admits “have a lot of problems” heading into Sunday’s Manchester derby. A dreadful run for City – a set of results unprecedented in Guardiola’s glittering managerial career – continued on Wednesday night following the in the . The Premier League champions have now won only one of their last 10 games and host Manchester United on Sunday in another game. Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring in Turin before Weston McKennie added a second to leave City 22nd in the Champions League table. Guardiola suggested the injury crisis his team have endured this season cannot be ignored, while he did praise his team for their performance. “There are many reasons. We have a lot of problems,” he said. “When you play without three central defenders and two holding midfielders, the structure in the middle doesn’t have the stability. It’s really, really tough. The team we played was really, really good. It’s Juventus in Turin, a strong team who is very good in transition and set pieces. Congratulate them. The results, of course, we miss something. We have to insist on our strength as a team will bring us a place where we’ve been in the last decade had revealed in his post-match interview that he believes City are lacking confidence and their tendency to over-complicate matters on the pitch is having an impact on their poor form. “It’s a big part of it and obviously that's a mental issue as well,” said the German. “You can see that. We sometimes, one action we miss the ball, lose a duel and you see that we drop immediately, lose the rhythm, they are able to break our rhythm with the easiest of things. They don't even need to do much "You have to do the simple things as good as possible. Work hard again, this is how you get confidence back, even in the game if you miss something, by doing small and simple things you get confidence back at the moment we are always doing the wrong things. "I feel like we know exactly what's going wrong. If you look at the most part of games even today we actually didn’t play bad, created chances, just missed to score, in these kind of games if you give away once chance it's not easy to bounce back.” When those comments were put to Guardiola, he said: “No, no we have done it today [play well]. “Today we have done really well, didn't lose many balls like in the past, we tried, we arrived in the positions. “Against Italian teams, defend so deep, so compact. Master of these kind of situations. We play who we are and we missed the result but the performance is there."4 Tennis Stars Who Attended the Abu Dhabi GP Ft. Aryna SabalenkaITV I'm A Celebrity star forced to leave camp in unexpected twistCal running back Jaydn Ott announces he’s coming back for his senior season

ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter's death on the social media platform X. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A president from Plains A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” ‘An epic American life’ Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. A small-town start James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. 'Jimmy Who?' His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Accomplishments, and ‘malaise’ Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. 'A wonderful life' At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report. Bill Barrow, The Associated PressWe aim to go a notch higher in 2025. This was the gist of Lautoka Rugby Union head coach Penioni Ranitu during an interview with SUNsports yesterday. He said the year 2024 had been a great year for the club as they proved critics wrong and made big teams run for their money. “It has been a great year for the team. “We were hoping to reach the Skipper Cup quater-finals but we fell short this year,” he said. Ranitu added he was impressed with the boys who bounced back and created history by winning the Farebrother Sullivan Trophy after a lapse of 21 years. Lautoka defeated holders Nadi 16-10 at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka in their first challenge this year. The team’s utility back and Drua flyhalf Isikeli Rabitu was named man of the match who scored a decisive try and kicked two penalties which sealed the upset win for the side. “Thanks to the preparation we had beginning of this year. “The boys played together and improved week in and week out,” he added. Ranitu said the team’s aim this year was to blend in the young ply-ers with the senior lot which paid off in the season. “We wanted game time for our young boys. “We believe this year we were able to give our players equal oppportunity to do so,” he said. Aim for 2025 Lautoka Rugby Union will look to take it up a notch next year. Ranitu revealed the team’s perforomance this year has influenced the players and coaches to work hard for more next year. “We want to go a notch up next year. “We are aiming to reach the Skipper Cup quarter-finals or the semi-finals or even the finals,” he said. He said the team will undergo the usual preparation and that is pre-season training to prepare for the new year. “We have some new players that will come in but we want to build a depth squad that will