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US scrambles as drones shape the landscape of war: 'the future is here'

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NoneIndia alleges widespread trafficking of international students through Canada to U.S.A pair of teams with minimal rest will face off in Nassau, Bahamas, on Sunday when No. 22 St. John takes on Georgia. St. John's (5-1), which will play its third game in four days, began the stretch in the Bahamas Championship on Thursday, dropping a heartbreaker to No. 13 Baylor. The Red Storm led by 18 in the first half before Baylor forced overtime. From there, St. John's rallied from five down with 1:47 left to send the game to a second overtime, where it saw Baylor knock down a pair of 3-pointers in the final seven seconds -- including Jeremy Roach's buzzer-beater -- to knock off the Red Storm 99-98. In the third-place game on Friday, St. John's breezed past Virginia 80-55. RJ Luis Jr. led the way with 18 points and four steals, followed by Kadary Richmond's 12 points, as the Red Storm took a one-point lead with 15:21 left in the first half and didn't trail again. "I'm really impressed with our guys, coming off a double-overtime, extremely emotional loss," St. John's head coach Rick Pitino said. "To respond that way was extremely impressive, both offensively and defensively." Pitino, in his second year with the Red Storm, was moved by something off the court on Friday, involving captain Zuby Ejiofor, who chipped in eight points, nine boards, two steals and two blocks. Ejiofor was serenaded by St. John's fans during the win, following his two missed free throws at the end of double overtime against Baylor. "When you've only been in a job for a year, you search for things you love about a place," Pitino said. "Tonight I found out what I love about St. John's. Our fans chanted Zuby's name the whole game, which doesn't happen anywhere else in America. I was really impressed with our fans and I thank them for making Zuby feel good, because he gives you all the energy." Luis leads the Red Storm with 17.3 points per game, followed by Ejiofor (10.7), Aaron Scott (10.5), Deivon Smith (10.3) and Richmond (10.2). Georgia enters Sunday's matchup looking to rebound from its first loss after falling to No. 15 Marquette 80-69 on Saturday. Georgia (5-1) battled back from a 15-point, second-half deficit, but was held to just three points over the final 4:57 in Saturday's loss. Blue Cain led the Bulldogs with a season-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers. "It's a process. It's a journey with this team," Bulldogs head coach Mike White said. "It's about continuing to make strides, continuing to protect our culture. ... At the end of the day, wins and losses are going to take care of themselves. We just have to embrace the process and enjoy it." Five-star freshman recruit Asa Newell was held to a season-low nine points but leads the team with 15.5 points per game. Silas Demary Jr. is second with 13.8. --Field Level Media

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Australia heaved a major sigh of relief on Wednesday after skipper Pat Cummins declared run-machine Travis Head fit for the Boxing Day test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India nemesis Head, the leading scorer of the five-test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, suffered a quad strain in Brisbane. "He ticked off some final things today and yesterday, but no stress, no worries about injury for Trav," Cummins told reporters after training on Wednesday. "He'll go into the game fully fit. I don't think you'll see too much management of him throughout the game ... maybe around fielding if he's a bit uncomfortable." Middle order batter Head has tallied 409 runs from five innings in the series, which include two hundreds and a fifty, averaging nearly 82. Australia have confirmed teenaged opener Sam Konstas will make his debut replacing Nathan McSweeney in front of a sellout Boxing Day crowd at the MCG. Seamer Scott Boland will be coming in for the injured Josh Hazlewood in the other change for the home side in a match when the mercury is forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius on day one. The five-test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy remains level at 1-1. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Though the Town of Essex has been able to improve its energy consumption and reduce its Greenhouse Gas Emissions over the past five-years, Essex Council was urged to look for ways to reduce fossil fuel use from a long-term planning standpoint. Andrea Dwight, President of Blue Sky Energy Engineering and Consulting Inc., presented the most recent Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan to Essex Council at the November 18 meeting. Dwight worked with Town of Essex staff over the past few months to complete the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan, which sets out a path towards a more energy-efficient future. The scope of work includes all Town-owned facilities requiring heat, corporate facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and street-lighting. This plan is legislatively required under the Provincial Electricity Act and lays out the foundation for energy conservation at the Town of Essex for the next five-years. Dwight noted it is important to celebrate the hard work the Town has done over the past-five years in this work. There is a list of programs she said impacted energy and heat consumption, such as changing and upgrading lighting and HVAC systems. This resulted in a 1.5% improvement in energy compared to 2019, and a 2.5% reduction to Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Since 2011, overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions have dropped, so has electricity consumption. The Town is proud to have achieved a 13% reduction in electricity between 2011 and 2023, excluding street-lighting, the report details. Natural gas consumption, however, has risen by 4.6% over the same period. Combining electricity and natural gas, these changes have resulted in an overall energy reduction of close to 7% and a 44.5% reduction in GHG emissions over the twelve-year period, the report adds. In addition, electricity consumption on street-lighting has dropped 18%, Dwight told Council. The Essex Centre Sports Complex and Harrow Arena, street-lighting, and sewage treatment plant are the largest electricity consumers. In addition, both arenas are the largest natural gas consumers. In 2023, Dwight highlighted that Essex’s natural gas use was 37% and electricity was 63%. Yet, natural gas is responsible for 78% of its Greenhouse Gas Emissions. As the Town of Essex renvisions climate planning, Dwight suggested looking for ways to reduce fossil fuel use from a long-term planning standpoint. Without reducing natural gas usage, the Town will not be able to significantly improve Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Looking ahead, a 3% reduction in overall energy is targeted for 2029 as measured against the 2023 figures. “Although it sounds like a small number, it is actually quite significant,” Dwight told Council, adding a number of great programs have been developed to make sure this goal is achieved. The Town, she added, has a number of strategic planning priorities in which to focus over the next-five years, including the Town leveraging all incentive opportunities from the Federal Government and local utilities to make technological improvements. Another is to look at the asset management and capital planning process and put in guidelines regarding energy efficient purchasing of larger capital projects. Actions set in the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan include identifying energy-savings opportunities, and putting in place a planning process that reviews facilities and delivering cost-savings through the identification and implementation of programs, processes, and projects on an ongoing basis. Another priority is communication, training, and outreach. The action plan also includes a set of specific projects pulled together over the next five-years to make a significant improvement to energy consumption. That varies from lighting upgrades, to HVAC, to controls. She also spoke of the Town needing to think about what natural gas reduction strategy it would like to have to integrated into the capital project process. “I think you are very well positioned to make a significant improvement in both GHGs and energy consumption over the next five-years,” Dwight said. “I think this shows your corporate responsibility and your focus on helping make sure the environment is at the forefront. I think that this is a very strong plan.” Seeing as the twin pads at the Essex Arena use the most energy, Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais asked what could be further done to reduce that footprint beyond what was suggested in the report. Director of Community Services, Jake Morassut, noted the twin pads have had a significant number of projects on the compressor system over the past five-years. The energy usage for the facility comes from the compressor plants, for which none of its major components should need replacing in the next-five years. So, that will likely be part of the next five-year plan. Through the Plan, the focus was on things that could be controlled over the next-five years, with the funding models and resources in place, he added. That included upgrading to LED lighting, which saves on energy and maintenance cost. In addition, LEDs have a longer lifecycle, Morassut said. “We are looking at projects like that where we are going to see a bigger impact and a quicker payback period,” he added. Though it is great to see what Essex is doing, Mayor Sherry Bondy asked about comparing the local town to others. Dwight noted there are ways to benchmark that information, such as how Essex’s largest facilities are doing compared to similar ones across the province. Council received the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan.Livvy Dunne takes polar plunge in red bikini on Christmas Eve

Showbiz A-lister Sajal Aly stunned netizens with her latest set of pictures on social site Instagram. Taking to her Instagram handle on Tuesday, Sajal Aly treated her millions of followers with a bunch of new pictures, flaunting a casual yet cosy winter look for an at-home evening. “Just a girl, chasing dreams,” she added in the caption of the four-picture carousel post with Little Richard’s ‘Tutti Frutti’, which sees the actor in an off-duty minimal look, paired with some winter wools, to keep her warm. Thousands of her fans showered their love on the post with likes and compliments for the celeb in the comments section. With more than 10 million Instagrammers on her followers list, Aly is among the most-followed celebs of Pakistan on the platform. She often shares glimpses of both her modelling and acting assignments as well as little sneak peeks of her personal life with the family. Meanwhile, on the work front, Sajal Aly was last seen in her Hollywood debut, British rom-com ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’ and her last year’s blockbuster drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’, co-starring Shehryar Munawar and Bilal Abbas Khan.

