'I spent the last three Christmas periods in hospital due to Crohn’s disease – I want to change that'

Lots of brands are rolling out new and returning plant-based favorites ahead of Christmas 2024, which is now just over four weeks away. Here is the best vegan Christmas chocolate you need to know about for this year’s holiday season . Read more: Galaxy Launches Dairy-Free Chocolate Selection Box For many households, chocolate is a key and beloved part of the festive season. But the vast majority of chocolates traditionally associated with Christmas aren’t suitable for those on plant-based diets. The likes of Celebrations, Roses, Quality Street, and Toblerone all contain dairy, and they have yet to introduce vegan versions of their products. There are a number of brands, however, that do offer dairy-free Christmas chocolates. As well as all-vegan companies like Catherine’s Originals and Nomo , mainstream chocolate brands like Lindt also offer vegan Christmas chocolates for 2024. Here are our picks of the best. Lindt Lindor Truffles Lindt launched two vegan versions of its Lindor Truffles , “Oatmilk” and “Dark Oatmilk,” just in time for Christmas last year. The iconic truffles are available once again, though they are still only being sold in the US. Amazon also stocks an “Assorted Oatmilk” non-dairy selection featuring both vegan Lindor truffles in one box. (For UK and EU customers, Lindt does offer some vegan selection bundles on its website, which are available outside of the US.) Find out more here . Catherine’s Originals Celebrations-style vegan selection tin Catherine’s Originals launched its vegan chocolate selection tin back in July, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK. It includes 81 chocolates in nine flavors, including vegan options inspired by non-vegan selection boxes. These include coffee truffles, “honeycomb,” cookies and cream, orange and almond, pralines, coconut, and caramels. Founder Catherine Dodd started the company in 2021 when she was just 18. Dodd has said that she was inspired to create vegan holiday chocolates after missing out on the selection tins that are such a popular choice at Christmas, particularly in the UK and Ireland. Find out more here . Moo Free’s vegan milk and white chocolate ‘Crimbo Pud’ Moo Free has a selection of plant-based Christmas chocolates, including this “Chrimbo Choccy Pud” which features a milk chocolate base “iced” with white chocolate. They are dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, and made with Rainforest Alliance chocolate. Find out more here . Read more: ‘World’s First’ Oat Milk Cream Liqueur Cocktail Arrives In Supermarkets Nomo’s Christmas Reindeers Nomo has been making vegan chocolates for nearly 20 years, and its range is available at major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, and Ocado. This year, the company has introduced a mint chocolate version of its popular reindeer-shaped bar. Cookie dough flavor reindeer bars and a large, foil-covered reindeer bar are back once again. (Nomo also has a whole Christmas collection on its website, including an advent calendar, sharing boxes, mini bars, and bundles.) Find out more here . Chococo’s Festive Selection Box Another selection box, this new festive-themed option from Chococo includes a selection of 25 handcrafted chocolates. It features both dairy-free milk chocolate and dark chocolate, and flavors include Hazelnut Latte, Roasted Almond Cluster, and Glorious Ginger. Find out more here . Catherine’s Originals Toblerone-style ‘Obar’ Catherine’s Originals has also introduced the Toblerone-style “Obar,” a triangle-shaped chocolate bar featuring plant-based honey, almond pieces, dairy-free milk chocolate, and a “secret ingredient.” It’s currently available to preorder and will ship in early December. Find out more here . Read more: Vegan Brand Launches Bounty-Style Coconut Chocolate BarAbortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It's now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to implement bans. The policies and their impact have been in flux ever since the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Here's a look at data on where things stand: Overturning Roe and enforcing abortion bans has changed how woman obtain abortions in the U.S. But one thing it hasn't done is put a dent in the number of abortions being obtained. There have been slightly more monthly abortions across the country recently than there were in the months leading up to the June 2022 ruling, even as the number in states with bans dropped to near zero. “Abortion bans don’t actually prevent abortions from happening,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health social scientist at the University of California San Francisco. But, she said, they do change care. For women in some states, there are major obstacles to getting abortions — and advocates say that low-income, minority and immigrant women are least likely to be able to get them when they want. For those living in states with bans, the ways to access abortion are through travel or abortion pills. As the bans swept in, abortion pills became a bigger part of the equation. They were involved in about half the abortions