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AP News Summary at 9:06 a.m. ESTInsurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule
Longwood secures 89-81 win over UABKings made a hasty mistake by firing Mike BrownBy Political Reporter-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top aide and Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira has been taken to court over allegations of seizing an 8-hectare plot in Morningside, Masvingo, belonging to widow Farai Mazenge Mutsetse. According to Mutsetse’s High Court application, vital documents related to the property have vanished from Masvingo City Council’s files, leaving only a house plan. However, Mutsetse retained her own copies, including a full ownership history dating back to 1998, and proof of up-to-date payments for water, rates, and services. Chadzamira, who claims to have bought the plot from the Ministry of Local Government, has failed to produce any documentation to support his ownership claim despite requests from Mutsetse’s lawyers, Dube Banda Nzarayapenga. The widow alleges Chadzamira has disrupted her farming activities and taken over grazing land with unauthorized construction. This is not the first time Chadzamira has been accused of targeting widows. In 2016, he reportedly seized a mansion and a farm, Cresta Ibeka, from 66-year-old Yvonne Goddard, leaving her homeless. Mutsetse is seeking an urgent court order to stop construction, evict Chadzamira, and restore her rights to the land. She says the ordeal has caused immense emotional distress. The defendants in the case include Chadzamira, Masvingo City Council’s Housing Director, the Minister of Local Government, and Masvingo City Council itself. Sources say ratepayers may bear heavy legal costs due to the council’s involvement in Chadzamira’s alleged personal interests. The case raises fresh concerns about abuse of power and land disputes involving top officials in Zimbabwe. -Masvingo Mirror
IOWA CITY — Iowa named Jackson Stratton its starting quarterback for the regular season finale against Nebraska on Black Friday. Stratton picked up a win over Maryland in his first career start on Saturday, filling in for an injured Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan at quarterback. Iowa quarterback Jackson Stratton warms up before an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz praised Stratton, who finished the win over the Terrapins with 76 yards on 10-of-14 passing and a 117 passing efficiency rating, during a postgame interview with the Hawkeye Radio Network. “He really, I thought, played with great poise,” Ferentz said. “Also, awareness, for a guy who has never started a game ... it did not seem to affect him at all. He really did a good job of preparing himself and did a really nice job of inserting himself. I thought he really played a good game.” With Stratton in line for his second career start, Marco Lainez III, who started the season as Iowa's third string quarterback, will serve as Stratton's backup on Friday. Lainez suffered a thumb injury on his non-throwing hand last month before returning to practice last week. McNamara, who topped Iowa's depth chart last Monday, but was not cleared to return to game action, did not appear on the two deep. McNamara released a statement via social media which dispelled rumors of his departure from the Iowa football program. "It has come to my attention that there are individuals in the media circulating rumors about my current status on the Iowa Football Team," McNamara wrote. "These are ridiculous accusations and 100% false. My status on the same as it's always been — a proud member of this football team. "I have every intention to play versus Nebraska next Friday night." In addition to McNamara, cornerback Jermari Harris, who was the subject of reports from 247Sports indicating he opted out of the final two games of the season in preparation for the NFL Draft, also did not appear on the depth chart. On Friday, Ferentz released a statement that said Harris would not play against Maryland due to a "medical issue." "We hope all our student-athletes can play next week in our regular season finale at Kinnick Stadium, however, a player's health and wellbeing are always our top priority," Ferentz said in the statement. "There are several players who will not compete in Saturday's game against Maryland because they have not been cleared medically (or by the medical team). "The decision of whether a student-athlete can compete after sustaining an injury is made by the medical team." Harris proved to be a reliable shutdown corner on the left side of the Hawkeyes' defense in his 10 appearances this season. The senior from Chicago recorded 27 total tackles (19 solo), 10 passes defended, three interceptions, including a pick six, and one tackle for loss. Pro Football Focus graded Harris as the No. 9 overall cornerback in the FBS this season. Nick DeJong will also start at right tackle in place of an injured Gennings Dunker. Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) will face Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) at 6:30 on Friday with broadcast coverage provided by NBC. After Iowa's win over Maryland, uncertain reigns at quarterback and questions swirl regarding what version of Nebraska the Hawkeyes will face and what the stakes are on Black Friday. A career-long kick, an early stop and two-way one-two punch help Iowa secure its second road win of the season at Maryland on Saturday. Iowa outgained and out-possessed Maryland while limiting the Terrapins explosive passing attack to a season-low performance to earn its seventh win of the season on Sautrday. Iowa learned from its 2023 mistakes, leaned on the ground game, defense and Drew Stevens's turnaround to beat Maryland in its road finale on Saturday. Get local news delivered to your inbox! University of Iowa Athletics Beat Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM news outlet reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The insurgency announced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The city's capture is a major victory for the rebels, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on PARIS (AP) — Howling winds couldn’t stop Notre Dame Cathedral ’s heart from beating again. With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a specially designed crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, the monument roared back to life Saturday evening. For the first time since a devastating blaze nearly destroyed it in 2019, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship, its rebirth marked by song, prayer, and awe beneath its soaring arches. The ceremony, initially planned to begin on the forecourt, was moved entirely inside due to unusually fierce December winds sweeping across the Île de la Cité, flanked by the River Seine. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the luminous nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, thundered to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies. The restoration, a spectacular achievement in just five years for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build, is seen as a moment of triumph for French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline — and a welcome respite from his domestic political woes. The evening’s celebration, attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, US first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscored Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon. Observers see the event as Macron's, and his intention to pivot it into a fully fledged diplomatic gathering, while highlighting France’s ability to unite on the global stage despite internal political crises. Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelenskyy for their talks PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full dose of presidential pomp as the two held a hastily arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy before celebrating the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. On a day that mixed pageantry with attention to pressing global problems, the once and future American president was warmly embraced by Macron upon arriving at the Elysee Palace. “It’s a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later,” Macron told Trump. “Welcome back again.” Trump said it was a “very great honor" to be there, while hinting at challenges ahead. “It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that,” Trump said. Trump isn't back in office but he's already pushing his agenda and negotiating with world leaders NEW YORK (AP) — He's making threats, traveling abroad and negotiating with world leaders. Donald Trump has more than a month and a half to go before he's sworn in for a second term. But the Republican president-elect is already moving aggressively not just to fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but to achieve those priorities. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, prompting emergency calls and a visit from Canada's prime minister that resulted in what Trump claimed were commitments from both U.S. allies on new border security measures. The incoming president has warned there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY" if, before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, Hamas does not release the hostages being held in Gaza . He has threatened to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by a Japanese company, warning "Buyer Beware!!!” And this weekend, Trump was returning to the global stage, joining a host of other foreign leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by a fire. On Saturday, he met with French President Emmanuel Macron — joined at the last minute by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — and had plans to see Britain's Prince William also in Paris. South Korea's president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party, but the party is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. After the motion fell through, members of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party rallied inside the National Assembly, chanting slogans calling for Yoon's impeachment or resignation. The party's floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said it will soon prepare for a new impeachment motion. