Philadelphia (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (5-5) Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock BetMGM NFL odds: Eagles by 3. Against the spread: Eagles 6-4; Rams 4-6. Series record: Eagles lead 23-20-1. Last meeting: Eagles beat Rams 23-14 in Inglewood, Calif. on Oct. 8, 2023. Last week: Eagles beat Washington 26-18; Rams beat New England 28-22. Eagles offense: overall (5), rush (1), pass (22), scoring (7). Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (2), scoring (6). Rams offense: overall (17), rush (26), pass (T-7), scoring (21). Rams defense: overall (23), rush (18), pass (22), scoring (22). Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Rams plus-4. RB Saquon Barkley. Barkley combined for 198 scrimmage yards and two scores, rushing 26 times for 146 yards (5.6 average) while adding two receptions for 52 yards against Washington. With 1,137 rushing yards through 10 games, Barkley only trails Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the NFL lead. He had his sixth 100-plus yard rushing game this season, which is the most in the NFL. S Kam Kinchens. The rookie third-round pick from Miami had eight tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a forced fumble against the Patriots as he continues to come on strong. Kinchens has three picks in the past three games. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. Rams’ defensive line. Hurts shredded Los Angeles for 303 yards passing and 72 yards rushing last season despite the presence of superstar DT Aaron Donald. After Donald retired, the Rams turned to a committee approach to get after the passer, and it has worked with rookie OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske fitting in well next to second-year OLB Byron Young and DT Kobie Turner. But they can only unleash their excellent pass rush skills by limiting Philadelphia on early downs. Hurts has been at his dual-threat best over the past five games, accounting for 15 total touchdowns (six passing, nine rushing) against two turnovers. Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff had surgery on his left wrist on Thursday, a move that could allow him to return toward the end of the season. ... WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and DT Milton Williams (foot) each missed practice this week. ... Rams RT Rob Havenstein (ankle) looks to be trending toward a return this week. Havenstein sat out the previous two games because of the ailment. The Eagles have won all three games in Los Angeles since the Rams moved back in 2016. ... Overall, Philadelphia has won seven of the past eight. The only setback came in Week 2 of the 2020 pandemic season. Barkley has passed 100-plus scrimmage yards in eight of 10 games. That is tied with LeSean McCoy (2011) and Brian Westbrook (2007) for the most by an Eagle through 10 games. His 198 yards were his second most as an Eagle (199 in Week 9). ... The Eagles have allowed two passing touchdowns during their winning streak. Only one opponent has topped 200 passing yards against them in this stretch, with Cincinnati throwing for 222 in Week 8. ... Hurts leads all NFL quarterbacks with 11 touchdown runs and is second only to Henry's 13 scores for the Ravens. ... WR A.J. Brown leads the league in receptions of 30 yards or longer. He is averaging 18.7 yards per catch, the best mark of any player with at least 30 grabs. ... Even before he hurt his wrist, Huff struggled in his first season in Philadelphia with just 2 1/2 sacks and four quarterback hits. His snap count has dipped since he was injured ahead of a game earlier this month against Jacksonville. Huff had 17 1/2 sacks in four seasons with the Jets before he signed a three-year, $51 million free-agent deal with the Eagles. ... Philadelphia has run for at least 150 yards and two touchdowns in five straight games, something it hadn't accomplished since 1949. ... Rams WR Puka Nacua caught his first touchdown of the season in New England. He has at least seven receptions and 98 yards in three of his past four games, with only a second-quarter ejection in Seattle having limited Nacua since he returned from a knee injury. ... WR Cooper Kupp has 614 receptions through his first 98 games, which is fourth most in NFL history through 100 games. Julio Jones (619) is third. ... RB Kyren Williams averaged a season-high 5.7 yards per carry, finishing with 86 yards on 15 attempts versus the Patriots. ... Verse has 11 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks through his first 10 games. Verse is pressuring the quarterback on 20.2% of pass rush snaps, which ranks second in the league overall. ... The Rams were 2 of 8 (25%) on third down against New England, their third straight game converting 25% or worse. ... QB Matthew Stafford has not been sacked in each of Los Angeles’ past three wins. Don’t be discouraged using Stafford, Kupp and Nacua against Philadelphia's pass defense. All three put up solid fantasy numbers in last season’s meeting, even as the Eagles sat on the ball for nearly 38 minutes. Stafford had 222 yards and two scores, finding Kupp eight times for 118 yards and Nacua seven times for 71 yards and a touchdown, so they'll find ways to produce. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLReports: Kings fire coach Mike Brown

