betfred owner MORGAN ROGERS was robbed of the last-gasp goal which would have ended Aston Villa’s six-match winless run. But instead, the new England international was denied by ref Jesus Gil Manzano who ruled that Diego Carlos had fouled Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio. Rogers netted with virtually the last kick of the match after the Juve gloveman had spilled a Youri Tielemans free-kick. But Spanish referee Manzano, who had enraged Villa Park for much of the night, ended up in danger of sparking a riot. So even matches have now passed since Villa last won a game of football but there is not remotely any sense of the Holte End losing faith in Unai Emery. It is Emery who propelled Villa onto European football’s grandest stage and Emery who will surely still lead them into the Champions League knock-out stage. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL It took a miraculous save from Emi Martinez - newly-crowned as the world’s best goalkeeper for a second successive year - to secure a draw against Juventus. The feline gymnastics of the big Argentinian somehow kept out a second-half header from Francisco Conceicao by the slimmest of margins. And while Lucas Digne had hit the crossbar for Villa with a first-half free-kick, Emery’s side were left grateful for a point as they entertained Italian royalty on a bitter Birmingham night. There is little doubt that Villa will qualify for the knock-outs on their first adventure in Europe’s elite competition for 42 years - it is just a matter of whether they reach the last-16 directly, or whether will need to contest a play-off round. Most read in Champions League FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS That is the problem with Uefa’s new monstrous group stage - there is precious little jeopardy for most clubs. But for Villa’s supporters, it is still a case of being damned happy just to be here. Villa only managed to halt a four-match losing run in Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with struggling Crystal Palace and the demands of fighting on two major fronts is almost invariably a problem. But despite a frustrating stalemate, Villa are still living the dream. Villa hadn’t won in six matches in all competitions since their last Champions League home clash, against Bologna. But these European nights at Villa Park have held a proper sense of occasion, assaults on the senses - fireworks, giant banners, songs of praise cranked up to full volume. - and Emery’s men have thrived on the theatre of it all. They have been handed home matches against three former champions of Europe - Bayern Munich, Juve and later Celtic. And while this is nothing like the star-spangled Juve side which won here in 1983, with Paolo Rossi, Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek - they are club which always carry an aura. Supporters of many clubs might moan about the bloated nature of the new Champions League format, with its skyscraper-tall league table - but not Villa’s. This was the sort of night when Jack Frost nips at brass monkeys although Emi Martinez warmed a few cockles by parading his Yashin Trophy after being voted the world’s No 1 keeper for a second straight year. Most of the early heat was aimed at ref Jesus Gil Manzano - who booked Yori Tielemans and Leon Bailey inside the first 12 minutes while failing to punish the visitors for similar fouls. Juve looked exactly what they are - a side unbeaten in Serie A, but who had contested four goalless draws already this season. The Italians were tight in their parking, neat in their passing and streetwise in their roiling around. Villa did have their moments though - Pau Torres glancing a header wide of the near post from a Boubacar Kamara corner then Watkins having a shoit beaten away by Michele Di Gregorio after a cute Kamara through-ball. From the resulting corner, Matty Cash had a thumping shot blocked but Juve broke rapidly and Timothy Weah - son of Ballon d’Or winner George - blazed over Martinez’s crossbar. Torres was booked for a late one on Weah but the biggest roar of the first half arrived when Manzano finally cautioned a Juve player - Pierre Kalulu for fouling Watkins on the edge of the area. Lucas Digne curled the free-kick against the crossbar but after the break, Juve began to take a grip on proceedings. The away supporters were howling for a penalty after Torres handled in the box but Manzano and his VAR were unimpressed. Soon, a Teun Koppmeiners corner found its way to the back post where Conceicao’s downward looked certain to have broken the deadlock - until you remembered the identity of Villa’s goalkeeper. Martinez bent his body backwards at an improbable angle and, with a big right hand, scooped the ball to safety. Goal-line technology footage showed that the Argentinian had completed his task with millimetres to spare Conceicao header at far post Martinez bent his body and scooped off line Koppmeiners, sparking another chorus of ‘Emi Martinez, the world’s number one’. Heartened by their escape, Villa got on the front foot and Bailey cut-back for John McGinn, whose shot was scrambled off the line. With 13 minutes remaining, Emery sent for Jhon Duran - the sub who can’t spell his own first name but cannot stop scoring from the bench. READ MORE SUN STORIES Not this time, though. After Rogers was denied late on, Villa head to Chelsea on Sunday with a tough task on their hands not to extend that winless run to eight.