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. “We'll surely impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who is the greatest risk to Republic of Korea,” party leader Lee Jae-myung said. “We'll surely bring back this country to normal before Christmas Day or year's end.” Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. Investigators were looking at whether the shooter may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. The FBI announced Friday night it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C, according to Kenny. Police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Kenny said. UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance For years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don’t understand. Doctors are included in an insurer’s network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied. This week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants. In particular, the words written on ammunition found at the shooting scene — “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry. “All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” said Tim Anderson, describing how his wife, Mary, had to deal with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2022. 2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed in 1941 attack PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Ira “Ike” Schab, a 104-year-old Pearl Harbor attack survivor, spent six weeks in physical therapy to build the strength to stand and salute during a remembrance ceremony honoring those killed in the Japanese bombing that thrust the U.S. into World War II some 83 years ago. On Saturday, Schab gingerly rose from his wheelchair and raised his right hand, returning a salute delivered by sailors standing on a destroyer and a submarine passing by in the harbor. “He’s been working hard because this is his goal,” said his daughter, Kimberlee Heinrichs, who traveled to Hawaii with Schab from their Beaverton, Oregon, home. “He wanted to be able to stand for that.” Schab is one of only two servicemen who lived through the attack who made it to an annual observance hosted by the U.S. Navy and National Park Service on a grass field overlooking the harbor. A third survivor had been planning to join them but had to cancel because of health issues. The Dec. 7, 1941, bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. Nearly half, or 1,177, were sailors and Marines on board the USS Arizona, which sank during the battle. The remains of more than 900 Arizona crew members are still entombed on the submerged vessel. An explosion destroys an apartment block in a Dutch city, killing at least 3 and injuring others THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague on Saturday, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments, according to authorities. The cause of the disaster was unclear. Mayor Jan van Zanen said investigators were looking into “all possibilities.” Police said they are looking for a car seen leaving the scene in case that helps with the investigation. Van Zanen said three bodies were pulled from the rubble. Emergency authorities said four people were rescued and taken to the hospital. The mayor said rescuers were no longer looking for survivors but for eventual bodies, given that the ‘’slim chance of survival'' under what's left of the apartments. He could not specify how many people might still be unaccounted for. Residents of the northeastern neighborhood of Mariahoeve in The Hague heard a huge bang and screams before dawn. One woman told local media that she thought an earthquake had happened. Dutch authorities deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to the scene, with four dogs trained to find victims. The team was previously used during the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023. How 'Mufasa' rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy's voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones' legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. “I had a lot of nerves and I actually think those nerves served me because that is what the adolescent version of that lion is,” Pierre said in an interview Friday at the San Diego Safari Park about his leading role in “Mufasa: The Lion King.” He took the reins as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney's “The Lion King.” Here are some details and insights about “Mufasa" ahead of its release in theaters on Dec. 20. Jones’ voice isn’t heard in the movie, but it opens with a brief tribute to the beloved actor, who died in September. Pierre had hoped to meet Jones for the first time, but didn’t get the chance. Now, he’s determined to honor his idol by building on his character’s legacy.
