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Gus Malzahn is leaving his post as UCF's head coach to reunite with Florida State coach Mike Norvell as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator, ESPN reported on Saturday. Norvell, who served as a graduate assistant under Malzahn at Tulsa in 2007-08, relinquished his role as FSU's primary playcaller amid a staff shakeup this season. Florida State, 1-7 in the Athletic Coast Conference this season, entered Saturday's season finale against Florida at 2-9 and ranked No. 131 in the nation in total offense. UCF also endured a tough 2024 season, going 4-8 after losing eight of its last nine games. During Malzahn's four-year tenure, the Knights went 28-24, including 5-13 in the Big 12 Conference the last two seasons. Malzahn, 59, is 105-62 in 13 seasons as a college head coach, highlighted by a 68-35 mark in eight seasons at Auburn -- which included a BCS title game appearance in 2013. He served as offensive coordinator and playcaller when the Tigers won the national title in 2010. Malzahn will be tasked with revitalizing a Florida State offense that helped produce a 13-1 campaign in 2023, when the Seminoles were denied a spot in the College Football Playoff. Over the last three seasons at UCF, his rushing attack has been in the Top 10 in the nation. In his 19 seasons as a college head coach or offensive coordinator, Malzahn's teams have averaged 447.7 yards per game, and three of his teams eclipsed 7,000 yards in a season. --Field Level MediaCHICAGO — In the days after the presidential election, Sadie Perez began carrying pepper spray with her around campus. Her mom also ordered her and her sister a self-defense kit that included keychain spikes, a hidden knife key and a personal alarm. It’s a response to an emboldened fringe of right-wing “manosphere” influencers who have seized on Republican Donald Trump ’s presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring “Your body, my choice” at women online and on college campuses. For many women, the words represent a worrying harbinger of what might lie ahead as some men perceive the election results as a rebuke of reproductive rights and women’s rights. “The fact that I feel like I have to carry around pepper spray like this is sad,” said Perez, a 19-year-old political science student in Wisconsin. “Women want and deserve to feel safe.” Isabelle Frances-Wright, director of technology and society at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank focusing on polarization and extremism, said she had seen a “very large uptick in a number of types of misogynistic rhetoric immediately after the election,” including some “extremely violent misogyny.” “I think many progressive women have been shocked by how quickly and aggressively this rhetoric has gained traction,” she said. The phrase “Your body, my choice” has been largely attributed to a post on the social platform X from Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust-denying white nationalist and far-right internet personality who dined at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida two years ago. In statements responding to criticism of that event, Trump said he had “never met and knew nothing about” Fuentes before he arrived. Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, said the phrase transforms the iconic abortion rights slogan into an attack on women’s right to autonomy and a personal threat. “The implication is that men should have control over or access to sex with women,” said Ziegler, a reproductive rights expert. Fuentes' post had 35 million views on X within 24 hours, according to a report by Frances-Wright's think tank, and the phrase spread rapidly to other social media platforms. Women on TikTok have reported seeing it inundate their comment sections. The slogan also has made its way offline with boys chanting it in middle schools or men directing it at women on college campuses, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue report and social media reports. One mother said her daughter heard the phrase on her college campus three times, the report said . School districts in Wisconsin and Minnesota have sent notices about the language to parents. T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase were pulled off Amazon. Perez said she has seen men respond to shared Snapchat stories for their college class with “Your body, my choice.” “It makes me feel disgusted and infringed upon,” she said. “... It feels like going backwards.” Misogynistic attacks have been part of the social media landscape for years. But Frances-Wright and others who track online extremism and disinformation said language glorifying violence against women or celebrating the possibility of their rights being stripped away has spiked since the election. Online declarations for women to “Get back in the kitchen” or to “Repeal the 19th,” a reference to the constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote, have spread rapidly. In the days surrounding the election, the extremism think tank found that the top 10 posts on X calling for repeal of the 19th Amendment received more than 4 million views collectively. A man holding a sign with the words “Women Are Property” sparked an outcry at Texas State University . The man was not a student, faculty or staff, and was escorted off campus, according to the university’s president . The university is “exploring potential legal responses,” he said. Anonymous rape threats have been left on the TikTok videos of women denouncing the election results. And on the far-flung reaches of the web, 4chan forums have called for “rape squads” and the adoption of policies in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian book and TV series depicting the dehumanization and brutalization of women. “What was scary here was how quickly this also manifested in offline threats,” Frances-Wright said, emphasizing that online discourse can have real-world impacts. Previous violent rhetoric on 4chan has been connected to racially motivated and antisemitic attacks, including a 2022 shooting by a white supremacist in Buffalo that killed 10 people . Anti-Asian hate incidents also rose as politicians, including Trump , used words such as “Chinese virus” to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. And Trump’s language targeting Muslims and immigrants in his first campaign correlated with spikes in hate speech and attacks on these groups, Frances-Wright said. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism reported similar rhetoric, with “numerous violent misogynistic trends” gaining traction on right-wing platforms such 4chan and spreading to more mainstream ones such as X since the election. Throughout the presidential race, Trump’s campaign leaned on conservative podcasts and tailored messaging toward disaffected young men . As Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention over the summer, the song “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown blared from the speakers. One of several factors to his success this election was modestly boosting his support among men , a shift concentrated among younger voters, according to AP VoteCast, survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. But Trump also won support from 44% of women age 18 to 44, according to AP VoteCast. To some men, Trump's return to the White House is seen as a vindication, gender and politics experts said. For many young women, the election felt like a referendum on women’s rights and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris ’ loss felt like a rejection of their own rights and autonomy. “For some of these men, Trump’s victory represents a chance to reclaim a place in society that they think they are losing around these traditional gender roles,” Frances-Wright said. None of the current online rhetoric is being amplified by Trump or anyone in his immediate orbit. But Trump has a long history of insulting women , and the spike in such language comes after he ran a campaign that was centered on masculinity and repeatedly attacked Harris over her race and gender . His allies and surrogates also used misogynistic language about Harris throughout the campaign. “With Trump’s victory, many of these men felt like they were heard, they were victorious. They feel that they have potentially a supporter in the White House,” said Dana Brown, executive director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics. Brown said some young men feel they’re victims of discrimination and