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here . Week 13 features only three games between two teams with winning records. All three matchups are on Sunday. Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry face off when the streaking Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) take on the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) in a potential Super Bowl preview. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 yards rushing and Henry is next at 1,325. The Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) visit the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) in a matchup between first-year coaches who’ve turned their teams around. Two surprise teams meet when the Minnesota Vikings (9-2) host the Arizona Cardinals (6-5). It’s a full schedule with no byes, beginning with three games on Thanksgiving and another on Black Friday. Five road teams are favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Pro Picks aims for another winning week. Line: Cowboys minus 3 1/2 The Giants are a total mess. General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are barely hanging onto their jobs. Drew Lock could become the third starting QB in three games. Standout rookie receiver Malik Nabers called his team “soft” after they played like a group that’s quit last week. The Cowboys aren’t much better, though they fought hard in an upset win at Washington. Cooper Rush had his best game filling in for Dak Prescott. A soft schedule has Dallas thinking the playoffs aren’t out of reach. The Cowboys can’t overlook New York. They’re 0-6 in their past six home games but have won seven straight matchups vs. the Giants. BEST BET: COWBOYS: 26-17 Line: Rams minus 2 1/2 The Saints are 2-0 under interim coach Darren Rizzi and are coming off a bye with a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive. An offense that was unstoppable in the first two games this season is getting back on track thanks to an improved run game and back-to-back sharp outings from Derek Carr. Alvin Kamara should be excited to get the ball against the Rams, who just gave up 255 yards rushing to Saquon Barkley. Los Angeles needs to protect Matthew Stafford better and give him time to get the ball to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. UPSET SPECIAL: SAINTS: 24-23 Line: Lions minus 9 1/2 The Lions have lost seven straight games on Thanksgiving, including three times to the Bears. It would be a major upset if that happens again. Detroit has won nine straight games since losing to Tampa Bay in Week 2. The Lions are not only winning but dominating opponents with six victories by a double-digit margin during their streak. Jared Goff leads a prolific offense while the defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown the past two games. The Bears are trying to snap a five-game losing streak. Caleb Williams hasn’t thrown a pick in 193 passes. Detroit is 15-3 against the spread in its past 18 division games and 8-1 ATS in the past nine games overall this season. LIONS: 31-19 Line: Packers minus 3 1/2 Tua Tagovailoa suffered a season-ending concussion the previous time the Dolphins faced Green Bay on Christmas Day in 2022. He has 11 TDs and only one interception in the five games since returning from his latest concussion and has led Miami to three straight wins. The Packers face a tough test in the middle of a stretch where they play three games in a 12-day span with a showdown against the Lions looming next Thursday. Jordan Love has bounced back from two rough games to play two solid ones. He’ll face a strong challenge against Miami’s top-10 defense. PACKERS: 23-21 Line: Chiefs minus 13 The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs keep finding ways to win barely. They’ve won 12 straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in NFL history, and have won five games decided on the final play this season. Patrick Mahomes is the difference-maker in many of the close ones. Kansas City could use a rout. The struggling Raiders provide an opportunity for a lopsided victory. Las Vegas has lost seven straight and lost quarterback Gardner Minshew last week. The team will turn to Aidan O’Connell back off injured reserve to start on Black Friday. The Chiefs are due for an easy one, but they’re 0-5 ATS in the past five games. CHIEFS: 27-16 Line: Chargers minus 2 The Chargers hit the road on a short week after losing the “Harbowl” at home to the Ravens. Their offense could be without running back J.K. Dobbins and the defense has allowed 57 points in the past two games after giving up just 13.6 per game the previous five. Meanwhile, the rested Falcons are coming off a bye and eager to snap a two-game losing streak to maintain their hold on first place in the