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Bank frauds increased to 18,461, amount involved spikes 8x in H1FY25: RBI NEW DELHI: In the first half of the current fiscal, the number of bank frauds witnessed a significant on-year increase to 18,461 cases. The amount involved in these frauds also jumped more than eight-fold to Rs 21,367 crore, RBI data said. In its report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2023-24, RBI presented the performance of the banking sector, including commercial banks, co-operative banks and non-banking financial institutions, during 2023-24 and 2024-25 so far. The number of frauds during April-September stood at 18,461 involving Rs 21,367 crore compared to 14,480 cases involving Rs 2,623 crore in the comparative period of the last financial year, based on the date of fraud reporting. The RBI report said frauds present multiple challenges for the financial system in the form of reputational risk, operational risk, business risk and erosion of customer confidence with financial stability implications. The share of internet and card frauds in the total stood at 44.7% in terms of amount and 85.3% in terms of number of cases. In 2023-24, the number of fraud cases reported by private sector banks (PVBs) accounted for 67.1% of the total. In terms of amount involved, however, public sector banks (PSBs) had the highest share of card and internet frauds was highest for all bank groups in 2023-24. The RBI data said the instances of penalty imposed on regulated entities (REs) increased during 2023- 24 across all bank groups, except foreign banks and small finance banks. The total penalty amount more than doubled in 2023-24 to Rs 86.1 crore, led by public and private sector banks. The amount of penalty imposed on co-operative banks declined during the year, while there was an increase in instances of penalty imposition. While many cases of digital fraud result from social engineering attacks on customers, there is also a rapid increase in the use of mule bank accounts to perpetrate such frauds, RBI said. “This exposes banks not only to serious financial and operational risks, but also to reputational risks. Banks, therefore, need to strengthen their customer onboarding and transaction monitoring systems to monitor unscrupulous activities,” it added. AgenciesThe Kremlin on Thursday cautioned against "hypotheses" over the crash of an Azerbaijani plane heading for Russia, killing 38 people, which Azerbaijan officials reportedly believe was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile Astana, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2024) The Kremlin on Thursday cautioned against "hypotheses" over the crash of an Azerbaijani plane heading for Russia, killing 38 people, which Azerbaijan officials reportedly believe was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub, on Wednesday after going off course for undetermined reasons. Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board died. The Embraer 190 aircraft was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya, southern Russia, but instead diverted far off course across the Caspian Sea. An investigation is underway, but some aviation and military experts said the plane may have been accidentally shot by Russian air defence systems because it was flying in an area where Ukrainian drone activity had been reported. A former expert at France's BEA air accident investigation agency said there appeared to be "a lot of shrapnel" damage on the wreckage. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the damage was "reminiscent" of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was downed with a surface-to-air missile by Russia-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters "It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation's conclusions." But several media outlets reported Thursday that Azerbaijani authorities believe the crash was caused by a Russian missile. Euronews cited Azerbaijani government sources as saying that "shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight". Euronews also cited its sources saying the damaged plane "was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots' requests for an emergency landing". They said the plane was instead ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea to Aktau -- far off its original route. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said early indications suggested a Russian anti-aircraft system struck the plane. - 'Why?' - The New York Times also reported that "two Azerbaijanis briefed on a government inquiry said that Azerbaijani officials now believe that a Russian Pantsir-S defence system damaged the plane". Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the plane flew through a flock of birds, before withdrawing the statement. Kazakh officials said 38 people had been killed and there were 29 survivors, including three children. Jalil Aliyev, the father of flight attendant Hokume Aliyeva, told AFP that this was supposed to have been her last flight before starting a job as a lawyer for the airline. "Why did her young life have to end so tragically?" the man said in a trembling voice before hanging up the phone. Eleven of the injured are in intensive care, the Kazakh health ministry said. - Day of mourning - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations. "I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Aliyev said in a social media post Wednesday. The Flight Radar website showed the plane deviating from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the sea. Kazakhstan said the plane was carrying 37 Azerbaijani passengers, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz and 16 Russians. - Bloodied survivors - A Kazakh woman told the local branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) she was near where the plane crashed and rushed to the site to help survivors. "They were covered in blood. They were crying. They were calling for help," said the woman, who gave her name as Elmira. She said they saved some teenagers. "I'll never forget their look, full of pain and despair," said Elmira. "A girl pleaded: 'Save my mother, my mother is back there'." Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev and "expressed his condolences in connection with the crash", Peskov told a news conference.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Zavian McLean scored 18 points to lead FGCU and Michael Duax secured the victory with a free throw with 21 seconds left as the Eagles defeated Florida International 60-59 on Sunday. McLean shot 7 for 12, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc for the Eagles (2-5). Rahmir Barno scored 11 points and added five assists and three steals. Jevin Muniz shot 2 of 7 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line to finish with nine points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Olive’s Singles PJ Party 2024 – Fostering Sisterhood & Connection

