go777 register

go777 register Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today . Already a member? Sign in here. Support Hyperallergic’s independent arts journalism for as little as $8 per month. Become a Member Jewish-American artist and activist Nan Goldin criticized the German state and its unconditional allegiance to Israel in an incendiary speech during the opening reception for her retrospective at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin last Friday evening, November 22. Her 14-minute address drew immense support from a crowd of pro-Palestine activists and artists onsite, whose chants drowned out the words of Museum Director Klaus Biesenbach who spoke shortly after. Goldin’s speech has sparked intense criticism from German politicians and administrators as the nation continues its crackdown on any speech critical of Israel or Zionism. Upon taking the podium at the opening of her traveling exhibition This Will Not End Well , Goldin first led a moment of silence in honor of the tens of thousands of civilians killed in Gaza and Lebanon and the 815 Israeli civilians killed on October 7. After thanking the museum for maintaining its commitment to allowing her to speak, Goldin refuted the institution’s claim that her art and activism were separate. “The last year has been Palestine and Lebanon for me. I feel the catastrophe in my body, but it’s not in this show,” Goldin said. “Why can’t I speak, Germany?” she asked rhetorically, referring to the state’s conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. “This is a false equivalency used to maintain the occupation of Palestine and to suppress those who speak out. The word antisemitism has been weaponized; it’s lost its meaning,” Goldin continued. “In declaring all criticism against Israel as antisemitic, it makes it harder to define and stop violent hatred against Jews.” Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily Weekly Opportunities Highlighting how Berlin’s Palestinian community is the demographic’s largest diasporic population in Europe, Goldin stated that the German government has ignored Islamophobia, thus embracing state violence against Palestinians and suppressing “180 artists, writers, and teachers since October 7,” many of them Jewish. “What have you learned, Germany?” she asked, after underscoring the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military’s US-backed attacks against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Wielding banners, flags, and signs, the keffiyeh-clad crowd shouted in response: “Nothing!” Goldin ended her speech with a call for pro-Palestine activists to unify under the cause and amplify the voices of Palestinians, inviting cheers. When Biesenbach approached the podium, his words were practically drowned out as the crowd continued to chant. “As I mentioned in my introduction earlier, I disagree with your opinion,” Biesenbach began in response to Goldin’s speech. “Still, I stand for your right to express yourself freely.” “Israel’s right to exist is beyond question for us,” Biesenbach continued, speaking on behalf of the Neue Nationalgalerie. “The attack on the Jewish state on October 7th, 2023 was a cruel act of terror that cannot be justified by anything.” Biesenbach noted that he and the museum also empathize with the civilians of Gaza and Lebanon, adding that “all people in the Middle East have the right to live without fear and with the assurance of their safety.” The director ended his speech with a rejection of the cultural boycott of Israel, citing the museum’s commitments to freedom of expression and its historical responsibility to the Jewish state, and that it will not allow “calls for or incitement to violence, the legitimization or trivialization of acts of terrorism, the injury and killing of civilians or support of terrorist organizations.” In response to Hyperallergic ‘s request for comment, a Neue Nationalgalerie spokesperson said that “slogans were shouted that do not align with the institution’s Code of Conduct.” “The Neue Nationalgalerie explicitly distances itself from the statements made by the protesters and emphasizes its commitment to freedom of expression, respectful dialogue, and mutual respect,” the representative said. While Goldin’s confrontational speech was met with approval by the pro-Palestine attendees, German Culture Minister Claudia Roth lambasted the photographer for her “unbearably one-sided political views,” saying she was “appalled” at the way people in the audience chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine” during Biesenbach’s address. Berlin’s Culture Senator Joe Chialo also condemned Goldin’s “one-sidedness” and “obliviousness to history,” and Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, said that the artist’s speech “does not correspond to our understanding of freedom of expression.” Conflicts simmering at the Neue Nationalgalerie in the