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jilipark login app CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points, Marchelus Avery had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma State beat Miami 80-74 on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Charleston Classic. Oklahoma State (4-1) will play in the fifth-place game on Sunday, while Miami (3-2) will try to avoid going winless in the tournament. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.NI traffic alerts: Fermanagh road closed due to ‘carriageway subsidence’LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — When libertarian President Javier Milei assumed office one year ago, Argentine supermarkets were marking price increases on an almost daily basis. Middle-class families tried to spend their rapidly depreciating pesos as quickly as they got them, and economists warned the country was teetering on the brink of hyperinflation. It was popular outrage over this upside-down economy that fueled the rise of Milei, a self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” and former TV pundit who rode to power on vows to “blow up” the central bank, take an axe to the bloated government and kill sky-high inflation. It was an almost impossible job, and Milei's lack of government experience, unkempt hairdo, sexual boasts and missionary-like zeal for his dead dog, the Rolling Stones and the free market didn't inspire much confidence in a country with a history of failed economic reforms. “It wasn’t a given that he could govern Argentina when he took office,” said Marcelo J. García, Americas director at geopolitical risk firm Horizon Engage. "He was Mr. Nobody." On taking power, Milei implemented a series of austerity measures, including slashing energy and transportation subsidies, laying off tens of thousands of government workers, freezing public infrastructure projects and imposing wage and pension freezes below inflation. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . It has been brutal. Unemployment has climbed, economic activity has declined and poverty has surged. But now signs have emerged that Argentina’s bizarre and long mismanaged economy is starting to look a little more normal. Supporters of Argentine President Javier Milei arrive at a stadium for the presentation of his book titled "Capitalism, Socialism and the Neoclassical Trap" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 22, 2024. Credit: AP/Gustavo Garello Monthly inflation has plummeted, bonds have rallied and the closely watched gap between the black market dollar and the official rate has shrunk as much as 44%. Argentina's country-risk index, an influential measure of the risk of default, is at its lowest point in five years. “He reaches the anniversary at the best moment of his administration," García said. Inflation: a priority Inflation, Argentina's perpetual scourge and Milei's top priority upon coming to office, slowed from a monthly rate of 25.5% in December 2023 to just 2.7% in October — its lowest level in three years. “Inflation has gone down faster than what everyone has expected," said Ignacio Labaqui, a Buenos Aires-based senior analyst at risk consultancy Medley Global Advisors. “That’s something that validates his narrative and sustains his popularity.” Argentine President Javier Milei attends a ceremony celebrating the 214th anniversary of the May Revolution, which marked the beginning of the country's independence from Spain, in Cordoba, Argentina, May 25, 2024. Credit: AP/Nicolas Aguilera In a sign of Milei's long way to go — and the unmitigated shambles he inherited — Argentina's annual inflation rate remains at 193%. But Argentines are paying closer attention to month-to-month inflation, taking the sharp decline as a sign that Milei’s fiscal shock therapy is paying off. “Last year it was a shock to the system, I couldn’t keep up with the prices,” said 34-year-old deli worker Jazmin Quintana. “I’m not saying I like the guy, I find his personality very weird and aggressive, but I admit — if he continues on this route I’ll be very happy.” A stronger peso A stronger peso is also boosting confidence. The black market dollar price has dropped since July, narrowing its gap with the official rate of 980. Chileans, once accustomed to bargain-hunting in Argentina, are now surprised to see the traffic reversed. Shoppers unable to afford iPhones and kitchen appliances in Argentina arrive at Chilean border towns by the busload to get the most bang from their buck. The customs office shut down briefly last month because officials were overwhelmed. Underpinning the currency appreciation is a new tax amnesty to lure Argentines to declare their hidden U.S. dollar savings — longs squirreled away in offshore bank accounts and under mattresses. Ahead of the first-phase deadline on Oct. 31, the scheme drew some $19 billion into Argentina’s banks, the tax agency reported, boosting scarce foreign exchange reserves. But a strong peso also carries risks — squeezing domestic industry by making exports more costly, deterring investors and raising fears of a crash. Foreign visitors are warned of higher prices as peak tourism season begins. “The prices are INSANE,” reads a popular Reddit post about travel in Argentina, filled with cautionary tales of $50 dinners and $100 T-shirts. Painful consequences Argentina's first budget