FALMOUTH — It was 25 degrees at 9 a.m. Saturday on the artificial turf field at Falmouth High School. But dreams of playing professional soccer kept everybody warm. “Ever since they announced the Hearts of Pine, I was hoping they’d do some sort of tryout,” said Alex Fernald, a goalie from Bath who played collegiately at Castleton University in Vermont. “Soccer is just something I really enjoy. I just want to have fun with it.” The Hearts of Pine, the professional soccer team that will begin its inaugural season in the USL League One this spring, is looking for players. Saturday, wearing wool hats and gloves along with their cleats, dozens of Mainers took the pitch to make their case to make the team. The 100 or so players hit the field in waves, first playing 7-on-7 in the morning before a full-field scrimmage and drills in the afternoon. Each paid $50 for the chance to showcase their skills for Hearts of Pine Coach Bobby Murphy at this Mainers-only tryout. Joshua Joseph battles for the ball against Mardoche Kikobo during a 7 vs 7 where Mainers tryout for a spot on the Hearts of Pine at Falmouth High School on Saturday. Sofia Aldinio/Portland Press Herald One of them was Portland’s Francisco Andre. A 2021 graduate of Casco Bay High School who played high school soccer for Portland High (Casco Bay students are allowed to play sports for either Portland or Deering), Andre has been playing semipro soccer in the United Premier Soccer League. “I just wanted to come out here and show what I’ve got,” said Andre, a student at Southern Maine Community College. “There’s some really good talent over here. It’s not easy, but that’s really good.” Talking after playing in the morning’s first 7-on-7 game, Andre was happy with his effort. He’s been practicing for this. What’s this opportunity without the effort? “Mostly I do one-on-one drills. Sometimes I work with my brother, one-v-one, stuff like that,” Andre said. “The best-case scenario is the coach saw how I did, and he liked it, and I get to make the team.” Making the team is a long shot for all the participants, Murphy acknowledged, but that hardly makes Saturday’s tryout one that’s just for show. “It’s a new landscape for me. You hear that there’s players, so you’re just hoping to find maybe one or two. If you can find one or two, I think that’s a pretty good number. In reality, everyone wants to be a pro. But it’s hard to be a pro. A lot of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle have to fit together for it all to work. We’re hopeful we can see one or two that we can bring back and see where we go,” Murphy said. “I think it would be great for the community to have one of their own. There’s nothing better than that. I think that makes everyone proud, everyone excited.” During a break in play, Murphy told a group of players he’s looking for each of them to do something to catch his eye, without him telling them what he’s looking for that would catch his eye. He kept his coaching tips simple. Protect the middle of the field, and press as a group. Basically, show us your individual skill but work as a team, too. Ivan Domingues goes up for the ball over Mardoche Kikobo during a 7 vs 7 where Mainers try out for a spot on the Hearts of Pine in Falmouth High School on Saturday. Sofia Aldinio/Portland Press Herald “There’s a certain athletic component that has to be met. You’ve got to be a good athlete, first and foremost. People would be shocked at the level of athleticism in the league,” Murphy said. “I just call it good feet and good brains. Guys who get the game a little bit and guys who have the feet to pull it off.” Soccer is a global game, with talented players everywhere, Murphy said. You never know what one of these tryout days will uncover. Murphy remembered a tryout like this one in California in 2009. There, Yordany Alvarez, a player who defected from Cuba a year earlier, earned a spot on the Austin Aztex, also a USL League One team. Alvarez played professionally until a heart ailment forced his retirement in 2014. So yeah, you put the local guys through their paces, and maybe you find a gem. “It’s like every kid soccer player’s dream, ‘I want to go play pro.’ Then I went to college and realized that really wasn’t for me,” said Fernald, now a social worker at Mt. Ararat High and a soccer coach at Morse, his alma mater. “But I’ve had some time away and time to enjoy the sport again, and I think, yeah, I might as well relive some of that child nostalgia.” During the full-field scrimmage Saturday afternoon, Fernald left his net. A collision with another player left the bridge of his nose cut and bleeding. “I think it was contact with that guy’s head,” Fernald said. “The ball didn’t go in, did it?” No, he was told. “Perfect,” Fernald said, giving a thumbs-up. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors.
The Montreal Canadiens fell 4-3 to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon. The Rangers force teams to be at their best, and the Canadiens gave a good account of themselves, allowing the winning goal with just 23 seconds left. It feels as though it’s all going wrong with the Montreal Canadiens, but they actually entered their weekend afternoon series against the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins with a 4-2-1 record in their last seven. Wilde Horses Head Coach Martin St. Louis changed up just about every line and pairing for this contest, and he got a good response from his troops. A new line that he tried had some good moments – including the first goal. It was Christian Dvorak in the middle for Brendan Gallagher and Juraj Slafkovsky. That’s an interesting threesome because Gallagher will always drag his mates into the fight, but if his mates don’t have any talent, it really doesn’t