previous weeks reached a boiling point during Goldin’s opening reception. The museum had planned a symposium titled “Art and Activism in Times of Polarization: A Discussion Space on the Middle East Conflict” for November 24 — two days after the opening of the retrospective. The boycott advocacy group Strike Germany called attention to the event, curated by Pakistani-German political analyst Saba-Nur Cheema and Israeli-German writer Meron Mendel, in an Instagram post , claiming that the symposium would be “dominated by genocide-denying Zionists while pretending to offer multiple ‘nuanced’ positions.” Reached by Hyperallergic , Cheema and Mendel said that the symposium was meant to “create a controversial yet respectful space to discuss the role of the Israel-Palestine-conflict in the art world.” Event panelists included South African, anti-Zionist Jewish artist Candice Breitz, Forensic Architecture’s Eyal Weizman, Israeli artist Ruth Patir of the intentionally shuttered Venice Biennale pavilion , Palestinian artist Osama Zatar, and Turkish-German artist Raphael Malik, among others, with filmmaker Hito Steyerl meant to deliver the keynote speech. Steyerl, Weizman, Breitz, and Malik withdrew from the symposium after Goldin communicated that she had not approved the program and had asked for it to be canceled. In their emails to Biesenbach withdrawing from the symposium, both Steyerl and Breitz mentioned that their participation was contingent on Goldin agreeing to the event and fair treatment to the photographer respectively. “It is clear to me that the museum organized this symposium as a prophylactic to secure its position in the German discussion – in other words, to prove they do not support my politics,” Goldin said in a comment on Strike Germany’s post. We hope you enjoyed this article! Before you keep reading, please consider supporting Hyperallergic ’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce. Unlike many in the art world, we are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you , ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism. If you can, please join us as a member today . Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism free, independent, and accessible to all. Thank you for reading. Share Copied to clipboard Mail Bluesky Threads LinkedIn FacebookOTTAWA — Canada will not offer a temporary resettlement program for people fleeing Lebanon, as it did for Gaza and Ukraine, because the government’s focus must remain on Canadian citizens, Immigration Minister Marc Miller says. Miller was testifying about the government’s immigration plan before the House immigration committee on Monday when his fellow Liberal MP Salma Zahid asked about Lebanon. “I have one constituent who within days lost his brother, his wife and three children in one Israeli bombing,” Zahid said. Canada had a program that allowed nearly 300,000 Ukrainians to come here on a temporary basis while the war in Ukraine continues. The government offered a similar, but much smaller program for Gaza residents with family connections in Canada. That program was capped at 5,000 applicants, with approximately 250 people actually travelling here. Zahid said she has a large Lebanese community in her Scarborough riding, and its members want to know why they are being left out. “The community is beside themselves with anger and grief. They see the help we have provided to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. They see the program to bring the extended family of Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Gaza to Canada for temporary safety,” she said. “Will you commit to doing the same for the extended families of Lebanese Canadians?” Miller said he also has a large Lebanese population in his riding and has heard the same concerns, but that Canada can’t open up a program for non-citizens while there are still many Canadians and permanent residents in Lebanon who could need help to flee. “Our focus needs to remain on them and the resources necessary to evacuate them should the situation get worse,” Miller said. Israel has bombed Lebanon during its campaign against the militant group Hezbollah, and the country’s health ministry has reported more than 3,000 people have been killed. The Canadian government has issued an advisory warning against any travel to Lebanon, and has encouraged Canadians who are there to leave while commercial flights are still available. While the government has flown out hundreds of Canadians on special flights, Global Affairs estimates there are between 40,000 and 75,000 Canadians living in Lebanon. Miller said the government continues to encourage those people to leave, but for now it has to focus its efforts on Canadian citizens and permanent residents. He said he hopes there is an end to the conflict soon. “I think everyone would agree that the best way to ensure their safety is to make sure there’s a ceasefire,” he said.

