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6 of 234 Blessed Carlo Acutis Set for Canonization in Jubilee YearSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stunned voters, lawmakers and investors by declaring martial law on Tuesday in a high-stakes move he claimed would prevent the opposition from trying to paralyze his administration amid a political rift that is set to deepen markedly. In an emergency national address televised live, Yoon said he made the decision to protect freedom and constitutional order, and that it will not have an impact on South Korea’s foreign policy. He added that it would also help eradicate the influence of North Korean supporters. “Through the declaration of martial law, I will rebuild and protect a free South Korea,” Yoon said in a six-minute speech. A proclamation released after the address banned all political activities and strikes and said media would be subject to control of the Martial Law Command, according to Yonhap News. The move was initially viewed by analysts as a risky political play that was likely to backfire rather than an attempt to return to military-led regimes of the past. South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called on lawmakers to go the national assembly immediately. In the 300-seat parliament, 190 lawmakers unanimously voted to demand the lifting of the martial law. “I urge the public to trust the parliament and monitor the situation with calm,” Woo said in a statement. It was not immediately clear whether the vote would be binding. The won suffered its sharpest drop since the global financial crisis to hit 1444.65 its lowest in over two years. Samsung Electronics’ London-listed shares fell as much as 7.2 percent. The finance minister and central bank chief met and promised to provide unlimited liquidity to markets if needed. The shock announcement to impose martial law for the first time since the democratization of South Korea in 1987 left even Yoon’s own party blindsided with its leader vowing to stop the move. Yoon’s abrupt decision comes after months of wrangling and deadlock in parliament between the president’s minority government and the main opposition Democratic Party, but with little expectation that the president would take such a drastic step. The DP is currently trying to force through its own budget proposal through parliament and has submitted an impeachment motion against the chief prosecutor after months of also trying to get Yoon’s wife prosecuted. Meanwhile, the DP’s leader has faced multiple court cases and was convicted last month of election-law violations, barring him from running for president if it is finalized. Yoon has dealt with the political deadlock in a largely standoffish manner, vetoing a string of bills passed by parliament and at times angering his own party. His latest act ramps up tensions considerably domestically, while also creating high uncertainty abroad for the outlook of one of the world’s key suppliers of semiconductors and tech-related gear. “Yoon’s declaration of emergency martial law is highly concerning. It marks a stark shift in the administration’s policy,” said Kayla Orta, senior associate at the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy in Washington DC. “Instead of solidifying his political position, this could further damage his domestic standing.” South Korea’s defense minister ordered a meeting with the military’s top commanders. Broadcaster YTN said martial law would be maintained until the president lifts it, citing a defense official it did not identify. While Clause 77 of the Constitution says the president must withdraw a martial law declaration after a parliamentary majority demands it, Clause 89 says such an annulment should undergo a review by the cabinet as well. Earlier YTN showed police restricting entry to the parliament compound as people gathered neared the gate. Aides of lawmakers used fire extinguisher to block soldiers from entering the building. Even if the martial law order lasts only a day, the political instability it will generate is set to last two or three years, according to Lee Won-Jae, a sociology professor at Kaist Graduate School of Culture Technology in Daejeon. The leader of Yoon’s People Power Party condemned the move, in comments that indicated the lack of consultation on the move. He expressed the view that the vote had put an end to Yoon’s order. “The president’s declaration of martial law is wrong,” Han Dong-hoon, said in a Facebook post. “Martial law has lost its effect, so from this moment on, all state institutions exercising physical force, including the military and police of the Republic of Korea, are obligated not to follow unlawful or unfair instructions,” Han said in a separate post. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged the military and the police to go back to their posts, saying the declaration was nullified with the parliament’s vote. “All presidential orders based on the declaration of the martial law are unconstitutional, invalid and illegal,” Lee said, flanked by dozens of lawmakers. The move comes at a time of high uncertainty for the nation as its trade-dependent economy faces potential tariffs from President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. Bloomberg Economics estimates that full imposition of tariffs on China, South Korea and other U.S. trading partners could reduce Seoul’s exports to the U.S. by as much as 55 percent. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to present a security concern as it deepens its ties with Russia, having sent thousands of troops there to help in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s defense minister visited Pyongyang last week in the latest sign of talks between the two countries. Russia may help provide North Korea key technology for its weapons programs including its intercontinental ballistic missiles. “We shouldn’t be fooled — this has nothing at all to do with North Korea and all to do with domestic politics,” said Defense Priorities Fellow Daniel DePetris. “I expect U.S. and U.K. officials will be getting on the phone to try to convince President Yoon to abide by what the parliament just did.” U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg said the U.S. embassy in Seoul and the State Department are closely tracking Yoon’s martial law declaration. “The situation is fluid,” Goldberg said in an X post, urging citizens to monitor local news sources for updates. China suggested its citizens residing in South Korea keep calm and try to avoid going outdoors for anything non-essential, the country’s embassy said in a post on social media Tuesday night. The embassy also asked Chinese citizens to comply with official orders from the Korean government and “use caution” over sharing political opinions. “The domestic uncertainty adds to the external pressures in recent weeks as the market is starting to price in the rise of higher U.S. tariffs under the new Trump administration,” said Aroop Chatterjee, a strategist at Wells Fargo. “Korea is an open economy sensitive to shifts in global export demand and spillovers from a weaker China.” It is unclear what impact the martial law will have on South Korea’s biggest chipmakers. Nvidia depends mostly on SK Hynix for so-called high-bandwidth memory chips required for its most cutting-edge semiconductors, and whether the South Korean chip firm can continue to supply those high-end memory chips may affect the global AI development. While it remains to be seen if the move will have a lasting impact on markets and the economy, Yoon’s high-stakes move is certain to knock confidence in his leadership and his reliability as a bulwark of democracy in a nation with many authoritarian neighbors. “U.S. officials look to South Korea now as a beacon of democracy so for a president to pull a fast one like this is certainly shocking and unprecedented.” said DePetris.