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“Iran considers any foreign intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs as contrary to int'l law and UN Charter principles and a blow to peace and stability in the country”, the Iranian spokesman said on Saturday on X social media platform. He also said that the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns “illegal interventions by the US and some of its allies in Venezuela's internal affairs, which is reminiscent of malign and divisive interventions of 2019 via recognition of a parallel government.” Baghaei expressed Iran’s solidarity with “Venezuela's legitimate and elected president, NicolasMaduro, and commend the efforts of government and people of Venezuela to overcome the problems caused by US illegal sanctions and unjustified pressures.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on his X account three days ago that Washington recognizes Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the “president-elect” of the South American country. The US stance comes months after President Maduro was re-elected in Venezuela’s presidential elections in late July. Back in 2019, the US also backed Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido, and tried to rally support from its Western allies. The US has in the past years imposed sanctions on Venezuela amid the Latin American country’s opposition to Washington’s unilateral and imperialist policies. 4194

Aston Villa had the Premier League's most effective offside trap last season but now their high line is being exposed Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday Ruben Amorim be Man United's saviour? LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Available wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes every Monday and Thursday By AADAM PATEL Published: 22:32, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 22:41, 24 November 2024 e-mail View comments Unai Emery was responsible last season for the Premier League ’s most effective offside trap, with his Aston Villa side provoking a league-high 167 offsides. Yet this term Villa’s high line is being exposed, with teams finding it far too easy to create chances by getting in behind. Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner said Villa’s system suited his players perfectly. This season, Villa are ranked fourth when it comes to catching opponents offside, doing it 26 times across 12 games — half the rate of last season. They have kept one clean sheet in their last 17 league games, conceding 31 goals in that period — only Wolves and West Ham have let in more. Winless in six, Emery agreed this might be the toughest spell he has endured at Villa. Aston Villa’s high line is being exposed, with teams finding it far too easy to create chances Saturday's draw with Palace means Villa have failed to win any of their last four league games But games this week against Juventus and Chelsea offer the chance to ‘kick on again’, according to midfielder Ross Barkley. ‘There’s frustration in the dressing room,’ he said. ‘We want to be winning after the difficult spell we’ve been through but we have plenty of big characters. Maybe this is just a little dip.’ Aston Villa Share or comment on this article: Aston Villa had the Premier League's most effective offside trap last season but now their high line is being exposed e-mail Add commentAndy Murray enters new chapter with Novak Djokovic as coach of long-time rival

DICKINSON — When Jason Fridrich raised his hand on June 28, 2022, to take his Oath of Office, he didn’t anticipate it would become the center of a contentious recall battle. Nearly a decade into his tenure as a Dickinson City Commissioner, he now faces an unprecedented challenge in defending his seat in the city’s first-ever special recall election. “This has been one of the toughest periods of my public service,” Fridrich said during an exclusive interview with The Dickinson Press. “But despite the burden, I’m still determined to continue serving Dickinson.” ADVERTISEMENT The stakes are high — not just for Fridrich, but for the city itself. The election, projected to cost taxpayers between $18,000 and $22,000, has sparked debates about governance, accountability and the real-world costs of political division. The recall effort against Commissioner Jason Fridrich, initiated by Dickinson resident Seth Helgeson, has become a focal point of public discourse, highlighting tensions between the city’s governance and its citizens. Initially targeting three city officials — Mayor Scott Decker, Commissioner John Odermann and Commissioner Fridrich — the recall has evolved into a singular challenge against Fridrich after petitions for Decker and Odermann fell short of the state-mandated signature thresholds. At the heart of the recall are claims that Fridrich and the other officials failed to properly