p777 online casino Following their 38-15 home win over the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes trolled Indiana and head coach Curt Cignetti. In the waning seconds of the game, a fake newspaper headline was shown on the big screen at Ohio Stadium, reading: "Buckeyes win??? Google it!" That was a clear reference to something Cignetti said back in December, shortly after the Hoosiers hired him. When asked at the time how he goes about recruiting and convincing prospects to play for him, Cignetti said: "I win. Google me." This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis. For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app , homepage and social feeds—including Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok .Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman to each give $1M to Trump inauguration

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020

Best Bets, Odds for the Vikings vs. Packers Game – Week 17The United States is expected to announce that it will send 1.25 billion dollars (£1 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, US officials said on Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on January 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the Hawk air defence system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defence officials acknowledged that the US Defence Department may not be able to send all of the remaining 5.6 billion dollars (£4.5 billion) in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Mr Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many US and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he will not provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about 4.35 billion dollars (£3.46 billion). Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky decide it is time to negotiate. One senior defence official said that while the US will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until January 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about 1.2 billion dollars (£0.9 billion) remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the US will have provided more than 64 billion dollars (£50.8 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.Two recent documentaries, “Martha” on Netflix and the CNN series “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart,” follow the Greek drama that make Stewart a cultural fascination to this day. They recount the jihad against this visionary who came under attack for being a woman with fierce ambition. Admittedly, Stewart’s hard-edged perfectionism and nuclear-powered drive had created some tension with her product, the “soft” home arts of cooking, flower arranging and chair reupholstering. But did she have to be destroyed? Sure, Stewart engaged in some insider trading that may have seemed nothing more than an innocent stock tip. She shouldn’t have lied about it to the FBI. But did journalist Dominick Dunne have to call her the “Goddess of Greed” over a transaction that saved the creator of a billion-dollar business only $45,673? It sure didn’t merit five months in prison. In 1987, the cultural hyenas jumped on her for signing a $5 million contract with Kmart. Stewart was allegedly “selling out” the domestic lifestyle she had cultivated, moving away from authenticity toward mass production and profit. Heaven forfend. The year before, The Disney Co.’s CEO walked off with a $90 million severance check after 14 months of undistinguished performance. She was tenacious. So what? Male executives wore that badge proudly. This woman built a business empire based on creating artistic cheese trays and making wreaths from dry leaves. Try that, Elon Musk. Some of her trouble came in the sub-message that our home lives had turned slovenly because Americans had stopped caring about family dinners and dust balls under the sofa. Some translated that not as a call to do better but as an indictment. But Stewart had no army. Those who accused her of creating unrealistic expectations for women juggling work and family should have been asked: Whose expectations? One could simply enjoy watching her on TV or reading her magazine, Martha Stewart Living. Her projects were properly labeled “aspirational.” I once tried to follow her instructions for coloring cloth with natural vegetable dyes. Two hours later, I ended up with blotchy fabric and hands stained by beet juice. I tried, I failed, and I had a funny story to tell. I was intrigued by her demonstration on how to roll an ironed tablecloth in parchment paper to prevent wrinkles. And how nice that she could whip up 80 perfectly iced little cakes in no time. I can’t do a single backflip. Must I resent Simone Biles for executing a triple-double in one move? It took Superwoman strength to plant an orchard with 122 trees and who knows how many rose bushes. One interviewer noted that people living in Detroit or New York City couldn’t do rose gardens. She responded, “But yes, they want roses.” The fantasy was more than half the point. Women were among her leading inquisitors. One called her “the most intimidating homemaker on earth.” Another female interviewer tells her, “Either they worship you or they say you make us crazy.” There was a third possibility — that they found her entertaining. Stewart can lay claim to two heroic feats: She played a big part in improving the quality of American homelife. And she rebuilt a business that had been left for dead. Above all, Martha was a great tough broad. You saw how TV’s Larry King kept badgering her about her failed marriage in a way that would have seemed bizarre had the executive been a man. “I had sacrificed a marriage because of the allure of a great job,” she finally relented. And she didn’t regret it? She did not. I like Stewart, still going strong at 83. More than ever.

