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Tyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn (4-1) before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level Media

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — While other teams around the NFL are seeing their injury lists grow as the season winds down, the Green Bay Packers appear to be getting healthy at just the right time. Not only is quarterback Jordan Love looking like himself after dealing with early-season left knee and groin injuries, but the rest of the roster is getting better, too. “I think every team that can realize their potential needs to be as healthy as they can be. And injuries are a part of this business,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It is what it is in terms of the next man up, but obviously, you want the guys that are your starters to be available — especially as you get closer to the end of the year.” Love certainly has been rolling of late, completing 67.1% of his passes for 904 yards with six touchdowns and one interception (118.8 passer rating) over the past four games, owing some of his hot streak to simply being healthy again. “The name of the game is trying to stay as healthy as possible, especially late into the season,” Love said. “There’s definitely injuries that stack up and guys being out. To have everybody relatively healthy and to be able to have our top guys out there would be huge for us." The Packers (9-4) head into their Sunday night matchup with the Seahawks (8-5) in Seattle with only one player having been unable to take part in Wednesday’s practice at all: safety Javon Bullard. LaFleur said Bullard is week-to-week with an ankle injury he suffered in the team’s Dec. 5 loss at Detroit . The Packers got full participation from Jaire Alexander, who has missed four of the team’s last five games with a knee injury suffered at Jacksonville on Oct. 27, and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who has missed the last two games with a concussion he suffered against San Francisco on Nov. 24. Although Alexander had practiced on a limited basis in recent weeks, he has missed the last three games and pulled himself out of the team’s Nov. 17 win at Chicago because of his knee. Getting Alexander back to face Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba would give a major lift to the Packers’ pass defense, currently ranked 21st with 222.2 yards per game allowed. “When I was watching him, he looked like he was moving around well, and we’ll just see how it transpires throughout the course of the week,” LaFleur said. “Hopefully, he’ll be ready to roll.” LaFleur said Doubs and rookie safety Evan Williams, who left the Packers’ 34-31 loss to the Lions because of a concussion, are still in the concussion protocol. But Williams was able to practice on a limited basis. Meanwhile, tight end Luke Musgrave, who hasn’t played a snap since injuring his left ankle during a a Sept. 29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has been designated for return from injured reserve. Musgrave took part in practice for the first time since undergoing surgery in early October to repair a torn ligament in the ankle. He said he only did individual drill work Wednesday, making it unlikely he would be activated this week. “Just going to ease back into it, but I feel good,” Musgrave said. “Still getting the cutting back, but overall, it feels good.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflThe SaaS company said Jain’s resignation came into effect immediately and it is in the process of filling the vacancy A qualified company secretary from ICSI, Jain previously worked with companies such as PharmEasy, Games24x7, and Pantomath Capital Advisors Unicommerce’s net profit rose 21% YoY to INR 4.47 Cr in Q2 FY25, while operating revenue jumped 13% to INR 29.30 Cr Listed SaaS platform Unicommerce’s company secretary and key managerial personnel (KMP) Ajinkya Jain has quit the company citing “personal reasons and commitments”. In a filing with the BSE , the SaaS company said that Jain stepped down from his role effective immediately from closing of business hours on December 6. Unicommerce said it is in the “process of filling” the vacancy and will inform the bourses when a new appointment is made. The Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) rules mandate listed companies to inform about the resignation of KMPs to the stock exchanges within seven days of the resignation taking effect. An alumnus of Nagpur University, Jain is a certified company secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He has over 13 years of experience under his belt, and previously worked with companies such as PharmEasy, Games24x7, Future Generali India Insurance Company, and Pantomath Capital Advisors. Jain joined Snapdeal and Unicommerce parent AceVector Group in 2022. Founded in 2012 by Karun Singla, Ankit Pruthi and Vibhu Garg, and later joined by Manish Gupta, Unicommerce is an ecommerce SaaS company that helps sellers manage their inventory across all online marketplaces. It offers integrations with all major Indian ecommerce platforms. The company was acquired by Snapdeal in 2015 for an undisclosed amount. Unicommerce filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with markets watchdog SEBI in January this year for INR 276 Cr IPO and received regulatory approval in July. Subsequently, Unicommerce made a stellar debut on the bourses on August 13 as the shares of the enterprise tech startup listed at INR 235 apiece on the NSE, a premium of 117.59% over its issue price of INR 108. The shares debuted at INR 230, a premium of 112.96% to the issue price, on the BSE. Unicommerce’s net profit rose 21% to INR 4.47 Cr in the second quarter (Q2) of the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) from INR 3.69 Cr in the previous fiscal year. Operating revenue jumped 13% to INR 29.30 Cr during the quarter under review from INR 25.93 Cr in Q2 FY24. Shares of Unicommerce ended the final trading session of the week 1.04% higher at INR 194.15 on the BSE.Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke and Cal's Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men's basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils (9-3) will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Mensah, viewed as one of the top players in the portal, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost 35-14 to Army. Tulane will play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Sunday. Van Buren, Mendoza and Locke announced on social media they had entered the portal. Van Buren started eight games as a true freshmen for the Bulldogs. He threw for 1,886 yards on 55% passing with 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8 Southeastern Conference). He took over as the starter when Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen has said he plans to return next season. Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, had two 300-yard performances for the Bulldogs, including 306 yards and three touchdown passes in a 41-31 road loss against Georgia. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards in 2024 with 16 TDs, six interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. "For the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached," he posted. Locke passed for 1,936 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Wisconsin this season. He said he will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has joined defensive tackle Mason Graham in the NFL draft. Johnson declared for the draft on Wednesday, one day after Graham decided he would also skip his senior season with the Wolverines. Both preseason All-America players are expected to be first-round picks. Johnson was limited to six games this year due to an injury. He had two interceptions, returning them both for touchdowns to set a school record with three scores off interceptions. Johnson picked off nine passes in three seasons. Graham played in all 12 games this season, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks and seven tackles for losses. He had 18 tackles for losses, including nine sacks, in his three-year career. Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is The Associated Press offensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard is the top defensive player. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was voted the top newcomer on Wednesday while the Gamecocks' Shane Beamer is coach of the year in voting by the panel of 17 media members who cover the league. Sampson led the SEC and set school records by rushing for 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is tied for third nationally in rushing touchdowns, recording the league's fifth-most in a season. Sampson was chosen on all but two ballots. Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, each got a vote. Kennard led the SEC with 11-1/2 sacks and 15-1/2 tackles for loss. He also had 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles. Beamer led the Gamecocks to just their fifth nine-win season, including a school-record four wins over Top 25 opponents. They've won their last six games and ended the regular season with a win over eventual ACC champion Clemson. South Carolina plays Illinois on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Pavia helped lead Vandy to its first bowl game since 2018 after transferring from New Mexico State. He passed for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. He ran for another 716 yards and six touchdowns, directing an upset of Alabama. AMES, Iowa — Matt Campbell, who led Iowa State to its first 10-win season and became the program's all-time leader in coaching victories, has agreed to an eight-year contract that would keep him with the Cyclones through 2032. University president Wendy Wintersteen and athletic director Jamie Pollard made the announcement Wednesday, four days after the Cyclones lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. “Given all the uncertainty currently facing college athletics, it was critical that we moved quickly to solidify the future of our football program,” Pollard said. “Matt is the perfect fit for Iowa State University and I am thrilled he wants to continue to lead our program. Leadership continuity is essential to any organization’s long-term success." The Cyclones won their first seven games for their best start since 1938 and are 10-3 heading into their game against Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 28. BRIEFLY FLAG PLANT: Ohio Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. MALZAHN: Gus Malzahn, who resigned as UCF’s coach last month to become Mike Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Florida State, said he chose to return to his coaching roots rather than remain a head coach distracted by a myriad of responsibilities.