49ers RBs Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason placed on IRWhen you’re a kid, you never know how certain images are going to affect you. Sure, you know , Freddy Krueger and Chucky are going to terrify you, but you never expect cute little family movies to have scenes and characters that become nightmare fuel for the rest of your life. The holiday season sparked this discussion online, as many people confessed to being scared of The Grinch when they were kids. That might seem silly now, but when you’re young, The Grinch is supposed to make you uncomfortable. This made us realize that we need to examine some of these other shockingly scary characters from our youth. It’s time to recognize these feelings and move past them with the surprising characters that scared us when we were kids. 2 / 16 The Grinch - ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ The Grinch - ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ We’re not supposed to like The Grinch. He’s a creepy loner who lives in the mountains and hates everything about his neighbors. He’s actually a sad character. When you get older, his green monster appearance looks more like a “Sesame Street” monster than something scary, but as a kid, we can see how it would creep you out. 3 / 16 The Flying Monkeys - ‘The Wizard of Oz’ The Flying Monkeys - ‘The Wizard of Oz’ If you’ve seen “Wicked”—and the huge box office numbers suggests a lot of you have—you know how tragic the Flying Monkeys’ story is in that adaptation. However, in the original “Wizard of Oz” movie, they’re actually quite terrifying as the Wicked Witch’s loyal army. When you’re little, the image of the skies filled with flying monkeys is going to stay with you for a while. 4 / 16 Scar – The Lion King (1994) Scar – The Lion King (1994) “Mufasa: The Lion King” tries to justify Scar turning on his brother, but we always knew he was bad news. Jeremy Irons exquisite voice performance gave us chills, making him a Disney villain we were genuinely afraid of. 5 / 16 Maleficient - ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Maleficient - ‘Sleeping Beauty’ When “Sleeping Beauty” was released in 1959, the animation of Maleficient turning into a dragon was the height of advanced technology. It felt like real life. That’s why the scene has captivated and scared children for generations, and Maleficient remains an iconic villain. 6 / 16 Subway Scene - ‘The Wiz’ Subway Scene - ‘The Wiz’ The entire subway scene in “The Wiz” is creepy nightmare fuel, but the pillars slowly surrounding Dorothy is the kind of image that scars you for life, and makes you avoid subways as much as possible. 7 / 16 Oompa Loompas - ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ Oompa Loompas - ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ There’s a lot of disturbing elements in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” but the Oompa Loompas showing up to sing a catchy little tune every time one of these kids allegedly dies is seriously messed up. 8 / 16 Broken Toys - ‘Toy Story’ Broken Toys - ‘Toy Story’ As much as we love the “Toy Story” movies, there’s something inherently creepy about toys coming to life when humans aren’t around. In the first film, that idea is taken to another level when Woody and Buzz find themselves trapped in Sid’s room with his menagerie of broken toys. It’s both sad and frightening. 9 / 16 Puppets - ‘The Polar Express’ Puppets - ‘The Polar Express’ In case you haven’t had enough creepy toy talk, let’s get into “The Polar Express’” train car full of puppets. This is the scene we all skip during its many, many holiday airings. 10 / 16 Other Mother - ‘Coraline’ Other Mother - ‘Coraline’ Honestly, we could probably put Other Mother on the horror movie list. That’s how scary she is. From the moment we meet her, she’s just a little off, and gets increasingly more terrifying as the movie goes on. Frankly, it’s the eyes that have stuck with us all these years. 11 / 16 Large Marge - ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ Large Marge - ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ At this point, we know to expect a certain level of craziness from Tim Burton. However, this early in his career we weren’t ready for the insanity yet. While we knew Pee Wee Herman would give us something unexpected, we still weren’t ready for Large Marge. It just comes out of nowhere to scare the crap out of us, then she acts like nothing happened. 12 / 16 E.T. - ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ E.T. - ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ Yes, this scene with E.T. and Elliott in the operating room is one of the most emotional in movie history. But for some, it’s also a little scary, as they’re creeped out by the alien’s pale, weak appearance. 13 / 16 Audrey II - ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey II - ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ It’s not just Audrey II’s size and that it eats people, it’s the evil glee that Four Tops legend Levi Stubbs brings to his vocals that makes the “Mean Green Mother” so unforgettable. 