have expressed mounting resentment for successes of the women’s rights movement, including #MeToo . The tension also has been influenced by socioeconomic struggles. As women become the majority on college campuses and many professional industries see increasing gender diversity, it has “led to young men scapegoating women and girls, falsely claiming it’s their fault they’re not getting into college anymore as opposed to looking inward,” Brown said. Perez, the political science student, said she and her sister have been leaning on each other, their mother and other women in their lives to feel safer amid the online vitriol. They text each other to make sure they got home safely. They have girls' nights to celebrate wins, including a female majority in student government at their campus in the University of Wisconsin system. “I want to encourage my friends and the women in my life to use their voices to call out this rhetoric and to not let fear take over,” she said.MADRID- In its November 25 editorial, The Washington Post questions the arrest warrants issued against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, describing them as measures that "undermine the credibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and strengthen accusations of hypocrisy and selective persecution." The article argues that the ICC is designed to intervene in countries that lack the means or mechanisms to investigate themselves, which, according to the newspaper, "is not the case with Israel." It maintains that, as a democracy, Israel has the necessary tools to internally process potential abuses. In this regard, the editorial states: “Israel must be held accountable for its military conduct in Gaza. After the long-awaited end of the conflict, there will surely be judicial, parliamentary, and military investigative commissions in Israel. Its dynamic and independent press will carry out its own investigations. Some Israeli reserve soldiers have already been arrested on charges of abuse against detained Palestinians, and further investigations are expected.” The International Criminal Court (ICC) was created as a pillar of the international criminal justice system, with the aim of ensuring impartiality in the selection of cases and ensuring that the most egregious violations of human rights do not go unpunished. However, by explicitly calling for Israel to be excluded from the jurisdiction of the ICC, The Washington Post essentially argues that the court should limit its focus to non-Western countries, regarded as chaotic, undemocratic, and lacking the strong institutions needed to “investigate themselves.” The Post’s stance, suggesting that the ICC should focus almost exclusively on poor and weak nations while sidelining others such as the United States or Israel, not only undermines the credibility of the institution but also reveals an agenda rooted in a liberal worldview. From this perspective, Western nations would be the only ones capable of fully accessing the benefits of democracy and, should any correction be necessary, they would have the democratic tools to self-correct without the need for external interventions. Meanwhile, the rest of the world would remain subject to international scrutiny under the presumption of institutional incapacity. In this context, the constant pressures from the United States, under President Joe Biden, to prevent the ICC from prosecuting Israeli political leaders for war crimes committed in Gaza, confirm that the supposed Western universalism of human rights and the application of international law has always been nothing more than an ideological tool. This stance reinforces the illusion that, in the division between the West and the rest of the world, it is the former that possesses inherent values that allow it to be democratic by nature. This approach not only perpetuates a hierarchical view among nations but also undermines the legitimacy of the universal principles that international justice claims to uphold. To date, most of the charges issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been directed at individuals who are Black and/or Arab-African. This pattern reflects a clearly racialized, inappropriate, and deeply political process. As a "selective political tool," the ICC faces serious doubts about its ability to withstand the test of time. If the recommendation of The Washington Post’s editorial is followed, crimes committed in other parts of the world, particularly in the West, would remain hidden and beyond the Court’s jurisdiction. As Professor Mahmood Mamdani argues, this would mean allowing the ICC to continue enforcing an international criminal legal order that perpetuates power and wealth asymmetries. Meanwhile, international law expert Costas Douzinas contends that, in the hands of Western governments, human rights have lost their true purpose, becoming the latest version of the "civilizing mission." This is precisely what The Washington Post editorial calls for without any reservation: to apply international law in places inhabited by the "barbarians," while, in the domains of democracy, international law would have no jurisdiction. In other words, if all human beings and nations have equal rights, then the kind of unequal system that the West has always desired cannot be maintained.jackpot casino slot 。

By Patricia Zengerle (Reuters) -The United States will send Ukraine $725 million of missiles, ammunition, anti-personnel mines and other weapons, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, as President Joe Biden's outgoing administration seeks to bolster Kyiv in its war with Russian invaders before leaving office in January. The assistance will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), drones and land mines, among other items, Blinken said in a statement. Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration planned to provide the equipment, much of it anti-tank weapons, to ward off Russia's attacking forces. Moscow's troops have been capturing village after village in Ukraine's east, part of a drive to seize the industrial Donbas region, while Russian airstrikes target a hobbled Ukrainian energy grid as winter sets in. "The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression," Blinken's statement said. The announcement marks a steep uptick in size from Biden's recent use of so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the U.S. to draw from current weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency. Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125 million to $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion in PDA already authorized by Congress that he is expected to use for Ukraine before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. WAITING FOR TRUMP Trump is widely expected to change U.S. strategy on Ukraine, after he criticized the scale of Biden's support for Kyiv and made quickly winding down the war a central campaign promise. Last week, he picked Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war, to serve as special envoy for the conflict. Kellogg's plan for ending the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory, involves freezing the battle lines at their prevailing locations and forcing both Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June. The tranche of weapons represents the first time in decades that the United States has exported land mines, the use of which is controversial because of the potential harm to civilians. Although more than 160 countries have signed a treaty banning their use, Kyiv has been asking for them since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022, and Russian forces have used them on the front lines. The land mines that would be sent to Ukraine are "non-persistent," with a power system that lasts for just a short time, leaving the devices non-lethal. This means that - unlike older landmines - they would not threaten civilians indefinitely. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Rami Ayyub; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen Coates) Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Vance is taking on an atypical role as Senate guide for Trump nominees The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump’s first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president’s transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can’t get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he’s kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Mar-a-Lago scene is a far cry from Vance’s hardscrabble upbringing Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It’s a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy.” His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a U.S. Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates’ pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray , as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he’d missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time “with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.” “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that’s just me.” Vance is making his voice heard as Trump stocks his Cabinet While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence , a powerful position that sits atop the nation’s spy agencies and acts as the president’s top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services , a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump’s “border czar.” In another sign of Vance’s influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump’s legislative affairs director. Allies say it’s too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son’s Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump’s most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president’s nominees usually visit individual senators’ offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance will draw on his Senate background going forward Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump’s first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I’ve ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They’ll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. ′′He doesn’t have the long relationships,” he said. “But we all like people that have done what we’ve done. I mean, that’s sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he’s not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. ___ Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.Sudan's war is 'deepening and widening' a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says

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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and top backup Jordan Mason are being placed on injured reserve. McCaffrey left the snowy field in Buffalo on Sunday night after a 5-yard gain that was preceded by him heading to the sideline in apparent pain at the end of an 18-yard run. McCaffrey was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and did not play in the second half. The 49ers also lost Jordan Mason, who emerged in a starting role with McCaffrey out the first two months of the season, to an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Mason has a high-ankle sprain, which typically requires a recovery window of 4-6 weeks. Those moves push rookie Isaac Guerendo into the RB1 spot. He scored the team's only touchdown at Buffalo. The IR slots in San Francisco are manned by multiple starters, including wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Mason had a team-leading 789 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Being placed on IR means he's not eligible to play until the regular-season finale at Arizona. McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries on Sunday night and caught two passes for 14 yards before exiting. He was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. McCaffrey hasn't scored a touchdown in his four appearances this season. He has rushed for 202 yards on 50 carries and caught 15 passes for 146 yards. "It was frustrating," Shanahan said after the game. "He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. ... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him." The 49ers (5-7) played without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) in the 35-10 loss. San Francisco has lost three in a row heading into next Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco resides two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (7-5) with five games remaining on the schedule. Seattle and San Francisco split their season series. --Field Level Media

Margot Robbie thought she’d go to jail for slapping co-starOrioles to non-tender reliever Jacob Webb; decisions loom ahead of deadlineFrom Health-Empowering Practices to More Eco-Smart Products, Explore the Top Trends Shaping Wellness, Beauty, Home Essentials, and Cooking for the Year Ahead LAKEWOOD, Colo. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers®, America's Nutrition Education Experts SM and the nation's largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer, has unveiled its highly anticipated Top Trends for 2025 . Now in its ninth year, the list highlights expert predictions on the emerging products and practices set to shape the year across four key categories: Health and Wellness , Body Care and Beauty , Food and Beverage , and those that are Ecologically Thoughtful . For the 2025 predictions, Natural Grocers' expert Nutrition Education team—including Registered Dietitians and Certified Natural Foods Chefs—joined forces with its purchasing, marketing, and analytics teams. This dynamic collaboration combined deep research, consumer insights, and trend analysis to craft a forecast that's as informed as it is exciting. "At Natural Grocers , we're always eager to see how evolving trends inspire healthier, more sustainable lifestyles," stated Raquel Isely , vice president of Marketing at Natural Grocers. "Each year we sift through evolving shopping habits and cutting-edge research to pinpoint the trends that will shape the way we live, eat, and care for ourselves in the year to come. "For 2025, we're seeing a focus on simple, yet thoughtful choices that prioritize wellness and the planet—like making blood sugar-friendly habits part of everyday life, exploring ocean-inspired body care, and embracing high-quality, globally-inspired proteins. These trends aren't just exciting—they're impactful, and some can make fabulous, practical holiday gifts! Whether it's a functional, natural skincare product geared towards men, a regenerative agriculture-friendly treat, or a product that helps kick forever chemicals out of the home, there's something meaningful for everyone on your list this season." NATURAL GROCERS' TOP TRENDS FOR 2025 Natural Grocers' Top Trends for 2025 are organized into four key categories: Health & Wellness , Body Care & Beauty , Food & Beverage , and Ecologically Thoughtful , encompassing a total of twelve trends. The expert team has included its "Try This Trend" feature, offering ideas and products for those eager to dive in and explore. For the third consecutive year, the company has also introduced a Bonus Trend—a unique highlight that connects and complements the entire lineup. The full list of trends is outlined below, with each category linked to detailed insights, product recommendations, and supporting research on the company's website. HEALTH & WELLNESS TRENDS BODY CARE & BEAUTY TRENDS FOOD & BEVERAGE TRENDS ECOLOGICALLY THOUGHTFUL TRENDS *BONUS TREND* Cultivating Biodiversity Becomes a Priority Natural Grocers will highlight these trends online and across their social media platforms throughout December. They will also be featured in the January edition of Natural Grocers' good4u Health Hotline® magazine, available in both online and print formats. ABOUT NATURAL GROCERS BY VITAMIN COTTAGE Founded in 1955, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) is an expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The products sold by Natural Grocers must meet strict quality guidelines and may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. The Company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. Natural Grocers' flexible smaller-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly, clean, and convenient retail environment. The Company also provides extensive free science-based Nutrition Education programs to help customers and Crew make informed health and nutrition choices. Natural Grocers is committed to its 5 Founding Principles —including its "Commitment to Community" and "Commitment to Crew". In fiscal year 2024, the Company invested more than $15 million in incremental compensation and discretionary payments for Crew. Headquartered in the Union Square neighborhood of Lakewood, CO, Natural Grocers has 168 stores in 21 states. Visit www.naturalgrocers.com for more information and store locations. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natural-grocers-unveils-2025s-must-know-trends-302320141.html SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.