BOYFRIEND OVERWHELMED BY FAMILY AT THANKSGIVING DINNERAsian markets experienced a slight downturn on Monday as U.S. Treasury yields soared, challenging Wall Street's equity valuations and strengthening the U.S. dollar. With the New Year holiday ahead, trading volumes were subdued. Noteworthy in the week's limited data schedule are China's upcoming factory PMI figures and Friday's U.S. ISM survey. Elsewhere, South Korean stocks continued to struggle amid political uncertainty, while Wall Street saw a sell-off despite notable year-to-date gains for key indices. The rising bond yields, President-elect Trump's fiscal policies, and steadiness of the dollar further added to the complexity of the market landscape. (With inputs from agencies.)YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — EJ Farmer scored 16 points as Youngstown State beat Detroit Mercy 73-64 on Sunday for their seventh victory in a row. Farmer had three steals for the Penguins (9-5, 4-0 Horizon League). Gabe Dynes scored 12 points while going 4 of 5 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and four blocks. Nico Galette had 10 points. Orlando Lovejoy led the Titans (5-10, 1-3) with 23 points and three steals. Legend Geeter and TJ Nadeau both scored eight. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

‘You Are A Trader, Sycophant’, Wike Blasts OdiliORRVILLE, Ohio , Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The J. M. Smucker Company (the "Company") (NYSE: SJM) today announced the pricing terms for its previously announced cash tender offers (each, an "Offer" and collectively, the "Offers") to purchase up to $300 million aggregate purchase price, not including accrued and unpaid interest (the "Offer Cap"), of the Company's validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) notes set forth below (the "Notes") using a "waterfall" methodology under which the Company will accept the Notes in order of their respective acceptance priority levels noted in the table below (the "Acceptance Priority Levels"). The Offers are being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase, dated December 3, 2024 (the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth a description of the terms of the Offers. As of 10:00 a.m. New York City time, on December 17, 2024 (the "Price Determination Time"), the Company expects to accept for purchase pursuant to the Offers the full amount of the 2.750% Senior Notes due 2041 (which have an Acceptance Priority Level of 1), the full amount of the 3.550% Senior Notes due 2050 (which have an Acceptance Priority Level of 2) and a portion of the 2.125% Senior Notes due 2032 (which have an Acceptance Priority Level of 3) validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Early Tender Time (as defined below) on a prorated basis as described in the Offer to Purchase, using a proration factor of approximately 69.9%, so that the aggregate purchase price does not exceed the Offer Cap. The 4.375% Senior Notes due 2045 (which have an Acceptance Priority Level of 4) and the 5.900% Senior Notes due 2028 (which have an Acceptance Priority Level of 5) will not be accepted for purchase. The "Total Consideration" to be paid for the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to 5:00 p.m. , New York City time, on December 16, 2024 (the "Early Tender Time") and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers, includes an early tender premium of $30 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes so tendered and accepted for purchase (the "Early Tender Premium"), which will not constitute an additional or increased payment. In addition to the applicable Total Consideration, holders who validly tender and do not validly withdraw their Notes, and whose Notes are accepted for purchase in the Offers will also be paid any applicable accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, December 19, 2024 (the "Early Settlement Date"). The Total Consideration has been determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase by reference to a fixed spread for each of the Notes over the applicable yield to maturity of the applicable U.S. Treasury Security (the "Reference Treasury Security"), determined at the Price Determination Time as specified in the table below and on the cover page of the Offer to Purchase in the column entitled "Reference U.S. Treasury Security." The table below includes only the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to the Early Tender Time that the Company expects to accept for purchase pursuant to the Offers. Acceptance Priority Level (1) Title of Security CUSIP Number Outstanding Principal Amount Reference U.S. Treasury Security (2) Bloomberg Reference Page Reference Yield Fixed Spread (bps) Total Consideration (3) 1 2.750% Senior Notes due 2041 832696AV0 $300,000,000 4.625% UST due 11/15/2044 FIT 1 4.666 % +85 $700.18 2 3.550% Senior Notes due 2050 832696AT5 $300,000,000 4.250% UST due 8/15/2054 FIT 1 4.596 % +95 $730.52 3 2.125% Senior Notes due 2032 832696AU2 $500,000,000 4.250% UST due 11/15/2034 FIT 1 4.391 % +50 $833.04 All conditions of the Offers were deemed satisfied by the Company, or timely waived by the Company. Accordingly, the Company expects to accept for purchase, and pay for, $300 million aggregate purchase price of Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) on the Early Settlement Date. Although the Offers are scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m. , New York City time, on January 2, 