14 / 16 The Grand High Witch - ‘The Witches’ The Grand High Witch - ‘The Witches’ In 1990's “The Witches,” Anjelica Huston goes full camp with her portrayal of the Grand High Witch. But things take a turn into crazy town when the witches remove their human faces, showing their true demonic appearance. It’s one of those scenes you never forget, and you never watch again, no matter how old you are. 15 / 16 Ursula - ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989) Ursula - ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989) Now that we’re older, we can appreciate Ursula’s brilliant manipulation of Ariel. She’s a top three Disney villain. When we were younger, her intimidating presence combined with the constant movement of her tentacles made her a very scary bad guy. 16 / 16There is a wide variety of ASX exchange-traded funds ( ) out there for investors to choose from. As a result, whatever your investment aims, there is likely to be an ETF for you. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few funds that could be worth considering right now for certain investment styles. They are as follows: ( ) If you have a high tolerance for risk, then the could be one to look at. Especially if you are interested in the cryptocurrency industry but hesitant to own coins directly. This ASX ETF is designed to provide exposure to the broader crypto ecosystem, capturing the growth of the industry without the need for direct involvement in individual cryptocurrencies. If the cryptocurrency market thrives and adoption continues to accelerate, the companies within this ETF stand to benefit significantly from their roles in the ecosystem. Betashares notes that the "crypto economy has been growing strongly, aided by the performance of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital assets over the past ten years, with this growth anticipated to continue." ( ) Investors that are interested in set and forget or buy and hold investing might want to look at the . This fund is home to 500 of the largest companies on Wall Street. This is a diverse group of high-quality shares from a range of sectors such as consumer staples, technology, mining, and healthcare. Among its holdings are big names including ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( ). The fund manager, Blackrock, highlights that investors can use the ETF "to diversify internationally and seek long-term growth opportunities in your portfolio." ( ) Finally, if you are an income investor, then the could be for you. This fund uses broker research to bring together in the region of 70 ASX dividend shares that are forecast to have larger than average dividend yields. But don't worry, this doesn't mean just loading up on banks and miners. The Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF has diversity in mind and its holdings come from all corners of the market. Among the companies included in the fund are the likes of ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( ). The ETF currently trades with a dividend yield of 4.85%.

Boston College’s offense had its moments on Saturday, converting 6 of 13 third downs and amassing 296 passing yards. BC caught Nebraska’s aggressive, blitzing defense with a few screens, coach Matt Rhule said, and Eagles’ quarterback Grayson James kept plays alive with timely scrambles. But Rhule said the Huskers' defense found its footing in the red zone — inside NU’s own 20 — by twice denying the Eagles points when they reached the Nebraska 9 and Nebraska 2. The Huskers, coordinated by John Butler, were trying to make BC attempt field goals. Boston College only attempted four all season, and missed its fifth try early in Saturday’s game. From thereon, BC went for its fourth downs in NU territory. It did not successfully convert one. “They missed the first one, so we felt pretty good about our opportunity — hey, they’re not going to kick one, it’ll be four downs,” Rhule said. “We knew how to address it.” Eight of BC’s drives reached Nebraska territory, producing just 13 of BC’s 15 points. “We were having trouble kicking the ball, so I didn't want to kick it,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. “We were in that area where you're either going to plus-50 and punt it — which we could have done, but we're not great at that — or tried to kick a 50-yard field goal, which we're definitely not ready to do that. “I went for it on 4th down and probably put the defense in a couple tough positions. Look, Nebraska did a good job. We had trouble running the ball, had trouble scoring in the red area. We moved the ball. I think at halftime we had the time of possession, we had yardage, but didn't have the score.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!LSU outlasts UCF 109-102 in triple-OT affair

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Lisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflVladimir Putin's new law wipes out £76k of debt for every Russian fighting in UkraineCartier Intersects High Grade Values on Globex’s Nordeau West Royalty Claims