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s defense of the national championship has fallen woefully short. The Wolverines started the season ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 , making them the third college football team since 1991 to be ranked worse than seventh in the preseason poll after winning a national title. Michigan (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) failed to meet those modest expectations, barely becoming eligible to play in a bowl and putting the program in danger of losing six or seven games for the first time since the Brady Hoke era ended a decade ago. The Wolverines potentially can ease some of the pain with a win against rival and second-ranked Ohio State (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) on Saturday in the Horseshoe, but that would be a stunning upset. Ohio State is a 21 1/2-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, and that marks just the third time this century that there has been a spread of at least 20 1/2 points in what is known as “The Game.” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore doesn’t sound like someone who is motivating players with an underdog mentality. “I don’t think none of that matters in this game,” Moore said Monday. “It doesn’t matter the records. It doesn’t matter anything. The spread, that doesn’t matter.” RELATED COVERAGE Duke’s Diaz: QB Murphy faces internal discipline for raising middle fingers in Virginia Tech win Wake up the ghosts! Texas, Texas A&M rivalry that dates to 1894 is reborn Conference title games a chance at a banner, bragging rights and, for some, a season-wrecking loss How did Michigan end up with a relative mess of a season on the field, coming off its first national title since 1997? Winning it all with a coach and star player contemplating being in the NFL for the 2024 season seemed to have unintended consequences for the current squad. The Wolverines closed the College Football Playoff with a win over Washington on Jan. 8; several days later quarterback J.J. McCarthy announced he was skipping his senior season; and it took more than another week for Jim Harbaugh to bolt to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. In the meantime, most quality quarterbacks wanting to transfer had already enrolled at other schools and Moore was left with lackluster options. Davis Warren beat out Alex Orji to be the team’s quarterback for the opener and later lost the job to Orji only to get it back again. No matter who was under center, however, would’ve likely struggled this year behind an offensive line that sent six players to the NFL. The Wolverines lost one of their top players on defense, safety Rod Moore, to a season-ending injury last spring and another one, preseason All-America cornerback Will Johnson, hasn’t played in more than a month because of an injury. The Buckeyes are not planning to show any mercy after losing three straight in the series. “We’re going to attack them,” Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “We know they’re going to come in here swinging, too, and they’ve still got a good team even though the record doesn’t indicate it. This game, it never matters what the records are.” While a win would not suddenly make the Wolverines’ season a success, it could help Moore build some momentum a week after top-rated freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. “You come to Michigan to beat Ohio,” said defensive back Quinten Johnson, intentionally leaving the word State out when referring to the rival. “That’s one of the pillars of the Michigan football program. “It doesn’t necessarily change the fact of where we are in the season, but it definitely is one of the defining moments of your career here at Michigan.” ___ AP Sports Writer Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. ___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollRyan Reynolds Fires Back at Haters: ‘Comedy Is Very Difficult’Darius Tahir | (TNS) KFF Health News President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the sprawling government agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace — celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz — recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies that would pose significant conflicts of interest. Oz’s holdings, some shared with family, included a stake in UnitedHealth Group worth as much as $600,000, as well as shares of pharmaceutical firms and tech companies with business in the health care sector, such as Amazon. Collectively, Oz’s investments total tens of millions of dollars, according to financial disclosures he filed during his failed 2022 run for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat. Trump said Tuesday he would nominate Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency’s scope is huge: CMS oversees coverage for more than 160 million Americans, nearly half the population. Medicare alone accounts for approximately $1 trillion in annual spending, with over 67 million enrollees. UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health care companies in the nation and arguably the most important business partner of CMS, through which it is the leading provider of commercial health plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. UnitedHealth also offers managed-care plans under Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for low-income people, and sells plans on government-run marketplaces set up via the Affordable Care Act. Oz also had smaller stakes in CVS Health, which now includes the insurer Aetna, and in the insurer Cigna. It’s not clear if Oz, a heart surgeon by training, still holds investments in health care companies, or if