The iconic life simulation game, The Sims , is undergoing a revolutionary change that promises to redefine virtual storytelling. As EA Maxis explores the integration of cutting-edge AI technology, the game might soon allow its characters to develop unique personalities and relationships based on unscripted interactions, offering players a more immersive and unpredictable gameplay experience. Unpredictable Personalities Traditionally, The Sims has allowed players to control their Sims’ actions and destiny within pre-set boundaries. Now, with the potential inclusion of advanced machine learning algorithms, Sims could autonomously develop traits and behaviors based on real-time interactions, access to broader datasets, and even learning from the player’s previous decisions. This innovation would mark a significant leap from static character arcs to dynamic personality modeling. Social Evolution in Virtual Worlds The proposed AI advancements could revolutionize social interactions within the game. Imagine a Sim who unexpectedly develops an introverted trait due to past experiences, or two Sims who become friends because their virtual personalities genuinely align. This unpredictable social evolution could provide players with a fresh layer of complexity and surprise, making every new game a unique narrative. The Future of Gaming Experiences The incorporation of AI technology into The Sims isn’t just about character development; it hints at the broader future of gaming experiences. As game environments become more intelligent and capable of adapting to player behavior, they could evolve into spaces that offer not just entertainment, but genuine personal growth and exploration—a teasing glimpse into the future of gaming. The Sims: Unveiling the Future of AI-Driven Gameplay Overview: The Next Phase for The Sims As EA Maxis embarks on a journey to revolutionize its iconic life simulation game, The Sims , the integration of AI is set to redefine virtual storytelling. This innovation promises a new era where the game’s characters could develop distinct personalities and relationships through unscripted interactions, offering players an unprecedented level of immersion and surprise. Exploring AI-Driven Personalities The hallmark of The Sims has always been player control over their characters’ lives. However, with cutting-edge machine learning algorithms on the horizon, Sims may soon evolve autonomously. This means that characters could develop traits and behaviors based on real-time interactions, drawing from vast datasets and the player’s historical gameplay decisions. This dynamic personality modeling would transform the game from its traditional, static narratives to a more dynamic and realistic simulation. Social Dynamics: A New Layer of Complexity One of the most exciting potential shifts is the transformation of social interactions within the game. Sims might start developing unexpected traits, such as introversion from past negative social encounters. Additionally, relationships could form authentically based on actual personality alignment. This would not only inject complexity into gameplay but ensure that each player’s narrative is unique, adding a layer of personal investment and surprise. Predictions: The Future of Gaming and AI The implications of AI integration extend beyond character development, hinting at the broader evolution of gaming. By making game environments more intelligent and responsive to player behavior, gaming could become a platform for personal growth and exploration. The potential of these intelligent systems teases a future where interactive media becomes as much about enriching personal narratives as it is about entertainment. Market Analysis and Trends In terms of market trends, incorporating AI in gaming aligns with the broader industry move towards more personalized and adaptive gaming experiences. As players increasingly seek games that offer rich narratives and authenticity, games like The Sims that leverage AI could see significant growth in popularity and user engagement. Innovations and Compatibility One of the major areas of innovation is expected to be compatibility enhancements, allowing seamless integration across various devices and platforms. This could significantly broaden the game’s appeal, accommodating diverse player preferences and technological ecosystems. Conclusion: A New Era Awaits As The Sims explores these AI advancements, it sets a precedent for the future of gaming. By offering richly detailed, intelligent gameplay experiences, it could redefine player expectations and inspire a wave of innovation across the gaming industry. For more information, you can visit the official Electronic Arts website.