surplus in 12 years has come at a steep cost. Milei halted inflation increases for university budgets, leaving some universities struggling to keep their lights on and elevators running. He downgraded the culture ministry, closed the national theater institute, shuttered a state-funded news agency and defunded scientific research. He suspended public works projects, leaving cities littered with white-elephant structures. An estimated 200,000 construction workers lost their jobs in the last year, says the Argentine Chamber of Construction. The brutal austerity has deepened Argentina's recession, with consumer spending falling 20% percent in the past year and poverty rates soaring to a two-decade high of 52.9% in the second half of last year. Argentina’s retirees are perhaps the most potent symbol of the strife inflicted by Milei’s fiscal shock. Some of the government’s biggest savings came from holding down the real value of pensions. The average minimum monthly pension is just $300. “We have always been in bad shape, but now things are even harsher,” said Rubén Cocurullo, 76, among dozens of pensioners protesting at the social welfare office in Buenos Aires last week. “Do they want to kill us?" An uncertain future In a country with a long history of raucous street protests, it's striking that the mass unrest pundits predicted last year has not materialized. That his approval ratings have held up at some 50% is also a sign of how desperately Argentines wanted change after years of crisis. “Strangely enough, there comes a time in all societies, when the cost of a fiscal adjustment becomes less than the cost of continuing with inflation,” said Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s like a fire. There are badly injured people, but the fire was put out, wasn’t it?” It helps Milei that Argentina's left-leaning Peronist opposition is in disarray, with former President Alberto Fernández charged with beating his ex-wife while in office. Many also attribute the social peace to Milei’s expectation management. He warned that things would get worse before they got better. But now, as an ebullient Milei declares his government the most successful in history and assures Argentines they’ll soon collect on the economic revival he pledged would follow the pain, the bar is getting higher even as risks remain. To fulfill his promise of transforming the heavily regulated nation into one of the world’s freest economies, Milei needs to lift strict currency controls. That requires a fresh infusion of cash or a new deal with the International Monetary Fund, which would relieve pressure on the billions of dollars in debt repayments due next year. Foreign investors, as well as the IMF, to which Argentina owes an unprecedented $44 billion, have expressed excitement about Milei’s changes. But, still haunted by Argentina’s 2001 crisis — which culminated in the largest foreign-debt default in modern history — they’re cautious. “Argentina still seems to be mired in a major ‘wait and see’ period,” said consulting firm Zuban Córdoba and Associates in a report on Milei’s first year. The radical populist hopes to profit from his budding bromances with President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. As president of the biggest shareholder of the IMF in 2018, Trump was key to Argentina securing a record $56 billion loan package. The three men dined and danced together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida last month. Milei claims his brutal cost-cutting inspired Trump and Musk to plan their so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Last week the Conservative Political Action Conference brought its traveling program to Buenos Aires, where Milei and right-wing political figures railed against socialism, praised Trump and pledged to battle what they saw as the global scourge of liberal “woke-ism.” “Everyone assumed that we were going to fail politically," Milei told the cheering crowd. “Today they admit, through gritted teeth, that they are surprised.” ___ Associated Press reporter Debora Rey contributed to this report. _There’s never an offseason where the Rays don’t have multiple players circulating the rumor mill, and this winter is no exception. Tampa Bay already flipped center fielder Jose Siri to the Mets last month, and there’s been plenty of speculation about the possibility of trades of some of their veteran players earning notable salaries. Yandy Diaz has often been the focus, but he’s one of several players who could draw interest. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports that closer Pete Fairbanks and left-hander Jeffrey Springs are among the Rays who’ve been popular in trade talks recently. It’s not a huge surprise to see either player’s name pop up in trade rumblings. Fairbanks featured prominently on MLBTR’s list of top offseason trade candidates back in early November. Springs is the most expensive of at least six healthy rotation options for the Rays. Both players are signed for multiple seasons. Springs, 32, has two years and $21M remaining on a four-year, $31M extension he signed prior to the 2023 season. The contract contains a $15M club option for the 2027 season ($750K buyout). To this point, that contract hasn’t panned out as hoped, though not necessarily through any real fault of Springs. The journeyman southpaw broke out with the Rays in 