Americans made $3.6 billion in charitable donations this week — a double-digit increase of 16% from Giving Tuesday 2023’s total of $3.1 billion, according to The GivingTuesday Data Commons , the group that tracks the data. And more people than ever — 36.1 million — donated to a charity that day, up 7% from last year. Add this to the mix: Giving by individuals is predicted to increase by 2.6% in 2024 and by 3.4% in 2025, surpassing previous annual average giving bumps, according to research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. That feels good. As we slide into December, many of us who bypassed the much-hyped Giving Tuesday, me included, are focusing on making charitable contributions by year-end to reduce taxes or simply revel in that holiday spirit of giving. For me, and I suspect lots of you, giving is really more about your heart than a tax strategy. People have similar motivations for giving, according to Fidelity Charitable’s research : making a difference, giving back to their community, and faith are aspects of financial giving donors find most rewarding. For Shannon Bonney, 26, that’s the case. Last year, she became a member of Many Hands , a nonprofit philanthropic “giving circle” with a membership of around 275 women. The collective giving organization supports nonprofits in the Washington, D.C., area focused on women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. Members under 35 make an annual gift of $300. Older donors contribute a minimum annual gift of $1,000. Donating through a giving circle , where individuals, often women, pool their funds and their decision-making to make grants, is the hottest trend in philanthropy. Per a report from Philanthropy Together, the number of giving circles and the number of people who are part of one tripled between 2007 and 2016 — and then tripled again between 2016 and 2023. There are now more than 4,000 giving circles across the country with 370,000 members. Among them, they gave away more than $3 billion over a five-year period ending in 2023. “I chose a giving circle because it’s the most effective way to pool money with people and then get that in a lump sum to the organization,” Bonney said. “It’s a lot more impactful to have your money be part of tens of thousands of dollars that are going to that group.” The amount of giving per member varies by giving circle. Some circles set a lower giving level that can range from $200 to $500 annually. Others opt to set it higher, say, $5,000 to $25,000 a year. (The Giving Compass site has a Giving Circle search tool to find ones near you focused on missions of interest). Read more: Wondering what to do with your tax refund? 5 ways to spend it wisely Most of us don’t know much about nitty-gritty tax strategies that could make our donations more financially impactful. To write off donations, your total tax deductions need to exceed the standard deduction to be worthwhile. For 2024, the standard deduction is $14,600 for single filers and $29,200 for married couples filing jointly. The tax deduction is a lure for most Americans, with retirees marginally less likely than others to say it’s important to their giving decision. One way to exceed that standard deduction threshold is to bunch together your contributions and give two years' worth of deductions in one year, so your total giving will be high enough to allow you to itemize. “This can be extremely effective for gifting in years of higher-than-normal income — for example, if you sold a business or real estate, received a large bonus payout, exercised stock options, or sold and diversified a concentrated low-basis stock position,” Brandon O’Neill, a certified financial planner and charitable planning consultant at Fidelity Charitable, told Yahoo Finance. Another tax-saving strategy is making a charitable donation of stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds you've held for more than a year. This is a way to avoid owing capital gains taxes on their profits. You might also consider a donor-advised fund (DAF), which is available from financial services firms like Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard. There could be minimum amounts to open an account and to give to an individual charity along with annual administrative fees. When you make a contribution of cash, stocks, mutual funds, or ETFs to a DAF, you immediately receive a tax deduction, provided you itemize. You can then invest the money for growth that is tax-free until you choose which charities you want to donate to. These funds are going mainstream but are still under-the-radar for many Americans. “A DAF is a simple, tax-effective way to dedicate money to charitable giving,” O’Neill said. “You can think about DAFs almost like a 529 or IRA for charitable giving because they allow you to strategize your giving.” Read more: Is GoFundMe tax deductible? What donors and beneficiaries should know. If you’re aged 701⁄2 or older, a qualified charitable distribution from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is another consideration. You make this distribution directly to a charity, reducing the amount of your taxable IRA that is subject to Required Minimum Distributions starting at age 73. You can't deduct the qualified charitable distribution, but the money won't be considered taxable income to you. Have a question about retirement? Personal finances? Anything career-related? Click here to drop Kerry Hannon a note. “The year-end retirement account balance is key to retirees because their required minimum distribution is based on that balance,” Ed Slott, a certified public accountant in New York and an expert on IRAs, previously told Yahoo Finance. “Your RMD is your best asset to give to charity.” This year you can donate up to $105,000 total to one or more charities directly from a taxable IRA. “You are getting it out at zero tax and giving it to a charity, something you would've done anyway,” Slott said. “Plus, if you do it correctly, with the timing of it, it can offset your RMD.” Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including " In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky: Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau workers Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. Wray said at a town hall meeting that he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought,” roughly three years short of the completion of a 10-year term during which he tried to keep the FBI out of politics even as the bureau found itself entangled in a string of explosive investigations, including two that led to separate indictments of Trump last year as well as inquiries into Biden and his son. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” The intended resignation was not unexpected considering that Trump had settled on Patel to be director and had repeatedly aired his ire at Wray, whom he appointed during his first term. But his departure is nonetheless a reflection of how Trump's norm-breaking style has reshaped Washington, with the president-elect yet again flouting tradition by moving to replace an FBI director well before his term was up and Wray resigning to avert a collision with the incoming administration. “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," Wray said. “I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorized to discuss the private gathering by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice" and saying that Patel's confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again.” If confirmed by the Senate, Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI's Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators," raising alarms that he might seek to wield the FBI's significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Trump's perceived enemies. Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to "a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one.” It's extremely rare for FBI directors to be ousted from their jobs before the completion of their 10-year terms, a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations. But Trump has done it twice, placing Wray in the job in 2017 after firing Director James Comey amid an investigation into ties between Russia and the Republican president’s campaign. Despite having appointed Wray, Trump had telegraphed his anger with the FBI director on multiple occasions throughout the years, including as recently as the past week. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, Trump said, “I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home,” a reference to the FBI search of his Florida property , Mar-a-Lago, two years ago for classified documents from Trump’s first term as president. That search, and the recovery of boxes of sensitive government records, paved the way for one of two federal indictments against Trump. The case, and another one charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, have both been dismissed by the Justice Department special counsel that brought them in light of Trump's November victory. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised Wray for having “served our country honorably and with integrity for decades.” He said: “Under Director Wray’s principled leadership, the FBI has worked to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.” Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, said in a statement that Wray had led the FBI “through challenging times with a steady focus on doing the work that keeps our country safe. ” Throughout his seven years on the job, the self-professed "low-key, understated" Wray brought a workmanlike approach to the job, repeatedly preaching a “keep calm and tackle hard” mantra to bureau personnel despite a steady drumbeat of attacks from Trump and his supporters. He also sought to avoid public conflict when possible with the Trump White House, distancing himself and his leadership team from the FBI's Russia investigation over errors that took place before he took office and announcing dozens of corrective actions meant to prevent the recurrence of the surveillance abuses that plagued the inquiry. But there were other instances when he memorably broke from Trump — he did not agree, for instance, with Trump’s characterization of the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt." He made known his displeasure when the White House blessed the declassification of materials related to the surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide and contradicted a Trump talking point by stating that Ukraine had not interfered in the 2016 election. He repeatedly sought to keep the focus on the FBI's day-to-day work, using the bulk of his resignation announcement to praise the bureau's efforts in countering everything from violent crime and cyberattacks to Chinese espionage and terrorism. Yet as he leaves office at a time of heightened threats , much of the public focus has been on the politically sensitive investigations of his tenure. Besides the inquiries into Trump, the FBI in recent years also investigated Biden's handling of classified information as well as Biden's son Hunter for tax and gun violations. Hunter Biden was pardoned by his father last week. A particular flashpoint came in August 2022, when FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago — an action officials defended as necessary given the boxes of documents that were being concealed at the Palm Beach property and the evidence of obstruction that the Justice Department said had been gathered. Trump railed against the FBI over that search and has kept up his criticism ever since. Trump was angered by Wray's comment at a congressional hearing that there was “some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel” that struck Trump's ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. The FBI later stated unequivocally that it was indeed a bullet. Before being named FBI director, Wray worked at a prestigious law firm, King & Spalding, where he represented former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the “Bridgegate” scandal. He also led the Justice Department’s criminal division for a period during President George W. Bush’s administration.OREM, Utah (AP) — Tanner Toolson had 21 points in Utah Valley's 119-59 victory over Bethesda (CA) on Saturday night. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * OREM, Utah (AP) — Tanner Toolson had 21 points in Utah Valley's 119-59 victory over Bethesda (CA) on Saturday night. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? OREM, Utah (AP) — Tanner Toolson had 21 points in Utah Valley’s 119-59 victory over Bethesda (CA) on Saturday night. Toolson added five rebounds for the Wolverines (8-6). Ethan Potter scored 19 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Hayden Welling shot 6 of 11 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line to finish with 15 points. Kameron Mayhan led the way for the Flames with 22 points and six rebounds. Cameron Durr added 10 points for Bethesda. Taeo Thomas also had 10 points and two steals. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Advertisement