CONCORD — N.H. Attorney General John Formella, who previously served as Gov. Chris Sununu’s legal counsel, should be disqualified from a high stakes criminal case brought against a sitting Supreme Court justice, defense attorneys argued Monday. They contend that Sununu will be a key witness in the case against Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, should it go to trial, and that Formella’s ties to Sununu present a conflict of interest. Sununu appointed Hantz Marconi to the state Supreme Court in 2017. She’s now accused of attempting to sway him into intervening in an ongoing investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi, the state ports director. During a hearing Monday, Richard Guerriero, Hantz Marconi’s lawyer, said that the attorney general cannot be impartial and fair, given his past work representing Sununu as his personal attorney and then serving as his attorney general. “His personal interests are directly tied to this very powerful and important witness,” Guerriero told the court. Guerriero argued that if the indictments aren’t dismissed, a special prosecutor should take over the case, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest. State prosecutors told Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Martin Honigberg that the case should proceed, arguing that Hantz Marconi’s claims that Formella cannot oversee the state Department of Justice and bring a legal case against her would set an unworkable precedent. “What the defense is asking for in this case is immunity,” said Joe Fincham, an assistant attorney general for the state. “That if you commit a crime in front of the governor, or any other high ranking client of the Attorney General, you are immune from prosecution in the state of New Hampshire.” The state also noted in legal filings that Sununu will leave office and return to being a private citizen starting in January, well before Hantz Marconi’s case would go to trial. Hantz Marconi was in the courtroom Monday, but did not address the court. She declined questions from reporters after the hearing. She waived her arraignment and entered a “not guilty” plea to the charges against her: two counts of improper influence, a felony, and five additional misdemeanors including criminal solicitation and obstructing government administration. Honigberg did not make an immediate ruling on her lawyer’s request to either dismiss the indictments or bar the Department of Justice from prosecuting the case. Accusations, questions Hantz Marconi was indicted in October on allegations that she attempted to improperly influence an investigation into her husband when she met privately with Sununu and his personal attorney. The justice allegedly told Sununu during that June meeting that there was no merit to the allegations against her husband, Geno Marconi, and that her forced recusal from a majority of cases was harming the functioning of the state Supreme Court. A day after the indictments against Hantz Marconi were released, Geno Marconi was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury for allegedly obtaining and disclosing confidential records involving Neil Levesque, who serves on the Pease Development Authority’s board of directors and is also the head of the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. (The PDA board oversees the Division of Ports and Harbors, where Marconi has worked since 1995.) Marconi allegedly shared those records with a co-defendant, Bradley Cook, who served alongside Marconi on a port advisory committee. It isn’t clear what records Marconi allegedly obtained and shared or what he planned to do with those documents. Marconi entered a “not guilty” plea last week, with a trial possible next year. Cook also waived his arraignment last week. Key witnesses Lawyers for Hantz Marconi stressed repeatedly during Monday’s hearing that Sununu would be a “key witness” in her trial, as the governor and his legal counsel Rudy Ogden were the only people present during her June meeting with Sununu in the governor’s office. Before Sununu appointed him to lead the Department of Justice, Formella served as his legal counsel. It isn’t clear if Sununu himself alerted prosecutors about his meeting with Hantz Marconi, or if that information was shared by Ogden. It also isn’t known if the initial concerns about the meeting were made directly to Formella or someone else in his office. According to charging documents, Hantz Marconi is also accused of improperly contacting Steve Duprey, the chair of the Pease Development Authority, in April, shortly after her husband was placed on administrative leave with no explanation. (Duprey is a member of NHPR’s Board of Directors, but has no influence over the station’s coverage.) N.H. Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald could also be forced to testify should the case go to trial. Hantz Marconi has said she mentioned to MacDonald the idea of a meeting with Sununu, and that MacDonald told her he had no concerns about it. Lawyers for Hantz Marconi filed arguments alleging that Hantz Marconi’s meeting with Sununu was legal under her constitutionally protected free speech rights. Her alleged statements about the investigation hampering her work on the Supreme Court should also be protected under judicial immunity, they argued. Hantz Marconi was forced to recuse herself from all cases involving the Attorney General’s office beginning earlier this summer, after it became clear her husband was under investigation. In July, she was placed on administrative leave from the bench. Following the release of indictments in October, Hantz Marconi’s law license was temporarily suspended.