he would divest his shares or otherwise seek to mitigate conflicts of interest should he be confirmed by the Senate. Reached by phone on Wednesday, he said he was in a Zoom meeting and declined to comment. An assistant did not reply to an email message with detailed questions. “It’s obvious that over the years he’s cultivated an interest in the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group. “That raises a question of whether he can be trusted to act on behalf of the American people.” (The publisher of KFF Health News, David Rousseau, is on the CSPI board .) Oz used his TikTok page on multiple occasions in November to praise Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including their efforts to take on the “illness-industrial complex,” and he slammed “so-called experts like the big medical societies” for dishing out what he called bad nutritional advice. Oz’s positions on health policy have been chameleonic; in 2010, he cut an ad urging Californians to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, telling viewers they had a “historic opportunity.” Oz’s 2022 financial disclosures show that the television star invested a substantial part of his wealth in health care and food firms. Were he confirmed to run CMS, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth. Given the breadth of his investments, it would be difficult for Oz to recuse himself from matters affecting his assets, if he still holds them. “He could spend his time in a rocking chair” if that happened, Lurie said. In the past, nominees for government positions with similar potential conflicts of interest have chosen to sell the assets or otherwise divest themselves. For instance, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland agreed to divest their holdings in relevant, publicly traded companies when they joined the Biden administration. Trump, however, declined in his first term to relinquish control of his own companies and other assets while in office, and he isn’t expected to do so in his second term. He has not publicly indicated concern about his subordinates’ financial holdings. CMS’ main job is to administer Medicare. About half of new enrollees now choose Medicare Advantage, in which commercial insurers provide their health coverage, instead of the traditional, government-run program, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. Proponents of Medicare Advantage say the private plans offer more compelling services than the government and better manage the costs of care. Critics note that Medicare Advantage plans have a long history of costing taxpayers more than the traditional program. UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna are all substantial players in the Medicare Advantage market. It’s not always a good relationship with the government. The Department of Justice filed a 2017 complaint against UnitedHealth alleging the company used false information to inflate charges to the government. The case is ongoing. Oz is an enthusiastic proponent of Medicare Advantage. In 2020, he proposed offering Medicare Advantage to all; during his Senate run, he offered a more general pledge to expand those plans. After Trump announced Oz’s nomination for CMS, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, said he was “uncertain about Dr. Oz’s familiarity with health care financing and economics.” Singer said Oz’s Medicare Advantage proposal could require large new taxes — perhaps a 20% payroll tax — to implement. Oz has gotten a mixed reception from elsewhere in Washington. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, the Democrat who defeated Oz in 2022, signaled he’d potentially support his appointment to CMS. “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude,” he said on the social platform X. Oz’s investments in companies doing business with the federal government don’t end with big insurers. He and his family also hold hospital stocks, according to his 2022 disclosure, as well as a stake in Amazon worth as much as nearly $2.4 million. (Candidates for federal office are required to disclose a broad range of values for their holdings, not a specific figure.) Amazon operates an internet pharmacy, and the company announced in June that its subscription service is available to Medicare enrollees. It also owns a primary care service , One Medical, that accepts Medicare and “select” Medicare Advantage plans. Oz was also directly invested in several large pharmaceutical companies and, through investments in venture capital funds, indirectly invested in other biotech and vaccine firms. Big Pharma has been a frequent target of criticism and sometimes conspiracy theories from Trump and his allies. Kennedy, whom Trump has said he’ll nominate to be Health and Human Services secretary, is a longtime anti-vaccine activist. During the Biden administration, Congress gave Medicare authority to negotiate with drug companies over their prices. CMS initially selected 10 drugs. Those drugs collectively accounted for $50.5 billion in spending between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit. At least four of those 10 medications are manufactured by companies in which Oz held stock, worth as much as about $50,000. Related Articles National Politics | Special counsel moves to dismiss election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump National Politics | Donald Trump Jr. emerges as a political force of his own as he helps his father launch a second term National Politics | The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump’s promises on growth and inflation National Politics | What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary National Politics | After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles Oz may gain or lose financially from other Trump administration proposals. For example, as of 2022, Oz held investments worth as much as $6 million in fertility treatment providers. To counter fears that politicians who oppose abortion would ban in vitro fertilization, Trump floated during his campaign making in vitro fertilization treatment free. It’s unclear whether the government would pay for the services. In his TikTok videos from earlier in November, Oz echoed attacks on the food industry by Kennedy and other figures in his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. They blame processed foods and underregulation of the industry for the poor health of many Americans, concerns shared by many Democrats and more mainstream experts. But in 2022, Oz owned stakes worth as much as $80,000 in Domino’s Pizza, Pepsi, and US Foods, as well as more substantial investments in other parts of the food chain, including cattle; Oz reported investments worth as much as $5.5 million in a farm and livestock, as well as a stake in a dairy-free milk startup. He was also indirectly invested in the restaurant chain Epic Burger. One of his largest investments was in the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa, which sells fast food and all manner of ultra-processed snacks. Oz and his wife reported a stake in the company, beloved by many Pennsylvanians, worth as much as $30 million. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Israel, Lebanon agree to cease-fire

The Brazos Valley Food Bank serves over 40,000 unique individuals daily, and with the recent food drive, the food bank can continue to assist those in need of a meal. KBTX-TV’s Food For Families Food Drive was an all-day drive-through event bringing seven locations throughout the Brazos Valley together with a goal of collecting as much shelf stable food and monetary donations to stock shelves of the Brazos Valley Food Banks. After Thursday's food drive, $196,396 was raised and 104,964 pounds of food were donated to Food Pantry Partners in the six-county service area. All donations from the event will go directly to the Brazos Valley Food Bank and its network of food pantries across the six counties they serve: Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson and Washington. It is still possible to donate online.Las Vegas quarterback Gardner Minshew is out for the season due to a broken collarbone, head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed on Monday, leaving the Raiders with a short week to determine their starter. Minshew suffered the injury when he was sacked and landed on his left shoulder late in the fourth quarter of Las Vegas' 29-19 home loss to the Denver Broncos. Former starter Aidan O'Connell, who was sidelined by a thumb injury in Week 7, could return off injured reserve in time for the Raiders (2-9) to face the two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs (10-1) on Friday in Kansas City. "We'll see if Aidan is good to go," Pierce said. "He's been ramping up." O'Connell entered the 21-day practice window on Monday as the Raiders determine when to activate him. "Seeing him able to grip the ball comfortable, hopefully, no pain there, and just being able to be efficient," Pierce said. "To put a player out there that's hurting or injured still, that's not to the benefit of the player or our team." O'Connell, 26, has played in four games this season, starting two (both losses). He is 52 of 82 (63.4 percent) for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. As a rookie last season, O'Connell started 10 of 11 games, going 5-5, and completed 213 of 343 passes (62.1 percent) for 2,218 yards, 12 TDs and seven interceptions. The Raiders selected O'Connell in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. "Obviously at the quarterback position, you've got to be smart," Pierce said. "I think with Aidan, his future's much brighter looking ahead. ... I'll have to really rely on our doctors and medical staff." Desmond Ridder replaced Minshew and went 5 of 10 for 64 yards. Ridder, 25, has appeared in three games this season for Las Vegas and is 16 of 26 (61.5 percent) for 138 yards and one TD. Ridder played the previous two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, who selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft. For his career, he is 338 of 529 (63.9 percent) for 3,682 yards, 15 TDs and 12 interceptions in 22 games (17 starts, 8-9 record). Minshew, 28, completed 25 of 42 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Broncos. He finished his first season with the Raiders with 2,013 yards, nine TDs and 10 picks on 66.3 percent passing. He joined the Raiders in free agency after stints in Jacksonville (2019-20), Philadelphia (2021-22) and Indianapolis (2023) and won the starting job in camp. But he was benched multiple times for O'Connell as the Raiders struggled as a team. --Field Level Media