matter. Gallagher excels at bringing out the best in good players. Dvorak should do more overall. He has the talent to do more, and there has been an expectation since he was acquired for a first-round draft choice that he’s a better player than he has shown in Montreal. Slafkovsky is in the learning phase of his career and one of the things that he can learn is to compete harder. Slafkovsky can benefit from seeing just how much Gallagher works and demands from his mates. On the first goal, it was Gallagher who won the puck in the corner. He then fed Slafkovsky who battled for his puck win, then Slafkovsky fed Mike Matheson in front of the net for the goal. It was a goal that demanded hard work from players who have the balance and strength on their skates to achieve wins in puck battles. Nick Suzuki had a strong game with Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook. Suzuki kept in a puck at the blue line in the third period. He fed to Cole Caufield who somehow find the five-hole even though the gap was the diameter of the puck. Caufield has 14 on the season. He is on pace for exactly 50 goals in the season. Late in the third period, the Canadiens tied the game on a tremendous play from the same line. It was Caufield with the pass to free Lane Hutson who faked a shot and slid a perfect pass cross-crease to Suzuki for the tally. Jonathan Quick had no chance. It was also one of Kirby Dach’s best games of the season as he lined up with Josh Anderson and Joshua Roy. Dach played with a lot of edge. The Canadiens actually won the analytics battle but fell short in special teams allowing three power-play goals. Suzuki’s line had an 87 Goals Expected share and Dach’s line had a 77. It’s not always beautiful, this game of hockey. The Rangers make you play an ‘ice-pack’ game with a lot of tough and known battlers like Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe in their line-up. If you are not ready to fight, this Rangers team will make you look like cowards. The Canadiens were ready to battle – they did not back down; they were not intimidated. Part of becoming a regular NHL is understanding there are a lot of elements to the sport and they aren’t all pretty. Despite it being the last day of November, this one felt like a playoff game. It was also a good chance for a young line-up to learn lessons well. They got angry, and they got hungry to compete. That’s a good thing. Wilde Goats Another of the NHL’s ridiculous half-measures is a concussion spotter watching the game upstairs. It’s a great idea, but it isn’t one that the league actually cares to do properly. The rules are discretionary and different spotters seem to have different standards. In the first period, Josh Anderson sought revenge on Jacob Trouba for a vicious hit on Justin Barron the last time the clubs met. Many will argue that Trouba’s hit was clean, while here it was described as predatory. Ultimately it was a legal hit in the weird world that is the “principal point of contact” NHL: as long as any hit delivered involves contact with something else before crushing the head, then it’s fine. The Canadiens clearly didn’t think it was clean because they couldn’t wait for Trouba to get on the ice – Anderson understood the assignment and pummelled him. Two times through the 55-second beatdown Trouba lost his legs. He was concussed: losing your legs from under you is a concussion symptom. However, it was apparently not a concussion symptom in the gondola at Madison Square Garden where the spotter remained. He never made a call downstairs to pull Trouba for evaluation. When Trouba’s major penalty ended, he got a series of stick-taps from the Rangers’ players on the bench. He then took his regular shift. The NHL is perfectly happy to not penalize or suspend Trouba for his predatory hits. They are also fine with a spotter allowing the players to lose their equilibrium, instead of doing what they should know is appropriate. The NHL bylaws say that the spotter is looking for a player lying motionless, with coordination issues, or a blank look. The spotter didn’t see any coordination issues with Trouba’s legs buckling twice in 55 seconds after getting smashed on the chin. The legs must have buckled as a matter of coincidence. Though the concussion spotter is a good idea, the NHL has only paid lip service to it. Wilde Cards Ivan Demidov started his rookie season in the KHL with the best numbers ever for a ‘draft plus one’ pick. One month later, Demidov was benched and it wasn’t because of poor play. Demidov counted a magnificent 18 points in his first 20 games in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg. He was the rookie of the month in the league. He was even near the top of the scoring in the entire league. With all of the success, the expectation was that Demidov would move from averaging 11 minutes a game to perhaps as high as 17 minutes and get elevated to the top line. What happened instead is the stuff of Russian legend. Demidov had his ice time diminished game by game, and Saturday morning in a 7-5 win for SKA, the phenom sat on the bench for the entire game – he didn’t get a single shift. ESPN’s world’s best hockey prospect sat there for 60 minutes and