Rev. Fr. Vincent Byansi, the inaugural Director of Caritas Kasanaensis, the social development arm of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luwero, has passed away. The news was announced by Kizito Katureebe, the Financial Administrator of the Kasana-Luwero Diocese. According to Katureebe, Fr. Byansi, who created some controversy in later years, died at Bishop Asili Memorial Hospital in Kasana, Luwero Town Council. “Byansi Vincent, the first director of Caritas Kasanaensis, has passed on. His body is still at Bishop Asili-Kasana. May he Rest in Peace,” Katureebe posted at 11:21 PM in the WhatsApp group for the parishioners of Kasana Cathedral. Rev. Fr. Denis Ssebugwaawo, the Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator for Kasana-Luwero, confirmed the news to Uganda Radio Network (URN). In a brief phone interview, Fr. Ssebugwaawo expressed his sorrow over Fr. Byansi’s passing and indicated that a meeting for stakeholders is being scheduled to address this development. He assured URN that further details would be provided after the meeting. Fr. Byansi served as the Director of Caritas under the late Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, the founding Bishop of the Kasana-Luwero Diocese. He was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Hilary Muheezangango during the administration of Rt. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere, the second bishop of the diocese, who is currently the Archbishop of Kampala. Fr. Muheezangango was later succeeded by Fr. Jude Masembe as the Director of Caritas under the present administration of Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, the third bishop of Kasana-Luwero Diocese. In July 2016, Archbishop Lwanga suspended Fr. Jacinto Kibuuka. Fr. Vincent Byansi, then the Director of Caritas Kampala, publicly disagreed with Lwanga regarding the suspension of his colleague, Fr. Kibuuka. Following the suspension, Fr. Kibuuka announced his departure from the Catholic Church, which the bishops interpreted as a form of self-excommunication. URN reported in November 10, 2016, that the Catholic Bishops of Uganda issued a joint statement confirming the excommunication of Fr. Kibuuka, who subsequently established the Mamre International Prayer Center after joining the Canada-based Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC). The statement from the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) came nearly two weeks after Fr. Kibuuka, who had been suspended in July, ordained priests at Namagogo in Mubende town. “We, the Catholic Bishops of Uganda, have learned with dismay that on October 29, 2016, two self-styled ‘bishops’ conducted a purported priestly ordination on the grounds of a school belonging to Mr. Sylivester Rwaka at Namagogo in Mubende town,” part of the statement read, signed by then-Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu Archdiocese, the Episcopal Chairman. The statement noted that among those present at the ordination were Fr. Kibuuka, Fr. Deogratias Ssonko, and the late Fr. Vincent Kisenyi Byansi. **** URNElway: Remorse over passing on Allen mitigated by play of Nix

Rays push back on county ultimatum: Stadium agreement ‘in effect’

PARIS (AP) — Striker Arnaud Kalimuendo scored a hat trick and Rennes got back to winning ways in Ligue 1 by thrashing 10-man Saint-Etienne 5-0 on Saturday. Meanwhile, leader Paris Saint-Germian dropped points at home when it drew with Nantes 1-1. Rennes coach Jorge Sampaoli's first win with his new team came in his second match in charge after he took over this month. Rennes had failed to score in more than a month and lost its three previous matches. The result lifted the host one point above Saint-Etienne. Visiting Saint-Etienne made things difficult for itself when Mathieu Cafaro, who hit the post earlier, was sent off for a handball in the box in the 37th minute. Kalimuendo put Rennes in the driving seat from the penalty spot two minutes later, and they returned to the locker room with a two-goal lead after Ludovic Blas, who was excellent throughout, found the net in added time. Kalimuendo added another goal with a nice finish and converted a second penalty to seal his first Ligue 1 hat trick. Amine Gouiri also scored. “We’re not going to say that everything clicked; we’re not going to get carried away. But it’s true that it feels good to win, to score a lot of goals, and to keep a clean sheet," Gouiri said. “However, we were helped by that red card. We need to enjoy this but not get ahead of ourselves. We have to build on the positives to keep going. It’s good for confidence." The fiery Sampaoli returned to French soccer following a previous stint with Marseille . Sampaoli was in charge of Argentina at the 2018 World Cup. He has also coached clubs in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Spain and Brazil. Sampaoli abruptly left Marseille in July 2022 after leading the team back to the Champions League, over a disagreement related to the club’s transfers of players. PSG could not hold onto an early lead against Nantes at Parc des Princes. Achraf Hakimi put PSG in front early but the hosts were wasteful against a very defensive Nantes that leveled against the run of the play before the interval. Matthis Abline beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a left-footed shot after dribbling past Willian Pacho. Donnarumma, who was dropped midweek during a 1-0 Champions League loss at Bayern Munich, made a reflex save near the hour mark to salvage the draw. Uninspired, Luis Enrique’s team remained unbeaten in the league, extending its lead over second-placed Monaco to seven points. The Principality side travels to third-placed Marseille on Sunday. Nantes remained 16th, the relegation playoff position. The Brittany side recovered from a 3-0 loss at Barcelona in the Champions League midweek by beating Strasbourg 3-1. The result snapped a three-match losing run in Ligue 1, and moved Brest to 10th place. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!After a thrilling double-overtime win over Fresno State, California Baptist makes the nearly 2,500-mile trip to Orlando to face Central Florida on Sunday. The Lancers (5-3) capped their time at the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Springs, Calif., with an 86-81 victory over the Bulldogs on Wednesday. That followed a last-second, 79-77 loss to SMU the day before. Dominique Daniels Jr. played 45 minutes against Fresno State and led California Baptist with 29 points. He paces the Lancers with 20.3 points per game, while Kendal Coleman averages 15.1 points and is shooting 59.7 percent form the floor. However, coach Rick Croy's team has struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 30.7 percent entering its first true road game this season. UCF (5-2) is coming off of an 84-76 win over Milwaukee last Wednesday despite being outrebounded 41-31. The Knights were helped by the heroics of senior guard Darius Johnson, who had 28 points as he shot a career-best 8-for-10 from beyond the arc. "Darius