2025, unless extended or terminated, because the aggregate purchase price of Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) prior to or at the Early Tender Time exceeded the Offer Cap, there will be no Final Settlement Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), and no Notes tendered after the Early Tender Time will be accepted for purchase. Notes tendered and not purchased on December 19, 2024 (the "Early Settlement Date") will be returned to holders promptly after the Early Settlement Date. This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. No offer, solicitation, purchase or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The Offers are being made solely pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are serving as Dealer Managers for the Offers (each, a "Dealer Manager" and together, the "Dealer Managers"). Questions regarding the Offers may be directed to Goldman Sachs at (800) 828-3182 (toll free) or (212) 357-­1452 (collect) or to J.P. Morgan at (866) 834-4666 (toll free) or (212) 834-3554 (collect). Requests for the Offer to Purchase or the documents incorporated by reference therein may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., which is acting as the Tender Agent and Information Agent for the Offers, at SJM@dfking.com or the following telephone numbers: banks and brokers at (212) 269-5550; all others toll free at (866) 620-2535. The J. M. Smucker Company Forward-Looking Statements This press release ("Release") includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. The forward-looking statements may include statements concerning our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events, conditions, plans and strategies that are not historical fact. Any statement that is not historical in nature is a forward-looking statement and may be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "will," "plan," "strive" and similar phrases. Federal securities laws provide a safe harbor for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information. We are providing this cautionary statement in connection with the safe harbor provisions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, when evaluating the information presented in this Release, as such statements are by nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements and from our historical results and experience. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: our ability to successfully integrate Hostess Brands' operations and employees and to implement plans and achieve financial forecasts with respect to the Hostess Brands' business; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies and cost savings, related to the Hostess Brands acquisition, including the possibility that the expected benefits will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; disruption from the acquisition of Hostess Brands by diverting the attention of our management and making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the negative effects of the acquisition of Hostess Brands on the market price of our common shares; the amount of the costs, fees, expenses, and charges and the risk of litigation related to the acquisition of Hostess Brands; the effect of the acquisition of Hostess Brands on our business relationships, operating results, ability to hire and retain key talent, and business generally; disruptions or inefficiencies in our operations or supply chain, including any impact caused by product recalls, political instability, terrorism, geopolitical conflicts (including the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas), extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, pandemics, work stoppages or labor shortages (including potential strikes along the U.S. East and Gulf coast ports and potential impacts related to the duration of a recent strike at our Buffalo, New York manufacturing facility), or other calamities; risks related to the availability of, and cost inflation in, supply chain inputs, including labor, raw materials, commodities, packaging, and transportation; the impact of food security concerns involving either our products or our competitors' products, including changes in consumer preference, consumer litigation, actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other agencies, and product recalls; risks associated with derivative and purchasing strategies we employ to manage commodity pricing and interest rate risks; the availability of reliable transportation on acceptable terms; our ability to achieve cost savings related to our restructuring and cost management programs in the amounts and within the time frames currently anticipated; our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to continue operating under our capital deployment model, including capital expenditures, debt repayment to meet our deleveraging objectives, dividend payments, and share repurchases; a change in outlook or downgrade in our public credit ratings by a rating agency below investment grade; our ability to implement and realize the full benefit of price changes, and the impact of the timing of the price changes to profits and cash flow in a particular period; the success and cost of marketing and sales programs and strategies intended to promote growth in our business, including product innovation; general competitive activity in the market, including competitors' pricing practices and promotional spending levels; our ability to attract and retain key