2022, posting a sparkling 2.46 ERA with a strong 26.2% strikeout rate and terrific 5.6% walk rate in 135 2/3 innings. He looked like another late-blooming diamond in the rough unearthed by a Rays front office with a knack for just that type of discovery. Unfortunately, Springs hasn’t been healthy since. He made three dominant starts to open the 2023 season (16 innings, one run allowed, 24-to-4 K/BB ratio) and then suffered a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery. He missed the remainder of the ’23 campaign and made it back to the mound for seven big league starts and 33 innings late last year. The results were good in that limited sample. Springs posted a sharp 3.27 earned run average, fanned 26.1% of opponents and held his walks to a 7.7% rate. His average four-seamer was down from 91.4 mph in 2022 to 89.8 mph in 2024, however, and he saw similar velocity drops on his slider and changeup. Springs’ 12.9% swinging-strike rate was still strong, but it’s down from the 14.2% clip he displayed in 2021-23. In addition to Springs, the Rays have Drew Rasmussen , Ryan Pepiot , Zack Littell , Taj Bradley , Shane Baz and a returning Shane McClanahan (2022 Tommy John surgery) all in the mix for starts next year. That’s in addition to yet-to-debut prospects like Joe Rock and Ian Seymour , who both excelled in the upper minors last year. Springs has looked the part of a high-end starter in the past but only for a fleeting span of about 150 innings across 2022-23. The Rays would be selling a bit low, but his $10.5M salary is steep for them under normal circumstances — let alone at a time when the club is facing likely revenue losses following Hurricane Milton’s decimation of Tropicana Field’s roof and the club’s subsequent agreement to play at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field — the spring training and Class-A home of the Yankees. Fairbanks, 30, has been terrific when healthy in five seasons with the Rays. “When healthy” is an unfortunately crucial caveat, however, as the flamethrowing 6=foot-6 righty has never reached 50 appearances or topped 45 1/3 innings in a big league season. Dating back to 2020, Fairbanks touts a 2.89 ERA. He fanned nearly 35% of his opponents from 2020-23 but saw that number slip to a roughly average 23.7% this past season. Fairbanks didn’t have a huge loss of velocity on his heater, but it dipped from an average of 98 mph from ’20-’23 to 97.3 mph in 2024. His slider saw a larger drop, going from an average of 86.4 mph to 85 mph over those same periods. The Rays signed Fairbanks to a three-year, $12M contract that bought out all three arbitration years (2023-25) and guaranteed them control over his first free-agent season in the form of a 2026 club option. He’s owed $3.666M this season with a $7M option ($1M buyout) on his ’26 campaign. Even for a partial season of a reliever with Fairbanks’ upside, it’s a pretty modest price to pay. As such, there’s no inherent urgency for the Rays to move him. They might feel a bit more motivated to move Springs and his weightier salary, but to this point it’s not clear the Rays are necessarily shopping either — just that they’ve drawn interest. The Rays’ lot in life, of course, is to constantly listen on all of their players as they progress through their arbitration years or the latter stages of any contract extensions. This year’s stadium troubles and the uncertainty surrounding their home in 2026 and beyond only add to that. At the same time, Tampa Bay already significantly culled payroll with their series of deadline trades and via the departures of some arb-eligible players (via trade and non-tender). RosterResource projects a bit less than $79M in payroll for the Rays this coming season — already a drop of more than $10M from their 2024 levels. Trading Springs, Fairbanks or other veterans like the aforementioned Diaz or Brandon Lowe could further reduce spending and free up the Rays to take on some money in other trades. With regard to free agency, they’re in a similar spot to the Athletics in that they’ll have to persuade players to sign on for at least one year (and likely more) playing their home games in a minor league facility. This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission.Athletics president Dave Kaval won’t follow the team to Sacramento from OaklandAn online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition

Jefferson keeps seeing double as Vikings aim to stay focused on overall offensive production

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola denied he has a “personal problem” with Kevin De Bruyne and insisted Tuesday the playmaker's absence from the team in recent weeks was down to his fitness issues. City has not won in seven games in all competitions — its worst run under Guardiola — and De Bruyne has featured only as a substitute in the last five of those matches after recovering from a pelvic injury. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.The Indiana vs. Notre Dame matchup in the first round of the College Football Playoff is the most expensive ticket on StubHub, but it's Tennessee vs. Ohio State that's selling the fastest. StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli said Monday that the game being hosted in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 21 has sold 34% more tickets than the game in South Bend, Indiana, on Dec. 20.