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the move aims to drive “real improvements” for disabled people, whom the ministers will be encouraged to engage with on a regular basis. He told the Commons: “I am very pleased to be able to announce today the appointment of new lead ministers for disability in each Government department, they will represent the interests of disabled people, champion disability inclusion and accessibility within their departments. “I’m going to chair regular meetings with them and will encourage them to engage directly with disabled people and their representative organisations, as they take forward their departmental priorities. “And I look forward to this new group of lead ministers for disability together driving real improvements across Government for disabled people.” This came during an adjournment debate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling raised concerns about “floating bus stops”, which have a cycle lane between the stop and the pavement. Intervening, the MP for Torbay, who is registered blind, said: “The Government needs to ban floating bus stops.” Sir Stephen said: “I do think this issue about floating bus stops is an important issue which we need to work across Government to reflect on.” Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who led the debate, had earlier criticised the lack of accessibility for disabled people on trains. The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP said: “Our train network does not have level access, and we heard Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson from the other place make this plea back in the summer, absolutely outrageous what she was put through. “But I was absolutely shocked to find, when I had a presentation of the TransPennine route upgrade, that the rolling stock yet to be commissioned is not going to provide that level access. “It’s absolute nonsense, it’s not even in the design of that procurement, so we must do better than this.”A number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international has not been starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump. City have not won in seven outings in all competitions – their worst run since 2008 – with De Bruyne featuring only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury. The latest came with a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s demoralising 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, a result which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table. Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast it appeared “there’s some sort of rift going on” between De Bruyne and Guardiola while former England striker Gary Lineker added: “It seems like all’s not well.” Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he felt “something isn’t right” and fellow Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, the ex-Manchester United right-back, described the situation as “unusual, bizarre, strange”. Guardiola, speaking at a press conference to preview his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest, responded on Tuesday. The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play? “The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together? “He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he’s been five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this year). “He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.” De Bruyne has not started since being forced off at half-time of City’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on September 18, having picked up an injury in the previous game. Both the player and manager have spoken since of the pain he was in and the need to ease back into action, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long. The resulting speculation has then been exacerbated because De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract but Guardiola maintains nothing untoward has occurred. He said: “I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it to – but he is not 26 or 27 any more. “He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. You think I’m complaining? It’s normal, it’s nature. “He’s played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games and I know he is desperate to help us. He gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have. “But, always I said, he himself will not solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together. “We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”

DETROIT (AP) — For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. On Monday, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick turned aside a request from Musk’s lawyers to reverse a ruling she announced in January that had thrown out the compensation plan. The judge ruled then that Musk effectively controlled Tesla’s board and had engineered the outsize pay package during sham negotiations. Lawyers for a Tesla shareholder who sued to block the pay package contended that shareholders who had voted for the 10-year plan in 2018 had been given misleading and incomplete information. In their defense, Tesla’s board members asserted that the shareholders who ratified the pay plan a second time in June had done so after receiving full disclosures, thereby curing all the problems the judge had cited in her January ruling. As a result, they argued, Musk deserved the pay package for having raised Tesla’s market value by billions of dollars. McCormick rejected that argument. In her 103-page opinion, she ruled that under Delaware law, Tesla’s lawyers had no grounds to reverse her January ruling “based on evidence they created after trial.” What will Musk and Tesla do now? On Monday night, Tesla posted on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, that the company will appeal. The appeal would be filed with the Delaware Supreme Court, the only state appellate court Tesla can pursue. Experts say a ruling would likely come in less than a year. “The ruling, if not overturned, means that judges and plaintiffs’ lawyers run Delaware companies rather than their rightful owners — the shareholders,” Tesla argued. Later, on X, Musk unleashed a blistering attack on the judge, asserting that McCormick is “a radical far left activist cosplaying as a judge.” What do experts say about the case? Legal authorities generally suggest that McCormick’s ruling was sound and followed the law. Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said that in his view, McCormick was right to rule that after Tesla lost its case in the original trial, it created improper new evidence by asking shareholders to ratify the pay package a second time. Had she allowed such a claim, he said, it would cause a major shift in Delaware’s laws against conflicts of interest given the unusually close relationship between Musk and Tesla’s board. “Delaware protects investors — that’s what she did,” said Elson, who has followed the court for more than three decades. “Just because you’re a ‘superstar CEO’ doesn’t put you in a separate category.” Elson said he thinks investors would be reluctant to put money into Delaware companies if there were exceptions to the law for “special people.” What will the Delaware Supreme Court do? Elson said that in his opinion, the court is likely to uphold McCormick’s ruling. Can Tesla appeal to federal courts? Experts say no. Rulings on state laws are normally left to state courts. Brian Dunn, program director for the Institute of Compensation Studies at Cornell University, said it’s been his experience that Tesla has no choice but to stay in the Delaware courts for this compensation package. Tesla has moved its legal headquarters to Texas. Does that matter? The company could try to reconstitute the pay package and seek approval in Texas, where it may expect more friendlier judges. But Dunn, who has spent 40 years as an executive compensation consultant, said it’s likely that some other shareholder would challenge the award in Texas because it’s excessive compared with other CEOs’ pay plans. “If they just want to turn around and deliver him $56 billion, I can’t believe somebody wouldn’t want to litigate it,” Dunn said. “It’s an unconscionable amount of money.” Would a new pay package be even larger? Almost certainly. Tesla stock is trading at 15 times the exercise price of stock options in the current package in Delaware, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors. Tesla’s share price has doubled in the past six months, Jonas wrote. At Monday’s closing stock price, the Musk package is now worth $101.4 billion, according to Equilar, an executive data firm. And Musk has asked for a subsequent pay package that would give him 25% of Tesla’s voting shares. Musk has said he is uncomfortable moving further into artificial intelligence with the company if he doesn’t have 25% control. He currently holds about 13% of Tesla’s outstanding shares.CONCORD — N.H. Attorney General John Formella, who previously served as Gov. Chris Sununu’s legal counsel, should be disqualified from a high stakes criminal case brought against a sitting Supreme Court justice, defense attorneys argued Monday. They contend that Sununu will be a key witness in the case against Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, should it go to trial, and that Formella’s ties to Sununu present a conflict of interest. Sununu appointed Hantz Marconi to the state Supreme Court in 2017. She’s now accused of attempting to sway him into intervening in an ongoing investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi, the state ports director. During a hearing Monday, Richard Guerriero, Hantz Marconi’s lawyer, said that the attorney general cannot be impartial and fair, given his past work representing Sununu as his personal attorney and then serving as his attorney general. “His personal interests are directly tied to this very powerful and important witness,” Guerriero told the court. Guerriero argued that if the indictments aren’t dismissed, a special prosecutor should take over the case, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest. State prosecutors told Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Martin Honigberg that the case should proceed, arguing that Hantz Marconi’s claims that Formella cannot oversee the state Department of Justice and bring a legal case against her would set an unworkable precedent. “What the defense is asking for in this case is immunity,” said Joe Fincham, an assistant attorney general for the state. “That if you commit a crime in front of the governor, or any other high ranking client of the Attorney General, you are immune from prosecution in the state of New Hampshire.” The state also noted in legal filings that Sununu will leave office and return to being a private citizen starting in January, well before Hantz Marconi’s case would go to trial. Hantz Marconi was in the courtroom Monday, but did not address the court. She declined questions from reporters after the hearing. She waived her arraignment and entered a “not guilty” plea to the charges against her: two counts of improper influence, a felony, and five additional misdemeanors including criminal solicitation and obstructing government administration. Honigberg did not make an immediate ruling on her lawyer’s request to either dismiss the indictments or bar the Department of Justice from prosecuting the case. Accusations, questions Hantz Marconi was indicted in October on allegations that she attempted to improperly influence an investigation into her husband when she met privately with Sununu and his personal attorney. The justice allegedly told Sununu during that June meeting that there was no merit to the allegations against her husband, Geno Marconi, and that her forced recusal from a majority of cases was harming the functioning of the state Supreme Court. A day after the indictments against Hantz Marconi were released, Geno Marconi was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury for allegedly obtaining and disclosing confidential records involving Neil Levesque, who serves on the Pease Development Authority’s board of directors and is also the head of the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. (The PDA board oversees the Division of Ports and Harbors, where Marconi has worked since 1995.) Marconi allegedly shared those records with a co-defendant, Bradley Cook, who served alongside Marconi on a port advisory committee. It isn’t clear what records Marconi allegedly obtained and shared or what he planned to do with those documents. Marconi entered a “not guilty” plea last week, with a trial possible next year. Cook also waived his arraignment last week. Key witnesses Lawyers for Hantz Marconi stressed repeatedly during Monday’s hearing that Sununu would be a “key witness” in her trial, as the governor and his legal counsel Rudy Ogden were the only people present during her June meeting with Sununu in the governor’s office. Before Sununu appointed him to lead the Department of Justice, Formella served as his legal counsel. It isn’t clear if Sununu himself alerted prosecutors about his meeting with Hantz Marconi, or if that information was shared by Ogden. It also isn’t known if the initial concerns about the meeting were made directly to Formella or someone else in his office. According to charging documents, Hantz Marconi is also accused of improperly contacting Steve Duprey, the chair of the Pease Development Authority, in April, shortly after her husband was placed on administrative leave with no explanation. (Duprey is a member of NHPR’s Board of Directors, but has no influence over the station’s coverage.) N.H. Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald could also be forced to testify should the case go to trial. Hantz Marconi has said she mentioned to MacDonald the idea of a meeting with Sununu, and that MacDonald told her he had no concerns about it. Lawyers for Hantz Marconi filed arguments alleging that Hantz Marconi’s meeting with Sununu was legal under her constitutionally protected free speech rights. Her alleged statements about the investigation hampering her work on the Supreme Court should also be protected under judicial immunity, they argued. Hantz Marconi was forced to recuse herself from all cases involving the Attorney General’s office beginning earlier this summer, after it became clear her husband was under investigation. In July, she was placed on administrative leave from the bench. Following the release of indictments in October, Hantz Marconi’s law license was temporarily suspended.