NFC South. FALCONS: 23-22 Line: Bengals minus 3 The AFC North-leading Steelers are road underdogs following a road loss at Cleveland. Russell Wilson has been hitting his deep throws but needs better protection. A usually stingy defense that couldn’t make stops against Jameis Winston in the snow now has to contain Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The underachieving Bengals need to stack wins to have any shot at climbing back into the playoff race. Cincinnati is 1-3 ATS as a home favorite this season. BENGALS: 24-23 Line: Vikings minus 3 1/2 Stout defense and solid play by QB Sam Darnold has helped Minnesota become the surprise team in the NFL this season. Only the Lions and Chiefs have a better record. The Cardinals are in a four-way battle in the NFC West. A disappointing offensive performance led to their four-game winning streak being snapped. It won’t be easy for Kyler Murray and Co. to score against the Vikings. VIKINGS: 23-17 Line: Colts minus 2 1/2 It’s no longer Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning in this rivalry. Anthony Richardson and Drake Maye go head-to-head in a matchup between young QBs taken in the top five of the draft over the past two seasons. The Colts can’t get their offense and defense to play well in the same game. That could turn around against the lowly Patriots. COLTS: 20-16 Line: Seahawks minus 2 Geno Smith faces the team that drafted him after turning his career around on his fourth stop and going to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons. The Seahawks are fighting for the playoffs while the Jets have fallen apart. Their coach and GM already have been fired. Aaron Rodgers’ future is uncertain. Yet, the team still has plenty of talent. SEAHAWKS: 20-17 Line: Commanders minus 6 Jayden Daniels and the Commanders have hit a detour on their road to the playoffs, losing three straight games. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense has stalled during Washington’s recent skid. The Titans are coming off a big upset in Houston and Will Levis has asserted himself since returning from an injury a month ago. Tennessee has the No. 2 defense in the league so it’ll be tough for Daniels and the Commanders to get back on track in this one. COMMANDERS: 24-17 Line: Texans minus 4 1/2 C.J. Stroud and the Texans are having some issues this season. Not even close to Jacksonville’s troubles, though. The Jaguars could have Trevor Lawrence back after he missed two games. That won’t be enough. Houston has won 11 of the past 13 games vs. Jacksonville. The Texans are 2-6 ATS in their past eight games vs. AFC opponents. The Jaguars are 4-1 ATS in their past five games. TEXANS: 24-20 Line: Buccaneers minus 6 Panthers coach Dave Canales has the team playing better and Bryce Young is showing some of the potential that made him a No. 1 overall pick. Canales’ familiarity with Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s offense should help Carolina’s defense. The Buccaneers can’t afford a letdown as they try to make a push to get back in the playoff race. They’re getting key players healthy, their three-headed rushing attack has added balance to the offense and the defense needs to build off a solid performance last week. BUCCANEERS: 24-20 Line: Ravens minus 3 Both teams are coming off impressive wins in the same stadium in Los Angeles one night apart. The Ravens had shorter rest following the Monday night win. Barkley has been a sensational addition for the Eagles. Henry has made a major impact in Baltimore. Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson go head-to-head for the first time. The Ravens have won two in a row in the series. Philadelphia has the better defense and that could be the difference. EAGLES: 26-23 Line: Bills minus 7 The inconsistent 49ers need Brock Purdy, Trent Williams and Nick Bosa back from injuries. The defending NFC champions have lost two in a row, but they’re only one game back in their division. The rested Bills have won six in a row and are coming off a bye. Josh Allen in the MVP favorite and Buffalo can clinch another division title this weekend. BILLS: 26-23 Line: Broncos minus 5 1/2 Maybe Jameis Winston gets to play in the snow again. Winston has reinvigorated the Browns, though too late for it to matter this season. Rookie QB Bo Nix has helped turn the Broncos into a playoff contender with plenty of help from receiver Courtland Sutton and a strong defense. BRONCOS: 23-19 Last week: Straight up: 9-4. Against spread: 8-5. Overall: Straight up: 121-68. Against spread: 97-80-2. Prime-time: Straight up: 28-12. Against spread: 21-18-1. Best Bet: Straight up: 8-4. Against spread: 7-5. Upset Special: Straight up: 7-5. Against spread: 7-5. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl