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Discover the faces of the new and returning players in Squid Game Season 2 here. Season 2 of Squid Game is finally here, bringing back familiar faces and introducing new characters to the high-stakes, life-or-death competition. From returning heroes to fresh challengers, the cast promises even more suspense and drama in this highly anticipated season. Take a scroll through the gallery to see the cast in action and discover the faces behind the thrilling characters of Squid Game Season 2. Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae reprises his role as Gi-hun (Player 456), the winner of the games in Season 1. In Season 2, he returns to the competition, determined to take down the entire operation once and for all. Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun plays the Frontman of the Games Wi Ha-jun Wi Ha-jun returns as Detective Jun-ho, who uncovered the existence of the games while searching for his missing brother in Season 1. In Season 2, he is back with the goal of finding a way to end the deadly competition once and for all. Yim Si-wan Yim Si-wan will portray a new character, Myung-gi (Player 333). According to Netflix, Myung-gi is a “cryptocurrency influencer whose poor decisions ultimately led to disaster for both himself and his followers.” Trending NowHaiti’s health minister loses his job after a deadly gang attack on a hospital in the capitalMIAMI — For the first time in nearly 20 years, the first night of Hanukkah fell on Christmas Day, marking a rare confluence of Jewish and Christian holidays, which occur on separate calendars. Many regions of the country are home to a variety of faith groups, with rich traditions and cultures. In South Florida, for instance, though there are significantly more Christians, including Catholics, the area hosts the third largest Jewish population in the country. And this year’s convergence of Christmas and Hanukkah, faith leaders say, is an opportunity to foster interfaith relationships through the holidays’ shared themes of hope and light. The Rev. Priscilla Felisky Whitehead said holiday gatherings are a perfect setting for people to learn about each other’s traditions. “It’s an opportunity to really hear people’s stories and to take the time ... to listen to people’s backgrounds and how important their faith communities, their families have been, and how they look at the world,” said Whitehead, who was a pastor at The Church by the Sea in Bal Harbour for 22 years. The holidays, Whitehead said, allow people to set aside their politics and “engage other human beings, at the place where their lives are touched the most by friends, family, tradition and faith.” For many faith leaders in South Florida, building relationships with people of other religious backgrounds is an important factor to building a stronger community. Interfaith work, which has roots to the 1930s in Miami, is often touted as a way to build bridges and find common ground in the face of prejudice and fear of “the other.” But, as prominent North Miami Rabbi Ralph Kingsley points out, interfaith dialogue is also about recognizing people’s differences. “The thing that makes us most alike as human beings is the fact that we are different and have a right to our own differences, at the same time being respectful of the other to have a right to his or her own way of life,” Kingsley said. “And I think both of our traditions try to project that message at this particular season.” Kingsley, 91, who served as the rabbi of Temple Sinai of North Dade for more than 30 years, remembers the ongoing battles of separation of church and state in his youth. He admits that he was adamant about not celebrating religious events in public spaces. But, today, he feels differently. “I kind of have come to appreciate the fact that today, when there was a Christmas tree on display or a creche, there’s also a menorah, and Americans have been sort of taught over the years that they’ve got to live with both side by side and appreciate the fact that there is the other.” Whitehead and Kingsley are long-time friends, partly because of their work in South Florida interfaith circles. They were reunited, unexpectedly, when they both became residents at the senior living community Vi at Aventura. Different holidays, same roots Jews and Christians already have a lot in common, as both come from Abrahamic religions, meaning they (along with Muslims) share the belief that Abraham was the initial prophet with whom God made a covenant. “Both traditions were birthed together in these ancient stories, and they kind of take a turn from each other, but ... our roots really are very much the same,” said Hafner of the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ. “We understand Jesus as being Jewish, and the early Christians came out of that Jewish tradition, so they would have understood Passover, they would have understood Hanukkah and a lot of the other traditions.” Christmas and Hanukkah, though originating from very different stories, have some shared themes: they’re both, in a way, celebrations of light and hope during the darkest time of the year. “It’s a time for both of our faith traditions to emphasize the importance of light and hope, which the winter months increasingly, not so much in Florida, but up North, certainly, become a time of darkness,” Rabbi Kingsley said. Both holidays, Rabbi Kingsley noted, are not really based on the Bible itself, but are holidays occurring in post-biblical times. Though the Bible refers — in many places — to the birth of Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary, the exact date of Jesus’ birth is not recorded in the Bible, nor is the celebration of Christmas. And Jews learn about Hanukkah from the Apocrypha, Jewish writings that are not included in the Hebrew Bible. Similarly, the origin of Hanukkah is based on a real historical event that took place during a tumultuous time for Jewish people. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jewish people over the Syrian army in a fight to gain religious freedom. When the Syrians were trying to impose their religion and culture on the Jewish people, the non-conformist army, the Maccabees, were able to fight and win the rededication of their temple in Jerusalem. “When they went to rekindle the eternal light in the ancient temple in Jerusalem, they only had enough oil to last for one night, and it lasted for eight — hence the miracle of that season,” said Kingsley. “But the great miracle is the fact that this small group of Maccabees could defeat this large Syrian empire.” The way Kingsley sees it, that victory by the Maccabees ultimately led to the origin of Christmas. “Were it not for that victory, there would have been no Christmas, because there would have been no Judaism, out of which Christianity ultimately was born, so it’s an interesting twist of history.” Interfaith family celebrations For some families, the merging of two religions is an everyday occurrence. Miami native Sarah Robleto is Jewish while her husband, Frank Robleto, who was born in Nicaragua, grew up Catholic. When they were married, they had two weddings. And now, every year the family of four celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, integrating family traditions from both religions. “We definitely do both. And this year, it’s kind of even more special because the first night [of Hanukkah] is on Christmas night,” Sarah said. She added an important caveat: the children do not get “double the gifts.” The Robleto’s two children — Jacob, 19, and Madelyne, 13, were both raised Jewish — a decision their parents made early on in their discussion on how to merge their two faith backgrounds. “My biggest concern is that our kids were raised in a religion,” said Frank. “Whether it was Judaism or Catholicism, I didn’t mind either way. I was happy to have them being raised Jewish.” The Robletos, who live in Cutler Bay, currently attend Temple Judea, a Reform synagogue in Coral Gables and on some Catholic holidays, Saint Louis Catholic Church in Pinecrest. Frank, who is still a practicing Catholic, said attending service that’s different from what he’s used to has been made easier by the rabbis and welcoming atmosphere at the synagogues his family has been a part of. “It’s all about how open the temple or the church is on inviting mixed faith marriages. Luckily for us, because we’ve been, or Sarah’s mostly been at Reform temples, they’ve had that openness to invite me as well.” This year, the Robletos will be in Georgia visiting extended family for Christmas. But, Sarah plans to host a Hanukkah night to give her nieces and nephews a true Hanukkah experience. Rev. Laurinda Hafner, who is known in the community for her ability to use her faith to fight social justice causes, said interfaith work is also about working together towards a common goal. Her congregation has hosted events against the issue of book banning in schools and panels to discuss Christian Nationalism, a topic she calls a “common concern” among many faith leaders. She also says, interfaith work is most effective when people can sit down, share a meal and talk. “I am convinced that when you sit down with other people around the table and you enjoy a meal together, break bread, or have a glass of wine, that’s where the real interfaith dialogue and the real interfaith work begins,” Hafner said.Metro Vancouver has removed more than 50 tonnes of fatbergs — chunks of hardened grease — from the sewer system in Richmond since July. This is the first time the regional utility corporation has seen the problem "to this scale," according to Dana Zheng, program manager of source control planning and management at Metro Vancouver Zheng explained large amounts of fatbergs in the sewer system normally happen in high-density areas. "Richmond, in particular, has always been a bit of a hotspot for grease issues and that's a combination of the ... high number of restaurants in the area as well as it is very flat in Richmond," she said. "Wastewater then tends to sit in the pipes, which gives it that extra time for grease to harden and line our sewer mains." Hardened grease comes from dairy products, margarine, gravy, cooking oils, salad dressing, mayonnaise and even animal fats that are poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet. Clogged pipes due to fatbergs damage infrastructure, reduce capacity for wastewater and can lead to sewer backups into homes, and businesses as well as into the environment. UBC's newest food innovation centre was named after the owner of a Richmond-based food company who arrived in Canada in 1979 as an 18-year-old refugee from Vietnam. Dan On, founder of Dan-D Foods Ltd. and the Dan On Foundation, donated $7 million to fund the construction of UBC's Food and Beverage Innovation Centre . In recognition of his donation to UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems, the post-secondary institution is naming the facility the Dan On Food and Beverage Innovation Centre. The centre will have three