was terrific," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. "He's so comfortable in his leadership role now, he's leading our team and running the show, and our new players are becoming more comfortable playing with him. He's been a rock for us this season, and you love to see it out of a senior point guard." "I had an extraordinary night shooting the ball from three," Johnson said. "I rarely think that would happen again, but it's great. I know my teammates are going to have nights like that as well." Johnson is among the nation's leaders in minutes per game (36.6) and is shooting a team-high 50 percent from 3-point range (23 of 46). He, along with his fellow guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, are each averaging 16.9 points to lead UCF. The Knights opened the season with an impressive win over Texas A&M, now No. 20 in the AP poll, but lost both games at last weekend's Greenbrier Tip-Off, including a triple-overtime defeat against LSU on Sunday. UCF has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2018-19. This will be the first meeting between the Knights and the Lancers, who will each have time off afterwards. UCF won't play until Dec. 8 against Tarleton State, while California Baptist is idle until its Dec. 11 game at San Diego State. --Field Level Media

Starbucks baristas' 'strike before Christmas' has reached hundreds of US stores, including in LASaturday, December 28, 2024 Facebook Instagram Twitter WhatsApp Youtube Personal Finance Education Entertainment Jobs Alert Sports Hindi Technology Complaint Redressal. Fact-Checking Policy Correction policy Authors and Team DNPA Code of Ethics Onwership and Funding Cookie Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Contact US About Us More Search Home Personal Finance Credit Card Charge: Banks can charge more than 30% interest on credit... Personal Finance Credit Card Charge: Banks can charge more than 30% interest on credit card dues, know the reasons By Shyamu Maurya December 28, 2024 0 6 Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Credit Card Charge: Banks can charge more than 30% interest on credit card dues, know the reasons Credit Card Charge: The Supreme Court has overruled a 16-year-old decision of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). After this, banks can charge more than 30 percent interest on credit card dues from customers. Credit Card Charge: The Supreme Court has rejected a 16-year-old decision of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). After this, banks can charge more than 30 percent interest on credit card dues from customers. NCDRC had said in its decision that charging excessive interest rate from customers on credit card dues is unfair trade practice. This decision has come on the appeals filed by Citibank, American Express, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank against the order of NDCRC dated July 7, 2008. The Commission had said that interest rates ranging from 36 per cent to 49 per cent per annum on credit card dues are very high and are like exploitation of borrowers. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said that this comment of NCDRC is ‘illegal’ and is an interference in the clear, unambiguous delegation of powers of the Reserve Bank of India. The court said that the decision of the Commission not to charge interest rate more than 30 percent is contrary to the legislative objective of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. In its December 20 verdict, the apex court said that the banks had not made any misrepresentation to deceive the credit card holders and the pre-conditions of ‘deceptive conduct’ and unfair practices were absent. The court said that the NCDRC has no right to re-fix the terms of the contract made between the banks and the credit card holders which were mutually agreed upon by both the parties. The bench said, “We agree with the arguments of the Reserve Bank of India that in the facts and circumstances of the present case, the question of directing the RBI to take action against any bank does not arise.” Along with this, the court said that contrary to the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act and the circulars/directives issued under it, the question of directing the Reserve Bank to impose a limit on the interest rate on the entire banking sector or any one bank does not arise. The apex court said that the National Consumer Commission has full authority to cancel unfair contracts imposed unilaterally or having unfair and unreasonable conditions. But the rate of interest charged by the banks is determined by financial prudence and RBI instructions. Tags Credit Card Charge Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Previous article Electricity Smart Meter: Electricity theft revealed through remote, fine of Rs 53 lakh imposed Shyamu Maurya Shyamu has done Degree in Fine Arts and has knowledge about bollywood industry. He started writing in 2018. Since then he has been associated with Informalnewz. 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Georgia has a chance to post its best start to a season in 94 years ahead of its home meeting with South Carolina State in Athens, Ga., on Sunday. Georgia (11-1) hasn't appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 10 seasons and hasn't won a tournament game since 2002, but the Bulldogs seem primed to make a return. The Bulldogs have won six straight games and a seventh would mark their best start since beginning 13-0 in the 1930-31 campaign. Georgia hasn't played since a Dec. 22 home win over Charleston Southern. Head coach Mike White knows the intensity of the schedule will soon increase as Southeastern Conference play revs up, but that's not to say his team will overlook its next opponent. "We've had a much-needed break, both mentally and physically," White said. "Our guys need to get away from it a little bit, miss it, then come back rejuvenated for one more tune up for the grind of the SEC -- the best league in the country. But we'll be prepared for South Carolina State. They're dangerous, they play really hard, they've been really competitive. They're another good team." Adding to Georgia's success has been the play of De'Shayne Montgomery. After being academically ineligible for the first 10 games of the season, the Mount St. Mary's transfer has averaged 19 points per game in two contests. Asa Newell follows with 15.8 points in 12 games, while fellow Mount St. Mary's transfer Dakota Leffew chips in 12.9. South Carolina State (6-8) will play its fourth road game of a six-game stretch away from home. The other Bulldogs prepare for their final regular season meeting with a power conference team following losses at South Carolina Upstate and Xavier. South Carolina State faces Morgan State on Jan. 4 to start Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. Led by third-year head coach Erik Martin, the team boasts a rare roster figure in today's college basketball landscape. "We brought back 90 percent of our returnable student athletes this