alpha vit NoneMAN UTD icon Nani has retired from football at the age of 38. The tricky winger announced his decision in an emotional video he shared on social media. 4 Nani has announced his retirement from professional football 4 Former winger Nani was a cult hero at Man Utd - winning four Premier League titles Credit: PA:Press Association Nani captioned the three-minute clip: "The time has come to say goodbye, I have decided to finish my career as a professional player. "It’s been an amazing ride and I wanted to thank every single person who has helped me and supported me through the highs and lows during a career which lasted over 20 years and gave me so many unforgettable memories. "Time to turn a new leaf and focus on new goals and dreams. See you soon!" The wideman's announcement is seemingly a surprise given he was playing his football in his homeland in the top flight for Estrella Amadora. read more football news STRICKEN STAR Michail Antonio undergoes surgery on broken leg after horror car crash ASH DASH Axed Man Utd director Ashworth 'frogmarched out of Old Trafford' after shock exit Although the club are in a relegation battle, Nani had appeared 10 times this season and was considered a first team regular. Part of Nani's decision to retire, he revealed in his post, was down to the recent passing of his father. That has forced him to contemplate his future - vowing to spend more with his family. "I want to make the most of my time with my children, my wife, my mother, my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts. Most read in Football CRY BHOY CRY Ex-Celtic star suffers cup final heartbreak as teammates left in TEARS MAN IN THE MIDDLE Ref who was suspended for taking bribe put in charge of Celtic UCL clash DIFFERENT LEAGUE Rangers boss Clement told 'don't make excuses' after surprising admission STRICKEN STAR Michail Antonio undergoes surgery on broken leg after horror car crash "They also need me, and I need to be with them which is very important." Ronaldo and Rio laugh as they reminisce about 'making Nani cry' at Man Utd Nani is best remembered on our shores for his time at Man Utd , where he won four Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and the League Cup twice. He also helped his country win the Euros in 2016 alongside fellow United alumni Cristiano Ronaldo. Nani turned out 230 times, scoring 40 goals. In 2015, he returned to Portugal on loan with Sporting Lisbon. Then spells at Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Sporting again, Orlando City, Venezia, Melbourne Victory, Adana Demirspor followed. A hint where his future lies was given in the summer, when Nani bought fourth division side SU Sintrense. 4 Nani won the Champions League with Man Utd alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 4 Nani also lifted the Euros in 2016 with his country Portugal Credit: Reuters Nani said: "I am very happy to be part of this project. I hope to add value to the club. Read more on the Scottish Sun 'vicious circle' I live in Scotland's benefits hotspot -I've only worked 4 years of my life SPLIT THE PACK I'm one of the best ever snooker stars but I wouldn't be if I was born later "Sintrense are an opportunity for me to do something interesting. "It is very important for me that they are close to the area where I grew up. I hope it will be a successful project."Elon Musk becomes first person with $400 billion net worth; leaves Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg behind

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk that would allow people and conservation organizations to collect and share native plant seeds with other like-minded people. House Bill 364 is hoped to encourage people to plant more native plants, which would create native plant habitats to ensure Ohio’s natural species thrive, according to a statement from The Nature Conservancy. HB 364 passed unanimously the Ohio House in June 12 and unanimously in the Senate on Dec. 18. The bill also eliminates certain weeds from the list of those that a manager of a road or railroad must remove. It’s the native plant provisions that have conservationists excited. “Once signed into law, this will have a significant impact on efforts throughout the state to remove invasive plants and replace them with plants native to Ohio, provide more habitat to threatened insects and even help individuals who want to create their own pollinator garden ,” said Mary Turocy, director of policy and government relations for The Nature Conservancy Ohio, in a statement. The organization has collected native seeds on its preserves throughout Ohio to replant on other areas its preserves to replace invasive plants or restore fields previously used for farming or pasture. “Native plants have an impact across the ecological food web,” said Peter Blank, Northwest Ohio program manager for The Nature Conservancy. “Native plants provide sanctuary for pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and a habitat for beneficial insects like beetles, dragonflies and wasps, which prey on people pests—like mosquitoes—and pests that damage agricultural crops. More insects mean more food for small mammals and birds, which then benefits hawks and owls. And it all starts