research bays for lease to small and mid-sized companies with access to kitchen spaces to develop food products. It also includes a processing lab equipped with high-pressure processing, microwave-vacuum dehydration, individual quick freezing, fluid extraction and fermentation capability technologies. A family-owned fabric store beloved by Richmond sewers closed this year after more than five decades in the community. "All fabrics must go," "final markdowns" and "Richmond location closing. All sales final" were some of the colourful signs spotted in Fabricana's Richmond location in early March. Irene Collingwood, store manager, told the Richmond News employees learned of the closure four months earlier, and everyone decided to stay on board until the end. "Everybody's here till the ship goes down," she said. Collingwood, who has worked at Fabricana for 15 years, said all employees are long-term hires, with the longest tenure being 25 years. "We are such a cohesive family here," she said. "We've always taken pride in our store being organized and all that.... the family is what we're gonna miss a lot. And the customers are our family as well." 📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected] . 📲 To stay updated on Richmond news, sign up for our daily headline newsletter . 💬 Words missing in article? 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Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world’s largest ice-and-snow theme park, in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo HARBIN (Dec 24): Gliding down an over-500-meter-long ice slide, Zhang Jiajia felt like she was flying, and that her one-minute experience had been worth the hour-plus wait in line. “It’s super exciting. My heart soared with me,” said Zhang, a tourist from east China’s Zhejiang Province, after trying the Super Ice Slide at the iconic Harbin Ice-Snow World, which kicked off its annual run on Saturday. The world’s largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 a.m. in Harbin, the capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province also known as the “city of ice.” Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world’s largest ice-and-snow theme park, in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo Themed “Dream of Winter, Love among Asia,” the park was built using 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, incorporating elements inspired by the upcoming 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, which will open next February, right after China’s Spring Festival holiday. It is also the first major international ice and snow event hosted by China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. With an overall planned area of 1 million square meters, up from last year’s 800,000 square meters, the park is the largest in its 26-year history. A tourist poses for photos at the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world’s largest ice-and-snow theme park, in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo The park features nine major zones, recreating landmark landscapes of 42 countries and 3 regions that are members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in the form of ice-and-snow structures that can be illuminated at night, including replicas of the Temple of Heaven in China, Osaka Castle in Japan and the Taj Mahal in India. The main tower stands on the main axis of the park, featuring towering ice columns that depict the official emblem of the OCA. “The ice sculptures are incredibly exquisite. It’s hard to imagine that they are made of ice blocks harvested from the Songhua River. Each piece of artwork showcases the superb craftsmanship of the artists,” said Zhong Xueying, another tourist from Zhejiang. An aerial drone photo shows tourists queuing at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo The most popular attraction in the park, the Super Ice Slide, has increased the number of its lanes to 24, with a 300-meter-long windproof warm house mounted at the queuing area, allowing visitors to take a break from freezing weather while overlooking the park’s scenery. Saturday also marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The day not only means another solar term but also marks an important festive day on Chinese lunar calendar. Just one hour after the park opened, the queue for the Super Ice Slide stretched hundreds of meters. An aerial drone photo shows the emblem of the 9th Asian Winter Games made of ice at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo In addition to ice-and-snow landscapes, the park has added fantasy shows, virtual reality projects and an immersive digital art museum to its inventory of winter wonders, offering new and exciting experiences for both global and domestic visitors. The “Snow Disco” event, which attracted thousands of tourists last winter, will also be held at the Dream Stage in the park for this year’s edition. “How lucky! Today is the last day of my trip to Harbin, and I didn’t expect to witness the opening of the Ice-Snow World. I’m so happy that it feels like I’m celebrating the Lunar New Year in advance,” said Dai Xiaoqin, a tourist from Wuhan City in Hubei Province. “We wish to showcase the enthusiasm and confidence of the people in participating in ice-and-snow sports, and integrate a variety of new elements into this edition of the park,” said Guo Hongwei, Party secretary and chairman of Harbin Ice-Snow World Co., Ltd. Staff members greet tourists at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo An adult park ticket is priced at 328 yuan (about 45.6 U.S. dollars). The park also offers discounted tickets and free admission to certain groups of visitors. As an established ice-and-snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World stands out as one of China’s iconic winter attractions. It surged in popularity on Chinese social media last winter, becoming an internet sensation as passion for winter sports and tourism continues to rise across the country. Last year, China recorded over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 38 percent, with related revenue up 50 percent. Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. — Xinhua photo In Harbin alone, last snow season saw over 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, and 124.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 500 percent. The 25th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, in particular, received over 2.7 million tourists. To accelerate growth of winter economy in the country’s northeastern region, the Chinese government has recently unveiled initiatives including establishing dedicated ice-and-snow holidays, increasing flight routes and optimizing visa-free policies, all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors. — XinhuaLeaders Fail to Connect with Canadians

By Lise SCHMIDT/ Apia, Samoa – 24 December 2024 – The D istrict Council – Fono Faavae of Lefaga & Faleaseela, celebrated the success of eight outstanding students from the district that the Council sponsored at the National University of Samoa and the University of the South Pacific. The event was attended by the proud parents, families, and key figures from the District Council, including the Member of Parliament Masinalupe Makesi Masinalupe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Loau Donina Tili Vaa, and Project Coordinator Unasa Viane Toala. The ceremony began with a prayer led by Reverend Taulagi To’osavili of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, who encouraged the students to remain honest and diligent in their studies, reminding them of the love and support that funded their educational journey. Masinalupe, who is the Chairman of the District Council, echoed the Reverend’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of integrity in their academic pursuits. He reminded the students that their success is a direct return on the investment made by the community and the government through the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. “You are the hope for a successful future for our constituency,” he said. He urged them to remember the financial support they received and to strive to give back to their families and community upon achieving their goals. Highlighting the significance of education, Masinalupe noted, “Who knows? Some of you sitting here might be Members of Parliament, lawyers, doctors, or even a Prime Minister.” His remarks served as a powerful reminder of the potential that each student holds. He further stressed the council’s commitment to ensuring no young person misses out on education due to financial constraints. The financial support for these students comes from the government’s $1 million District Development Project, which has enabled them to pursue higher education. According to Leausalilo Sanerivi Le’uo, the secretary of the District Council, this initiative initially assisted 15 students with funding for their first and second semesters, although not all were able to attend the ceremony. During the event, the students were presented with gifts by Treasurer Leausalilo Leilani Duffy as a token of appreciation for their hard work. Loau offered her congratulations and shared valuable lifelong advice, reinforcing the significance of integrity, wisdom, and discernment. She also opened doors for work experience opportunities through the Ministry, encouraging the students to consider how they can utilize funds from the District Development Project for the betterment of their community. Among the honored students were Sapi Ofisa, Lalotoa Muliaga, and Naomi Wendt from NUS, along with several others from both NUS and USP, each representing the hopes and aspirations of their families and the wider community. With the support of their local leaders and the government, these students stand as a testament to the power of education as a tool for personal and communal advancement.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Amazon Web Services will invest another $10 billion to bolster its data center infrastructure in Ohio. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Amazon Web Services will invest another $10 billion to bolster its data center infrastructure in Ohio. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Amazon Web Services will invest another $10 billion to bolster its data center infrastructure in Ohio. The company and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced the plan Monday. The new investment will boost the amount it has committed to spending in Ohio by the end of 2029 to more than $23 billion. AWS launched its first data centers in the state in 2016 and currently operates campuses in two counties in central Ohio, home to the capital city of Columbus. The new investment will allow AWS to expand its data centers to new sites, but the company said those locations have not been determined yet and noted that its investment plans are contingent upon the execution of long-term energy service agreements. AWS said the new data centers will contain computer servers, storage drives, networking equipment and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. In June 2023, AWS said it would invest $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its data center operations in central Ohio. That was on top of $6 billion already invested through 2022. Advertisement