CONCORD — N.H. Attorney General John Formella, who previously served as Gov. Chris Sununu’s legal counsel, should be disqualified from a high stakes criminal case brought against a sitting Supreme Court justice, defense attorneys argued Monday. They contend that Sununu will be a key witness in the case against Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, should it go to trial, and that Formella’s ties to Sununu present a conflict of interest. Sununu appointed Hantz Marconi to the state Supreme Court in 2017. She’s now accused of attempting to sway him into intervening in an ongoing investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi, the state ports director. During a hearing Monday, Richard Guerriero, Hantz Marconi’s lawyer, said that the attorney general cannot be impartial and fair, given his past work representing Sununu as his personal attorney and then serving as his attorney general. “His personal interests are directly tied to this very powerful and important witness,” Guerriero told the court. Guerriero argued that if the indictments aren’t dismissed, a special prosecutor should take over the case, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest. State prosecutors told Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Martin Honigberg that the case should proceed, arguing that Hantz Marconi’s claims that Formella cannot oversee the state Department of Justice and bring a legal case against her would set an unworkable precedent. “What the defense is asking for in this case is immunity,” said Joe Fincham, an assistant attorney general for the state. “That if you commit a crime in front of the governor, or any other high ranking client of the Attorney General, you are immune from prosecution in the state of New Hampshire.” The state also noted in legal filings that Sununu will leave office and return to being a private citizen starting in January, well before Hantz Marconi’s case would go to trial. Hantz Marconi was in the courtroom Monday, but did not address the court. She declined questions from reporters after the hearing. She waived her arraignment and entered a “not guilty” plea to the charges against her: two counts of improper influence, a felony, and five additional misdemeanors including criminal solicitation and obstructing government administration. Honigberg did not make an immediate ruling on her lawyer’s request to either dismiss the indictments or bar the Department of Justice from prosecuting the case. Accusations, questions Hantz Marconi was indicted in October on allegations that she attempted to improperly influence an investigation into her husband when she met privately with Sununu and his personal attorney. The justice allegedly told Sununu during that June meeting that there was no merit to the allegations against her husband, Geno Marconi, and that her forced recusal from a majority of cases was harming the functioning of the state Supreme Court. A day after the indictments against Hantz Marconi were released, Geno Marconi was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury for allegedly obtaining and disclosing confidential records involving Neil Levesque, who serves on the Pease Development Authority’s board of directors and is also the head of the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. (The PDA board oversees the Division of Ports and Harbors, where Marconi has worked since 1995.) Marconi allegedly shared those records with a co-defendant, Bradley Cook, who served alongside Marconi on a port advisory committee. It isn’t clear what records Marconi allegedly obtained and shared or what he planned to do with those documents. Marconi entered a “not guilty” plea last week, with a trial possible next year. Cook also waived his arraignment last week. Key witnesses Lawyers for Hantz Marconi stressed repeatedly during Monday’s hearing that Sununu would be a “key witness” in her trial, as the governor and his legal counsel Rudy Ogden were the only people present during her June meeting with Sununu in the governor’s office. Before Sununu appointed him to lead the Department of Justice, Formella served as his legal counsel. It isn’t clear if Sununu himself alerted prosecutors about his meeting with Hantz Marconi, or if that information was shared by Ogden. It also isn’t known if the initial concerns about the meeting were made directly to Formella or someone else in his office. According to charging documents, Hantz Marconi is also accused of improperly contacting Steve Duprey, the chair of the Pease Development Authority, in April, shortly after her husband was placed on administrative leave with no explanation. (Duprey is a member of NHPR’s Board of Directors, but has no influence over the station’s coverage.) N.H. Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald could also be forced to testify should the case go to trial. Hantz Marconi has said she mentioned to MacDonald the idea of a meeting with Sununu, and that MacDonald told her he had no concerns about it. Lawyers for Hantz Marconi filed arguments alleging that Hantz Marconi’s meeting with Sununu was legal under her constitutionally protected free speech rights. Her alleged statements about the investigation hampering her work on the Supreme Court should also be protected under judicial immunity, they argued. Hantz Marconi was forced to recuse herself from all cases involving the Attorney General’s office beginning earlier this summer, after it became clear her husband was under investigation. In July, she was placed on administrative leave from the bench. Following the release of indictments in October, Hantz Marconi’s law license was temporarily suspended.Costco has announced it will stop selling books at most of its locations across the U.S. starting next year. The company said books will only return during holiday seasons, and intermittently outside of that. Costco said the change is being made because stocking books on tables is labor-intensive and must be done by hand. It also comes as more consumers buy their books from Amazon instead of brick-and-mortar stores. According to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights published earlier this year, 71% of people said they purchased a book from the online retailer rather than Barnes and Noble, Target or Costco.