year," Martin said. "I can pretty much guarantee I'm the only person in America that did that." Sophomore Drayton Jones leads the team with 13 points per game, followed by Omar Croskey's 9.4. Georgia is 2-0 all-time against South Carolina State, last earning a 76-60 win in Nov. 2021. --Field Level MediaB.C. Premier David Eby is promising to seek new export opportunities for the province after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on all Mexican and Canadian goods. British Columbia exports billions of dollars’ worth of commodities and products – coal and lumber, plastics and machinery – every month, with just over half bound for the United States. It could be worse. Canada as a whole sends three-quarters of its exports to the U.S. B.C. has less exposure to that single market thanks to a long-running policy, embraced by political parties of every stripe, of maintaining a diversified trade portfolio. “We’re going to continue to do our work to expand those trading opportunities,” Mr. Eby told reporters Wednesday. In the 1980s, B.C.’s political leaders set their economic sights on Asia, opening trade offices in Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan with the intent of reducing the province’s dependence on its dominant customer to the south. The province has bankrolled countless trade missions and now maintains 19 overseas trade offices. Yet the U.S. has consistently remained its most important trading partner over the past four decades. At best, the diversification strategy has dampened the siren call of the behemoth at its doorstep. “Canada is so privileged to be next door to this giant economic engine of the United States,” noted former B.C. premier Glen Clark in an interview. “We understand the laws there, we understand the language, we understand the people, and it’s very close, so it’s a natural.” But too much dependence on a single market – no matter how big, no matter how easy – comes with risk. Mr. Trump’s tariff threat should be a catalyst for a fresh commitment to cultivate new markets, said Mr. Clark, who led 13 trade missions to China alone during his term as premier, from 1996 to 1999. “Reviving that trade policy, only with different focus on parts of the world, makes a lot of sense as we move forward in this kind of dangerous time.” In 1987, Mike Harcourt, then the NDP opposition leader, stood up in the legislature and endorsed the Social Credit government’s early trade missions. Even as some Socred backbenchers dismissed the trips as “boondoggles,” Mr. Harcourt pressed for a more aggressive strategy. “We support those initiatives, but we’re not bold enough,” he said, insisting that the province needed to establish outposts in China and India. At the time, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute was demonstrating the ability of the U.S. to cripple the province’s forest sector. That conflict continues today – a textbook example for Canada of how U.S. protectionism can supersede good trade relations. British Columbia’s position as a trade gateway for Pacific Rim countries was already a reality before politicians tried to help. The year Mr. Harcourt was calling for trade offices in China, just 46 per cent of the province’s exports went to the United States. When he became Premier in 1991, Mr. Harcourt took the opportunity to pursue new markets aggressively. “I started talking about Vancouver being, not the last stop of the CPR railway, but the front door to Asia for Canada,” he said in an interview. But today he believes the province’s trade strategy needs an urgent update to prepare for 2025, when Mr. Trump returns to office. B.C.’s Trade Diversification Strategy was updated in 2023, but much has changed since. The value of softwood lumber exports has stagnated and is now rivalled by sales of machinery and equipment. Meanwhile, energy exports – especially coal – are climbing in value. Mr. Trump’s tariff threats aside, global trade relations are also more complex, particularly with China and India. The two countries are host to almost half of B.C.’s international trade offices outside the U.S. David Emerson helped steer Canada toward trade diversification. As deputy finance minister under then-Premier Bill Bennett and deputy minister to Premier Bill Vander Zalm, he crafted B.C.’s Asian Pacific trade strategy and later introduced the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative as the federal Minister of International Trade. He also was the minister who negotiated the one and only settlement on softwood lumber, in 2006. That agreement expired in 2015. Mr. Emerson says this is not a good time for British Columbia – and Canada – to face a strong protectionist leader in the U.S., because the alternatives are limited. “I do believe we need to grow market penetration in markets other than the U.S., but the greatest potential is in markets where we now have terrible relations,” he said. “Today, relations with China and India are a mess, and the great trade diversification strategy has run into serious trouble.” China is B.C.’s second-largest export destination – one that is growing in value. But Canada and China are in the midst of a trade spat. In August, Ottawa announced a 100-per-cent import tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25-per-cent tariff on steel and aluminum products from China, after the U.S. and the European Union introduced similar measures. The following month, Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of rapeseed from Canada. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has signalled he is prepared to reignite trade tensions between the U.S. and China, which could put other trading partners in the crossfire. Canada’s relations with India soured after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year that there were credible allegations the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Canada has since alleged that India’s Home Affairs Minister, Amit Shah, ordered the targeting of Sikh activists in Canada. Both countries have now expelled each other’s top diplomatic officials. Mr. Trump’s rationale for slapping tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports is to punish both countries for lax border security, allowing illegal migrants and illicit drugs to slip through into the U.S. On Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau met with the premiers to strategize and emerged with a promise to strengthen border security by pumping more money into the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP. Mr. Eby, who advocated for that investment as an answer to Mr. Trump’s complaints, said Canada should put up a united front to take on the U.S. trade threat. But in the meantime, he said, he’ll renew his government’s commitment to diversification. “This was definitely the right direction, obviously, in hindsight, and we do have to redouble those efforts, given the instability south of the border.” The decades of previous efforts have shown, however, that changing those trade patterns will be exceptionally difficult.