talent; the concentration of certain of our businesses with key customers and suppliers, including primary or single-source suppliers of certain key raw materials and finished goods, and our ability to manage and maintain key relationships; impairments in the carrying value of goodwill, other intangible assets, or other long-lived assets or changes in the useful lives of other intangible assets or other long-lived assets; the impact of new or changes to existing governmental laws and regulations and their application; the outcome of tax examinations, changes in tax laws, and other tax matters; a disruption, failure, or security breach of our or our suppliers' information technology systems, including, but not limited to, ransomware attacks; foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations; and risks related to other factors described under "Risk Factors" in other reports and statements we have filed with the SEC. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events or circumstances. About The J. M. Smucker Company At The J.M. Smucker Co., it is our privilege to make food people and pets love by offering a diverse family of brands available across North America . We are proud to lead in the coffee, peanut butter, fruit spreads, frozen handheld, sweet baked goods, dog snacks, and cat food categories by offering brands consumers trust for themselves and their families each day, including Folgers ® , Dunkin' ® , Café Bustelo ® , Jif ® , Uncrustables ® , Smucker's ® , Hostess ® , Milk-Bone ® , and Meow Mix ® . Through our unwavering commitment to producing quality products, operating responsibly and ethically, and delivering on our Purpose, we will continue to grow our business while making a positive impact on society. For more information, please visit jmsmucker.com . The J. M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein, except for Dunkin' ® , which is a trademark of DD IP Holder LLC. The Dunkin'® brand is licensed to The J. M. Smucker Company for packaged coffee products sold in retail channels, such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, e-commerce and drug stores, as well as in certain away from home channels. This information does not pertain to products for sale in Dunkin' ® restaurants. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-j-m-smucker-company-announces-pricing-for-cash-tender-offers-302334213.html SOURCE The J.M. Smucker Co.

Crypto Bank BVNK Expands to U.S. After Raising $50 MillionFranklin financial SVP Karen Carmack reports stock purchaseNEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook , OpenAI’s Sam Altman , Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg , SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and AI, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($13.7 billion) in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as someone who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. “We have two multi-billionaires, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are tasked with cutting what they’re saying will be multiple trillions of dollars from the federal budget, reducing the civil service, the workforce,” said Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University. Musk, he said, has a level of access to the White House that very few others have had -- access that allows him to potentially influence multiple policy areas, including foreign policy, automotive and energy policy through EVs, and tech policy on artificial intelligence. “Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters with a sink and then posted, ‘let that sink in,‘” he said. “Elon Musk then posted a status update on X, a picture of himself with a sink in the Oval Office and said, 'Let that sink in.′" —— Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan, Michael Liedtke, Matt O'Brien, Barbara Ortutay and Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.

Morgan Rogers looked to have given Emery’s side another famous win when he slammed a loose ball home in stoppage time, but referee Jesus Gil Manzano ruled Diego Carlos to have fouled Juve goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio and the goal was chalked off. Contact seemed minimal but VAR did not intervene and Villa had to settle for a point in a 0-0 draw. “With the last action, it is the interpretation of the referee,” the Spaniard said. “In England, 80 per cent of those is given a goal and it’s not a foul. It’s very soft. “But in Europe, it could be a foul. We have to accept. “Everybody will know, in England the interpretation is different. The England referees, when actions like that the interpretation is a clear no foul but in Europe that interpretation is different. “They have to be working to get the same decision when some action like that is coming. I don’t know exactly why but we knew before in the Premier League that it is different. A very controversial finish at Villa Park 😲 Morgan Rogers' late goal is ruled out for a foul on Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio and the match ends 0-0 ❌ 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/MyYL5Vdy3r — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 27, 2024 “In Europe for example we are not doing a block like in England and we are not doing in front of the goalkeeper in offensive corners the same situations like in England. “When the action happened, I was thinking here in Europe it’s a foul. In England not, but in Europe I have to accept it. “At first, I