before Dobbs. More recently, it’s been closer to two-thirds of them, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute. The uptick of that kind of abortion, usually involving a combination of two drugs, was underway before the ruling. But now, it's become more common for pill prescriptions to be made by telehealth. By the summer of 2024, about 1 in 10 abortions was via pills prescribed via telehealth to patients in states where abortion is banned. As a result, the pills are now at the center of battles over abortion access. This month, Texas sued a New York doctor for prescribing pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. There's also an effort by Idaho, Kansas and Missouri to roll back their federal approvals and treat them as “controlled dangerous substances,” and a push for the federal government to start enforcing a 19th-century federal law to ban mailing them. Clinics have closed or halted abortions in states with bans. But a network of efforts to get women seeking abortions to places where they're legal has strengthened and travel for abortion is now common. The Guttmacher Institute found that more than twice as many Texas residents obtained abortion in 2023 in New Mexico as New Mexico residents did. And as many Texans received them in Kansas as Kansans. Abortion funds, which benefitted from “rage giving” in 2022, have helped pay the costs for many abortion-seekers. But some funds have had to cap how much they can give . Since the downfall of Roe, the actions of lawmakers and courts have kept shifting where abortion is legal and under what conditions. Here's where it stands now: Florida, the nation’s third most-populous state, began enforcing a ban on abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy on May 1. That immediately changed the state from one that was a refuge for other Southerners seeking abortion to an exporter of people looking for them. There were about 30% fewer abortions there in May compared with the average for the first three months of the year. And in June, there were 35% fewer. While the ban is not unique, the impact is especially large. The average driving time from Florida to a facility in North Carolina where abortion is available for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is more than nine hours, according to data maintained by Caitlin Myers, a Middlebury College economics professor. The bans have meant clinics closed or stopped offering abortions in some states. But some states where abortion remains legal until viability – generally considered to be sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy , though there’s no fixed time for it – have seen clinics open and expand . Illinois, Kansas and New Mexico are among the states with new clinics. There were 799 publicly identifiable abortion providers in the U.S. in May 2022, the month before the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. And by this November, it was 792, according to a tally by Myers, who is collecting data on abortion providers. But Myers says some hospitals that always provided some abortions have begun advertising it. So they’re now in the count of clinics – even though they might provide few of them. How hospitals handle pregnancy complications , especially those that threaten the lives of the women, has emerged as a major issue since Roe was overturned. President Joe Biden's administration says hospitals must offer abortions when they're needed to prevent organ loss, hemorrhage or deadly infections, even in states with bans. Texas is challenging the administration’s policy and the U.S. Supreme Court this year declined to take it up after the Biden administration sued Idaho. More than 100 pregnant women seeking help in emergency rooms and were turned away or left unstable since 2022, The Associated Press found in an analysis of federal hospital investigative records. Among the complaints were a woman who miscarried in the lobby restroom of Texas emergency room after staff refused to see her and a woman who gave birth in a car after a North Carolina hospital couldn't offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. “It is increasingly less safe to be pregnant and seeking emergency care in an emergency department,” Dara Kass, an emergency medicine doctor and former U.S. Health and Human Services official told the AP earlier this year. Since Roe was overturned, there have been 18 reproductive rights-related statewide ballot questions. Abortion rights advocates have prevailed on 14 of them and lost on four. In the 2024 election , they amended the constitutions in five states to add the right to abortion. Such measures failed in three states: In Florida, where it required 60% support; in Nebraska, which had competing abortion ballot measures; and in South Dakota, where most national abortion rights groups did support the measure. AP VoteCast data found that more than three-fifths of voters in 2024 supported abortion being legal in all or most cases – a slight uptick from 2020. The support came even as voters supported Republicans to control the White House and both houses of Congress. Associated Press writers Linley Sanders, Amanda Seitz and Laura Ungar contributed to this article.