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the government is working to get taxpayer value for the money it paid for medication that has yet to be approved and delivered. Smith announced the plan two years ago amid a national shortage of children’s pain medication. The province spent $70 million upfront to import five million bottles from Turkey-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals. But Alberta Health Services said Friday that Health Canada only approved 1.5 million bottles or $21 million worth of product. That left a credit of $49 million. Smith said this week the holdup is with Health Canada, which would have to approve a new suite of imports for the province to get its money’s worth. “We’re waiting for Health Canada to work with AHS to identify the products, get the formulations, approve it, so that we’re able to execute on it. Those things take time,” Smith said in a year-end interview. The premier said the province had to pay the $70 million upfront. “They delivered a portion, and then the supply chains were restored, and we didn’t need to fulfil it with the two products we’d initially ordered. So we have a credit on file with Atabay,” said Smith. The government and AHS declined to say what specific products they’re seeking or when they might arrive. “We want it to be delivered soon,” said Smith. Health Canada said it cannot comment on submissions until they are added to their public lists of submissions under review. AHS said the $70-million prepayment went to Edmonton-based medical supplier MHCare. AHS did not address questions about how common it is to pay the entire contracting fee upfront with no apparent backstops to ensure fulfilment. The costs of shipping, waste disposal and other administration tied to the deal were initially estimated to be an extra $10 million, but are yet to be finalized. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Smith’s United Conservative government signed a deal that didn’t follow normal procurement practices, and it backfired. “The federal government had already signed a deal to get real Tylenol onto the shelves that arrived before the Turkish Tylenol,” he told The Canadian Press. “Albertans should be really angry, because we basically have given$80 million of taxpayers money that could have built schools.” Smith’s government has stood by the decision to import the medication because, in late 2022, parents were desperate to find relief for their children at the height of the respiratory virus season. The purchase has long been mired in difficulties. It was immediately beset by delays, as the province sought regulatory approvals and sorted out packaging and warning labels. Pharmacists had to keep some of the medicine behind the counter to make sure customers who bought it were aware of the comparatively lower dosage. Hospital neonatal units eventually stopped using it due to safety concerns. The purchase also sparked questions about whether the province’s relaxed ethics rules meant elected officials could be bought for the right price. Multiple UCP cabinet ministers have said they accepted free tickets from MHCare to Edmonton Oilers hockey games during the Stanley Cup playoffs. They said they followed conflict-of-interest rules and denied any claims of disreputable behaviour. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has said AHS has identified what imported adult medications it could use, is in negotiations with Atabay and is working to get approval from Health Canada. “Once those processes have been gone through, I will be happy to share exactly what those medications are,” she said Thursday. “My goal has always been to get products that we can use, get maximum value out of what’s remaining on the books there, and that’s what’s happening.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's defense of the national championship has fallen woefully short. The Wolverines started the season ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 , making them the third college football team since 1991 to be ranked worse than seventh in the preseason poll after winning a national title. Michigan (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) failed to meet those modest expectations, barely becoming eligible to play in a bowl and putting the program in danger of losing six or seven games for the first time since the Brady Hoke era ended a decade ago. The Wolverines potentially can ease some of the pain with a win against rival and second-ranked Ohio State (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) on Saturday in the Horseshoe, but that would be a stunning upset. Ohio State is a 21 1/2-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, and that marks just the third time this century that there has been a spread of at least 20 1/2 points in what is known as “The Game.” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore doesn't sound like someone who is motivating players with an underdog mentality. “I don’t think none of that matters in this game,” Moore said Monday. “It doesn’t matter the records. It doesn’t matter anything. The spread, that doesn’t matter.” How did Michigan end up with a relative mess of a season on the field, coming off its first national title since 1997? Winning it all with a coach and star player contemplating being in the NFL for the 2024 season seemed to have unintended consequences for the current squad. The Wolverines closed the College Football Playoff with a win over Washington on Jan. 8; several days later quarterback J.J. McCarthy announced he was skipping his senior season; and it took more than another week for Jim Harbaugh to bolt to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. In the meantime, most quality quarterbacks wanting to transfer had already enrolled at other schools and Moore was left with lackluster options. Davis Warren beat out Alex Orji to be the team's quarterback for the opener and later lost the job to Orji only to get it back again. No matter who was under center, however, would've likely struggled this year behind an offensive line that sent six players to the NFL. The Wolverines lost one of their top players on defense, safety Rod Moore, to a season-ending injury last spring and another one, preseason All-America cornerback Will Johnson, hasn't played in more than a month because of an injury. The Buckeyes are not planning to show any mercy after losing three straight in the series. “We’re going to attack them," Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “We know they’re going to come in here swinging, too, and they’ve still got a good team even though the record doesn’t indicate it. This game, it never matters what the records are." While a win would not suddenly make the Wolverines' season a success, it could help Moore build some momentum a week after top-rated freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. “You come to Michigan to beat Ohio,” said defensive back Quinten Johnson, intentionally leaving the word State out when referring to the rival. "That's one of the pillars of the Michigan football program. “It doesn’t necessarily change the fact of where we are in the season, but it definitely is one of the defining moments of your career here at Michigan.” AP Sports Writer Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollNo. 