, signing for the Club World Cup that still has no broadcast deals just over six months before games start. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the United States, two days before the group-stage draw in Miami for the revamped 32-team club event . It features recent European champions Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. “FIFA is going to take America by storm and we’re going to be right at their side,” the bank’s head of marketing, David Tyrie, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Bank of America joins 2026 World Cup sponsors Hisense and Budweiser brewer AB InBev in separately also backing the club event, and more deals are expected after Saudi Arabia is confirmed next week as the 2034 World Cup host. While games at the next World Cup, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, will be watched by hundreds of millions globally mostly on free-to-air public networks, the Club World Cup broadcast picture is unclear. RELATED COVERAGE AC Milan and Bologna reach Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing wins USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final match Neuer gets sent off for 1st time and Bayern Munich exits German Cup early again FIFA has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money for the 32 clubs to share but is yet to announce any broadcast deals for the month-long tournament. It is expected to land on a streaming service. “You have to think about how you are going to connect with these fans,” Tyrie told the Associated Press from Boston. “TV is one, sure, social media is a big avenue. “The smart marketing capabilities are able to say ‘Hey, we need to tilt this one a little bit more away from TV-type marketing into social-type marketing.’ We have got a pretty decent strategy that we’re putting in place to do activation.” Engaging Bank of America’s customers and 250,000 employees are key to that strategy, Tyrie said. “It’s going to be for our clients, and entertainment, it’s going to be for our employees in creating excitement. All of the above.” The Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across 11 cities, including Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C, and Lumen Field where the hometown Seattle Sounders play three group-stage games. European powers Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich lead a 12-strong European challenge. Teams qualified by winning continental titles or posting consistently good results across four years of those competitions. The exception is Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who FIFA gave the entry reserved for a host nation team in October based on regular season record without waiting for the MLS Cup final. LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls playing for that national title Saturday. Messi’s team opens the FIFA tournament June 15 in the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium and will play its three group games in Florida. “The more brand players you bring in, the bigger the following you have got,” Tyrie acknowledged, though adding Messi being involved was “not a make or break for the event.” The Club World Cup final is July 13 at Met Life Stadium near New York, which also will host the World Cup final one year later. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