file their Oaths of Office, violating provisions of the North Dakota Century Code. Helgeson, a vocal critic, argued that this procedural lapse invalidated their authority and decisions. While the city maintained that Fridrich’s oath was appropriately documented following his most recent election, Helgeson continued to press his case through public comments, open-records requests, and social media posts. The controversy also exposed a deeper legal debate over the city’s home rule charter, which permits a lower signature threshold for recall petitions —15% of recent voters —compared to the 25% required by state law. City Attorney Christina Wenko sought guidance from the North Dakota Attorney General’s office, which ultimately concluded that state law supersedes local ordinances in matters of recall. This decision invalidated the petitions for Decker and Odermann, which did not meet the higher threshold, but confirmed Fridrich’s petition as valid under the stricter criteria. Fridrich described the recall as “time-consuming and honestly, a personal burden,” expressing frustration over what he views as baseless accusations. “I’ve reviewed the constitution and the century code, and there’s no mention of the requirements Seth is alleging. I took my oath in good faith, and it was attached to the meeting minutes when I assumed office. That should be enough.” The recall effort has divided public opinion. Some residents support Helgeson’s campaign as an act of accountability, while others see it as a politically motivated distraction. The recall also stems from broader grievances, including public outrage over the city’s removal of personal items from gravesites at the city cemetery—an incident that amplified dissatisfaction with city leadership. ADVERTISEMENT While Fridrich prepares for a special election in March 2025, Helgeson has continued to use public forums to challenge city officials, often prompting heated exchanges during city commission meetings. Mayor Decker recently defended Fridrich, calling him “a punching bag for this community” and urging Helgeson to pursue formal complaints through proper legal channels. For Fridrich, the stakes of the upcoming election go beyond his position. “This isn’t just about me,” he reflected. “It’s about what kind of leadership we want for Dickinson—and how we move forward together.” Despite the recall, Fridrich points to several accomplishments during his tenure. Among them is his work on major city projects like Legacy Square and the commission’s efforts to reduce Dickinson’s debt without raising property taxes or issuing revenue bonds. “We’ve brought down the city’s debt significantly while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” Fridrich said. “That’s a sharp contrast to other cities of our size, like Williston.” Fridrich also highlighted ongoing initiatives, including the Baler Building renovation, fire department upgrades and improvements to the airport terminal — all projects he said keep him motivated to continue serving as commissioner. With over 25 years of experience in business, he brings to government finance and budgeting an expertise he said is critical to seeing these projects through at a price point that is responsible. “Institutional knowledge matters,” Fridrich said. “After nine years on the commission, I’ve been hands-on with a lot of important decisions, and with newer commissioners we have to ensure continuity in leadership. They're great leaders already, but there is a lot to learn. I was thrown into budgeting on my second day in office years ago. It's hard and that takes time.” If re-elected, Fridrich plans to focus on maintaining a competitive edge in attracting and retaining city staff. He emphasized the importance of offering competitive pay, particularly in a job market influenced by the energy sector. ADVERTISEMENT “Our city staff are the backbone of Dickinson,” he said. “To keep experienced employees, we need to ensure our compensation is competitive.” Fridrich’s leadership style, he said, emphasizes accessibility. “I have an open-door policy. My phone number and email are public because I want to hear from everyone,” he said. “I take their concerns seriously.” The upcoming special election presents voters with a stark choice. According to Fridrich voters have a choice between experience and steady governance or a new direction under another challenger, likely Helgeson himself. “With a vote for me, people will get rational governance, fiscal responsibility and a steady hand,” Fridrich said. “I commend Seth for being passionate about government. I wish more people were involved in city politics, but that involvement needs to be rooted in reality.” As Dickinson prepares for its first special election, Fridrich said he remains focused on his commitment to the city he has long served. The recall election is officially set for March 11, 2025, and will be held at the Biesiot Activity Center (BAC) in Dickinson from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. According to the city’s announcement, the first day that candidates can begin circulating petitions for signatures started Dec. 6, with a filing deadline for additional candidates set for January 6 by 4 p.m. ADVERTISEMENT For further information about the recall election process, residents can visit the City of Dickinson’s website or contact the Dickinson City Administrator’s office directly. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Dickinson Press has extended an invitation to Seth Helgeson for an exclusive interview, similar to the recent sit-down with Commissioner Jason Fridrich, to ensure a fair and balanced representation of viewpoints in our coverage of Dickinson’s historic recall election.