Cardano Eyes $6 Based on Historic Movement, Bull Cycle Set To Propel Dogecoin To $3 and AI Coin To $1Syria's rebirth: A swift transition

NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Capri Holdings Limited CPRI , Tapestry, Inc., and certain of Capri and Tapestry's senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Capri, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/capri-holdings-limited . Investors have until February 21, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors who purchased Capri stock or sold Capri puts. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and is captioned Hurwitz v. Capri Holdings Limited, et al. , No. 24-cv-1410. Why was Capri Sued for Securities Fraud? Capri is a fashion firm that owns several fashion brands, such as Michael Kors. Tapestry is also a fashion firm, and it owns fashion brands including Coach and Kate Spade. On August 10, 2023, Capri and Tapestry jointly announced that Tapestry would purchase Capri for $57 per share in cash. During the relevant period, Capri and Tapestry stated that the acquisition would not stifle competition, and that they expected to obtain antitrust approval for the acquisition and for the deal to close in 2024. On April 22, 2024, the FTC brought an action to enjoin the acquisition given its anticompetitive effects. Capri and Tapestry, however, strongly disputed the FTC's allegations and insisted that the acquisition would be "pro-consumer" and have no negative effects on competition. The Stock Declines as the Truth is Revealed On October 24, 2024, the court granted the FTC's motion for preliminary injunction and blocked the Capri acquisition. In its order, the court cited to hundreds of pages of internal documents revealing that defendants secretly understood that their brands were close competitors within a well-defined "accessible luxury handbag market" and that the Capri acquisition would decrease competition. According to the court, defendants' statements to the investing public did not fit with the "commercial realities" to which defendants themselves were keenly attuned. On this news, the price of Capri stock fell nearly 50%, from a closing price of $41.60 per share on October 24, 2024 to $21.26 per share on October 25, 2024. Click here if you suffered losses: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/capri-holdings-limited . What Can You Do? If you invested in Capri you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/capri-holdings-limited Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212-789-3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors (pending court approval), as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com . https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/capri-holdings-limited Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Radical Jaguar rebrand and new logo sparks ire online NEW YORK (AP) — A promotional video for a rebrand of British luxury car brand Jaguar is being criticized online for showing models in brightly colored outfits — and no car. The rebrand, which includes a new logo, is slated to launch Dec. 2 during Miami Art Week, when the company will unveil a new electric model. But Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors Ltd., has been promoting it online. The Jaguar brand is in the middle of a transition to going all-electric. “Copy Nothing,” marketing materials read. “We’re here to delete the ordinary. To go bold. To copy nothing.” Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations DALLAS (AP) — The nation is set to mark 61 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade passed through downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Even after over six decades, conspiracy theories about what happened that day still swirl and the desire to follow every thread of information hasn’t waned. President-elect Donald Trump made promises over the summer that if reelected he would declassify the remaining records. At this point, only a few thousand of millions of pages of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released. And those who have studied what's been released so far say that the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations even if the remaining files are declassified. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. NFL issues security alert to teams and the players' union following recent burglaries The NFL has issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets. Penn State wins trademark case over retailer's use of vintage logos, images PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages earlier this week over products made and sold by the firms Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories. The defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with Penn State. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, but the Pennsylvania case was the first to go to trial. Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum? NEW YORK (AP) — A previously unknown musical work written by composer Frederic Chopin appears to have been found in a library in New York City. The Morgan Library & Museum says the untitled and unsigned piece is the first new manuscript of the Romantic era virtuoso to be discovered in nearly a century. Robinson McClellan, the museum’s curator, says he stumbled across the work in May while going through a collection brought to the Manhattan museum years earlier. He worked with outside experts to verify the document's authenticity. But there’s debate whether the waltz is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. Volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for the 7th time in a year GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland is spewing lava from a fissure in its seventh eruption since December. Iceland's seismic monitors said the eruption started with little warning late Wednesday and created a long fissure but looked to be smaller than eruptions in August and May. Around 50 houses were evacuated after the Civil Protection agency issued the alert, along with guests at the famous Blue Lagoon resort, according to the national broadcaster. The repeated eruptions over the past year have caused damage to the town of Grindavík and forced people to relocate. Australian teen and British woman who drank tainted alcohol in Laos have died, bringing toll to 5 VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister said was every parent’s nightmare. Officials earlier said an American and two Danish tourists also had died following reports that multiple people had been sickened in town popular with backpackers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones had died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng, Laos, for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalized in Thailand. Later Thursday, Britain said a British woman also died and the media in the U.K. identified her as 28-year-old Simone White. US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford's new ranking The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index. There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across a variety of dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm. Following the U.S. and China were the United Kingdom, India and the United Arab Emirates. Pop star Ed Sheeran helps favorite soccer team sign player before getting on stage with Taylor Swift It turns out British pop star Ed Sheeran is also good at recruiting soccer players. Sheeran is a minority shareholder at English soccer team Ipswich Town and it needed his help over the summer to get a player to join the club. Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton tells a Soccerex industry event in Miami: “Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.” Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”

Bishop T.D. Jakes experiences 'health incident' during Sunday service

KYIV, Ukraine — With much fanfare, Ukraine was granted permission to fire Western long-range missiles at Russian military targets more than a month ago. But after initially firing a flurry of them, Ukraine has already slowed their use. Ukraine is running out of missiles. It also might be running out of time: President-elect Donald Trump has said publicly that allowing U.S.-made long-range missiles inside Russia was a big mistake. So far, the missiles have been effective in limited ways, but they have not changed the war’s trajectory, senior NATO officials said. The war has also not escalated as some had feared. Although Russia launched a powerful new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at a Ukrainian weapons facility after the first two volleys of Western long-range missiles, it has since responded to them with its usual mix of drones, missiles and threats. Two U.S. officials said they believed Russia was trying to avoid escalating military operations in Ukraine, especially with the election of Trump, a longtime skeptic of the war, and given Russia’s recent battlefield successes. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, given the political sensitivities. Adm. Rob Bauer, NATO’s most senior military officer, said recently that the strikes by the long-range ballistic Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, had “seriously hit a number” of weapons factories and ammunition depots in Russia. He said that had forced Russia to move many logistics facilities farther back from the front. Related Story: In some ways, what has happened with the ATACMS — pronounced “attack ’ems” — is the story of what has happened with other Western weaponry in the war. Ukraine pressed for months and even years to get Western weapons: HIMARS rocket launchers, Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets. But by the time the West granted access to these weapons, Ukraine had lost more ground. And no weapon has been a silver bullet. Western officials also say Ukraine has relied too much on help from the West and hasn’t done enough to bolster its own war effort, especially in mobilizing enough troops. United States Resisted Sending Ukraine Long-Range Missiles The United States had long resisted sending Ukraine long-range ATACMS, with a range of 190 miles, fearing that their use deep inside nuclear-armed Russia would escalate the war. In the spring, President Joe Biden relented. The administration shipped Ukraine as many as 500 missiles from Pentagon stockpiles, the U.S. officials said. While Ukraine couldn’t use them in Russia, they fired them at targets in eastern Ukrainian