21 Creighton's Steven Ashworth doubtful for Players Era Festival opener against AztecsRTI activist-turned-candidate gets only 1.2k votes in Ramgarh

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, November 25th, 2024, Chainwire Web3 game studio Qooverse has secured pre-seed funding in a round led by VC firm Paper Ventures, followed by Animoca Brands, Merit Circle, and notable angels in the industry. Founded by a creative team whose professional background includes time at Tencent and Goldman Sachs, Qooverse is developing an ecosystem of mid-core and casual social games that are distributed on Telegram and more social platforms to come. The portfolio of games revolves around the IP Qoomon, cute yet formidable creatures in an Oriental style. The games are fast-paced with an average game lasting less than 5 minutes. They are also highly social with an emphasis on PvP (Player vs Player). The flagship game Qoomon Fuse has successfully attracted a few hundred thousand players organically within a month. "Many existing Telegram... ChainwireFitness apps continue to evolve as companies introduce features designed to enhance user experience, support personal health goals and create community engagement. The best fitness apps offer a range of features designed to improve the workout experience, from tracking progress and setting goals to providing personalized workout plans and recovery tips. They simplify fitness routines by offering convenient tools that help users stay motivated, optimize their training and achieve their health goals. For a closer look, here’s the latest PYMNTS Provider Ranking of Fitness Apps . Check out which fitness apps made our Top 10 list. The Top 5 No. 1 is Strava , with 98 points. Strava unveiled new initiatives and product developments aimed at enhancing the experience of its 125 million active users. CEO Michael Martin emphasized two key areas of focus: building for women and using artificial intelligence ( AI ) to elevate community interactions. Notable features announced included an AI-powered Leaderboard Integrity system to flag irregular activities, and the introduction of a Family Plan Subscription, offering discounts for groups of up to four people. The company also launched Dark Mode , and new updates to features like Flyover , which includes activity stats and off-platform sharing. Strava’s focus on empowering women in the community was also a central theme, with initiatives such as Night Heatmaps to highlight safe, well-traveled routes for nighttime activities and Quick Edit tools for greater privacy control. To support women in sports, Strava also launched a partnership with TOGETHXR and pledged a $100,000 donation to the Alex Morgan Foundation to help girls and women pursue sports. Additionally, Strava launched Athlete Intelligence , an AI-powered feature designed to provide personalized performance insights based on activity data, available to subscribers as a public beta. The feature simplifies complex workout data from smartwatches or mobile phones, offering athletes of all levels clear, actionable guidance on metrics like pace, heart rate, elevation and Strava’s proprietary Relative Effort . Athlete Intelligence helps users track progress over time, spot trends, understand performance, celebrate milestones and receive tailored feedback. This feature is available globally in 14 languages. At No. 2 is Home Workout – No Equipments , recording 88 points. The Home Workout app offers daily bodyweight exercises targeting major muscle groups, allowing users to build strength and maintain fitness at home without equipment. It includes expert-designed routines for abdominal muscles, chest, legs, arms and full-body workouts, along with features like progress tracking, reminders, tutorial videos and the option to share results on social media. The beauty of all the workouts? None of them need equipment and take just a few minutes a day. No. 3 is MyFitnessPal , checking in with 83 points. MyFitnessPal’s 2024 Summer Release introduced several new features to help users reach their health goals. These include a Progress Bar for real-time tracking, Best Match foods verified by dietitians and Food Group Insights to raise awareness of food intake. Free memberships also include access to motivational features and real-time nutrition feedback, while Premium memberships add advanced features like AI-powered Meal Scan and Multi-Day Logging for meal prep. The updates aim to support behavior change, offering both free and paid members tools to track progress and stay motivated. Planet Fitness Workouts and Headspace round out the top five with 78 and 75 points, respectively. The Top 10 Checking in at No. 6 with 70 points is Nike Training Club followed by Map My Run in seventh with 68 points. Nos. 8 through 10 comprised Peloton , Google Fit and Asics Runkeeper with 67, 63 and 59 points, respectively.