Mount Sinai Hospital to Host Sixth International Prostate Cancer Symposium and World Congress of Urologic OncologyFormer prime minister Elisabeth Borne was named as Education Minister in the reshuffle. Gerald Darmanin, who served as Interior Minister between July 2020 and September 2024 under three prime ministers, returns as Justice Minister. Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, retains his post as Interior Minister. Rachida Dati keeps the culture portfolio while Jean-Noel Barrot and Sebastien Lecornu maintain their jobs leading the foreign affairs and defence ministries respectively. The composition of the cabinet was unveiled just before 7pm following a frantic weekend of negotiations. Xavier Bertrand, who had been offered the Justice Ministry, stated that he would not join Bayrou's government, because it had been formed with the approval of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN). Bayrou drafted Manuel Valls back into government as minister for overseas territories. The 62-year-old served as prime minister under President François Hollande between April 2014 and December 2016. His first assignment will be to implement a recovery programme for Mayotte which was devastated after Cyclone Chido swept through the Indian Ocean archipelago on 14 December. At least 35 people have been confirmed dead and more than 2,500 injured. The death toll is expected to rise due to the number of undocumented migrants in Mayotte. Other appointments include Éric Lombard as Minister of the Economy and François Rebsamen as minister in charge of decentralisation. Repeated delays The Elysee presidential palace said on Monday morning the new cabinet would not be announced before 6pm Paris time due to the day of mourning in France for the victims in Mayotte. Macron returns to political uncertainty after Mayotte, East Africa visit Bayrou , 73, who heads the liberal Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, promised to present a government last week. But his delay reflected the chaos swirling over the French body politic since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections last summer. The move backfired spectacularly. No party or alliance secured a majority. After weeks of bickering and manoeuvring, Macron named former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier prime minister on 5 September 2024. His reign ended ignominiously earlier in December when the far right and left joined forces to oust him and furnish him with the infamy of being the premier with the shortest tenure since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958. French lawmakers oust Prime Minister Barnier after just three months in office Macron appointed Bayrou on 13 December, hoping that his new administration would be presented before Christmas". "The length of this auditioning process ... is unbearable," far-right National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy told French broadcaster BFMTV-RMC. Bayrou says he wants to make sure his government can pass a budget for next year. But many commentators predict his premiership will rival Barnier for rapidity: many of the names adorning his cabinet featured in the past two governments that failed. Outgoing French government to present 'special' budget to avoid shutdown (with newswires)

Margao: Days after inauguration of the Western Bypass, a spate of accidents has raised a worry among Benaulim residents. They claimed that they have witnessed 12 accidents in as many days, calling for implementation of safety measures. On Thursday morning, locals said there was an accident between a car and a scooter that led to a youth from Quepem suffering serious injuries. On Wednesday too, they said a Benaulim resident was left injured in an accident. To highlight the gravity of the issue, the locals addressed the media at the Tolleband junction, which has also turned accident-prone. Roque Fernandes, local, said, “So many accidents have occurred but they did not get reported, as they were compromised. Yesterday one of my neighbours was injured. We don’t know if the government is waiting for someone to die before taking measures. The mishaps are occurring as there is traffic coming from all sides.” The locals demanded immediate replacement of rumblers with speedbreakers as a measure against overspeeding. Social worker Warren Alemao said, “There are three blind spots along the bypass – one near Mercado, one at Tolleband and near the fish market and it is at these three spots that most of the accidents have taken place. We demand that speedbreakers should be installed; the rumblers are not reducing the speed. At the Tolleband junction, the driver has to keep his eyes in three different directions because of the blind spots. He called for an inter-departmental effort to find a solution to the problem and said that he had already spoken with RTO officials. Another resident Santan Fernandes said that, “There were around three serious accidents that have happened here. We are appealing to the PWD, traffic, local MLA, panchayat and other authorities to intervene and implement safety measures. The government must take full responsibility for accidents and have to provide compensation to the victims.”