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in a 41-7 win over the Cowboys: Quarterback: B+ Kenny Pickett showed heart, and more importantly, effectiveness in starting in place of the injured Jalen Hurts (concussion). His day got off to a slow start with a first pass missile over A.J. Brown ’s head. But Pickett settled down, despite playing with a rib injury, and helped guide the Eagles to a 20-point lead before he left with what appeared to be aggravation of his injury. Pickett completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. He finally got going on the Eagles’ third drive and ended the possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide open DeVonta Smith. Two series later, he heaved a 49-yard toss to Smith. Pickett also scored a touchdown via Tush Push. He was denied on the first try from the 1-yard line, but got in for his second converted sneak of the first half. Pickett got drilled by Micah Parsons after throwing what was to be a splendid hookup with Brown in the end zone to open the second half. But a holding penalty negated the score and Pickett had to leave after another shot to his ribs. Tanner McKee came in and the Eagles didn’t miss a beat. He wasn’t asked to do a ton, but when called upon to drop back, he delivered. He connected with Brown for a 20-yard back shoulder touchdown late in the third quarter and later found Smith on a short crosser the receiver would take to the house. Running back: A Saquon Barkley become only the ninth running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and is now only 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 rushing yards in a season. He went over 100 yards rushing for the 11th time this season. Despite some early struggles to get the ground game going, he got going in the second half with the Eagles playing from ahead and whittling down the clock. Barkley finished with 167 yards on a season-high 31 carries. Will he get a chance to eclipse Dickerson’s mark in 17 games? Next week’s season finale vs. the New York Giants may have no meaning for the Eagles in terms of playoff seeding. Barkley did set the franchise mark for yards from scrimmage, breaking the previous record of 2,146 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. Kenneth Gainwell got some extra snaps with the Eagles utilizing some two-back looks. He rushed just three times for 4 yards and caught a pass for 5 yards. Tyrion Davis-Price, who was called up from the practice squad with rookie Will Shipley (concussion) sidelined, got some mop-up carries. Receiver / tight end: A- Smith and Brown got open all day against a shorthanded Dallas secondary. Smith bounced back from his costly dropped pass against the Commanders — not that anyone doubted he would. He caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Smith got dinged (pulverized?) early on a play in which fans wanted a flag thrown. Smith left and had his right wrist taped. He missed the next series, but returned and caught a 22-yard touchdown on a corner route out of the slot, and two drives later, toasted cornerback Andrew Booth for a 49-yard catch down to the 1-yard line. Smith ran a great route to convert a short third down on the opening drive of the second half. Brown wasn’t targeted as much, but he was efficient when targeted. He caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Brown had two near-touchdowns — one negated by penalty and another just out bounds — in the third quarter. But he caught his seventh touchdown of the season on the back shoulder from McKee. Tight end Grant Calcaterra made an acrobatic grab with one hand for 34 yards in the second quarter. It was a momentum changer with the offense mostly struggling up until that point. Reserve tight ends C.J. Uzomah and EJ Jenkins were called upon to run-block a bunch. They held their own. Backup receivers Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson weren’t targeted, but got a lot of exercise. Receiver Ainias Smith didn’t play much, if at all, again. In the four previous games, he was also active but did not play a snap. Offensive line: A It was tough sledding in the run game with the Cowboys focused on stopping Barkley in the first half. He had just 41 yards on 13 carries before the break. But the ground game exploded in the second half and left tackle Jordan Mailata & Co. helped lead the way. In terms of pass protection, the Eagles’ O-line didn’t allow a single sack. Lane Johnson continued his pass-blocking dominance at right tackle. He faced another tough assignment vs. Parsons. He kept him from wrecking the game plan, but the Dallas edge rusher did eventually knock Pickett from the game. Cam Jurgens had the pulling lead block on a Barkley 11-yard rush to the left in the fourth quarter. The Eagles center made sure the Tush Push worked without Hurts. Guards Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton made sure Dallas’ interior D-line didn’t push the pocket. Dickerson had some key run blocks. He led the way on a Barkley 8-yard gain off the left to open the second half. A drive later, he had the kick-out block on a Barkley 9-yarder. Dickerson committed two penalties — a false start on the Eagles’ offense’s first play from scrimmage and a hold, which negated a touchdown catch by Brown. Becton left late in the second quarter with an unspecified injury and was replaced by Tyler Steen. But he would return. He bounced back from a difficult outing last week in Landover, Md. Defensive line: A- Jalen Carter and crew allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for over 100 yards — the first time a running back eclipsed the century mark vs. the Eagles this season. But the Eagles’ front kept him from breaking off long runs when it mattered. Carter, nose tackle Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams plugged the middle, as usual, but Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt did well to set the edge and contain the run game. The aforementioned all had individual