‘It’s like putting strings on AirPods’: Viewers divided after Tesla owner buys door handles to stick onto retractable handlesBeginning Friday, Hoosiers in the Merrillville area who need a driver's license, state identification card, vehicle registration or similar BMV service should visit the new office at 7905 Broadway. The new location features 20 customer service stations and 18 examiner stations, along with BMV Connect kiosks open 24 hours a day for motorists to complete on their own more than a dozen common BMV transactions. The new Merrillville branch also is the first dealer fleet location in Northwest Indiana with services to help auto dealers and businesses with vehicle fleets complete bulk title and registration work. Hours at the new BMV location are unchanged. It'll be open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and closed on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tuesday is the final day of operations at the current Merrillville BMV, 5117 E. 81st Ave.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is not escalating a war of words with Mexico, after the Mexican president criticized Canada’s culture and its framing of border issues. “I fundamentally believe that many conversations, when it comes to diplomacy, are always better when they remain private,” Joly said Monday during a teleconference from Brussels. The rift between the two trading partners started with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s declaration that he plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from both countries unless they stop the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S. Several federal and provincial officials in Canada responded by saying the issues at the Canadian border are vastly different from the Mexican border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, has voiced concerns that the level of Chinese investment in Mexico goes against the economic-security goals of Ottawa and Washington. Some premiers have called on Canada to negotiate a trade deal with Washington independent from Mexico, ahead of the 2026 review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, which replaced NAFTA during Trump’s last tenure in the White House. In a Monday press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico “must be respected, especially by its trading partners.” She also noted that Canada has “a very serious problem with fentanyl consumption,” more than Mexico, and possibly as a result of some drug-decriminalization measures. “We are not going to fall for a provocation of which country is better,” she said, chalking some criticism from Canada up to political pandering. “Mexico should not be used as part of (Canadian) electoral campaigns,” she said. Yet Sheinbaum also said Canada “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has,” saying her country has civilizations dating back thousands of years. Asked to respond, Joly said she is reaching out to Mexican officials after speaking with the U.S., including about the “very important trade agreement” that includes all three countries. “I know there has been many conversations in Canada about how we can work together and how we can, at the same time, protect our interests,” she said. “We have a positive relationship with Mexico, and we need to work with the country; that’s definitely my goal.” Christopher Sands, director of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said tensions between both countries played out in the NAFTA renegotiation, when there was limited communication between Ottawa and Mexico City. “The Canada-Mexico relationship has always been the weakest part of the triangle of North America,” he said. “There was a lot of feeling during the (CUSMA) negotiations that Mexico was willing to go it alone, and that Canada particularly toward the end was on the outside looking in, and had to fight its way back to the table.” He said Washington would rather have a trade pact with all three countries so it can limit the time and attention it needs on continental issues. “The U.S. is probably the most trilateral of all three countries,” he said, with a caveat. “I think Donald Trump looks at this going into 2026 and says, ‘Great, divide and conquer.’” Sands added that Sheinbaum and her predecessor have implemented nationalist policies that have been at odds with Washington. “The Mexican government has been moving in a direction which is antithetical to the North American project (through) nationalizing parts of the economy, by reversing energy reforms, by doing deals with the cartels. (They are) sometimes working co-operatively with the Americans in the borders, and sometimes not.” Sheinbaum indicated a week ago that she would be writing a letter to Trudeau. That has not been made public, although she did release a letter she had sent to Trump.Australia sets impressive trade records which newsrooms refuse to report

CULLOWHEE, N.C. (AP) — Brit Harris' 16 points helped South Carolina Upstate defeat Western Carolina 74-68 on Saturday night. Harris shot 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Spartans (4-8). Carmelo Adkins added 14 points while going 5 of 8 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) while they also had five rebounds. Karmani Gregory shot 4 for 13 (0 for 3 from 3-point range) and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points. The Catamounts (3-5) were led in scoring by Bernard Pelote, who finished with 14 points. Cord Stansberry added 14 points and three steals for Western Carolina. CJ Hyland finished with nine points and four assists. Both teams next play Saturday. South Carolina Upstate visits South Carolina and Western Carolinaplays UNC Asheville on the road. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Sutton scores 23, Omaha knocks off Sacramento State 70-60