US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, setting another new high above $99,000 overnight. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Australia rejects Elon Musk's claim that it plans to control access to the internet MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian Cabinet minister has rejected X Corp. owner Elon Musk’s allegation that the government intends to control all Australians' access to the internet through legislation that would ban young children from social media. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday that Musk’s criticism was “unsurprising” after the government introduced legislation to Parliament that would fine platforms including X up to $133 million for allowing children under 16 to hold social media accounts. The spat continues months of open hostility between the Australian government and the tech billionaire over regulators’ efforts to reduce public harm from social media. Parliament could pass the legislation as soon as next week. Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it heads for a winning week Stocks gained ground on Wall Street, keeping the market on track for its fifth gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in afternoon trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 352 points and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts' estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called of its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. European markets were mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. Apple and Google face UK investigation into mobile browser dominance LONDON (AP) — A British watchdog says Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers. The watchdog's report Friday recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year. The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker’s tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. The CMA’s report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers “the clearest or easiest option.” Apple said it disagreed with the findings. German auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of carmakers' woes FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's technology and services company Bosch is cutting its automotive division workforce by as many as 5,500 jobs in the next several years, in another sign of the headwinds hitting the German and global auto industries. The company cited stagnating global auto sales, too much factory capacity in the auto industry compared to sales prospects and a slower than expected transition to electric-powered, software-controlled vehicles. Some 3,500 of the job reductions would come before the end of 2027 and would hit the part of the company that develops driver assistance and automated driving technologies. About half those job reductions would be at locations in Germany. At least 15 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 15 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 160,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat this week after Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, which can cause life-threatening infections. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration.Worthington Enterprises Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 ResultsAs the finale of Drag Race Down Under Season Four fast approaches, this week the fifth queen was sent packing. Michael James had the pleasure of sitting down with the fabulous Max Drag Queen, a standout competitor who had all the queens running scared from day one. In a candid interview, Max reflected on her experiences, the challenges faced, and the community spirit that defined this season. “ I still wonder if it’s something that I should have done” Drag Race Down Under was a tough time for Max. Unbeknownst to viewers at the start of the show Max’s mother had passed away just over four weeks prior to her competing. While she tried not to let her emotions and that experience in her life define her time on the show, she still shared her vulnerability to the nation. When talking about the experience on the show she expressed immense pride in her performance throughout the competition. “I can’t be anything but proud of the work that I put forward. So I’m just feeling a sense of pride in everything that was shown, especially the emotions and the vulnerability that I think that I was able to showcase.” The decision to participate in the show after such an emotional time in her life was a tough one for Max and now nearly twelve months on it’s something she still reflects on. “Even to this day, I still wonder if it’s something that I should have done or should not have done” she reflects. “There would never be the right answer for something like this. I just kind of have to find peace with the decisions I have made and ultimately, I have to know, at the end of the day that my mum, she would have wanted me to do it. So. I’m just glad that she has been honoured in some capacity and kind of immortalised on this show.” Community and Competition Despite landing herself in the bottom and lip syncing for her life three times Max was an impressive competitor and ultimately the lip sync assassin of the season. In fact Max was such a strong competitor that nearly every queen that has exited the show has pointed to Max as the one they never wanted to go up against. “That’s very sweet” she said. “They’re very correct for saying that. But it’s very sweet!“ It’s a very confident statement to make about ones own talent but when quizzed on why she believes that was correct she calmly confident about her star power and confidence. “I think doing this experience and kind of having a year that I’ve had, I’m able to confidently and not with arrogance, I think I’m confidently able to recognise that I I do have a like a star power and a star quality within myself” she stated. “When I I go and step onto the stage, I think that transcends beyond just a performance or the three minutes of time that I get on stage to be doing my work. I think that like fundamentally at my core, I’ve worked really hard to be a good person. So I think when they walked in, they were like cool well, this is someone that isn’t going to be here to fuck around.” Part of what stood out in the narrative of this season was the strong sense of community among the queens. When discussing the relationships formed with the other queens, she confirmed the cast are a “happy family,” stating, “We do love each other very, very, very much.” But Max also pinpoints that part of this shift in dynamic on Drag Race Down Under came down to her emotional time on the show and how it bonded all of the queens