do the damage. “The game has evolved alot and most teams are competitive. “We will not only be making the numbers next year but we will look to make the headlines,” he said. He said the team will also work hard to challenge and hold the Farebrother Sulllivan trophy for the season. Rabitu, the kid to watch in 2025 Lautoka Maroons and Swire Ship-ping Fijian Drua flyhalf Isikeli Rabitu has been named in the 22 promising U21’s for 2025 list by RugbyPass. Coach Ranitu has described Rabitu as a consistent player in the Skipper competition for Lautoka. “Even though he didn’t have alot of game time for the Drua, he still performed well for Lautoka. “He has improved alot throughout the competition,” he said. Ranitu said 2025 will be a big year for Rabitu as he will look to stamp his mark and make his name in the Super Rugby arena. Feedback: josua.buredua@fijisun.com.fj

Brazilian tennis player Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva has made history with a single Instagram post . Reis Da Silva recently took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute celebrating his partner, Gui Sampaio Ricardo's birthday. While on first glance it may seem like any regular birthday tribute, the post makes Reis Da Silva the first gay male tennis player to be open about his sexuality while still active on the tennis circuit. READ MORE: Jim Carrey retired from acting. One thing forced him to come back In the year 2024, it may seem strange that we're only now seeing this piece of history marked, but former tennis players such as Brian Vahaly – who opened up about his sexuality following his retirement – have explained why it may be so. "Tennis is perceived as that country club sport, a highly competitive individual sport played across every country of the world. There are a lot of reasons not to come out as a gay man," he told The Telegraph in 2018 after sharing his sexual orientation on a 2017 podcast episode. "Outside of the States and Europe, there are a lot of countries not accepting of gay men. It's not a team sport; there are not teammates on whom you can rely – you practice with your competitors." He added that because of "a lot of homophobic locker room comments made in jest", the professional tennis circuit never felt like a safe space for him to be open about his sexuality.  As Vahaly pointed out, tennis is a sport that sees its players travel the world to compete in tournaments from an amateur level all the way up to the pros. With homosexuality still criminalised in 64 countries with penalties including life in prison and even the death penalty in 12 of those countries, it's no wonder players in the spotlight have often kept their sexuality to themselves. READ MORE: How a bag of frozen peas could save your dog's li It's a battle that's been publicly fought by tennis stars for close to a century now, likely even longer. In 1917, Danish tennis player Leif Rovsing – who competed in both the singles and doubles competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics – was banned from the sport for "presumed homosexuality." "Mr. Rovsing's morality is of such a nature that it stands in open conflict with the task of all healthy sports, to promote bodily and spiritual health," the Danish tennis authorities said of his ban at the time. Rovsing was said to have never attempted to keep his sexuality a secret, and spent the rest of his life unapologetically defending the LGBTQIA+ community's right to play professional sport. Despite dedicating his life to campaign for the acceptance of homosexuality in sport, Rovsing's ban was never revoked. For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here . Unable to ever return to professional tennis, Rovsing was instead forced to commission, design and decorate the Dansk Tennis Club in Copenhagen where he could continue to enjoy his sport in what is now considered one of the most decadent places to play tennis in the world. After being outed in 1981, Billie Jean King paved the way for gay female tennis players when she ignored her lawyers' advice to deny claims she was a lesbian. "I said, 'I'm going to do it. I don't care. This is important to me to tell the truth'," King told NBC News in 2017. "The one thing my mother always said, 'To thine own self be true'." Over the years several female tennis players have been open about their sexuality, but that doesn't mean they've had an easy go of it either.  READ MORE: The key ingredient in this delicious dish might shock you.  Top Russian tennis player Daria Kasatinka shared her sexuality in a 2022 YouTube interview, saying, "Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, and f--k everyone else." In the following years, she has shared that her sexuality is one of the reasons she can no longer live in her home country, adding that she has no plans to return and openly criticising Russia's conservative political environment. "It's unsafe for me now, with the regime we have," she said in 2023. "As a gay person who opposes the war, it's not possible to go back... But I don't regret it even 1 per cent." FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE : Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.North Korea Finally Addresses South Korea Martial Law Drama: ‘Shocking’