moments. Carter batted a Cooper Rush pass that deflected off Smith’s hands just before the half. Davis recovered a fumble in the second quarter. Williams had two run stops. Sweat set the edge and held Dowdle to no gain on a first-quarter outside run. Early in the third quarter, he teamed up with linebacker Zack Baun for a tackle for loss. Smith continued his stellar play in the second half of the season. He forced a fumble in the fourth quarter and had several pressures. Smith had a late second-quarter hurry that forced Rush to step up before an eventual incomplete pass. He took a holding penalty in the end zone when tasked with dropping into coverage on Dallas’ first touchdown. Hunt finished with six tackles — four of them solos. Bryce Huff left with an early shoulder injury, but returned before the half. Huff was playing in his first game since being placed on injured reserve following hand surgery in November and didn’t stand out much. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo shot into the backfield and slowed Dowdle when he was dropped for a tackle for loss in the first quarter. Linebacker: A- With Nakobe Dean (abdomen) out, Baun wore the green dot and called the defensive plays. It didn’t affect his performance. Baun finished with seven tackles and added to his Pro Bowl-worthy resumé for the season. Oren Burksstarted in place of Dean (abdomen) and rotated with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. He struggled to get off blocks early vs. the run game, but he rebounded and forced a fumble midway through the second quarter. Burks finished with a team-high eight tackles. Trotter didn’t look out of place in the snaps the rookie played and had three stops. Cornerback: B+ Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell had some early issues, but they never let Cowboys receivers get behind them as the Eagles wore out Rush and a weak Dallas offense. Rush completed just 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards. Slay got turned around by receiver Brandin Cooks for a 16-yard gain on Dallas’ first drive. He also got beaten again by Cooks for 22 yards on a third-down conversion in which he was also flagged for holding. But he tightened up the hatches in the final three quarters. Mitchell had tight coverage on Cooks on an early deep fade route. Receiver Jalen Brooks got him for a 12-yard gain on a back-shoulder route in the first quarter. He got outdueled by receiver Jalen Tolbert on a corner fade touchdown — the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the game. He allowed another 12-yard catch on a back shoulder in the second quarter. Cooper DeJean was solid. He had five tackles and a pass breakup. Dowdle got around DeJean on an early swing pass that was ruled a rushing play. He recovered Nolan Smith’s forced fumble. Safety: A C.J. Gardner-Johnson snagged two interceptions before leaving the game with an injury. He atoned for last week’s ejection with a pick-six on his first series. On third-and-3, he read Rush’s eyes and intercepted a pass to Cooks. Gardner-Johnson went 69 yards the other way for the first touchdown of his NFL career. His sixth interception came on an errant deep throw that Mitchell could have easily caught as well. Gardner-Johnson, nevertheless, did well to track the ball from the post. Reed Blankenship ran step for step with Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin on a fade route into the corner of the end zone early in the fourth quarter. He contributed three tackles. Special teams: A Jake Elliott handled kickoffs full-time for the first time this season after Braden Mann’s struggles at Washington. He had five touchbacks on seven kicks. The Eagles kicker also made all his kicks — two field goals and five extra points. Mann averaged 36 net yards on three punts. DeJean averaged 7.5 yards on two punt returns. Gainwell had a 36-yard kick return in the first quarter. Coaching: A Despite being without his starting quarterback, and losing his backup in the third quarter, Nick Sirianni guided the Eagles to a walkover victory and the NFC East crown. The head coach wrangled an impressive performance from his players and assistants. No Hurts may have played into his fourth-down decision making. On the Eagles’ second series, Sirianni punted on fourth-and-1 at his own 46. Mann’s subsequent punt rolled into the end zone for 32 net yards on the change of possession. A few series later, though, Sirianni went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 30 with Pickett picking it up via the Tush Push. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a great game. He never lost touch with the run even though the Cowboys were depleted in the secondary. Run-heavy play calling to open the second half resulted in a field goal and the Eagles expanding their lead to 27-7. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ’s unit forced four turnovers and bled the Cowboys down as the game progressed. ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.It's a numbers game: Biden, 82, and Trump, 78, move up as oldest living presidents after Jimmy Carter's death at 100 By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 23:40 GMT, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 23:40 GMT, 29 December 2024 e-mail View comments President Joe Biden is now the country's oldest living president with Sunday's death of 100-year-old President Jimmy Carter. Despite Biden presently being in office, the 82-year-old was born before all the country's other living presidents: Bill Clinton , George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump . Trump, 78, is the second oldest living president. He'll be sworn-in again on January 20, 2025. Bush and Clinton are also 78 and were born in the months following Trump. Bush was born on July 6, 1946 and Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, compared to Trump, who was born that year on Flag Day, June 14. The youngest former president is Obama, who turned 