Uruguay's voters choose their next president in a close runoff with low stakes but much suspense MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans on Sunday voted in the second round of the country's presidential election , with the conservative governing party and a left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff following level-headed campaigns widely see Nayara Batschke, The Associated Press Nov 24, 2024 3:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Claudia Noble stands outside the Broad Front's (Frente Amplio) election night headquarters after polls closed for the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans on Sunday voted in the second round of the country's presidential election , with the conservative governing party and a left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff following level-headed campaigns widely seen as emblematic of the country's strong democracy. As polls closed Sunday evening, turnout stood at 89.4% — around the same as during the first round last month in which the two moderate coalitions both failed to win an outright majority. Voting in Uruguay is compulsory. Depending on how tight the vote turns out to be, electoral officials may not call the race for days — as happened in the contentious 2019 runoff that brought center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou to office and ended 15 years of rule by Uruguay’s left-leaning Broad Front by a razor-thin margin. Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate who won nearly 27% in the first round of voting on Oct. 27, has campaigned under the slogan “re-elect a good government." Other conservative parties that make up the government coalition — in particular, the Colorado Party that came in third place last month — notched 20% of the vote collectively, enough to give Delgado an edge over his challenger. Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, who took 44% of the vote in the general election, is promising to forge a “new left” in Uruguay that draws on the memory of stability and economic growth under his Broad Front coalition, which presided over pioneering social reforms that won widespread international acclaim from 2005-2020, including the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and sale of marijuana . With inflation easing and the economy expected to expand by some 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, surveys show that Uruguayans remain largely satisfied with the administration of Lacalle Pou, who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term. But persistent complaints about sluggish growth, stagnant wages and an upsurge in violent crime could just as easily add the small South American nation to a long list of places this year where frustrated voters have punished incumbents in elections around the world. With most polls showing a virtual tie between Delgado and Orsi, analysts say the vote may hinge on a small group of undecided voters — roughly 10% of registered voters in the nation of 3.4 million people. “Neither candidate convinced me and I feel that there are many in my same situation,” said Vanesa Gelezoglo, 31, in the capital, Montevideo, adding she would make up her mind at “the last minute.” Analysts say the candidates’ lackluster campaigns and broad consensus on key issues have generated extraordinary indecision and apathy in an election dominated by discussions about social spending and concerns over income inequality but largely free of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to power in neighboring Argentina and the United States. “The question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, unlike what we saw in the U.S. with Trump and Kamala framing each other as threats to democracy," said Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. “That doesn't exist in Uruguay.” Both candidates are also appealing to voter angst over the current government's struggle to stem the rise in violent crime that has shaken a nation long regarded as one of the region’s safest, with Delgado promising tough-on-crime policies and Orsi advocating a more community-oriented approach. Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to pursue his predecessor’s pro-business policies. He would continue pushing for a trade deal with China that has raised hackles in Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries promoting regional commerce. "We have to give the government coalition a chance to consolidate its proposals,” said Ramiro Pérez, a street vendor voting for Delgado on Sunday. Orsi, 57, a former history teacher and two-time mayor from a working-class background, is widely seen as the political heir to former President José “Pepe” Mujica , an ex-Marxist guerilla who became a global icon for helping transform Uruguay into one of the region's most socially liberal and environmentally sustainable nations. “He's my candidate, not only for my sake but also for my children's,” Yeny Varone, a nurse at a polling station, said of Orsi. “In the future they'll have better working conditions, health and salaries.” Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer , turned up at his local polling station before balloting even began, praising Orsi's humility and Uruguay’s famous stability. “This is no small feat,” he said of Uruguay's “citizenry that respects formal institutions.” Orsi planned no dramatic changes, and, despite his call for a revitalized left-wing, his platform continues the Broad Front's traditional mix of market-friendly policies and welfare programs. He proposes tax incentives to lure investment and social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay's unions. The contentious plebiscite on whether to boost pension payouts failed to pass in October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions in favor of fiscal constraint. Both candidates pledged full cooperation with each other if elected. “I want (Orsi) to know that my idea is to form a government of national unity,” Delgado told reporters after casting his vote in the capital's upscale Pocitos neighborhood. He said that if he won, he and Orsi would chat on Monday over some yerba mate, the traditional herbal drink beloved by Uruguayans. Orsi described Sunday's democratic exercise as “an incredible experience" as he voted in Canelones, the sprawling town of beaches and cattle ranches just north of Montevideo where he served as mayor for a decade. “The essence of politics is agreements,” he said. “You never end up completely satisfied.” ___ Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Villa Tunari, Bolivia, contributed to this report. Nayara Batschke, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More World News Jannik Sinner leads Italy past the Netherlands for its second consecutive Davis Cup title Nov 24, 2024 10:40 AM Poland's conservative opposition party taps historian as candidate for 2025 presidential run Nov 24, 2024 7:42 AM Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed Nov 24, 2024 12:06 AM Featured FlyerNonessbet77 app download latest version for android 。

