VP partisan, says INDIA bloc; BJP backs unfazed Dhankhar
No. 22 Xavier faces South Carolina St., eyes rebound from lone lossNone
Emboldened 'manosphere' accelerates threats and demeaning language toward women after US electionGHATKOPAR HOARDING COLLAPSE MUMBAI: Bhavesh Bhinde, the main accused in the May 13 Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case, which killed 17 persons and injured 74, has sought discharge from the charges levelled against him on the grounds that the collapse was “an act of God”. Bhinde cited an IMD weather bulletin of May 12 while stating that “the wind force of 96 kmph as stated by IMD is unusual, severe, unexpected, never experienced before”. “... It was an unfortunate accident for which no fault can be attributed to the applicant (Bhinde) or the said company, Ego Media Pvt Ltd,” says his discharge plea filed through advocate Sana Rais Khan. Khan said that Bhinde had obtained the necessary permissions for the hoarding from the railways, since it was constructed on railway land, and his failure to obtain a certificate from the BMC should thus not be considered. He was arrested by the Mumbai police from a hotel in Udaipur on May 17. Bhinde’s discharge plea states that the allegations made in the FIR are false and baseless, and he was made a scapegoat due to political pressure mounted on account of the approaching Lok Sabha elections. The plea also claims that he was not associated with Ego Media when the hoarding was set up, and became a director from December 21, 2023. Janhavi Marathe was the director at the relevant time, says the plea. Bhinde, 51, was granted bail by the sessions court in October. Janhavi Marathe granted bail The sessions court has granted bail to Marathe, the former director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd on the furnishing of a personal bond of ₹ 1 lakh and one or two sureties of the same amount. The court directed her to not leave India without taking permission from the court.
SEOUL, South Korea , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SOLVIT System, a recognized leader in innovative technology, will participate in CES 2025, taking place January 7–10 in Las Vegas . The company's iSARTM (intelligent Search and Rescue) has been honored with the prestigious CES Innovation Award in the "Smart Cities" category. At CES, SOLVIT System will showcase its groundbreaking technology to dramatically reduce search areas for individuals lost in radio shadow zones. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday. Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers. The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border. On Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.” Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.” The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height it had about 2,500 people. In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles (430 kilometers) to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca. RELATED COVERAGE Armed men in speedboats make off with women and children when a migrants’ dinghy deflates off Libya Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings A migrant boat sinks near the Greek island of Samos, killing 6 children and 2 adults In Tehuantepec, Mexican immigration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico. “They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year. Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City. The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles (225 kilometers) to the town of Tonala, in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days. Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what. Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it. For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border. ___ Follow AP migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migrationThe outlet took social media by storm back in 2021 A ham and cheese toastie from the Toast Office A toastie pop-up that became one of NI’s most viral food spots in 2021 has teased a return to Belfast. Operating out of a Hill Street hatch in the city centre’s Cathedral Quarter, the Toast Office started out during the Covid-19 pandemic when restrictions on social distancing and outdoor dining were in place. It was set up by Ryan Crowne and Emma O’Kane in an attempt to revitalise the hospitality industry during a difficult time, and became one of the most successful pop-ups to operate from the hatch. Its opening coincided with the global rise of TikTok, with viral success prompting queues around the Cathedral Quarter, before a second pop-up was opened in the Dark Horse. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Crowne Creative, who run the hatch, have now suggested the enterprise could return in a new, more permanent location. The company shared some computer-generated images to its Instagram account giving followers a peek at what the inside of the new location could look like and sharing some background information. The images feature seating areas and a collection station, tagging in Belfast as the post’s location, all accompanied by the caption: “Anyone for more toasties?”