63 on August 4. Carter set a record as the longest-living president in American history - the only former president to turn 100 years old, which he did so on October 1. President Joe Biden, 82, is the country's oldest living president, despite there being four men who were in office before him that are still alive after Sunday's death of 100-year-old Jimmy Carter The four other living presidents are younger than Biden including former President Donald Trump (front row, left), George W. Bush (right, standing), Barack Obama (third from left) and Bill Clinton (third from right) He outlived two presidents who served after him - President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush, the father of Bush 43. Carter was sworn-in in 1977 at age 52. Sixteen American presidents were younger than Carter at the time of their inaugurations - including Clinton and Obama decades later. Reagan ousted Carter from the White House after just one term at the age of 69, turning 70 two weeks later. He had to contend with concerns over his age when he ran for reelection in 1984. During a debate against Democrat Walter Mondale, Reagan was asked if he was too old to be president. Reagan would be 73 when he started a second term. 'I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience,' the Republican famously quipped. Presidents Donald Trump (left), Barack Obama (third from left) and Bill Clinton (fourth from right) are all younger than President Joe Biden, despite holding office years before the 82-year-old commander-in-chief Reagan lived to be 93, passing away on June 5, 2004. Carter also outlived Bush 41 - Reagan's Republican vice president who was elected in 1988 after Reagan served two terms. The senior Bush died at the age of 94 on November 30, 2018. When Biden was sworn-in on January 20, 2021, he was 78 years and 61 days old - which was older than Reagan when Reagan left office. And when Trump is sworn-in next month, he'll be 78 years and 220 days old - meaning he'll leave office even older than Biden in 2029. Politics Donald Trump Obama Joe Biden Share or comment on this article: It's a numbers game: Biden, 82, and Trump, 78, move up as oldest living presidents after Jimmy Carter's death at 100 e-mail Add commentConsideration was given to recruiting women into Northern Ireland’s new police force on a 50:50 basis with men to address their “severe under-representation”, declassified files have revealed. However, legal advice was that a policy that half of new recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) should be women was “not viable”, a memo from 2002 said. Stormont officials did seek legal advice that year on whether the new force’s policy of recruiting 50% of all officers from the Catholic community could be challenged as discriminatory towards ethnic minorities. Details are contained in documents held at the Public Record Office in Belfast. Hundreds of the files are being opened for public viewing under the 30/20 year rule. The majority of the files deal with events in 2003, although some are from earlier years. The PSNI replaced the RUC as the police force in Northern Ireland in 2001 (Niall Carson/PA) Catholics had been under-represented in the RUC, so a 50:50 recruitment policy ran for the first decade, meaning one Catholic recruit for every one person from a Protestant or other background. A file shows an exchange of emails between civil servants in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) following a PSNI human rights conference hosted in October 2002. One of the emails was seeking further information on comments at the conference about recruiting people from ethnic minorities to the force. A responding email said: “It’s all about the Patten formula of 50/50 recruitment: 50% Roman Catholic and 50% Protestant and Others. Minority Ethnics fall into the Others. “The issue, at present, is that most applicants still fall into the latter category (around 65% from memory) so this increases the competition within this grouping and makes the candidate less likely to be successful – this could therefore disadvantage Minority Ethnics. “Joe (Stewart) suggested that options could be to move Minority Ethnics to the Roman Catholic Category or alternatively create a 3rd category, say of 2%. “The issue needs further consideration including how any requirement for change could be progressed.” “NIO did not not pursue.” Within the file there are clippings from media reports at the time where concern is being raised about the impact of 50:50 recruitment on police numbers after then PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde announced he was axing the force’s band due to resource pressures. Another internal email was then sent on December 12 under the title “50/50 Recruitment and Race”. Former PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde axed the police band due to resource pressures (Paul Faith/PA) It says the “50:50 split Catholic/non-Catholic has recently survived a legal challenge”. The email continues: “There may still be a point (although unpopular to argue) that the percentage ethnic minority is too small to claim disadvantage/indirect discrimination – ironically the higher the percentage population of ethnic minorities, the stronger would be the claim for advantage/indirect discrimination because the lower the chance of recruitment to the PSNI (ie because the larger the share of the non-Catholic pool). “Interestingly, a stronger challenge could be brought by a young person for age discrimination whom statistics consistently show is more likely to be not religious and so in the ‘non Catholic’ pool. “Politically, there could be difficulties because there is a high profile agenda in GB at present to recruit ethnic minorities into the police service post-Macpherson/Lawrence.” There is also a draft note seeking legal advice on the issue which states that the 50:50 recruitment policy “would seem to be incompatible with the implementation of the (Race) Directive”.