thought the referee gave us a goal. In cases like that, it’s confusing because he has to wait for VAR. I don’t know what happened but I think so (the referee changed his mind with VAR).” It was a disappointment for Villa, who remain unbeaten at home in their debut Champions League campaign and are still in contention to qualify automatically for the last 16. “We were playing a favourite to be in the top eight and usually a contender to win this competition,” Emery added. “We are a team who for a long time didn’t play in Europe and the Champions League and this year is very important. “We wanted to play competitive and we are in the right way. Today to get one point is very good, we wanted to win but wanted to avoid some mistakes we made in previous games. “We have 10 points and we’re happy.” Before the game Emery called Juventus one of the “best teams in the world, historically and now”, but this was an Italian side down to the bare bones. Only 14 outfield players made the trip from Turin, with striker Dusan Vlahovic among those who stayed behind. Juve boss Thiago Motta, whose side are 19th but still in contention to reach the top eight, said: “There’s just three games left to qualify. The next home against Man City, then Brugge, then Benfica. “One at a time, as we always did with the goal to qualify for the next round. “In the end we will try and reach our goal which is to go to the next round.”The has chosen the final for its National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program, which seeks to accelerate the development of quantum technologies. The selected projects will explore methods of providing distributed access to the required tools for creating functional technologies that exploit quantum phenomena, NSF said Monday. The NQVL program participants will receive $1 million each to create real-world testing environments for advancing quantum capabilities. Table of Contents Tapping Quantum Computing’s Capacity For example, a team of researchers from Iowa State University, Indiana University and IonQ will develop hardware and techniques that can be used in quantum chemistry, condensed matter physics and nuclear physics. Each application intends to tap quantum computing’s capacity to manage the exponential complexities of quantum systems. Through the NQVL initiative, the government is establishing a national resource without “the limitations of distance and space or the boundaries of laboratory walls,” according to NSF Director . Exploring Quantum Possibilities The program is meant to unlock the possibilities of quantum phenomena, which could create networks with impenetrable security. NQVL will also provide workforce training and educational opportunities to grow the U.S. STEM workforce and develop leaders for future quantum-based industries. The six projects will join the that NSF announced in August. All teams are invited to submit proposals to the latest agency funding solicitation for the NQVL initiative.Two weeks after Stop & Shop's parent company was the target of an unspecified cybersecurity incident, a spokesperson for the grocery store chain reports that "stores are stocked and largely recovered" ahead of Thanksgiving week. Officials at Ahold Delhaize USA, the parent company of both Shop & Shop and Hannaford, announced on Nov. 8 that they notified law enforcement, hired external cybersecurity experts and began an investigation "immediately upon detecting the issue." The company also said it took "some systems offline to help protect them." Those mitigation efforts appeared to take down the Hannaford website, and signage inside Stop & Shop stores warned customers of product delivery delays. Some payment disruptions were also reported at Hannaford locations. As of Monday, Stop & Shop customers were still seeing some bare shelves. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the chain's locations were well stocked with holiday staples despite some "limited availability" of certain fresh items. Friday's statement suggests additional progress. "Our stores are stocked and ready to serve our shoppers in advance of their holiday celebrations," the spokesperson wrote. Additionally, the company said it would offer free coffee and sweet treats from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Friday through Saturday at nearly 200 locations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

A superb solo effort from Millennium High junior Leo Kristo was enough for the Falcons to take a hard-earned 1-0 road victory back to Tracy Tuesday night. Kristo was at the heart of everything dangerous for the Falcons’ offense against the Mustangs and he was finally able to break the deadlock just three minutes into the second half. Kristo went on a mazy run down the left sideline, beating two Mountain House defenders before entering the box and arrowing a nice shot into the bottom left corner to give his side the lead. With something to protect, the Falcons kept their discipline defensively and did not allow their hosts to create any clear-cut opportunities. The Falcons improved to 1-1 in the win after falling at the hands of Tracy High (1-0) 3-0 in their season opener last Friday. For the Mustangs, the defeat was their fourth straight after they took down Kimball 4-1 in their campaign curtain-raiser last Wednesday. Mountain House has been held scoreless in each of their four losses — raising some concern for head coach Luis Montanez. However, the hosts started brightly. They created plenty