. For now though, the store’s location is being kept firmly under wraps.The Minnesota Vikings have a candidate for Most Valuable Player in Sam Darnold . Wait, really? Darnold is an MVP candidate? Yes, yes he is. It feels weird to call Darnold a true MVP candidate because the first six years of his career didn't exactly go well for him. The New York Jets selected Darnold with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and then traded him to the Carolina Panthers. Those five seasons led to most of the league, media and fanbase believing that he was a bust. He took a chance to rehab his career in San Francisco behind Brock Purdy and it's made a huge impact on him and it's being felt now with the Vikings Making the case that Sam Darnold should be NFL MVP Right now, Darnold sits at sixth in the National Football League in MVP odds per DraftKings Sportsbook . QB Josh Allen: -400 RB Saquon Barkley: +450 QB Lamar Jackson: +1000 QB Jared Goff: +1000 QB Patrick Mahomes: +4000 QB Sam Darnold: +5000 The Goff candidacy is rooted in the overall success of the Lions, something that I wrote about two weeks ago after the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears. Darnold's stats are overall just as good, if not better than Goff's across the board. Since then, Darnold has come alive and played significantly better, including a five-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons that earned Darnold NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He also won NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September. How do his numbers stack up? Let's start out with the basic stats. Completion percentage: 68.4% (7th) Passing yards: 3,299 (6th) Touchdown passes: 28 (T-3rd) Interceptions: 10 (T-6th most) Yards/attempt: 8.5 (4th) Quarterback rating: 108.1 (3rd) Game winning drives: 4 (T-2nd) These are the stats that most people associate with quarterback play. He ranks highly in pretty much every metric. The one that might hinder his candidacy is with interceptions. Mahomes does have 11 interceptions on the season, but Jackson (3) and Allen (5) have significantly better numbers in turnover avoidance. The conversation shifts to his underlying metrics in neutral situations. EPA/play: 0.241 (5th) Success rate: 52.9% (4th) CPOE: 8.4% (1st) Air yards/attempt: 9.1 (5th) The reason why we take a look at underlying metrics is to try and find out how they perform when the game is still in doubt. Darnold is excellent in those situations and has consistently made plays to generate explosive plays. Sam Darnold heater pic.twitter.com/x4Xlm30utT Speaking of explosive plays, that is where Darnold's candidacy has the best case. The basis of the Vikings' offense is on generating explosive plays and Darnold has done that better than anyone. Pro Football Focus charts every throw that Darnold and every quarterback has made and it's clear that Darnold has been the best deep ball thrower in the National Football League this season. Darnold has the eighth-most throws that travel 20+ yards this season (51), the second most Big Time Throws (19), the seventh-highest Big Time Throw rate (29.7%) and both completion percentage (52.9%) and adjusted completion percentage (54.9%). He also leads the league in the following categories: Completions: 27 Yards: 969 Yards per attempt: 19.0 Touchdowns: 7 Slinging Sammy Darnold pic.twitter.com/9ZuCYR0g0N When you are trying to create explosives, it takes a long time to hold the ball in the pocket. Darnold has the third-highest time to throw in the NFL at 3.11 seconds, which has Darnold facing a ton of pressure. He's done a relatively good job against pressure, which he's faced on 169 dropbacks (37.5%). Darnold ranks highly in the following categories: Completion percentage: 56.6 (3rd) Yards: 982 (3rd) Yards/attempt: 8.7 (1st) Touchdowns: 12 (1st) Big Time Throws: 12 (T-2nd) No matter how you look at Darnold's passing numbers, he's been great this season and it isn't just with the numbers. Darnold has elevated this offense to new heights with his ability and willingness to attack vertically down the field, create passing lanes with his legs and extend plays to generate explosives. Darnold isn't just running the offense, he's elevating it with consistency This play is even better on the all-22 pic.twitter.com/8f0ufLx50B What will prevent Sam Darnold from winning MVP? This is an easy one to answer and we can do it two parts. Narrative Dual-threat ability Awards like Most Valuable Player are usually handed out to a player on one of the best teams that has cache built up from both the preseason and past years. That is something everyone in front of Darnold in the odds has, especially with former MVPs in Jackson and Mahomes. Allen is in a place where it feels weird to some that he hasn't won an MVP as of yet. The other angle is the running game. Both Jackson and Allen are excellent runners and their offenses use them in the run game often. That is an element that Darnold doesn't have. Plus, Barkley is in contention to challenge Eric Dickerson's all-time rushing record if he plays well over the last four games. Overall, Darnold is in the top-five of most important quarterback statistics along with being in the top 10 in essentially all of them, leads an 11-2 Vikings team and has been in the media lately for his incredible performances. Now, is not having the cache going to be enough to make him the MVP? That depends how the final four weeks of the season play out. As things sits, he's as good of a candidate as anyone. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
Trump aims to appoint son-in-law’s father as US ambassador to France
President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that he wants real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Mr Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker”. Mr Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former senior Trump adviser who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka. The elder Mr Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was co-operating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation. Mr Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said. Mr Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison – the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the US attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, had sought. Mr Christie has blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Mr Trump’s transition team in 2016, and has called Charles Kushner’s offences “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was US attorney”. Mr Trump and the elder Mr Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.