Long waiting lists for NHS weight loss services ‘driving unsafe buying of jabs’On Thursday night in Singapore, in the fifth hour of the fourteenth game of a world championship chess match that had ground on for nearly a month , Gukesh Dommaraju noticed something surprising and started to cry. His opponent, the defending champ, Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren, had put his bishop on the wrong square and Gukesh saw with sudden clarity that he was about to become world champion — the youngest ever, at 18. Gukesh’s win is a milestone in the history of an ancient game experiencing an extraordinary resurgence. A generational handover, his victory also represents the long-heralded arrival of India, the birthplace of the game, as a chess superpower. And it comes at a time of exploding interest in the sport; not since Bobby Fischer won a Cold War proxy battle in the cool Reykjavik summer of 1972 has chess been so trendy. “The Queen’s Gambit” lit a spark . The pandemic, with its vast expanse of time to pass, created a boom. Since 2020, sales of instructional chess books have skyrocketed. Chess.com tripled its membership to about 150 million players. Online chess streamers, believe it or not, built social media channels with millions of followers keen to watch them play and analyze games, earning small fortunes along the way. This attention has transformed elite chess: more tournaments, more money, more fans. Every day in Singapore, as Gukesh left the glass box in which the matches were played, he was mobbed by supporters chanting his name: “Gooooo-kesh! Goo-kesh! Gooooo-kesh! Goo-kesh!” Bearded and impossibly poised, seeming twice his age, he signed every autograph and stood for every selfie, a far cry from the remote and often-tempestuous grandmasters of the old guard. Students at Gukesh Dommaraju’s school in Chennai celebrate his victory. For Ding, whose fatal bishop blunder was described by one chess master as the worst move in the history of world championship chess, the match was an exercise in heartbreak. China’s first world champion, the 32-year-old Ding is beloved in the chess world for his kindness and eccentricity. Eye contact is not his forte. In interviews, he often loses his train of thought and stares searchingly into the camera; when he feels the conversation is over, he will wander away without a word. But despite this affection, few observers were surprised by the outcome. Since winning the title in Kazakhstan nearly two years ago, Ding had struggled with his health, both physical and mental, and lost his form. Fitness is crucial in chess; in a classical game, which can often last five or six hours, grandmasters burn as many calories as marathon runners. Mental health, meanwhile, is a little-discussed challenge that some say has reached crisis levels. Lotis Key, the mother of top-20 grandmaster Wesley So, said last year: “Perhaps the mental loneliness, continual, obsessive self-flagellation, the longing for unattainable perfection, the agony and ecstasy of its pursuit ... is simply the form their joy takes.” Gukesh, for his part, employed the help of a South African mental coach who had helped lead the Indian cricket team to claim the World Cup in 2011. Gukesh’s win was a blow not only to Ding but arguably to an entire generation of older players for whom time is running out. Every elite grandmaster dreams of becoming world champion, of carving their name in chess history and feeling the weight of the champion’s wreath on their shoulders. For a decade, Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian five-time world champion , made that dream seem impossible for his opponents. Players who had been the best in their city, in their province, in their country, on their continent, among the best in history, could not move the immovable champion and were forced to reconcile themselves to lesser ambitions. So when Carlsen announced in 2022 that he would not defend his title for a sixth time, he created an opportunity many top Millennial grandmasters thought they would never see: a chance to sit on his throne. For two years, amid this new hope, Carlsen’s contemporaries fought in Azerbaijan and the Isle of Man, in India and Canada, finally to fulfil their greatest dream. It was, it seemed, their time. Yet none, in the end, would prevail. Not Fabiano Caruana, the American grandmaster who was described in the New Yorker at the age of 10 quibbling with his country’s greatest chess coach over pawn structure. Not Hikaru Nakamura, once thought a likely world champion, who put competitive chess on the back burner to become a millionaire chess streamer only to return to the highest levels of the sport “for the content” (motto: “I literally don’t care”). Not Levon Aronian , the Armenian-born grandmaster who as a child studied openings by candlelight amid his chess-obsessed country’s frequent blackouts, the expectations of a nation on his shoulders. China’s chess grandmaster Ding Liren competes against Gukesh Dommaraju in game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship. Instead, it was a kid from the next generation, from the next great chess nation, from the game’s future: Gukesh, the prodigy not yet born when most of these players became grandmasters, who, according to received wisdom, could continue to improve for another 20 years, while the older generation begin to decline, their dream ever receding. Asked how he would celebrate, Gukesh told a story. He had taken a walk with one of his trainers on a rest day during the match. They came upon some bungee jumpers. His trainer said that if Gukesh won the match, he’d jump. Gukesh, who is afraid of heights, said he’d do it too. His short life had been focused on a singular goal: becoming world champion. Now that he had achieved it, other goals had come into view: a more precise performance in the next match; Carlsen-like long-term dominance. But first, he said, he was going to jump off a bridge.