of chances in the early stages — largely through the speed of senior Jayden Lownes on their right wing. Lownes was extremely unlucky in the opening frame as he had five glorious opportunities to give his side the lead before the break. A couple of those were saved well by Millennium’s sophomore goalie Emiliano Valdez Hernandez. The others called the busy Falcons’ defense into action. Lownes’ best chance of the night came 22 minutes into the first half when he latched onto a crisp through ball from senior Priyansh Nath before rounding the keeper and seeing his open goal effort cleared off the goal line by the Falcons’ Rameen Sattar. Lownes also had another attempt blocked on its way past Valdez Hernandez by the Falcons’ Bryce Perry. After getting away with it on a couple of occasions, the Falcons grew into the game in the latter stages of the first half and should have taken the lead five minutes before the break if not for the woodwork. Kristo was menacing again on the left side and he was brought down inside the Mustangs’ area after winning a foot race to earn his team a penalty kick. His brother, Dario Kristo, stepped up to take and rattled the post to keep the game at 0-0 at the half. Spurred on by head coach Darlha Canas’ team talk, the Falcons came out of the interval with newfound energy and edged in front 180 seconds later. The visitors had an opportunity to ice the game in the 70th minute when a nice corner delivery from senior Landon Vatran found the foot of Leo Kristo on the goalmouth but his shot went just wide of the post. The Mustangs had a last ditch attempt at an equalizer in the last second after being awarded a free kick 25 yards out. Junior Rhys Dominguez claimed it but hit the wall with the ensuing shot, prompting the full time whistle. The Falcons will be back in action on Dec. 4 when they take a short trip to Kimball (0-2). The Mustangs will be at Grace Davis on Dec. 2. Elsewhere, the West High Wolf Pack have started their season 1-1. They beat Franklin 1-0 in their opener last Wednesday courtesy of a goal from junior Gavin Atwal. The Pack lost to Patterson 2-1 Monday night. Senior Alvin Gaitan was the lone scorer. Contact Arion Armeniakos at aarmeniakos@tracypress.com , or call 209-830-4229.Herro leads Heat over Rockets in game marred by fight and ejections in final minute

London: The UK will end a tax exemption for private schools on Wednesday, the centre-left Labour government has announced, in a move set to raise over £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) for public education . ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for After years of worsening educational inequalities, from January 1, private schools will have to pay 20 percent value added tax on tuition fees, which will be used to fund thousands of new teachers and improve standards in state schools. "It's time things are done differently", finance minister Rachel Reeves said in a statement on Sunday. The funding will "go towards our state schools where 94 percent of this country's children are educated", she said. The policy was promised by Labour in its election campaign and officially laid out in its inaugural budget in October. 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Tuition fees in private schools already average £18,000 a year, according to the Independent Schools Council, which represents private schools. That figure is set to rise, with the government estimating that tuition fees will increase by around 10 percent, with schools taking on part of the additional cost. "High and rising standards cannot just be for families who can afford them," said education secretary Bridget Phillipson. Opponents of the reform say state school enrolment will explode if the private sector is lost, increasing the cost to the government. But studies contradict this. The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated that the number of children in state schools will actually fall by 2030 due to a projected population decline. Several research centres also point out that the disparity between private and state schools widened sharply under the 14-year Conservative rule. The Labour government won a landslide election in July promising to boost economic growth and improve public services. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

The Ducks will ring in December by hosting the Ottawa Senators on Sunday in a matchup of teams that are an eyelash under .500 with designs on gaining some upward momentum. They’ll enter the clash with identical .477 points percentages that situate them near the bottom of their respective divisions but not far behind a crowded pack of middling clubs. The Ducks have had more of a defensive inclination while the Senators have shown more scoring pop to date. Ducks coach Greg Cronin said his team hadn’t “had too many stinkers” of late, and that’s been reflected by their 5-3-1 record across their past nine games, with four of their five-plus-goal games this season arriving in that span. “Since we got back from that New York trip, I think we’ve been on a pretty good path in terms of playing with an identity and competing,” Cronin said. They had to grind hard on Black Friday, when they played what Cronin described as something of a postseason-style game against the Kings at Honda Center. Though they fell 2-1 to what veteran forward Ryan Strome described as a “mature, veteran team” that they couldn’t quite edge past despite playing a “disciplined, structured and