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Article content PRATTVILLE, Ala. — A federal judge has ordered an Alabama city to allow an LGBTQ+ pride group to participate in the city’s Christmas parade on Friday, after the mayor initially blocked the group from the annual event citing unspecified “safety concerns.” U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled that the City of Prattville violated Prattville Pride’s First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law when it banned the group from running a float in the annual Christmas parade one day before the event was set to take place. “The City removed Prattville Pride from the parade based on its belief that certain members of the public who oppose Prattville Pride, and what is stands for, would react in a disruptive way. But discrimination based on a message’s content ‘cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment,’ ” Huffaker wrote in his opinion. The ruling required the city to provide at least two police officers to escort the float throughout the parade. On Thursday, Prattville Pride requested additional security measures from law enforcement. In response, Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr released a statement banning the group from the parade altogether, citing “serious safety concerns.” Huffaker’s ruling said that, leading up to the event, some community members “voiced vehement opposition” to the group’s inclusion in the parade, but that “the City has presented no evidence of legitimate, true threats of physical violence.” Gillespie’s office referred to a statement posted on the city’s social media in response to a request for comment. “The City respects the ruling of the Court and will comply with its order. The safety of everyone involved with the parade is a priority,” city officials said in a statement on social media. Prattville Pride celebrated the ruling on social media. “The Christmas parade is a cherished holiday tradition, and we are excited to celebrate alongside our neighbors and friends in the spirit of love, joy, and unity,” the group wrote. Prattville is a small city of about 40,000 people, just north of the capital of Montgomery.COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. -- Word on the mountain has it that Lindsey Vonn is still fast through a downhill course, even at 40 years old. Maybe even challenge-for-downhill-wins fast. On a frigid Friday morning, Vonn darted through the shadows along the speed course at Copper Mountain and through the mist created by the snow makers. There was no clock at the bottom of the hill to measure just how speedy she was as she makes a comeback to skiing nearly six years removed from her last race. But she certainly looked the part of fast by dropping into a tuck position to become more aerodynamic, and even banging through a few gates on several high-speed runs. Vonn plans to enter a series of lower-tier FIS downhill and super-G races this weekend at Copper Mountain in an effort to gain the necessary results to lower her ranking so she can possibly enter World Cup races this season under a new wild-card rule. It could be the first step toward seeing her on the World Cup circuit again, maybe even on the podium. “I honestly think she will win,” retired ski racer Ted Ligety said in an interview with The Associated Press. “From what I’ve heard, she’s been kicking (butt) and been really fast in training. Some of the women on the World Cup are going to be rudely awakened to have to compete against a Lindsey Vonn again.” Vonn declined to talk after her practice session Friday. She chatted with several racers on the hill and again inside the lodge, where her dog, Lucy, became the center of attention. In a post Friday afternoon on Instagram, Vonn wrote : “Happy to be able to take another step this weekend! Technically tomorrow will be my first race but I’m using it as a training opportunity to keep on building. ... It’s been 6 years since I last raced so I still have a lot of equipment to test, finding my groove and really getting into racing form. I am having a lot of fun and want to keep on doing so!” When she left the sport, Vonn's 82 World Cup race victories stood as the record for a woman and within reach of the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. The women's mark held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. Shiffrin is currently sidelined after a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. The next World Cup races for the women's circuit will be held in a week in nearby Beaver Creek, Colorado. There's no timeframe for Vonn's return to racing. Vonn’s last competition was in February 2019, when she finished third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. In a lot of ways, the three-time Olympic medalist stepped away still near the top of her game. But the broken arms and legs, concussions and torn knee ligaments took too big a toll and sent her into retirement. Last April, she had surgery for a partial knee replacement. She felt good enough to give it another go. Ligety, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, applauds her for her comeback bid. “It’s beyond my risk appetite, but it will be really fun to watch,” said Ligety, who’s covering the World Cup races in Beaver Creek this weekend for NBC. “She left at the top of her game, obviously, because of her knee injury. She probably felt like she got short-changed in her quest to take down Stenmark in wins, being only four away and her body failed her. “I can see how that would weigh on you. And then when you all of a sudden feel perfectly healthy again and you’re not that old, I can see giving it some ideas. I understand where she’s coming from and I think she has a good chance (to win races).” The aura of Vonn hovered around the bottom of the slope Friday. She had several pairs of Head skis all ready to try out. After each run — at least three — Vonn would huddle with her team, take a quick swig of water and head back up the lift. “She’s still super-fast,” fellow American teammate Keely Cashman said. "She’s been helpful talking to us about whatever we need. We’re excited to have her around.” What stands out about Vonn to Sophie Goldschmidt, the CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard, is the racer's “strength of mind and attitude,” she said. "To be able to come back time and time again is very impressive. “We’re delighted that she’s rejoined the team,” Goldschmidt added. "Her achievements speak for themselves. She’s clearly one of the most decorated athletes in the U.S. and had an amazing ski racing career. So for her to feel fit and strong enough to want to give it another go, I think is quite remarkable. I’m excited to see what she might be able to achieve.” ___ AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