territories controlled by Russia and in Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014 — aiming at hardened command and control posts, weapons storage areas and some other bunkers. U.S. and NATO officials said those strikes had been effective but also said that they felt Ukraine could have been more judicious in the number of missiles used and more selective with targeting. The U.S. officials said Biden had justified granting permission on Nov. 17 to use the missiles in Russia because Moscow brought North Korean soldiers into the war. There were caveats, though. U.S. officials said the weapons would initially be used mainly against Russian and North Korean troops in the Kursk region of western Russia, where Ukraine was trying to hold onto territory after a surprise Ukrainian offensive in August. Related Story: At that point, Ukraine had only “tens of the missiles” left — maybe about 50, the two U.S. officials said. It had no likelihood of getting more, they said. The limited U.S. supplies had already been assigned for deployment in the Middle East and Asia. Officials in Britain, which allowed Ukraine to use its long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia after Biden’s decision, also said recently that it didn’t have many more to provide. It is unlikely that Trump will step in to fill the gap. He recently told Time magazine that he disagreed “very vehemently” with Ukraine’s use of ATACMS in Russian territory and called Biden’s decision to provide them “foolish.” The next day, the Kremlin said Trump’s position “fully aligned” with Moscow. Since the United States and Britain granted permission, Ukraine has launched at least a half-dozen missile strikes, using at least 31 ATACMS and 14 Storm Shadows, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and Russian military bloggers. The Ukrainian military does not comment on the use of the missiles, but neither the United States nor Ukraine has challenged those reports. The most damaging attack appears to have been from Storm Shadows fired Nov. 20 at a Russian command bunker near Maryino, Kursk, officials and analysts said. Russia Launches Ballistic Missile at Ukraine On Nov. 21, Russia launched its new hypersonic ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, or “hazelnut tree,” at a military facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. That was seen as a warning that Russia could hit any part of Europe with the new missile, a message to Europe and America about possible consequences. Six days later, the Russian general who was the architect of the Ukraine invasion called Biden’s top military adviser to discuss concerns about escalation, insisting that its missile test had been long planned. After that Nov. 27 call, Ukraine didn’t fire ATACMS or Storm Shadows for two weeks. Russia also launched few missile or drone attacks into Ukraine, although Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to launch the Оreshnik at the center of Кyiv, the Ukrainian capital, if Ukraine didn’t stop using ATACMS in Russia. Related Story: Despite his public threats, Putin is trying to react carefully to Ukrainian operations, the U.S. officials said. They believe Moscow will most likely not respond to ATACMS strikes in a way that could risk drawing Washington deeper in the fight or put the new administration in an awkward position as it comes in. Moscow could step up cyber or sabotage operations in Europe, but it is unlikely to directly target U.S. interests, the officials said. Some analysts said Ukraine had slowed its missile use because it had initially targeted Russian facilities it had long wanted to hit. Now, with few missiles remaining, Ukraine is being more deliberate. “We decided to wait and find high-value capability, and that’s natural,” said Mykola Bielieskov, a military analyst at Ukraine’s government-run National Institute for Strategic Studies. “Don’t expect quick returns, because we need to preserve this capability and spend it judiciously and very wisely.” — This article originally appeared in . By Kim Barker, Lara Jakes, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper and Julian E. Barnes/Russian Defense Ministry c. 2024 The New York Times CompanyCALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders re-signed veteran kicker Rene Paredes on Wednesday while also restructuring quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.'s deal. Calgary signed Paredes to a two-year contract extension. The Canadian was scheduled to become a free agent in February. The Stampeders acquired Adams last month from the B.C. Lions. The club and player agreed to terms on a restructured contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. "The restructured contract will give us more salary-cap flexibility to sign free agents and retain our own players who will be eligible for free agency in February,” Dave Dickenson, Calgary's head coach and general manager, said in a statement. “Vernon remains under contract for the next two seasons and we’re excited to have him in Calgary.” Adams, an eight-year CFL veteran, posted a 6-3 record last season with B.C., completing 197-of-302 passes (65.2 per cent) for 2,929 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He recorded six 300-yard passing games while also rushing for 213 yards and three TDs in 40 attempts. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 317 yards with two TDs and three interceptions in B.C.'s 28-19 West Division semifinal loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Paredes, a six-time all-star, has played 13 seasons with Calgary — ranking him fourth all-time in franchise history in terms of longevity — and his 229 regular-season games place him second in the Stampeders record books. He made 41 of his 44 field-goal attempts (93.2-per-cent success rate) over 18 games in 2024. Paredes has played 248 career regular-season and post-season games for the Stampeders since signing as a free agent in 2011. His 2,286 career regular-season points place him eighth on the CFL’s all-time list and he was part of Grey Cup-winning teams in 2014 and 2018. “I’m very excited to be back with the organization,” Paredes said in a release. “My family and I love the city and it’s a blessing to have spent my entire career as a Stampeder. The last two seasons have been a challenge for us as a team but I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help turn things around.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024. The Canadian PressWhen Andrew Westphal's Costa Rica honeymoon was over last May, you could say the honeymoon was really over. "Traveler's trots. Let's just say again, gastrointestinal distress," Westphal said. He and his new bride were experiencing the same stomach symptoms and decided to go to an urgent care near them. "And it ended up being a $4 antibiotic that solved the issue completely in a day," Westphal recalled. But then, Westphal said, the real pain began when he received his first bill: $1,888. What really stood out, though, was the difference between what his insurance covered compared to his wife's insurance for the medical testing. "So mine ended up being just about $1,700 to $1,800, and she paid $21 for those labs," Westphal said. "I'm trying to just wrap my head around how I could get such a large bill for such a simple service." His insurance carrier is Anthem while hers is Cigna. They both have high-deductible plans, and neither has met their deductibles. RELATED STORY | Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO ignites online fury over health insurance industry "I, unfortunately, am not surprised," said Adam Fox, the deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. Fox said Westphal's story underscores the idea that insurance plans are not negotiating better costs for the people they are serving, putting consumers at risk of unpredictably high bills. Additionally, Fox said, there is a larger issue with the rates being charged at so-called "Hospital Outpatient Departments." In a letter to Westphal regarding his urgent care bill, UC Health stated that he had "received these services within a Hospital Outpatient Department." Fox said Medicare charges about $440 for the same tests Westphal was billed $1,840. "They're basically charging four times what Medicare does," said Fox. "I think those services can be provided at a much lower cost. And I think what we are seeing is as hospitals acquire more facilities and doctors offices, they are charging higher costs for the same level of service to patients. And that puts Coloradans at financial risk." A UCHealth spokesperson clarified that its urgent care centers are not Hospital Outpatient Departments, but the labs in certain cases are at the hospital. UCHealth and Anthem declined our requests for interviews, but in an email, a UCHealth spokesman pointed to high-deductible health insurance plans, stating, "This shifts more of the burden of paying medical bills onto patients." UCHealth said it offers billing estimates for anyone who wants to know individual responsibility for a service. An Anthem statement also references high-deductible plans, stating that Westphal's "claim was therefore processed correctly." Anthem said, "We are transparent with Anthem members about the price of health care services." Westphal said he had no idea that what he thought was a simple doctor's visit for antibiotics could cost so much. After his appeals were denied, he said he is learning a frustrating lesson. "You need to find out how much your services are going to cost, even if you think it's something that should be very simple, cost so little," Westphal said. "And yet this insurance company or this provider can really do whatever they want." Full statement from Anthem: This story was originally published by Jaclyn Allen at Scripps News Denver .EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Alex Chaikin led Lafayette over NCAA DivisionIII-member Rosemont on Sunday with 21 points off of the bench in a 91-45 victory. Chaikin went 7 of 11 from the field (5 for 9 from 3-point range) for the Leopards (2-4). T.J. Berger went 4 of 10 from the field (2 for 6 from 3-point range) to add 10 points. Andrew Phillips finished 4 of 6 from the field to finish with 10 points. Bruce Black led the Ravens in scoring, finishing with 11 points. Denelle Holly added eight points for Rosemont. Kelton Warren also recorded seven points. Lafayette took the lead with 20:00 left in the first half and did not give it up. Mike Bednostin led their team in scoring with eight points in the first half to help put them up 38-22 at the break. Lafayette outscored Rosemont by 30 points in the second half, and Chaikin scored a team-high 15 points in the second half to help their team secure the victory. NEXT UP Lafayette hosts LIU in its next matchup on Friday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