north-south” game, the Ducks still felt they carried forward some positive indicators from their recent play. “It was a good hockey game. We competed hard. I thought we dictated a lot of the game. We played similar to the way we’ve been playing,” Strome said. Kings coach Jim Hiller concurred. With teams frequently playing the Southern California franchises back to back, he and Cronin get constant looks at one another’s teams during pre-scouts, and Hiller assessed the Ducks’ performance quite favorably. “I thought – we’ve played them this year, I’ve scouted them this year – I thought that’s the best game they’ve played this year. I thought they played very well,” Hiller said. Time will tell if Sunday’s match elicits similar plaudits from Ottawa coach Travis Green, who spent parts of two seasons with the Ducks as a player and is in his first year as the Sens’ head coach after previously guiding the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils briefly. Though Brock McGinn has made some progress in his return, he and Robby Fabbri remained unavailable. So, too, did Leo Carlsson, whose upper-body injury has kept him out of the Ducks’ past two matches. Cam Fowler will be a game-time decision. Troy Terry has four points across his three-game scoring streak, while Trevor Zegras just snapped a four-gamer that saw him compile six points. For Ottawa, forwards Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson each have seven points in the Sens’ past five outings. Captain Brady Tkachuk, whom Cronin suggested could be a model for his own power forward Mason McTavish, has racked up five points during a three-game surge. Those are the three Senators scoring above a point per game this season, with Stützle’s 28 points in 22 games leading the way. When: 5 p.m. Sunday Where: Honda Center How to watch: Victory+

Donte DiVincenzo Failed To Dunk On Victor Wembanyama, Hilariously Hit ‘Too Small’ Gesture To Himself

Conners, Tate lead Appalachian State over Sam Houston 66-63In a span of about 20 hours, SpaceX could manage three rocket launches and one landing of a Dragon spacecraft. It flew a Department of Defense mission from Cape Canaveral on Monday night and on Tuesday knocked out a National Reconnaissance Office mission from California and the landing of the latest cargo Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Florida. The topper will be a launch from Kennedy Space Center that would mark 90 spaceflight missions among all providers on the Space Coast in 2024. That launch would see a Falcon 9 on the mPower-E mission launching from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A during a one-hour, 27-minute window that opens at 3:59 p.m. EST with backup during same window on Dec. 18. The payload is a pair of satellites for Luxembourg-based communications company SES headed to medium-Earth orbit. With one hour before the opening of the window, the countdown was paused for weather, and a new T-0 is pending. Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a 55% chance for good launch conditions, that would improve to 65% in the event of a 24-hour delay. High winds at the launch site and concerns for booster recovery delayed launch attempts for both Space Coast missions over the weekend. When it does fly, this would be the first launch of the first-stage booster that will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic. Already on Tuesday, a SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft made a successful splashdown off the coast of Florida to complete the CRS-31 mission. The Dragon arrived to the International Space Station with 6,000 pounds of resupply payloads back on Nov. 5 after launching from the Space Coast, and returned with thousands of pounds of supplies and science experiments. Earlier Tuesday, the company flew the NROL-149, a National Space Security Launch mission, from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. The busy schedule began on Monday night, with what had been a secretive mission leading up to launch. That one was a Falcon 9 that lifted off on the RRT-1 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:52 p.m. This was the fourth launch of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. After launch, the Space Force revealed in a press release the RRT stood for “Rapid Response Trailblazer,” and its payload was a GPS III satellite flying under a National Security Space Launch contract that had switched from United Launch Alliance to SpaceX. It touted the launch as “a new level of readiness and resilience” for its Space Systems Command and Space Operations Command, as it took less than five months to turn around the mission from its inception to launch. Normally this sort of NSSL mission would take 24 months to execute. The prelaunch processing timeline was also sped up from a normal six-month turnaround to only three months. It took an existing satellite manufactured by Lockheed Martin from storage, sped up its integration and readiness for launch. The mission was originally tapped to fly on a ULA Vulcan rocket, but had been delayed because Vulcan has yet to be certified by the Space Force. “This launch was a remarkable achievement that highlights the Space Force’s ability to execute high priority launches of major space systems on a significantly reduced timescale,” said Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader of Launch Execution for the Space Force’s Assured Access to Space program. “As an added benefit, it also demonstrates flexibility