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Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981, taking over in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the end of the Vietnam War. After his defeat by Ronald Reagan, he spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. His death on Sunday was announced by his family and came more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. He was the longest-lived US president. Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/aqYmcE9tXi — The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) December 29, 2024 His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love. “My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.” Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta and Washington DC before being buried in his home town of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and finally the White House, where he took office as the 39th president. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked for more than four decades leading the Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service.Indonesia is considering building a huge seawall to prevent its largest city Jakarta from sinking into the ocean. The country is the world’s largest archipelago consisting of over 17,000 islands but rising sea levels are putting its future in peril. It’s capital Jakarta sinks roughly 25cm annually because of excessive groundwater extraction and urban development leading authorities to consider the options at their disposal. Airlangga Hartarto, the coordinating minister for the economy, recently spoke on the need to protect the city from disaster. He said: “We need the giant sea wall to stop the land from sinking and the sea from flooding, which keep happening all the time.” If completed, the project would be one of the most ambitious developments ever undertaken in the country and one of the most expensive. The wall would include the building of a 74.5-mile coastal and river dike by 2030 and an adaptive sea wall to the west and east of Jakarta by 2040 before closing the sea wall with a reservoir by 2050 at a cost of £48 billion. Hartarto acknowledges the steep cost of the project but warns that the country cannot afford not to act. He believes that the country loses £107 million a year due to flooding, a figure that could rise in future as Jakarta sinks further and sea levels continue to rise. Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto agrees that the project’s hefty cost is a necessary expense to address geological concerns on Java’s north coast. He recently told a seminar: “The Netherlands did the same thing, and it took them 40 years. “The challenge is to have political leaders who can think ahead and use all their resources for 40 to 50 years.” But critics have argued that the government is not doing enough to address the underlying issues causing the flooding. Elisa Sutanudjaja, the executive director of Rujak Center for Urban Studies, said government officials aren’t doing anything to prevent groundwater extraction. She told BenarNews: “They don’t talk at all about how to stop subsidence, it is as if there was a hidden agenda.” Jakarta sits on the island of Java, one of the largest in Indonesia . This century, it has been hit by several large floods, most recently in 2020 which claimed the lives of 48 people and left thousands more displaced.

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Special Counsel files to drop all federal charges against TrumpPittsburgh’s much-discussed “purple parking spots” are here to stay. City Council gave final approval on Monday to continue the city’s smart loading zone program indefinitely. The program created special loading-zone parking spots intended for short-term pickups as well as loading and unloading, with a different pricing structure than regular parking spaces. A pilot of the program began in 2022, and there are currently 55 purple-marked spots around the city. Most are located at curbs where regular, unpaid loading zones previously existed. The spots use cameras from Los Angeles-based tech startup Automotus that automatically record drivers’ license plates and send bills or tickets in the mail. The program’s goal has been to incentivize parking turnover and create easy access to curb space for delivery drivers. Initially, the program was funded through grant money, some of which came from the federal Department of Energy. It will now be funded through an agreement between the city and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, under which the program’s incoming revenue will fund its continued operation. What's been the progress so far? Rylan Seifert, curbside program manager with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the program has proved successful. “This has been a great pilot for us,” he said, adding that officials had been “taking to heart the feedback that we've gotten from the businesses, adjusting things as they go. “This is a program that we're really proud of, and now [it’s] kind of in a good policy place to make [it] be permanent,” he added. “We're excited to see how it continues to grow.” Drivers can park for 15 minutes for free in a purple spot. Any longer than that, and their vehicle must be registered online to pay fees for the additional time. If a driver’s vehicle isn’t registered, they may receive a $40 ticket, the same as for unpaid parking in a regular parking spot. Registered drivers are limited to parking one hour in the same spot — a timeframe reduced from the two-hour limit used during the pilot period. According to Seifert, between 75% and 85% of people parking in purple spaces stay for less than 15 minutes. An additional 10% of motorists park for over 15 minutes, and pay through the automated program. Approximately 10% are people who haven’t registered online and who receive a ticket. Tickets may also be issued if someone parks for longer than the maximum, or obstructs the road by “double parking” in the roadway near the spot. Seifert said the program has so far reduced double parking by 95% near the purple spots. Councilor Barb Warwick is no stranger to the sort of risky road behavior the program is intended to combat. Double parking, she said, can be particularly dangerous, as it clogs up traffic and presents a hassle for other people trying to get through. “People were parking using the loading zones as regular parking spots. And we don't necessarily have the capacity to enforce and ticket those cars all day, all the time,” she said. “So the result was that the businesses that needed those spots in order for large deliveries, or people just running in to pick up food, or delivery drivers coming to pick up