with native plants.” Two examples of native plants that could become more prominent across Ohio are milkweed and Blazing Star. Monarch butterflies love milkweed. The Blazing Star Moth only eats the Blazing Star, which sprouts tall stocks of purple or pink flowers. Without these plants, neither species could survive. Stories by Laura Hancock Lt. Gov. Jon Husted visits Mar-a-Lago. Could he succeed JD Vance as Ohio’s next U.S. senator? Dec. 23, 2024, 2:31p.m. After OSU team doctor abuse, Gov. DeWine signs bill that expands medical board’s authority over sexual misconduct Dec. 20, 2024, 1:46p.m. Gov. DeWine vows to veto ‘medical free speech’ provision OK’d by legislators Dec. 20, 2024, 11:38a.m. Legislation to tamp down DEI, perceived liberal bias on college campuses dies without passage Dec. 19, 2024, 1:12p.m. Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out

The new, 12-team College Football Playoff brings with it a promise to be bigger, more exciting, more lucrative. Perfect or 100% fair? Well, nobody ever believed that. The first expanded playoff bracket unveiled Sunday left a presumably deserving Alabama team on the sideline in favor of an SMU squad that finished with a better record after playing a schedule that was not as difficult. It ranked undefeated Oregon first but set up a possible rematch against Ohio State, the team that came closest to beating the Ducks this year. It treated underdog Boise State like a favorite and banged-up Georgia like a world beater at No. 2. It gave Ohio State home-field advantage against Tennessee for reasons it would take a supercomputer to figure out. It gave the sport the multiweek tournament it has longed for, but also ensured there will be plenty to grouse about between now and when the trophy is handed out on Jan. 20 after what will easily be the longest college football season in history. All of it, thankfully, will be sorted out on the field starting with first-round games on campuses Dec. 20 and 21, then over three succeeding rounds that will wind their way through traditional bowl sites. Maybe Oregon coach Dan Lanning, whose undefeated Ducks are the favorite to win it all, put it best when he offered: "Winning a national championship is not supposed to be easy.” Neither, it turns out, is figuring out who should play for it. The Big Ten will lead the way with four teams in the tournament, followed by the SEC with three and the ACC with two. The lasting memory from the inaugural bracket will involve the decision that handed the ACC that second bid. Alabama of the SEC didn't play Saturday. SMU of the ACC did. The Mustangs fell behind by three touchdowns to Clemson before coming back to tie. But they ultimately lost 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal as time expired. “We were on pins and needles,” SMU coach Rhett Lashley said. “Until we saw the name ‘SMU’ up there, we were hanging on the edge. We're really, really happy and thankful to the committee for rewarding our guys for their total body of work." The Mustangs only had two losses, compared to three for the Crimson Tide. Even though SMU's schedule wasn't nearly as tough, the committee was impressed by the way the Mustangs came back against Clemson. “We just felt, in this particular case, SMU had the nod above Alabama,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, the chairman of the selection committee. “But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. We looked at the entire body of work for both teams.” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne was gracious, up to a point. “Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country,” he said on social media. He acknowledged — despite all of Alabama’s losses coming against conference opponents this season — that the Tide’s push to schedule more games against teams from other major conferences in order to improve its strength of schedule did not pay off this time. “That is not good for college football," Byrne said. Georgia, the SEC champion, was seeded second; Boise State, the Mountain West champion, earned the third seed; and Big 12 titlist Arizona State got the fourth seed and the fourth and final first-round bye. All will play in quarterfinals at bowl games on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Clemson stole a bid and the 12th seed with its crazy win over SMU, the result that ultimately cost Alabama a spot in the field. The Tigers moved to No. 16 in the rankings, but got in as the fifth-best conference winner. The conference commissioners' idea to give conference champions preferable treatment in this first iteration of the 12-team playoff could be up for reconsideration after this season. The committee actually ranked Boise State, the Mountain West Champion, at No. 9 and Big 12 champion Arizona State at No. 12, but both get to skip the first round. Another CFP guideline: There’s no reseeding of teams after each round, which means no break for Oregon. The top-seeded Ducks will face the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 earlier this year in one of the season’s best games. No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Dec. 21. Clemson is riding high after the SMU upset, while Texas is 0-2 against Georgia and 11-0 vs. everyone else this season. The winner faces ... Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Huh? No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Dec. 21. The biggest knock against the Mustangs was that they didn't play any big boys with that 60th-ranked strength of schedule. Well, now they get to. The winner faces ... Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, SMU vs. Boise was the quarterfinal we all expected. No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Dec. 20. Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti thought his team deserved a home game. Well, not quite but close. The winner faces ... Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs got the No. 2 seed despite a throwing-arm injury to QB Carson Beck. But what else was the committee supposed to do? No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State , Dec. 21. The Buckeyes (losses to Oregon, Michigan) got home field over the Volunteers (losses to Arkansas, Georgia) in a matchup of programs with two of the biggest stadiums in football. The winner faces ... Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Feels like that matchup should come in the semifinals or later. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballFIFA confirms 2034 World Cup coming to Saudi ArabiaEgyptian investments in Africa surpass $14bn: FMINGLEWOOD, Calif. — Ahkello Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams barely maintained command of the NFC West race with a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Puka Nacua had 129 yards receiving and Kyren Williams scored the only touchdown for the Rams (10-6), who grinded through a difficult offensive night and survived a hair-raising fourth quarter for their fifth consecutive victory. The Rams host Seattle (9-7) in their regular-season finale next weekend, but they could already have coach Sean McVay’s fourth division title clinched before then. If the Bills, Browns, Vikings, Commanders and 49ers combine for three wins — or two wins and a tie — over the next two days, Los Angeles will be NFC West champions based on its strength of schedule, no matter what happens against Seattle. If the Rams don’t get that strength-of-schedule help this week, they’re still in command of the division race: The Seahawks will have to beat the Rams and get help from multiple teams to claim the West while denying the Rams’ sixth playoff berth in eight seasons under McVay. The Rams narrowly avoided a winner-take-all finale against Seattle by holding off the Cardinals, who played a tremendous defensive game one week after getting eliminated from playoff contention. Kyler Murray passed for 321 yards and threw two late interceptions for Arizona (7-9), which managed just three points out of three drives into Rams territory in the fourth quarter. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, left, is sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Credit: AP/Ryan Sun Arizona drove to the Los Angeles 5 in the final minute, but when Murray’s first-down pass deflected off tight end Trey McBride's helmet, Witherspoon made a fingertip interception in the end zone that was upheld by video review. Matthew Stafford, who passed for 189 yards, ran out the clock on the Rams' ninth win in 11 games since their bye. McBride made both his 100th reception and his first touchdown catch of the season for Arizona, which has lost five of six. McBride had 12 catches for 123 yards, and Marvin Harrison Jr. had 96 yards receiving. Williams' 14th rushing TD of the season 3:23 before halftime opened the scoring and capped the Rams' first good drive. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws under pressure from Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Credit: AP/Alex Gallardo Arizona finally scored midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard catch by McBride, who finally scored his first touchdown on his 98th catch of the season. He is the 10th tight end in NFL history to catch 100 passes in a season. The Cardinals got to 10-9 early in the fourth quarter with Chad Ryland's short field goal after their second straight impressive drive. Rams rookie Joshua Karty made his second field goal with 6:41 left to cap a 7 1/2-minute drive. Arizona drove to the Rams 40, but the drive stalled before rookie Kam Kinchens intercepted Murray's heave to the goal line with 3:02 left. But Kinchens cost the Rams 40 yards of field position by returning it to the 11 instead of batting it down, and the Rams' offense punted the ball back to the Cards just 1:01 later. Hoecht's swat Michael Hoecht blocked Arizona's extra-point attempt in the third quarter. The linebacker leads the NFL this season with three blocked kicks, the second-most in Rams history. Injuries Cardinals: CB Garrett Williams was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. ... RB James Conner suited up despite a knee injury, but had just four ineffective carries before getting shut down. Rams: RT Rob Havenstein sat out with a shoulder injury incurred during practice this week. The veteran missed his fifth game of the season. Up next The Rams have won three straight and 11 of their last 15 over Seattle. The Cardinals finish at home against the 49ers.