* Brazil to seek corporate income tax adjustment in 2025 * Analysts boost Mexico GDP forecast, c.bank survey shows * MSCI Latam FX index down 1.2%, stocks down 1% (Updates with afternoon trading) By Pranav Kashyap and Johann M Cherian Dec 2 (Reuters) - Most Latin American currencies started the last month of the year on a dour note on Monday, with the Brazilian real continuing its downward trajectory following a fiscal package that failed to satisfy market expectations. The Brazilian real fell 1.6% to 6.06 against the U.S. dollar, hovering near record lows it reached on Friday. The local benchmark equities index also lost 0.1%. The currency experienced its steepest weekly decline in nearly five months on Friday as the anticipated fiscal package announced last week, which included a tax exemption, disappointed investors and triggered a sell-off in Brazil's public markets. On the day, the country's deputy finance minister said the government has committed to adjusting corporate income tax as part of broader reform discussions, adding that a debate on the matter would likely happen in 2025. Expectations of fiscal instability in the country has weighed on the real despite the local central bank hiking interest rates. "For now, the (central bank) will continue with its tightening cycle in the next few months and continue to support the BRL in the face of worries about fiscal policy," strategists led by Thierry Wizman at Macquarie said. "But rate hikes are likely to be partly reactive to a higher USD/BRL nonetheless, and their effectiveness will be a far cry from being enough to reverse the BRL depreciation that's taken place since April." Brazil's incoming central bank chief, Gabriel Galipolo, noted that the current economic scenario suggests "higher interest rates for longer," and emphasized that exchange rate policy would continue to focus on intervening only during times of dysfunction. More broadly, MSCI's index for Latin American currencies dropped 1.2%, while the stocks index was down 1% on the day. Further dampening sentiment, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump demanded that BRICS nations, including Brazil, commit to not creating or supporting a currency to replace the dollar, threatening 100% tariffs as a consequence. The Mexican peso came off session lows and was last down at 20.39 to the greenback. Mexico's economic calendar is relatively light this week, with only addresses from the finance minister and central bank head scheduled for Thursday. The local equities index rose 1.3% and touched a one-week high. A survey showed private sector analysts raised their expectations for economic growth in the region's second largest economy to 1.53% this year, up 13 basis points from their prior forecast a month earlier. Currencies of copper exporters Chile and Peru weakened 0.5% and 0.1% respectively as prices of the red metal slipped. Separately, data out of Chile showed economic activity in the world's largest copper producer rose 2.3% year-over-year in October, slightly below the expectations for 2.5%. Among other bourses in the region, Argentina's Merval index rose 1.6%, while Chilean stocks added 0.9%. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies: Latin American market prices from Reuters MSCI Emerging Markets 1086.5 0.74 MSCI LatAm 1978.28 -1.02 Brazil Bovespa 125572.87 -0.08 Mexico IPC 50441.37 1.26 Chile IPSA 6639.86 0.96 Argentina Merval 2295431.5 1.644 1 Colombia COLCAP 1394.1 0.14 Brazil real 6.069 -1.61 Mexico peso 20.396 -0.17 Chile peso 977.93 -0.49 Colombia peso 4457.5 -0.56 Peru sol 3.7425 -0.12 Argentina peso (interbank) 1011 0.00 Argentina peso (parallel) 1080 3.57 (Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alistair Bell)Emma Hayes labels national anthem debate 'ridiculous' after USA held to England drawZebra Technologies Q3: Broad Demand Recovery

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Alan Kyerematen Promises GH₵400 Million Traders’ Bank and Economic Boost for Western RegionLove Island's Chyna Mills has shared her unusual abode with her young daughter and professional dancer fiancé Neil Jones. The trio are currently living on a boat as their house hunting plans have hit a snag. The 26 year old ITV reality star and Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil, 42, have been an item since August 2022. They welcomed their little girl, Havana, in October 2023. Earlier this year, Chyna decided to put her house up for sale with the aim of finding a new home for her, Neil and their baby. However, the reality star has now disclosed that they're still in a state of uncertainty as their dream home search has been thwarted by a challenging housing market. Read more Kyle Walker's 'snub' to kids he shares with Lauryn Goodman at Christmas Chyna revealed this during a Q&A session with her followers on social media over the weekend. When a fan asked: "Why did you sell your house and move onto the boat?" Chyna responded via her Instagram Stories: "I sold my house so me and Neil could buy something together. "Neil bought his boat before we got together and no it's conveniently there for us to stay on while in limbo (annoyingly). We just haven't yet found a house we like yet and I also didn't want to be in a chain because the process of buying a house is hell. So hopefully we find something soon." She explained: "The plan was never to live on the boat. It was just supposed to be a holiday home and Airbnb for when we aren't using it." The curiosity about their nautical abode continued as another follower inquired: "Does your boat stay in one place or do you travel around? " Chyna disclosed: "We are moored at the moment but in the summer we'll cruise around. And when we find a house it will essentially be a little holiday home." Earlier in the week, Neil had posted heartfelt pictures with his fiancée and their daughter, celebrating the festive period. Sharing images that captured tender moments between him and Chyna, as well as delightful snaps of their daughter, Neil wrote: "The BEST Christmas . Thank you all for the wonderful Christmas messages we are soaking up the festivities and celebrating with the family! Lots of smiles and creating wholesome memories."