watched it all race by him. He’s been regularly getting five minutes and even less recently. All of these games count against his scoring record, so 18 points in 20 games is now 20 points in 31 games. Those not paying attention to details might think Demidov’s struggling. The truth is that his head coach is sabotaging his season. That head coach is also the money behind the SKA operation. Roman Rotenberg isn’t actually a hockey coach, he is an oligarch in the classic Russian style and he’s punishing Demidov for wanting to go to the NHL next season. Rotenberg’s formal educational training was to lead Gazprom, a Russian oil and gas company, not a hockey roster. The equivalent level of preposterousness would be if Geoff Molson took over behind the Canadiens bench and then didn’t play Cole Caufield. In Russia, if you have the money, you do anything you want. If you want to go from vice president of Gazprom to head coach of a hockey team, no one stops you. In fact, Rotenberg extended his own contract five seasons last year as head coach. No doubt his assessment of himself was that he thought he was excellent at coaching. The worst part about this is Demidov can not leave. He won’t be able to get out of his contract this year, and the Canadiens won’t be able to throw money at this to change events. It’s a 68-game season in the KHL. SKA has played 31. This sad story has 37 games left in it. The only hope is that the head coach decides that he wants to win games, instead of winning political points with his cronies. No doubt the Canadiens can’t wait to get him to North America. Demidov is a young man with tremendous talent. He will likely be the first 100-point player for Montreal this century when he hits his stride, and no businessman who bought his way behind a hockey bench is going to change that.Sio Silica plans to try again with controversial project in Manitoba
Julia Bradbury on lifestyle change and going teetotal after cancer diagnosisNeurons are the fundamental building blocks of the brain. They share information through electrical signals. After receiving a stimulus, the neurons are activated via changes in membrane voltage. This induces quick variations in membrane voltage that travel through the cell as an electrical signal. Subsequently, intracellular calcium varies as a result of these modifications in membrane voltage. In the past, intrusive electrode approaches were needed to measure membrane voltage. Scientists have employed fluorescent proteins sensitive to calcium ions as a non-invasive way to assess neuron activity indirectly. However, because these techniques have usually been investigated independently, it is challenging to comprehend the real-time interactions between membrane voltage and calcium activity in living animals. Researchers from Kyushu University collaborated with Kyushu Institute of Technology’s Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering to create a technique that allows them to simultaneously detect intracellular calcium and membrane voltage in living animal neurons. Researchers used high-speed imaging at 250 frames per second and sophisticated image processing to detect minute changes in the fluorescence intensity of calcium ion and membrane voltage sensors. This new method provides a more comprehensive understanding of neuron function, revealing that the two signals—calcium activity and membrane voltage—encode distinct information related to sensory stimuli. The team mainly focused on how olfactory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans respond to odorants. They found that these neurons change their membrane voltage and intracellular calcium levels when exposed to odors. These signals are also found to encode separate information. Intracellular calcium levels showed the concentration of the odor, whereas membrane voltage showed its existence. By analyzing both signals simultaneously, the researchers were able to understand better how the brain interprets and distinguishes sensory inputs. The team also identified two ion channels essential for changing membrane voltages triggered by sensory stimulation. A protein called ODR-3 found to play a crucial role in stabilizing membrane voltage. This mechanism prevents neurons from firing in response to irrelevant stimuli and helps regulate the timing and intensity of reactions to odors. In the future, simultaneous membrane voltage and intracellular calcium measurements could be extended to neurons in more complex animals or different types of neurons, offering potential insights into how information is coded within neural circuits. Senior author Professor Takeshi Ishihara from Kyushu University’s Faculty of Science said , “These high-speed simultaneous measurements reveal the different functions of the membrane voltage and intracellular calcium ion signals induced by the sensory stimuli. These findings could lead to a better understanding of sensory processing in the central nervous system, in simple model systems like nematodes and higher organisms.” Journal Reference:
Lautaro Martinez ends goal drought as Inter keep pressure on Serie A leadersAppalachian State hires South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as head coach