'Squopping and squidging': Who invented tiddlywinks?Hunter animal pounds and shelters are full and facing growing wait-lists for surrenders as a government inquiry details the dire "rehoming crisis" crippling the state. Login or signup to continue reading A NSW government inquiry into pounds released a report in October with 24 recommendations to improve animal welfare. The inquiry found that NSW was facing an "animal rehoming crisis" with pounds and rescues severely underfunded and over-capacity with heavy reliance on rescue and rehoming organisations. Dog ownership has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Government data shows there were 105,168 microchipped dogs in Lake Macquarie, 48,335 in Maitland and 64,054 in Newcastle in the July-September quarter of 2024. This is up from 102,108 in Lake Macquarie, 46,364 in Maitland and 61,899 in Newcastle the previous year, and a major increase from 88,698 in Lake Macquarie, 38,620 in Maitland and 54,316 in 2020. Dog Rescue Newcastle founder Sue Barker said the number of dogs needing homes was higher than ever. "It's out of control," she said. "I've been doing rescue since 1984 formally and it's worse than it's ever been." The Newcastle rescue saved 851 dogs from either private surrenders or overflowing pounds and found homes for 857 over the course of 2024. Ms Barker said animals were passed onto rescue groups after pounds were increasingly becoming full. Pound data from 2023-24 shows Newcastle council had 158 incoming dogs and 11 cats. Of those, 90 dogs and nine cats were released to rescue and rehoming organisations. Lake Macquarie council had 278 incoming dogs and 96 cats, with 79 dogs and 73 cats released to organisations for re-homing. In Maitland, 413 dogs and 106 cats were reported with 104 dogs and 92 cats released to organisations for re-homing. Maitland is in the top 12 local government areas in the state for dogs in its facilities. Maitland council director city planning Matt Prendergast said the Maitland Animal Management Facility serviced Maitland, Cessnock and Dungog. "As a result, there is pressure from the community and a growing waitlist for surrenders, with rental housing issues, homelessness, cost of living and domestic violence commonly cited as reasons for requiring to surrender an animal," Mr Prendergast said. "We take a proactive approach to managing companion animals in the Maitland LGA, and despite high incoming animal numbers, there is a very high return to home rate - last month, this was over 90 per cent." Ms Barker reported similar factors as the cause of the issue. "A lot of it is because of the housing crisis and out of control breeding," she said. "Also people can't get rentals with their dogs - there's a break-up in families and neither party can take the dog. "It's a crisis - I don't sleep." The inquiry committee has recommended the NSW government urgently introduce legislation to ensure tenants can rent with animals and implement puppy farming reform. The NSW government announced on October 25 it will introduce legislation to parliament to make it easier to have pets in rentals, with landlords only able to decline on certain grounds. The inquiry also found a large number of animals were still being killed in NSW pounds, which is "unacceptable". "Animals are being killed simply because of space, " Ms Barker said. "This shouldn't be happening in this day and age." While Hunter councils have lower euthanasia rates than some other areas of NSW, dogs and cats have been put down in the region's pounds for various reasons. According to 2023-24 pound data, Newcastle had 11 dogs euthanised that were unable to be rehomed; two dogs euthanised at the owner's request; one dog euthanised after being deemed dangerous, restricted or other and two cats put down due to being feral or infant. Three dogs in Maitland were euthanised due to illness or injury and six dogs were euthanised due to being dangerous, restricted or other. Four cats were euthanised due to being feral or infant. Lake Macquarie had more animals euthanised than the other two councils, including 36 dogs deemed unsuitable for re-homing and eight cats that were feral or infant. Four dogs and three cats were euthanised due to illness or injury, eight dogs were euthanised as they were unable to be rehomed and one dog was euthanised due to being dangerous, restricted or other. Mr Prendergast said Maitland council did not euthanise animals unless there was "an overwhelming need due to significant medical or behavioural issues". The committee found that many pound facilities were sub-standard, not fit for purpose, and failed to meet community expectations for animal welfare. Ms Barker said council pounds she had dealt with were "totally inadequate for the numbers coming in". The inquiry has recommended the government provide increased funding for council pounds and provide ongoing grant funding to rescue services. The City of Newcastle spokesperson