CHICAGO (AP) — Cairo Santos had a field goal blocked — again. DeAndre Carter muffed a punt in the second half. And those were just the special teams mistakes for the struggling Chicago Bears. Santos' blocked field goal and Carter's turnover were part of another sloppy performance for Chicago in its fifth consecutive loss. The pair of miscues helped set up two of Minnesota's three touchdowns in a 30-27 overtime victory . The Bears (4-7) closed out a miserable three-game homestand after they won their first three games of the season at Soldier Field. They were in position to beat Green Bay last weekend before Santos' 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked on the final play of the Packers' 20-19 win . “It’s tough. ... When things just aren’t going your way, you gotta put your head down and just keep going to work,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “It’s not easy to do but that’s kind of where we’re at.” Chicago and Minnesota were tied at 7 when Caleb Williams threw incomplete on third-and-4 at the Vikings 30 early in the second quarter. Bears coach Matt Eberflus sent Santos out for a 48-yard attempt, but it was knocked down by defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. “I think it was the penetration with the trajectory of the ball,” Santos said. “Had the ball started 3 or 4 inches to the right of both those guys' hands, I think it still goes in through the uprights.” Brian Asamoah returned the blocked kick 22 yards to set the Vikings up with good field position. Sam Darnold then capped a six-play, 53-yard drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Jalen Nailor for a 14-7 lead with 6:29 left in the first half. It was the third blocked field goal for Santos this year, the most for Chicago in a single season since it also had three blocked in 2012. Santos also had a 43-yard try blocked in the fourth quarter of a 35-16 victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 13. The Bears became the first NFL team to allow three blocked field goals in a season since the Browns and Ravens each had three blocked in 2022. “Whenever that happens two games in a row we’ve got to make sure we take a hard look in terms of the protection, the technique and who we have in there,” Eberflus said. “So it's going to be a big thing to look at.” Chicago trailed 17-10 when it forced a Minnesota punt midway through the third quarter. Carter warned his teammates to get out of the way, but it hit the ground and bounced off the inside of his right leg before it was recovered by Bo Richter at the Bears 15. The Vikings turned the mental error into Aaron Jones' 2-yard touchdown run and a 24-10 lead. “Gotta get out of the way of the ball. That’s on me,” Carter said. “I let the team down today. Game shouldn’t have been in the situation it was in. I felt bad for the guys.” Santos and Carter both played a role in a late rally for Chicago. Carter had a 55-yard kickoff return, and Santos got an onside kick to work before making a tying 48-yarder on the final play of regulation. But the Bears stalled on the first possession of overtime, and Darnold drove the Vikings downfield to set up Parker Romo's winning 29-yard field goal. “We're losing in the most unreal situations,” Bears receiver DJ Moore said. “Now it's like the luck's got to go in our favor at some point.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLNone

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EXPERTS have called for a return of social distancing as cases of the flu surge across the UK this Christmas. Even those with symptoms of a mild cold should consider self-isolating in case they carry a virus which could be fatal to those most vulnerable, health specialists warn. Family gatherings should also be avoided as well as wearing masks and social distancing - all to avoid passing on the horror bug, experts told MailOnline. Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia said: "If you are ill with flu you should stay away from other people for the first three days and preferably for the first week. "This is especially important if they are elderly or suffer from medical conditions that make them more at risk." For many people, having the flu will feel like an exaggerated cold. read more in health The NHS states that flu symptoms can come on very quickly. They include: A sudden high temperature An aching body Feeling tired or exhausted A dry cough A sore throat A headache Difficulty sleeping Loss of appetite Diarrhoea or tummy pain Feeling sick and being sick The dry cough could be similar to the cough experienced by people who have contracted coronavirus . Most read in Health The NHS states that the symptoms are similar for children, but they can also get pain in their ear and appear less active. The health service offers a free flu jab to those most at risk of getting the virus, so if you qualify then you can get it free anywhere that offers it. In line with JCVI advice, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include: From October 3: Those aged 65 years and over Those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book) Those at serious risk, including those with a BMI over 40, diabetes, heart and breathing conditions Those in long-stay residential care homes Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer-led occupational health scheme - including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers Those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants. From September 1: Pregnant women All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024 Primary school-aged children (from Reception to Year 6) Secondary school-aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11) All children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years Those eligible for an autumn Covid booster are: Residents in a care home for older adults All adults aged 65 years and over Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book, including pregnant women Frontline health and social care workers and staff in care homes for older adults Those eligible for an RSV vaccine are: Pregnant people from 28 weeks onwards People aged 75 to 79 his can be at your doctor's surgery as well as supermarket pharmacies like Asda and high street favourites like Boots . If you're not in the eligible groups entitled to a free vaccination listed below, you can pay for a flu jab at certain stores. All children aged two and three All children in primary and all children in school Years seven to 11 in secondary school Children aged six months to 17 years with certain long-term health conditions Those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk group Pregnant women Those aged 65 years and over Unpaid carers Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals Frontline health and adult social care staff The latest data shows a high flu burden within the NHS with almost 3,000 Brits in England hospitalised as of the end of last week with the virus. Over 150 of those are considered to be in a critical condition. In comparison, there were just 700 total hospitalisations at the same time last year. And experts also warn that the worst could be coming with there being a surge in illness brought on from socialising over the holiday season and New Year. Earlier this month, an average of 1,861 flu patients were in hospital every day, up from 1,099 the previous week - 3.5 times higher than the same time last year. Health chiefs pleaded with Brits to get vaccinated immediately if eligible to avoid “festive flu" before it was "too late". Professor Sir Stephen Powis, boss of NHS England, said: "The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS - the figures are adding to our 'quad-demic' worries." READ MORE SUN STORIES He added: "With one week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting booked in to protect yourself against serious illness and to avoid 'festive flu.'" Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting , said: "With A&Es facing record demand, we are continuing to encourage people to protect themselves, their family, and the NHS by getting vaccinated before it’s too late.” Isabel Shaw , health reporter, put nine well-known cold and flu remedies to the test when she was struck down with the lurgy. Over a week, she tested products that targeted all symptoms associated with cold and flu, as well as treatments that only aimed to get rid of specific issues. These included: Hot honey and lemon Steam inhalation and Vicks Vaporub Echinacea Chicken soup A spicy curry Beechams All-in-One Oral Solution Strepsils Lemsip Max Sudafed Blocked Nose Spray She took into account pain reduction, and how quickly and for how long they worked. Read her full verdicts here .Apple’s AI Ambitions Hit a Snag: iOS 19 Features Delayed, Raising Questions About Apple Intelligence Development

President Joe Biden on Monday vetoed legislation to add 66 new judges to understaffed federal courts nationally, a once widely bipartisan measure that would have been the first major expansion of the federal judiciary since 1990. The JUDGES Act, initially supported by many members of both parties, would have increased the number of trial court judges in 25 federal district courts in 13 states including California, Florida and Texas, in six waves every two years through 2035. Hundreds of judges appointed by presidents of both parties took the rare step of publicly advocating for the bill, saying federal caseloads have increased by more than 30% since Congress last passed legislation to comprehensively expand the judiciary. But the outgoing Democratic president made good on a veto threat issued two days before the bill passed the Republican-led House of Representatives on Dec. 12 on a 236-173 vote. In a message to the Senate formally rejecting the bill, Biden said it “hastily” creates new judgeships without addressing key questions about whether new judges were needed and how they would be allocated nationally. Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said in response that the veto was “partisan politics at its worst.” By staggering the new judgeships over three presidential administrations, the bill’s sponsors had hoped to get around lawmakers’ longstanding concerns about creating new vacancies that a president of an opposing party could fill. It received the Democratic-led Senate’s unanimous approval in August. But the bill lingered in the Republican-led House and was only taken up for a vote after Republican President-elect Donald Trump won the Nov. 5 election and the opportunity to name the first batch of 25 judges. That prompted accusations from top House Democrats, who began to abandon the measure, that their Republican colleagues had broken a central promise of the legislation by having lawmakers approve the bill when no one knew who would appoint the initial wave of judges. If the bill had been enacted, Trump would have been able to fill 22 permanent and three temporary judgeships over four years in office, on top of the 100-plus judicial appointments he is already expected to make. Those appointments would allow Trump to further cement his influence on the judiciary. He made 234 judicial appointments during his first term in office, including three members of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority. Biden on Friday surpassed Trump’s total number of judicial appointments with 235, though he named fewer appellate judges and only one U.S. Supreme Court justice during his tenure.7 Steps to Help Keep Your Small Business Cyber Safe This Holiday Season