New York: In the Sotheby’s Auction House sale room - an intimate, carpeted seventh-floor auditorium on the Upper East Side - it’s not uncommon to see standing-room-only attendance. Or for the bidding crowd to crane their necks around one another to get a glimpse of what’s spotlighted against the richly blue wall at the front. But on Wednesday night, the typical low-volume chatter was punctuated by something unusual. One phrase kept leaping out of murmured conversations all over the room: "The banana ... ?” " ... the banana!” Occasionally, in a British accent: "The ba-na.” The live portion of Wednesday’s "The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction” featured works by some of the 20th and 21st century’s best-known artists - Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein and Jeff Koons among them. But the main attraction, indisputably, was Maurizio Cattelan’s "Comedian”: a work that consists of a single banana affixed to a wall by a diagonal slash of silver duct tape. Cattelan made headlines around the art world and the world when "Comedian” was first sold at Galerie Perrotin’s booth at Art Basel Miami in 2019. "Is this really art?” it invited people to ask, then wordlessly showed them the answer: Three editions sold for between $120,000 and $150,000 each. As The Washington Post’s Sebastian Smee wrote at the time, the immediate outcry over whether a banana taped to a wall was capital-A art or not was understandable. Still, he wrote, "Comedian” offered up "a sharp critique of how art is commodified” and uses "humor, theatricality and a sense of the absurd to do so.” The piece seems to have hit its target, raising questions about what it means for a work of art to so flagrantly mock the capitalism of the community from which it emerged. Like several other Cattelan works, "Comedian” has been called an "art prank.” But on Wednesday night at Sotheby’s, a buyer of one of the original "Comedian” editions sold it at auction for a whopping $6.24 million - and it became hard to tell who was in on the joke. Cattelan’s provocative works have a history of frustrating and delighting art lovers. Jerry Saltz of New York magazine wrote in 2011 that the artist’s work "is often dismissed as a bunch of sight gags, one-liners, and kitsch. He’s considered an entertainer more than an artist, a poseur joker who mocks the system that makes him able to be a millionaire poseur joker.” Smee wrote in 2019 that he didn’t "ultimately think Cattelan’s banana and tape is great art” and that it was "not as smart and challenging as other things he has done” - such as a statue of a small, frail Adolf Hitler, kneeling in prayer. Outside observers have noted that the extreme impermanence of "Comedian” tests the patience of a museum-going public trained to associate antiquity with prestige. The banana, by contrast, has more than once been unceremoniously eaten by a visitor and promptly replaced, with only a slight scuffle of reprimand. But David Galperin, the head of contemporary art for Sotheby’s U.S. operation, described "Comedian” as "universal in its instantaneity.” "It transcends geographies, language, understanding, cultural differences,” he said after Wednesday’s auction. "And the result today, I think, spoke to its universality, the way it kind of pierces through the cultural zeitgeist to the very center.” At Wednesday’s auction, "Comedian” sat 10th on the list of live-auction items, and when Lot No. 10 came up, so did almost every smartphone in the room. Bidding began at $800,000, and bids came "fast and furious,” as Galperin put it later. The auction house’s estimated range of $1 million to $1.5 million quickly faded into the rearview as seven bidders - a "very strong depth of bidding,” Galperin said - fought among themselves. Around the $5 million mark, bidding briefly stalled, and the murmurs rose to a buzz. "The hammer’s coming out. This is it, final time. Don’t let it slip away,” joked auctioneer Oliver Barker, to titters and groans throughout the room. "I’m selling it here, the world’s most expensive banana,” he added moments later, then clacked the hammer forthe winning bid: $5.2 million, before the addition of the buyer’s premium (a fee paid to the auction house on top of the sale price). A mild eruption of polite Upper East Side applause broke out; this was, after all, a room full of polished women in tall boots, long coats, pearls, headbands and lady jackets with gleaming round buttons (and a striking number of men in sneakers). The buyer, Sotheby’s later revealed, was Justin Sun, a Chinese collector and the founder of cryptocurrency firm Tron. Sun bought the piece by phone. Crypto bros, it turns out, love "Comedian.” "We were not surprised, but we were excited early on by the response and engagement that we had from the cryptocurrency community,” Galperin said. "It became very apparent very fast that the entire community was energized and aligned by the philosophy and the conceptual basis of ‘Comedian’ - the questions it asks around originality, uniqueness, authorship, the conceptual nature of a work of art, the value. All of these are questions that the cryptocurrency community has been, and is, really engaged with.” Indeed, there’s an argument to be made that "Comedian” is like a physical version of an NFT: easily reproducible, with only a certificate separating the original from the copycats. When Sun takes ownership of "Comedian,” what he’ll actually acquire "is a certificate of authenticity, along with detailed installation instructions, which grants [him] the right to reproduce that work,” Galperin explained. "The only material manifestation of it is in the certificate of authenticity.” And there, really, is the great joke of "Comedian” and its astronomical price tag: As Galperin put it, "Comedian” can consist of " banana, duct tape.” Sun’s new $6 million