orders did not have access to those spots." The reduction in double parking improves traffic safety too, she added. “Having big delivery trucks stop in the middle of Murray Avenue or Forbes Avenue or somewhere downtown so that they can do their deliveries is unsafe,” she said. “It also clogs up traffic. So these loading zones have been very successful in mitigating that.” Future of the program Not everyone has been a fan of the purple parking spots. While some businesses have asked for the spots, some other local businesses have complained that they make entering or loading at their building more difficult. Others have asked for better communication around the spots’ installation. Seifert says DOMI has met with business owners near the spots, and held community meetings about the program. The change to a 15-minute grace period starting earlier this year was a result of feedback from these interactions. Before a purple parking spot is installed, he said, the city talks with the business owners nearby, and will “take it to heart” if a business says it doesn’t want a spot there. “We've been listening to the feedback that we've been getting from the businesses and we’re happy to have those conversations as the program goes on,” he said. The city plans to examine potentially removing some of the spots based on “performance indicators,” Seifert said. The program may also add more spots as the city receives requests from businesses. More education also may be needed to make sure Pittsburghers know how the program works, Seifert said. “I think we need to get people used to the idea that if they are just dropping off some dry cleaning or if they’re just picking up some dinner, that's also a loading activity,” he said. “And if they're doing that quickly and they're in and out in 15 minutes, that's a proper use of that curb space. What we don't want to see is people using that as a free parking space and parking there for eight hours.” The program has also given the city a dry-run for its upcoming automated red light enforcement program, which will also use license plate reading technology and mail billing. “We were able to use this program to kind of test out working out ticket-by-mail, work through some of the technological kinks in those things, before we scale up,” Seifert said.In the continuing saga of billionaires and big rockets comes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with his latest space vehicle, New Glenn. The rocket, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first person to orbit Earth in 1962. Though much shorter than SpaceX 's towering Starship , it is about the size of NASA's mega moon rocket, the Space Launch System . Years in the making, the commercial rocket is on the verge of its maiden flight. On Friday, while strapped firmly to its launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, New Glenn nailed its final dress rehearsal, firing all seven of its engines for 24 seconds. It was the first time Bezos' company, Blue Origin, had operated the entire stacked rocket as an integrated system. Flashes from the engines pierced through billows of steam, like cracks of lightning amid storm clouds. "Next stop launch," said Bezos in a post on X, the social media platform owned by his space launch competitor, Elon Musk . Despite their rivalry, Musk replied with a wish for godspeed. A video of the test, called a hot fire, can be watched in the above post. The demonstration involved a complete fueling and practice countdown. New Glenn's booster runs on methane and liquid oxygen, while the second stage of the rocket, which propels a spacecraft further into space, runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. When all seven booster engines are firing in concert, they produce enough horsepower for two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers at full tilt, said David Limp, Blue Origin's CEO. For 13 seconds of the hot fire test, New Glenn was operating at 100 percent of its thrust capacity. Bezos started Blue Origin in 2000, but its first small rocket, New Shepard, has primarily focused on space tourism, providing short flights for wealthy passengers to the cusp of space and back. Star Trek actor William Shatner, one of the most familiar space figures in pop culture, became a real space traveler in October 2021. But the company has aspirations to do much more. It's building a lunar lander for NASA, to be named Blue Moon , that will perform several uncrewed test flights with the New Glenn rocket, before ferrying Artemis V astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon. It's also building a commercial space station, dubbed Orbital Reef . NASA awarded Blue Origin a $130 million contract to build it as the U.S. space agency tries to transition to a new model of space research, wherein businesses own and operate space labs in low-Earth orbit and NASA becomes one of their many customers. Just prior to Friday's test, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Blue Origin a launch license for New Glenn, its final administrative approval. Though the company hasn't yet announced when it will attempt a liftoff, an FAA operational advisory indicates a tentative plan of a launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, with a backup window at the same time on New Year's Day. "Well, all we have left to do is mate our encapsulated payload...and then LAUNCH!" Limp said on X . "Congrats to the many Blue folks on today's test." Blue Origin will attempt to use a sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn, to save New Glenn boosters. The license allows Blue Origin to launch New Glenn from the Space Force station at Cape Canaveral, as well as land its reusable booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. That sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn , is one of the largest remotely operated vessels in the world. The company hopes to be able to reuse a single booster at least 25 times. Reusability is an important facet of the burgeoning commercial space industry, significantly lowering the cost per launch. Blue Origin wanted to get to this point months ago. The inaugural flight was slated for October, which would have included two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab for NASA. Had New Glenn launched then, the twin spacecraft would have taken advantage of the planetary alignment that shortens the travel time to the Red Planet, an average of 140 million miles away from Earth. NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a potential launch for that mission, known as Escapade , no earlier than spring 2025.