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The chancellor of the Australian National University, Julie Bishop, has made a strong defence of ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell's role with Intel Corporation. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue The main union at the ANU had said there was a potential conflict of interest because Professor Bell was a vice-president and a senior fellow at Intel Corporation. She severed the link in November. In September, Intel won a US$3.5 billion (A$5.6 billion) contract to manufacture computer chips for the US military. "The involvement of ANU's vice-chancellor with Intel thus raises significant questions around potential implications under Australia's tight laws on foreign interference and defence security," a letter signed by the leadership of the National Tertiary Education Union to Education Minister Jason Clare said. But the ANU chancellor has written to the university's governing council saying the links with the American corporation were well-known - and, indeed, an asset for the university. "We considered her ongoing association would continue to enhance her international profile and networks for the benefit of ANU," Ms Bishop wrote to her fellow ANU council members. "I was, and remain satisfied, that it was appropriate for the vice-chancellor to maintain her association with Intel, given the limited nature of the role, the due diligence I had undertaken on behalf of the council, and her ongoing commitment to abide by the disclosure requirements." But the Australian Financial Review reported last week that members of the ANU's "governing body say they have no recollection of an agreement for new vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell to continue working for global technology company Intel ever being mentioned". Ms Bishop said in her letter to the ANU council that the committee that appointed Professor Bell to the vice-chancellorship was aware of the Intel link. "Professor Bell's role at Intel was disclosed in detail to that committee, was prominent in her CV, her written application and the candidate report, and was discussed during her presentations to the committee." Vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell, left, and chancellor Julie Bishop. Pictures by Gary Ramage, Sitthixay Ditthaovng The role of chancellor and vice-chancellor of universities, including the ANU, is often likened to that of the chairperson of a company board and the chief executive. They are equals who work in tandem. Both have been embattled recently as the ANU tries to get its deficit of spending over income down, including through making staff redundant . Professor Bell took a 10 per cent cut to her salary of just over $1 million dollars as part of the measures to reduce ANU's ongoing costs by $250 million by early 2026. But a plea to staff to forego a pay-rise was rejected by the staff. Ms Bishop, a former federal Liberal minister, was criticised for the blunt way she portrayed the cuts as staff prepared to vote. Some at the university thought her response hardened staff attitudes. She was asked by The Canberra Times if it was fair of the university to ask staff to give up their pay rises when they believed they had not caused its financial problems. "It depends to whom you refer," Ms Bishop replied, "because many members of staff have been part of the inefficiencies that the university is now seeking to address." On Tuesday last week, a group of ANU alumni wrote to the Australian National Audit Office , stating it had "extensively consulted with ANU alumni and staff". "In view of the crisis engulfing the ANU, we request, that as a matter of urgency, the Australian National Audit Office undertake a financial audit and an audit of the governance of the ANU," the letter said. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Steve Evans Reporter Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues." Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues." More from Canberra Forget the stink: why you should just eat the bugs in your backyard 9m ago No comment s 'Refuse to be that player': Kyrgios bullish on eve of his comeback tournament 9m ago No comment s Bishop defends ANU vice-chancellor's 'appropriate' links with Intel Corporation 9m ago Konstas to debut at MCG, Head not certain to play Government considering new penalties for dodgy legal claims after PwC saga No comment s Person with infectious measles stopped off at a Riverina service station Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... WEEKDAYS The lunch break Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Loading... DAILY Sport The latest news, results & expert analysis. Loading... WEEKDAYS The evening wrap Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Loading... 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Zion Williamson's future continues to be a question mark for the New Orleans Pelicans . The All-Star forward has struggled with a string of injuries during his six seasons with the franchise and has only played six games this season. Due to Williamson's limited availability, the Pelicans are expected to field trade offers for him ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, all three members of the Pelicans' star trio are available for the right price. "Based on the reporting intel, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are at a certain level for them. They want to keep them," Buha said via his "Buha's Block" podcast. "Those are two guys that are going to have a high price to give up, similar to L.A. with Austin Reaves. Seems like Zion and Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are the three guys they've been shopping more in terms of their core starters, and Dejounte Murray has not." While it makes sense to move on from Williamson, the Pelicans should be cautious about rushing into a deal. Right now, his value in the NBA is low . Most teams would be cautious about his inability to stay healthy, which would undoubtedly limit his value on the trade market. Still, if the Pelicans remain patient, there will undoubtedly be a franchise that can talk itself into a reclamation project. Williamson is still young enough to develop into one of the premier talents in the NBA. Therefore, New Orleans should play the waiting game rather than rushing into a trade ahead of the deadline. The Pelicans could have far greater success in the summer. Accepting that Williamson's tenure has run its course likely means New Orleans is pivoting toward a full-scale rebuild. Moving on from Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, along with Williamson, should guarantee a steady influx of draft assets and young talent. If the franchise plays things right, it could be well-positioned to emerge from its current situation in a strong position for future success. Of course, that opportunity will only come if the front office can stay the course and wait for the right opportunity to present itself. Right now, any offer for Williamson will be low-ball.As Bitcoin hovers around $100,000, the entire crypto market is rejoicing with greens, which has sent the total crypto market cap past $3.5 trillion. While BTC, much like always, continues to lead bull cycles, memecoins have emerged as the leading narrative, surpassing utility