Former President has died at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. At age 52, Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Carter left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Here's the latest: President Biden mourns his predecessor As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Pelosi says Carter’s life ‘was saintly’ in devotion to peace Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is remembering Carter as a man steeped “in devotion to public service and peace.” The California Democrat said in a statement Sunday that Carter was committed to “honoring the spark of divinity within every person,” something she said manifested in “teaching Sunday school in his beloved Marantha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.” Pelosi also said Carter led “perhaps the most impactful post-presidency in history.” Historical praise from the United Kingdom British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted in a post on X the special contribution Carter made by brokering the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and through his work with the Carter Center. “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad,” Starmer said. Commemoration in New York City To commemorate Carter’s death, officials with the Empire State Building said in a post on social media that the iconic New York City landmark would be lit in red, white and blue on Sunday night, “to honor the life and legacy” of the late former president. The Obamas recall Carter's Sunday services In a statement issued Sunday, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said Carter’s beloved Maranatha Baptist Church “will be a little quieter on Sunday,s” but added that the late former president “will never be far away -- buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels.” Noting the “hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews” to see the former president teach Sunday school, as he did “for most of his adult life,” the Obamas listed Carter’s accomplishments as president. But they made special note of the Sunday school lessons, saying they were catalysts for people making a pilgrimage to the church. “Many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.” A somber announcement The died Sunday, more than a year after entering , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, who , spent most of their lives. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” The Carter Center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A Southerner and a man of faith In his 1975 book “Why Not The Best,” Carter said of himself: “I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.” A moderate Democrat, as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. After he left office and returned home to his tiny hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia, Carter regularly at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world. Former Vice President Gore remembers Carter for life "of purpose” Former Vice President praised Jimmy Carter for living “a life full of purpose, commitment and kindness” and for being a “lifelong role model for the entire environmental movement.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. concentrated on conflict resolution, defending democracy and fighting disease in the developing world. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, remains a leading advocate for action to fight climate change. Both won Nobel Peace Prizes. Gore said that “it is a testament to his unyielding determination to help build a more just and peaceful world” that Carter is often “remembered equally for the work he did as President as he is for his leadership over the 42 years after he left office.” During Gore’s time in the White House, President Bill Clinton had an uneasy relationship with Carter. But Gore said he is “grateful” for “many years of friendship and collaboration” with Carter. The Clintons react to Jimmy Carter's death Former President former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, remember Carter as a man who lived to serve others. “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end." The statement recalled Carter's many achievements and priorities, including efforts “to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David." After he left office, the Clinton statement said, Carter continued efforts in "supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity — he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” the statement said. The Associated Press

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