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Watch the 10 best plays from the Idaho high school football state championship gamesThe San Francisco 49ers have made a late change to their injury report ahead of their final home game of the season. All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward was initially listed as questionable for Monday's Week 17 matchup with the Detroit Lions because of a personal matter. On Sunday, the 49ers downgraded Ward to out. Asked about whether it was good news for Ward, head coach Kyle Shanahan told his Saturday press conference: "Stuff I can’t totally share. I haven’t talked to him about it, so we’ll keep it personal. But, nothing bad happened." Per NBC Sports Bay Area 's Jennifer Lee Chan, Ward was not with the team this weekend because his wife was expecting the arrival of a baby boy. Ward missed three games in November following the tragic death of his one-year-old daughter Amani Joy. The former Kansas City Chiefs corner, who signed with the 49ers in 2022, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.Israel and Palestinians explore Gaza truce with US envoy on shuttle mission

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100

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Stock markets to end 2024 with positive returns despite roller coaster ride PTI Updated: December 29th, 2024, 16:46 IST in Business 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin New Delhi: Dalal Street had a roller coaster ride in 2024 from shattering record after record to facing heavy correction off-late but equity markets still rewarded investors with positive returns, driven by a surge in domestic fund flows and a resilient macro landscape. The first half of the year saw robust corporate earnings, a surge in domestic flows, and a resilient macro landscape, driving the Nifty to an all-time high of 26,277.35 in September 2024, according to Motilal Oswal Wealth Management. Also Read Rupee falls steepest in almost two years 2 days ago India’s forex reserves drop by $8.478 billion to $644.391 billion 2 days ago “In the last two months, the market has corrected from its all-time high. This correction marked the third major decline since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with unprecedented selling by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) due to a combination of domestic and global factors,” it said in a note. As of December 27, the BSE benchmark Sensex has gained 6,458.81 points or 8.94 per cent while the NSE Nifty climbed 2,082 points or 9.58 per cent. The year was marked by significant events, with the Indian general elections and the US Presidential polls taking centre stage. Equity markets also grappled with two major geopolitical turmoil — the Israel-Iran conflict and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. “2024, was a year of tug of war between the bulls & bears marked by volatility majorly driven by global microeconomic data points followed by geopolitical tensions impacting markets. Despite all the uncertainties around the world, Indian markets sustained the pressure and delivered very decent returns. “It was also a year of surge in valuation to the peak making Indian markets the most expensive in the world. While the excess liquidity in the market pushed valuations as high as possible surpassing fundamentals theories which eventually invited corrections in the markets from the top,” Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP Research, Research Analyst, Mehta Equities Ltd, said. The BSE benchmark Sensex hit its record peak of 85,978.25 September 27 this year, and the NSE Nifty also reached the lifetime high of 26,277.35 on the same day. “2024 marked the ninth consecutive year of gains for the Indian equity market. Despite a challenging final quarter, the market delivered strong returns for the year, with midcap and smallcap stocks outperforming and rewarding investors handsomely. “However, benchmark indices like the Nifty and Sensex lagged behind their global counterparts, particularly the US markets. This underperformance was largely driven by persistent and aggressive selling by FIIs,” Santosh Meena, Head of Research, Swastika Investmart Ltd, said. From the all-time highs in September, the BSE benchmark is down 8.46 per cent while Nifty has lost 9.37 per cent from the record peak level. The challenges deepened in the final quarter as disappointing corporate earnings and weaker-than-expected economic growth further dampened investor confidence, contributing to the subdued performance of the headline indices, Meena said. Markets came under bear attack from October onwards amid concerns of foreign investors fleeing the domestic market and stretched valuations. In October alone, the BSE benchmark slumped 4,910.72 points or 5.82 per cent, and the Nifty tumbled 1,605.5 points or 6.22 per cent. So far in December, the benchmark gauge Sensex is down 1,103.72 points or 1.38 per cent. October saw an unprecedented foreign fund outflow of Rs 94,017 crore — the largest monthly withdrawal on record — amid increased allocations to China, muted corporate earnings, and high valuation of Indian stocks. “On a positive note, the commencement of the rate cut cycle in the US provided a key tailwind for global equity markets. However, the Indian equity market faced headwinds due to record levels of aggressive selling by FIIs. Adding to the challenges, disappointing Q2 earnings by India Inc. and a slowdown in GDP growth further dampened investor sentiment,” Meena said. In 2023, the BSE benchmark jumped 11,399.52 points or 18.73 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 3,626.1 points or 20 per cent. This year, apart from the general elections in India, markets saw tight rate cycle by RBI to tackle inflation, unwinding of Yen carry trade, rate cut by the US FED, election in the US and Trump getting elected as the President of the US and stimulus by China, Manish Bhandari, CEO & Portfolio Manager, Vallum Capital Advisors, said. The recent market correction has improved valuations, and the overall outlook for the Indian equity market remains robust, Meena said. “On the global front, the trajectory of the world economy under Trump’s leadership will play a significant role in shaping investor sentiment and market dynamics. Additionally, FII flows will remain a crucial factor in determining the performance and direction of largecap stocks, given their outsized influence on market sentiment,” he added. “Factors dependent for growth would again be similar to last year like geopolitical tussle, US Fed interest rate trajectory and Donald Trump’s tariff policies along with revival of local corporate earnings followed by domestic government policies to support growth. High focus would be on the dynamic relationship between the US and China,” Tapse of Mehta Equities Ltd, said. PTI Tags: BSE Business NSE Stock market Share Tweet Send Share Suggest A Correction Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you're human:Advertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet.

A German think tank, the Fraunhofer Institute, has a study into the potential impact of using electric vehicles (EVs) as home storage batteries. Using bidirectional charging technology, the study has found that European nations, like Germany and France, could benefit greatly if adopted on a large scale. If coupled with microgeneration technologies, like solar panels, this kind of setup could save households a lot of money and help reduce dependency on traditional power stations. Especially “dirty” fossil fuel ones. The study found that most EV cars in Germany are typically only used for around 1 hour daily. That leaves the remaining 23 hours with the vehicle effectively just waiting around. If the EV can be put to “work” during these idle times, the EV could, theoretically, be borrowed by grid operators as temporary storage batteries. This would help stabilize energy demand from the grid during fluctuating supply and demand. EVs as home batteries This kind of strategy , the think tank suggests, could help make solar and wind power more attractive. Since most power things like solar energy are generated during daylight hours, the power demand is typically much lower than at night, so having a fleet of storage batteries around could help householders capitalize on this renewable energy. When parked, EVs connected to the grid could feed power into the grid when demand increases. The potential for this is huge, with a recent study commissioned by the European environmental organization, Transport & Environment estimating it could save €22 billion annually. Not only that, but this same study suggests that EVs used in this way could, in theory, provide 9% of the entire European Union’s electrical needs. This could ramp up to as much as 20% when the conditions are right. This would make bidirectional charging a major player in the EU’s energy mix if realized. The same study estimates there could be as many as 1.5 billion EVs worldwide by 2050. Huge global potential With an average of 60 kWh in battery storage per EV, a global fleet of bidirectional charging EVs could supply 90 billion kWh of electricity. For the average user, the Fraunhofer study found that EV owners could save between €31 and €780 per year by sharing the battery power with their own home or the power grid. To this end, some nations, like France, are already providing incentives to promote bidirectional charging uptake domestically. For example, proud owners of a new Renault R5 are offered 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) of free driving electricity if they offer them up as temporary grid batteries for at least 15 hours a day. According to a survey by the energy giant Eon, 77% of respondents would use bidirectional charging technology to supply their buildings, while 65% would support electricity grids. DW also reports that experts on the technology recommend that private and public charging stations offer bidirectional charging wherever possible. While this would likely increase the initial costs to install them, this would be offset by savings made in just a few months.Saints QB situation remains cloudy as matchup with Washington nears