coins. This time, there are no whitepapers or litepapers to take a deep dive into the project's value and understand the fundamentals. Crypto's run-up these past two years has been dominated by memecoin. A primary reason for this traction has been regular crypto users being fed up with backroom dealings where projects raise money from venture capitalists (VCs) by selling their coins at a really low price. These VCs then dump their coins on the retail after the project goes live, and the token gets an exchange listing. But with memecoins, there's no such shenanigans involved. With platforms like Pump.fun making it extremely easy for anyone to launch memecoins, everyone has to buy tokens in the open market and race to dump on each other. There are no rules either; memecoins are simply an attempt to be lighthearted and attract a user base by promising a fun community while offering a really low entry point. They have no utility beyond this and tend to be highly volatile, even more so than the typical crypto. Memecoins are simply cryptocurrencies representing animals, artwork, characters, or individuals. As a matter of fact, absolutely anything can be used for a memecoin. Actually, the coins that have been utility coins throughout your crypto journey have been switching into memecoins, too. This is exactly what digital silver and Bitcoin's digital gold, Litecoin (LTC), have done. On Nov. 14, this over-a-decade-old coin got renewed interest when the person behind Litecoin's X (previously Twitter) account put this on social media: The post came amidst the memecoin market cap reaching a new high, signaling a slow return of retail interest into the market. This was on the back of the listings of two popular memecoins, Pepe and Dogwifhat (WIF), and on major U.S. exchange Coinbase. Pepe, the frog coin that started the memecoin mania last year, was also listed on Robinhood, a leading brokerage platform popular among retail in the US. So, with its humorous attempt to get the same attention that memecoins have been getting, Litecoin also jumped in on the trend. As can be seen from the response the post generated, Litecoin suddenly got a lot of attention, which helped its price gain traction. The price of LTC surged more than 42% since that post as it moved past $106, a level last seen in early April this year. Crypto exchange Gate.io even listed it under the memecoin section. At the time of writing, the 26th largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $7.34 billion, has been trading at $97.57 while managing $1.174 billion in 24-hour volume. Still, LTC price is only up a mere 35.21% this year compared to other older coins like Bitcoin, which is up 133.35%, XRP's 144.5% gains, ADA's 79%, Tron's 96.69%, and XLM's 317% upside during the same period. But then, there's Ethereum, whose 52.66% year-to-date (YTD) performance has also been a disappointing one despite the second-largest cryptocurrency getting a Spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) approved. While ETH is only 29% off of its peak, LTC is a whopping 76.3% away from its all-time high (ATH) of $410.26 hit in May 2021. The same trend can be seen in Litecoin's open interest (OI), which surged to $472 million on Nov. 24, though nowhere near its last bull cycle peak of a billion dollars, as per Coinglass . A Memecoin or a Utility Coin: Understanding Litecoin Litecoin (LTC) was launched in 2011, only a few years after Bitcoin, by Charlie Lee, an MIT graduate and former Google engineer. It utilized Bitcoin's source code but made changes to make it faster and cheaper. Referred to as “the silver to Bitcoin's gold,” the idea with Litecoin wasn't to create a replacement for Bitcoin but to provide yet another blockchain to the developing crypto ecosystem, which is decentralized but has faster block generation. So, as a digital gold, Bitcoin acts as a store of value, while Litecoin, as a digital silver, is to be used to facilitate transactions. Much like Bitcoin, Litecoin also experiences halving every four years. So far, it has had three, with the last one occurring in August 2023, which reduced the block reward from 12.5 LTC to 6.25 BTC. The next halving is expected to occur in mid-2027, which will bring its rewards further down to 3.125 LTC, which is Bitcoins' current block reward following its most recent halving in April of this year. But while Litecoin also has a proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain , it uses the Scrypt algorithm to Bitcoin's SHA-256, making it less energy-intensive than the world's largest cryptocurrency. Despite having many benefits compared to Bitcoin, which has been garnering the attention from institutions and even nations as it gears up to be a reserve asset, Litecoin has been pretty much lost to irrelevance as the crypto sector continues to grow with more innovative projects and new narratives. This was until Litecoin changed its tactics and jumped on the new trend. As the project stated in an X post , it was a lighthearted jab at the market's state and a self-deprecating acknowledgment that despite being the “oldest and most reliable cryptocurrencies in the world,” their accomplishments have been largely unnoticed all these years. So, while the LTC price has been rather limited, the Litecoin blockchain has been working just fine. In fact, the Litecoin network has achieved the milestone of processing 84 million transactions so far this year. “$LTC is more active than ever!” – posted Litecoin Foundation on X while sharing this achievement Yet another development has been its hashrate, which has been experiencing a constant increase throughout this year. Currently, sitting around 1.4112 PH/s, the hash rate is near its ATH of 1.49 PH/s hit on Nov. 18, as per Bitinfocharts . The growing hashrate shows that more and more computational power is being contributed to the network in order to get a chance to successfully mine a block and earn rewards . Then there are the short-term LTC holders, which are on the increase too. The number of such holders spiked over 30% in the past month as the token gained market attention, and traders and investors jumped to take advantage of the opportunity. In an interview with CCN, David Schwartz, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Litecoin Foundation, talked about Litecoin's speed, affordability, and utility as its unique selling point that makes it a practical tool for everyday transactions. Developers have also been working on offering Litecoin users