Soft Material Solutions for Handheld Gaming Devices 11-22-2024 11:46 PM CET | Associations & Organizations Press release from: ABNewswire Key Challenges Faced by Handheld Gaming Device Manufacturers 1. Ergonomic Comfort Issues: Prolonged gaming can lead to hand fatigue and discomfort if devices lack ergonomic design. 2. Durability and Protection Concerns: Handheld devices often face heavy use, leading to wear and tear. Manufacturers need to ensure that their products can withstand repeated handling and accidental drops while maintaining their aesthetic appeal. 3. Lack of Product Differentiation: Standing out in a competitive market requires unique designs and functionalities. With the continuous rise of the gaming industry, handheld gaming devices are no longer just a tool for game operation, but also a medium for emotional interaction with players. How to choose a suitable soft material to overcome these challenges and create exceptional gaming devices with both aesthetics and practicality in terms of appearance and functionality is the core question manufacturers need to think about. How do soft materials address these challenges? 1. Ergonomic comfort solutions: Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers [ https://www.si-tpv.com/3c-technology-material-for-improved-safety-aesthetics-and-comfort-product/ ] Controller Grips: Si-TPV Soft Elastic Material is a Tpu For Improved Handling (Slip-Resistant Thermoplastic Polyurethane) with a With a wide range of stiffness, excellent resilience, long-lasting skin-friendly soft touch, anti-slip and malleability, it is possible to create Wear Resistant Comfortable Handle Grips that ergonomically fit the natural curves of the user's hand. This reduces hand fatigue during extended gaming sessions and improves the overall comfort of the device. Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers [ https://www.si-tpv.com/3c-technology-material-for-improved-safety-aesthetics-and-comfort-product/ ] Button Covers and Triggers: Buttons and triggers are critical to the gaming experience, and Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers (Elastomeric Compounds/Elastomeric Materials) are an Extremely Silky Feel Material Without Additional Coating, commonly used to improve the tactile feel of buttons and triggers. Soft button covers provide better feedback, making it easier for players to press buttons accurately and quickly, as well as reducing wear and tear on the device, extending its lifespan. Image: https://www.si-tpv.com/uploads/%E4%BC%81%E4%B8%9A%E5%BE%AE%E4%BF%A1%E6%88%AA%E5%9B%BE_17304463171800.pngImage: https://www.si-tpv.com/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/241-square.jpgImage: https://www.si-tpv.com/uploads/eb04-imfiehq6993921.jpg 2. Durability and protection: Shock-absorbing protective case: Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers [ https://www.si-tpv.com/3c-technology-material-for-improved-safety-aesthetics-and-comfort-product/ ] provide excellent impact resistance to protect the device from accidental drops and extend its life. These materials also protect against scratches, perspiration, and environmental factors such as UV rays and moisture. However, Si-TPV materials can also be used as Overmolding Materials, which are resistant to dirt, abrasion and scratches, and have a strong bond to the substrate. These properties prevent peeling and abrasion, ensuring that the equipment remains in good condition even under heavy use. 3. Product differentiation: Customisable aesthetics: Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers [ https://www.si-tpv.com/3c-technology-material-for-improved-safety-aesthetics-and-comfort-product/ ] are easily customisable in terms of colour, texture and design, enabling manufacturers to create visually appealing and distinctive devices. Si-TPV, for example, enhances the vibrancy of colours to cater to different consumer preferences. * 4. Innovative Designs: Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers are Modification For Tpu, or Softer TPUs, whose flexibility in hardness allows for the creation of unique, ergonomic designs that stand out from the competition. The recyclability of Si-TPV is also in line with growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, adding a sustainable edge to device innovation. In addition, it is Skin Friendly Materials, which is not harmful to the human body, making it more suitable for use in scenarios where it comes into contact with human skin. For additional details, please visit www.si-tpv.com or reach out to amy.wang@silike.cn via email. Media Contact Company Name: Chengdu Silike Technology Co., Ltd. Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=soft-material-solutions-for-handheld-gaming-devices ] Country: China Website: https://www.si-tpv.com/ This release was published on openPR.