together. “Sometimes I think, If I hadn’t been as highly emotional as I had been, and going through what I had been going through, if we would all be as tight knit as we were” she reflects. “I feel like my experiences of what I was going through prior to Drag Race and then what I inevitably kind of brought to the show in terms of my outside life gave kind of no room for us to like actually be mean or hate each other” she said looking back at her time with the girls. “I think that I genuinely carried in with me this wave of like ‘we’re going to be nice to each other because we don’t know what’s happening in in our like personal lives’.” It was this element of support for Max that seemed to shift the energy of the room, leaving the queens with no room for anything but uplifting and supporting each other. “I understand that this is a competition. I understand this is a reality TV show, but trust and believe if you want to say something like there was no room for it” she says. “I mean, we were like shady and catty with each other, but that was instantly from a place of love and understanding.” “I do love them. They’re all talented. And I hate it” she laughs. Memorable Moments With Michelle Visage This season also saw a shift in dynamics with the absence of RuPaul, replaced by Michelle Visage as a the host of Drag Race Down Under and a guiding voice for the queens there to Mother them and look after them. This was evident during the time Max first revealed her struggles with the death of her mother and Michelle comforted her on the main stage. When speaking of her time with Michelle, Max revealed there was so much more to their time together than viewers got to see. “I think the on camera and off camera Michelle were a little different” she revealed, but in a very positive way. Whilst it might have been her job to support the queens on the she show, she said it was much more than that. “I feel like, you know, people are there to do their job and they’re there to judge and keep the show going, essentially. But the most I felt of a mothering figure from her was when the cameras weren’t rolling.” “She was very, very kind to me and very, very sweet and some of the things she said, I’m really I’m sad that they didn’t make it to camera, but I will forever cherish some of the things that she said to me.” While Max is keeping many of those memories for herself, she did reveal one of those conversations the pair shared. “One of the things that she said was that in all of the franchises that she’s been a part of and been able to watch that I was one of the best lip syncers, like I was one of the best performers she’d ever seen.” And it wasn’t a comment Max was taking lightly. “She’s seen a lot of fucking drag! So to have her say that and say it so genuinely and not for camera and not performatively it just felt like THAT was my win.” Another significant figure this season was Isis Avis Loren, the drag mother of Max, who also served as a rotating guest judge. Whilst she appreciated her presence ther Max definitely felt as though it may have changed her time on the show. “I think that everyone might have thought that Isis being there was going to mean that I had like a clean sweep or like an easier run or that the ‘nepotism’ of it all kind could come into play” she said. However Max it felt as though it was the opposite. “If anything, I do feel like I was being judged a lot harsher than the other contestants because ISIS was there” she said. “So if I ever happened to do this show again in any capacity, it’d be interesting to see what that would look like without Isis unless they did like an All Stars one sort of thing and we did teams.” ‘ Interesting’ Challenges and Changing Things Up Max tackled some of the season’s more unique challenges this year, including this weeks acting challenge which was delivered in a much more isolated format. However while it looked like the queens were separated from each other during the challenge Max points out that they all knew what was going on. “The walls are very thin at Drag Race so we knew, all of us knew Nikita was going to be in the bottom that week. We knew that Vybe was not feeling very good about her performance. Mandy’s was a big swing and a choice.” However despite their confidence in the outcome for Nikita and Vybe, the other queens all thought it was going differently for Max. “All the girls, all the way through to untucked, were convinced I was in the top this week.” Despite the confidence from the other queens Max was under no illusions as to her fate. “I was not, by the way” she continued. “I was very aware that I was being sent home. Because you know, three lip syncs and blah blah blah, but, yeah, it was a very interesting challenge that’s definitely a word I would use. Definitely interesting.” And Max certainly had some thoughts on the change to the challenge format.“I just wish that we changed it up in a way that was kind of like, good. It wasn’t a great challenge, like ultimately it was a weird one. It was very very weird.” Ultimately it was a change that did come at the expense of Max’s time on the show, however she was also there for other changes this season, including the changes to the iconic Snatch Game . Named instead this year as I’m A Celebrity Impersonator Snatch Me Out Of Here the queens were split into two groups to compete in the iconic challenge, something Max found interesting, but not necessary. “I again appreciate the swing to want to change up such a staple challenge but do I think this was necessary? No.” “Do I think that there was much reference to the fact that we were like in the Outback? No.” “Like it was kind of just the set change, like there was nothing actually different about it. Again, I think this was another really interesting challenge. It’s crazy how all the interesting challenges I seem to be lip syncing on. But you know that’s OK. That’s OK” she laughs. But the upside to lip syncing as a result of these challenges was the chance to perform songs in front of the artists who created them and Max revealed she’s had two big names slide into her DM’s. “I’ve had Ladyhawke and Peach PRC both message me and follow me and and just say nothing but really really kind things. So I I am counting my wins” she gushed. It’s a fantastic way for Max Drag Queen to close out her time on the show. After a stellar performance during an incredibly trying time in her life she still managed to shine and making a lasting impression on fans worldwide. Drag Race Down Under continues for just two more weeks with the second last episode airing on Friday December 14 and the Grand Finale on Friday December 21 on Stan Australia. 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