optional privacy through MimbleWimble Extension Blocks (MWEB). This privacy feature enables confidential transactions without compromising the blockchain's integrity, which, according to Schwartz, makes it appealing to those individuals and businesses that value financial privacy. The average daily transaction activity for MWEB has tripled since July. But if this feature is incorporated by larger wallets, Schwartz sees it making “a significant difference in adoption. “ Besides adopting the memecoin trend, Litecoin has been keeping up with the market by integrating with DeFi. For this, the project introduced Wrapped Litecoin (wLTC), which enables the usage of LTC in the booming DeFi ecosystem. And now, Litecoin is seeing the potential to get its very own ETF, much like Bitcoin and Ether, which can supercharge its network metrics and market demand. The Most Bullish Upcoming Event: Will it Materialize? Spot ETFs have been the primary driver of Bitcoin's run-up this cycle. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) giving Bitcoin Spot ETFs a green light sent BTC's price up by 525% since Nov. 2021 low under $16K. Since getting the approval, all the Bitcoin ETFs have recorded a total of $30.84 billion in inflows, achieving $107.5 billion in net assets, according to SoSo Value . BlackRock's IBIT leads this Bitcoin ETF race with $31.33 bln in net inflows, followed by Fidelity's FBTC, which captured $11.54 bln. Then, in late July, Ethereum ETF got approved, which has so far only managed to gain $106.80 million in cumulative inflows. This is because Grayscale's ETHE still leads in net assets at $4.95 bln. With these approvals, the market is now trying to have institutions gain exposure to other crypto assets. In October, Canary Capital Group filed for a Litecoin ETF in addition to submitting documents for an XRP fund. However, the firm has yet to disclose the ticker or management fee for the funds. The filing was just an S-1 document, which is the first step to getting a new security issued and listed on a public stock exchange. It needs to be followed by the 19b-4 filing for the S-1 filing to have any meaning. And once that happens, the SEC has to make a decision, under a strict timeline, to approve or deny the application. Despite the move being primarily, LTC price spiked 5% on the news of the filing. Given that Litecoin had no token sale or pre-mining, its fair launch makes it a viable candidate for an ETF. The Spot Litecoin ETF, according to Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, “should theoretically have the same pathway” as Bitcoin ETF. Already, there are several investment vehicles that give institutions a way to buy LTC. This includes CoinShares' LITE and ETC Group's ELTC, but both are in Europe. In the US, Grayscale remains the dominant force, which has several closed-end funds offering investment in various crypto assets such as Aave, Avalanche, Bitcoin Cash, Bittensor, Ethereum Classic, Filecoin, Horizon, Near, Solana, Stellar, XRP, Zcash, Stacks, and more. Grayscale Litecoin Trust ( LTCN ) meanwhile has $180.74 in assets under management (AUM). The asset manager charges a hefty management fee of 2.50% on this fund, but it still accounts for the majority of the funds invested in Litecoin-related ETPs globally. LTCN was launched in 2018 and began trading on the OTC market over two years later. While Grayscale has converted its both Bitcoin (GBTC) and Ethereum (ETHE) funds into an ETF, it hasn't filed for an ETF for LTCN. However, last month, Grayscale filed to have its multi-token fund converted into an ETF. The Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC:OTCQX) covers BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and AVAX. Despite all this, Litecoin creator Charlie Lee believes that Spot Litecoin ETF will get a green light from the regulator. “I'm excited to see the Litecoin ETF filing by Canary Capital. We are definitely seeing a lot of institutional demand for Litecoin. This is clear from the daily growth of the Grayscale Litecoin Trust, which has a price that is over twice the NAV. Given that Litecoin is a commodity that is very similar to Bitcoin, I hope to see the Litecoin ETF approved very soon.” – The Litecoin founder told Fox Business A Litecoin ETF is expected to see LTC as a seriously investable option for traditional market players, who can use LTC as a way to diversify their crypto portfolio without needing to buy the asset itself. The digital assets-linked ETF applications, as per Lee, can help more people adopt crypto. Much like Lee, Litecoin Foundation's Schwartz also believes it to be a matter of when and not if Litecoin will get an ETF due to LTC's value as a transactional currency. The approval, according to him, “could catalyze a broader recognition of Litecoin's utility.” Click here to learn if Litecoin can stand alongside Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Here's How to Buy Litecoin (LTC) in Four Easy Steps Now, if all these factors that paint a bullish picture for Litecoin make you want to have an LTC bag, then here's how you can get that. The entire process of buying LTC is a simple one that'll take as little as ten minutes. To get started, first get your phone or computer. It's up to you which device you are most comfortable with. Next, choose a cryptocurrency exchange. There are a lot of options out there, each offering a different feature and tool. While you'll find that a vast majority of exchanges have listed LTC, we'd recommend using Kraken, Coinbase, Binance, KuCoin, Uphold, or Gate.io. Once you have chosen the trading platform that you want to use, create an account by verifying your email address. You'll also be required to verify your identity (KYC) by providing documents to prove your identity, address, and other details. In the next step, make a deposit. To fund your account with fiat currency, you can make use of a debit card, credit card, and bank transfer. You can also deposit BTC and USDT, which are popularly available as trading pairs against LTC. Then, simply use your funds to buy BTC by finding the coin on the platform, choosing your investment size based on how much you want to buy, and then clicking ‘buy. ‘ You'll find the purchased LTC in your exchange wallet. Once you are ready to sell, depending on your financial goal, you can sell your LTC on the same platform using the ‘sell ‘ button. Click here to learn all about buying Litecoin (LTC). The Road Ahead for Litecoin As we saw, Litecoin has a lot