to adjust our manifest to minimize the impact of Vulcan delays.” The GPS satellite, which was nicknamed “Sally Ride,” joins 31 others already active in orbit, along with seven backup satellites and three more awaiting launch. “Over six billion people use GPS on a daily basis, and we are always eager to update the global capability we provide by getting some new technology on orbit,” said Col. Andrew Menschner, Space Force Delta 31 mission commander, which acted as the space vehicle lead for the first time. -------- ©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit at orlandosentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Cayden Primeau has to be feeling the pressure. After a disappointing start to his season, the backup goaltender has seen little ice time lately. He needs to turn it around to secure his spot on the roster and tonight’s game against Columbus his his opportunity. Should he have a solid performance, the Canadiens will undoubtedly give him a little more rope; should he flounder, it’s hard to imagine general manager Kent Hughes remaining patient for much longer. Whether the option is to call up a goaltender from Laval or to acquire a veteran through trade or free agency, if Primeau continues his sub-standard play the Canadiens would need to do something. That is the short term picture. The longer term picture regarding Primeau’s tenure in Montreal looks even more bleak. Jacob Fowler is having a standout season in the NCAA and Jakub Dobeš is off to a strong start with Laval. At 23 years old, Dobeš may be closer to being NHL ready than Fowler but rest assured, they are probably both in Montreal’s long term plans at the moment. The question of whether Montreal should risk losing Primeau to waivers is often asked. It really isn’t something to lose a lot of sleep over, particularly when you have two solid prospects in the organization. And let’s not forget Connor Hughes who was scooped up from the Swiss Leagues where he put up some stellar numbers. And so far this season, Hughes has a better SV% with Laval than Dobeš ... but both have played extremely well. So the heat is on Cayden Primeau and tonight would be a good time for him to turn his game around and secure his spot as an NHL goaltender. He can’t afford many more poor to mediocre performances. This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.

Wisconsin faces its first losing season in 23 years and the end of a bowl streak when the Badgers host arch-rival Minnesota on Friday in the annual Big Ten battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) lost to No. 4 Penn State 26-25. Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) lost its fourth straight, 44-25, at Nebraska in a game that was not as close as the score. "Well 1890 is the first time we played this football team coming up and this is what it's all about," Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said of the rivalry. "And you wouldn't want to have it any other way, being able to end the season with one of your biggest rivals. I know our guys will be ready to go, ready to play." Wisconsin has 22 consecutive winning seasons since going 5-7 under Barry Alvarez in 2001, the longest active streak among Power 4 teams. The Badgers also have played in a bowl game in each of the last 22 seasons, the longest active streak in the Big Ten and third-longest in FBS. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is more concerned with the rivalry game than the winning season and bowl streaks. "I'm not downplaying it, I'm not saying it's not important, I'm not saying it's another thing that's on our plate," Fickell said Monday. "But when it gets down to this last week, it's about one thing, it's about the rivalry. It's about preparing to play in the most important game of the year." The Gophers have dropped their last two games after winning four in a row. Minnesota averages 26.6 points per game, while allowing 18.5, 15th-best in the country. Max Brosmer has completed 67 percent of his passes for 221 per game with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Daniel Jackson is the top target with 69 catches for 802 yards and three scores, and Darius Taylor is the top rusher with 730 yards at 4.8 per carry with nine touchdowns. One week after leading Oregon after three quarters, the Wisconsin defense was shredded for 473 yards and five touchdowns by Nebraska. Braedyn Locke, who took over at quarterback when Tyler Van Dyke suffered an early season-ending knee injury, has thrown at least one interception in eight consecutive games. Locke has completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 180.6 yards per game, with 12 touchdowns and 10 picks. Tawee Walker is the leading rusher with 828 yards at 4.7 per carry with 10 touchdowns. He has failed to reach 60 yards in three of the last four games. Former Wisconsin and NFL standout JJ Watt posted on social media his assessment - and frustration - with the Badgers after the Nebraska game. "Losing happens, it's part of the game. Hearing announcers talk about how much tougher and more physical Nebraska & Iowa are while getting blown out ... that's the issue," Watt wrote on X. "We are Wisconsin. Physicality, running game, great O-Line and great defense. That is our identity." Wisconsin defeated the Gophers 28-14 last after Minnesota had won the previous two meetings. The Badgers have won 7 of the last 10 and lead the storied series 63-62-8. --Field Level MediaTexas A&M-CC 109, Prairie View 74