CP NewsAlert: Trump calls Florida meeting with Trudeau productiveUS sex-abuse watchdog fires investigator after learning of his arrest for stealing drug money DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport abruptly fired one of its investigators last month after learning he’d been arrested for stealing money confiscated after a drug bust he was part of during his previous job as a police officer. Jason Krasley left his job with the Allentown Police Department in Pennsylvania in 2021 and was hired by the Denver-based SafeSport center to look into sensitive cases involving sex abuse and harassment. The center said it conducts multiple interviews and a “comprehensive background check” of potential employees. The center said it was looking into cases Krasley handled to make sure they were dealt with appropriately. Jim Larrañaga steps down at Miami, Bill Courtney takes over to finish season CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Jim Larrañaga has stepped down as Miami’s men’s basketball coach effective immediately. Larrañaga will be replaced by associate head coach Bill Courtney — one of Larrañaga’s best friends for the past three decades or so — for the remainder of the season. The now-former coach says he loves the university but believes it's the right time to step away. Larrañaga says "I’ve tried every which way to keep this going.” Larrañaga joins a long line of prominent college basketball coaches who have left their jobs in recent years citing the changes in the game and the challenge of coaching in the Name, Image and Likeness era. Detroit Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, name Todd McLellan as his replacement The Detroit Red Wings have fired coach Derek Lalonde and named Todd McLellan as his replacement. The move a day after Christmas comes after the Red Wings lost 21 of their first 34 games this season. They're on a three-game skid. Assistant Bob Boughner was also fired and Trent Yawney hired to work on McLellan's staff. McLellan signed a multiyear contract to start his fourth NHL head coaching job. Lalonde was nearly midway through his third season with Detroit after winning the Stanley Cup twice as an assistant with Tampa Bay. Penn State offensive coordinator Kotelnicki's creativity has the Nittany Lions humming in the CFP Penn State's offense is thriving under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. The Nittany Lions are one of a handful of Power Four schools averaging 200 yards per game rushing and receiving heading into their College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Boise State. Penn State has one of the most unique offensive weapons in the country in tight end Tyler Warren. Warren has 92 receptions this season and has become a threat out of the backfield, rushing for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Pat Riley says the Miami Heat will not trade Jimmy Butler ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — If Jimmy Butler wants a trade, the Miami Heat have no plans to make him happy. Heat President Pat Riley — in a rare move — spoke out to address rumors Thursday, saying the team has no plans to trade Butler. It’s a clear sign that, if necessary, the team will be willing to let Butler leave as a free agent and get nothing in return. Riley says in a release distributed by the team "we usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches.” Organizers say two sailors have died in Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid wild weather conditions SYDNEY (AP) — Organizers said that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements. The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which administers the yacht race, has said that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. Haaland penalty failure and Fernandes red card pile on woes for City and United in Premier League Erling Haaland’s failure from the penalty spot and Bruno Fernandes’ latest red card have compounded the woes of Manchester City and Manchester United on another tough day for the two Premier League giants. City dropped more points in its improbably poor run of form by drawing 1-1 at home to Everton. Haaland had a spot kick saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 53rd minute. The four-time defending champions have only won one of its last 13 games in all competitions. While City is languishing in seventh place, United is even further adrift in 14th place after a 2-0 loss at lowly Wolverhampton. Fernandes was sent off in the 47th. Simona Halep withdraws from Australian Open qualifying because of knee and shoulder pain MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has pulled out of Australian Open qualifying and a tuneup tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, because of pain in her knee and shoulder. Thursday's news represents the latest interruption of her comeback from a drug suspension. Halep posted on social media that she was feeling poorly after participating in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi. The 33-year-old Romanian said she is planning to next enter the Transylvania Open in her home country, where play begins Feb. 3. Halep was granted a wild-card entry for qualifying in the Australian Open last week. Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC's top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by the Steelers (10-6). Pittsburgh has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit. Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Kelce also became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Jackson breaks Vick's NFL rushing record for QBs in Ravens' rout over Texans HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday. Jackson moved past Vick on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Jackson had 87 yards rushing to give him 6,110 yards, moving him past Vick, who piled up 6,109 in his 13-year career.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Shares Rare Video of 9-Year-Old Son AtticusLawmaker faults critics of technology transfer commission bill