of things working out for it. For starters, Litecoin has been in the market for over thirteen years now, which makes it one of the oldest coins. This longevity factor is further supported by the growing miner activity, transaction volume, and user addresses. Built to be complementary to Bitcoin, Litecoin's accessibility and reliability can help it get the market's attention and gain adoption. So, as BTC hits six figures and retail feels priced out, they may even turn to LTC as a cheaper option. Notably, Litecoin has a fixed supply of 84 million. So, a continued increase in its demand can help its prices elevate substantially. The potential of an ETF presents yet another big tailwind for Litecoin. Depending on the institutional interest and capital flow it sees, LTC price can see an upside. Then there's the mainstream attention that old coins like XRP, ADA, and XLM are getting, which forecasts good things for Litecoin, too. Add the memecoin trend LTC has onboarded and the mind share it has been getting, thanks to the voice behind its X account, and LTC can enjoy good momentum. Retail interest in meme coins also has a long way to go. “A strong indicator of retail interest, “ memecoin activity is still low compared to that seen during the previous peaks of most memecoins, noted IntoTheBlock, adding that this divergence from the total memecoin market cap hitting new highs “suggests retail enthusiasm hasn't fully re-entered the crypto space yet.” The broad crypto market has certainly started the party, though, with BTC ready to blast through $100K, driven by both strong spot demand and institutional inflows. With President-elect Donald Trump's win, the most crypto-friendly administration ever, prices are expected to climb much higher. So, against this backdrop, Litecoin can potentially rise to new heights, which, unlike the last cycle , can actually be much higher than the 2017 peak if the coin is able to capture the memecoin and ETF trend well in this bull market! Click here to learn all about investing in Litecoin.

Seahawks are optimistic again and set to battle Cardinals for the NFC West lead“All of us, we really don’t realize where things land in our body over a lifetime of different experiences and where we hold it to protect ourselves,” Jolie said in a recent interview. “We hold it in our stomachs. We hold it in our chest. We breathe from a different place when we’re nervous or we’re sad. “The first few weeks were the hardest because my body had to open and I had to breathe again,” she adds. “And that was a discovery of how much I wasn’t.” In Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” which Netflix released in theaters Wednesday before it begins streaming on Dec. 11, Jolie gives, if not the performance of her career, then certainly of her last decade. Beginning with 2010’s “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” Jolie has spent recent years directing films while prioritizing raising her six children. “So my choices for quite a few years were whatever was smart financially and short. I worked very little the last eight years,” says Jolie. “And I was kind of drained. I couldn’t for a while.” But her youngest kids are now 16. And for the first time in years, Jolie is back in the spotlight, in full movie-star mode. Her commanding performance in “Maria” seems assured of bringing Jolie her third Oscar nomination. (She won supporting actress in 2000 for “Girl, Interrupted.”) For an actress whose filmography might lack a signature movie, “Maria” may be Jolie's defining role. Jolie's oldest children, Maddox and Pax, worked on the set of the film. There, they saw a version of their mother they hadn't seen before. “They had certainly seen me sad in my life. But I don’t cry in front of my children like that,” Jolie says of the emotion Callas dredged up in her. “That was a moment in realizing they were going to be with me, side by side, in this process of really understanding the depth of some of the pain I carry.” Jolie, who met a reporter earlier this fall at the Carlyle Hotel, didn't speak in any detail of that pain. But it was hard not to sense some it had to do with her lengthy and ongoing divorce from Brad Pitt, with whom she had six children. Just prior to meeting, a judge allowed Pitt’s remaining claim against Jolie, over the French winery Château Miraval, to proceed. On Monday, a judge ruled that Pitt must disclose documents Jolie’s legal team have sought that they allege include “communications concerning abuse.” Pitt has denied ever being abusive. The result of the U.S. presidential election was also just days old, though Jolie — special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency from 2012 to 2022 – wasn’t inclined to talk politics. Asked about Donald Trump’s win , she responded, “Global storytelling is essential,” before adding: “That’s what I’m focusing on. Listening. Listening to the voices of people in my country and around the world.” Balancing such things — reports concerning her private life, questions that accompany someone of her fame — is a big reason why Jolie is so suited to the part of Callas. The film takes place during the American-born soprano’s final days. (She died of a heart attack at 53 in 1977.) Spending much of her time in her grand Paris apartment, Callas hasn’t sung publicly in years; she’s lost her voice. Imprisoned by the myth she’s created, Callas is redefining herself and her voice. An instructor tells her he wants to hear “Callas, not Maria." The movie, of course, is more concerned with Maria. It’s Larrain’s third portrait of 20th century female icon, following “Jackie” (with Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy) and “Spencer” (with Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana). As Callas, Jolie is wonderfully regal — a self-possessed diva who deliciously, in lines penned by screenwriter Steven Knight, spouts lines like: “I took liberties all my life and the world took liberties with me.” Asked if she identified with that line, Jolie answered, “Yeah, yeah.” Then she took a long pause. “I’m sure people will read a lot into this and there’s probably a lot I could say but don’t want to feed into,” Jolie eventually continues. “I know she was a public person because she loved her work. And I’m a public person because I love my work, not because I like being public. I think some people are more comfortable with a public life, and I’ve never been fully comfortable with it.” When Larraín first approached Jolie about the role, he screened “Spencer” for her. That film, like “Jackie” and “Maria,” eschews a biopic approach to instead intimately focus on a specific moment of crisis. Larraín was convinced Jolie was meant for the role. “I felt she could have that magnetism,” Larraín says. “The enigmatic diva that’s come to a point in her life where she has to take control of her life again. But the weight of her experience, of her music, of her singing, everything, is on her back. And she carries that. It’s someone who’s already loaded with a life that’s been intense.” “There’s a loneliness that we both share,” Jolie says. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think people can be alone and lonely sometimes, and that can be part of who they are.” Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker, grew up in Santiago going to the opera, and he has long yearned to bring its full power and majesty to a movie. In Callas, he heard something that transfixed him. “I hear something near perfection, but at the same time, it’s something that’s about to be destroyed,” Larraín says. “So it’s as fragile and as strong as possible. It lives in both extremes. That’s why it’s so moving. I hear a voice that’s about to be broken, but it doesn’t.” In Callas’ less perfect moments singing in the film, Larraín fuses archival recordings of Callas with Jolie’s own voice. Some mix of the two runs throughout “Maria.” “Early in the process,” Jolie says, “I discovered that you can’t fake-sing opera.” Jolie has said she never sang before, not even karaoke. But the experience has left her with a newfound appreciation of opera and its healing properties. “I wonder if it’s something you lean into as you get older,” Jolie says. “Maybe your depth of pain is bigger, your depth of loss is bigger, and that sound in opera meets that, the enormity of it.” If Larraín’s approach to “Maria” is predicated on an unknowingness, he's inclined to say something similar about his star. “Because of media and social media, some people might think that they know a lot about Angelina,” he says. “Maria, I read nine biographies of her. I saw everything. I read every interview. I made this movie. But I don’t think I would be capable of telling you who she was us. So if there’s an element in common, it’s that. They carry an enormous amount of mystery. Even if you think that you know them, you don’t.” Whether “Maria” means more acting in the future for Jolie, she's not sure. “There's not a clear map,” she says. Besides, Jolie isn't quite ready to shake Callas. “When you play a real person, you feel at some point that they become your friend,” says Jolie. “Right now, it’s still a little personal. It’s funny, I’ll be at a premiere or I’ll walk into a room and someone will start blaring her music for fun, but I have this crazy internal sense memory of dropping to my knees and crying.”THE I’m A Celebrity campmates desperately want the public to stop voting for Dean McCullough to do trials. They want to show their steel ahead of the vote-offs to boost their chances of staying in the jungle. Radio DJ Dean , 32, took on his sixth consecutive Bushtucker Trial last night, winning ten out of 12 stars in the Jack and the Scream Stalk challenge . But sources told The Sun there is unrest among some celebs eager to make an impression. An insider said: “Initially, the celebs had been worried about Dean doing trials because they feared going hungry due to his poor performances. “He’s started to up his game. “But now some of his fellow campmates really want to throw themselves into a challenge. “The trials are often the best way to gain support from those at home because it shows people what they’re made of. “That’s even more important for the lesser-known celebrities who can’t just rely on their reputation to see them through.” Sun columnist Jane Moore, 62, has started to look frustrated when finding out she has not been selected to do a trial. Show hosts Ant and Dec have also shown they are tiring of Dean repeatedly getting picked. Speaking on ITV2 spin-off show Unpacked , Ant, 49, said: “Right, let’s all have a serious talk. “I’m gonna look directly in the camera here. “I think it’s good to see other faces there. “It’s not about Dean. “It’s about us seeing different people down there, and we want to see different people being featured. i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year.. Coleen Rooney - Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney , has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever. Tulisa - The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year's I'm A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal. Alan Halsall - The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities. Melvin Odoom - The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet - the Aussie jungle . GK Barry - The UK's biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers. Dean McCullough - A rising star amongst this year's bunch of celebs , Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live. Oti Mabuse - The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV's Dancing On Ice . Danny Jones - The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle , after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he's now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice , along with bandmate Tom Fletcher. Jane Moore - The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge - having recently split from her husband . It will be Jane's first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past. Barry McGuigan - Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer . He told The Late Late Show in 2021: "She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache." Maura Higgins - The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard . Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year. Rev. Richard Coles - Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity , and he's ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star , said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: "Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth." “I’d like to see Barry do a trial, I’d like to see Melvin down there, Oti. “But we find this every year when someone gets voted multiple times. “You just get to a point where you go, ‘Who’s still voting for Dean?’. “I don’t get it.” Dec, 49, added: “My thing is, I think we all know how he’s gonna react and how he’s gonna do. “I would like to see some other people down there.”