said a 2022 amendment to the Companion Animals Act had increased management costs for councils, as impounded animals often stayed longer while arrangements with rehoming organisations were made. "City of Newcastle welcomes any increases in funding from the NSW Government to assist with its legislated animal management obligations, to support the safe management of animals within the Newcastle Local Government Area," the spokesperson said. "City of Newcastle has faced delays in receiving nominated funding from the Office of Local Government related to animal registrations within Newcastle. This impacts the operational costs of managing our community services related to companion animals in Newcastle." Mr Prendergast said Maitland council would "fully support" increased opportunities for grant funding to help alleviate the strain currently placed by the pound system. Mr Poulton said there was "no doubt there is high demand on rehoming services and we see some of the recommendations in the recent report as key to supporting their ongoing work". Councils say they aim to take a proactive approach to animal management and encourage responsible pet ownership and microchipping. A City of Newcastle spokesperson said the council engaged daily with re-homing organisations, locally and across the country. "We have one of the highest rehoming rates in Australia, with 95 per cent of animals taken into care last year able to be returned to their owner or rehomed," the spokesperson said. "Our team has facilitated re-homing 12 animals to interstate locations since taking over the management of impounded animals (6 in the 2023/24 financial year and 6 so far in the 2024/25 financial year)." Lake Macquarie council manager environmental regulation and compliance Derek Poulton said over the past four years increased number of animals have been returned to their owners in the field before entering the facility due to improved animal registration programs. "We've actually seen a reduction in animals entering our facility and more stable animal numbers being surrendered and requiring rehoming via our 16 possible rehoming rescue partners," he said. "There have been several occasions over the years that our facility has reached capacity. Fortunately, this is a very rare event that has only ever occurred for a short period." Maitland council is also undertaking a feasibility study to determine what more permanent expansion options of its pound could look like. Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns to help TCU beat Louisiana-Lafayette 34-3 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs (9-4). TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette (10-4) to 209 yards, including 61 on the game’s final possession. Ben Wooldridge was 7-for-20 passing for 61 yards for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He also threw an interception. The Horned Frogs put together a fast start. Hoover found DJ Rogers for a 3-yard TD pass, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive on the game's opening possession. After Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares missed a 54-yard field goal for Louisiana-Lafayette, TCU went right back to work. McAlister's 1-yard touchdown reception finished a 10-play, 63-yard drive and gave the Horned Frogs a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Kyle Lemmermann kicked two field goals and JP Richardson added a 20-yard touchdown reception as TCU opened a 27-0 halftime lead. Takeaways TCU: Two years removed from an appearance in the national championship game, the Horned Frogs turned in a strong performance after going 5-7 last season. They scored on their first four possessions against the Cajuns. and held a 27-0 halftime lead. Louisiana-Lafayette: It was a rough afternoon for the Cajuns. Almendares made a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter to account for their only points. UP NEXT TCU opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at North Carolina in coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels. Louisiana-Lafayette opens at home against Rice on Aug. 30. 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-footballYear of turmoil poses risks to global growthSi-TPV silicone-based thermoplastic elastomers: a revolution in children's bouncy castle materialsDid Rachel Maddow Break Down Over 'Elon Musk Buying MSNBC' Memes? Truth Behind V...

An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalitionWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer's comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump's world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world's richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump's movement but his stance on the tech industry's hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry's need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent," he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump's own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump's businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country" and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," he told the “All-In" podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump's budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.