NEW YORK (AP) — A cryptocurrency plant in central New York can continue operating after a court rejected the state’s effort to shutter the facility over concerns about its climate impact. The decision was hailed as a victory by Greenidge Generation, a large-scale crypto mine in the Finger Lakes region that has drawn the ire of environmental groups and watchdogs since it began mining bitcoin four years ago. Like other large-scale crypto-mining operations, Greenidge relies on thousands of electricity-guzzling computer servers that generate bitcoin by solving complex equations. To power those servers, Greenidge uses a former coal-burning plant that was converted to natural gas in 2017 after years of disuse. In 2022, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation denied a required air permit to the plant on the grounds that its greenhouse gas emissions ran afoul of the state’s ambitious climate goals. In response to a lawsuit by the corporation, State Supreme Court Justice Vincent M. Dinolfo ruled Thursday that the agency had failed to give Greenidge an opportunity to justify its continued operation, an “interpretative error” under the law. “Transparent political bias lost today,” Greenidge said in a prepared statement. “The ruling ensures our facility will continue operating and our local employees will not have their careers ripped away by politically motivated governmental overreach that had no basis in law from the first day it began.” A coalition of environmental groups, meanwhile, allege Greenidge is pumping millions of pounds of carbon dioxide into the air, while contaminating the nearby Seneca Lake with daily discharges of heated water required to run the plant. “The Finger Lakes community has been sounding the alarm on the disastrous impacts of this facility on their water, air, and climate,” said Mandy DeRoche, a deputy managing attorney in the Clean Energy Program at Earthjustice. “We will continue our fight until Greenidge shuts down for good,” In rejecting the permit, the DEC said the plant had misled regulators about the true purpose of the conversion. “Instead of helping to meet the current electricity needs of the state as originally described, the facility is operating primarily to meet its own significant new energy load,” the agency said in its letter to the company. A spokesperson for the DEC did not respond to a request for comment about the decision. Greenidge has said it is in compliance with its permits and that the plant is 100% carbon neutral, thanks to the purchase of carbon offsets such as forestry programs and projects that capture methane from landfills. Yvonne Taylor, a vice president at Seneca Lake Guardian, said the facility was a test case for the state’s ability to enforce a raft of climate laws. She worried the recent election of Donald Trump, who received billions of dollars from the crypto industry, would further weaken efforts to enforce those protections. “Greenidge being permitted to continue operating flies in the face of our state climate goals and what we’ve spent generations working for in our community,” Taylor said. “It’s not serving any public purpose or benefit other than making a few people who are already rich, richer.”TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Evans scored for the career-high fifth consecutive game and the surging Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 on Sunday night. Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Newhook also scored to help the Canadiens win for the fifth time in six games. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves. Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel scored for Tampa Bay. Jonas Johansson stopped 31 shots. Newhook opened the scoring on a one-timer midway through the first period. Hagel tied it 37 seconds into the second period, but Dvorak and Evans scored 5:54 apart in the period for a two-goal Montreal lead they would not relinquish. SABRES 4, BLUES 2 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jason Zucker scored a tiebreaking power-play goal with 9:30 remaining and Buffalo notched their third straight victory by beating St. Louis. Jiri Kulich extended Buffalo’s lead with a breakaway goal that went between Blues goalie Jordan Binnington’s legs with 3:41 to play. Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist against his former team as the Sabres won in St. Louis for just the second time in 12 years to sweep the season series. Zucker had a goal and an assist, and Jack Quinn had two assists for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots. Brayden Schenn and Nathan Walker scored for the Blues. Binnington had 12 saves. Buffalo scored on two of its first three shots, including its first of the game. DUCKS 5, OILERS 3 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Strome scored with 2:36 remaining as Anaheim rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second period to defeat Edmonton. Strome’s goal, his sixth of the season, originally wasn’t called, but it was reversed after a review. Strome’s shot was entirely over the goal line before Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard could stop it with his skate. Mason McTavish added an empty-net goal. It is the first time since March 30, 2019, the Ducks have defeated the Oilers by more than one goal. Cutter Gauthier, McTavish and Robby Fabbri each had a goal and an assist. Drew Helleson also scored for Anaheim, which snapped a seven-game losing streak to Edmonton. Lukas Dostal made 20 saves. Leon Draisaitl had two goals and Connor McDavid two assists for the Oilers, who were 3-0-1 in their past four. Evan Bouchard also tallied a goal and Pickard stopped 27 shots. RED WINGS 4, CAPITALS 2 DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane reached the 1,300-point mark and Todd McLellan won for the first time as Detroit’s coach in their victory over Washington. Kane, who needed two points to reach that mark, had a power-play goal and assist during Detroit’s four-goal first period. Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and Lucas Raymond added another as the Red Wings snapped a four-game losing streak. Alex Lyon made 26 saves. McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde prior to Friday’s loss to Toronto . Alex Ovechkin scored for the second consecutive game after missing the previous 16 due to a fractured fibula . The Capitals star forward is 25 goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 . Nic Dowd had the other Capitals goal. Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves but Washington remained one point behind first-place New Jersey in the Eastern Conference. PENGUINS 3, ISLANDERS 2 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists on Michael Bunting’s power-play goal and the Penguins beat New York. Crosby has 1,034 assists, good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players — Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman — have more assists with a single team. The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1,310-regular-season games. Lemieux played 915. Evgeni Malkin added the deciding power-play goal in the third for Pittsburgh, which has 14 goals with the man advantage in its last 13 games. Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Penguins win for the seventh time in their last eight home games. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his first start since Dec. 17. Kris Letang missed the game because of a lower-body injury, and defenseman Nathan Clurman made his NHL debut. Anders Lee and Bo Horvat scored third-period goals for the Islanders, who fell behind 3-0 before their rally fell short. Marcus Hogberg stopped 38 shots during his first start since April 28, 2021. GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, FLAMES 0 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brett Howden scored his 15th goal of the season and Ilya Samsonov stopped 31 shots as Vegas Golden defeated Calgary. Howden redirected defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s shot from the top of the slot late in the second period and is now tied with Ivan Barbashev for the team lead in goals. Howden has scored a goal in four of the last five games. Victor Olofsson and Tanner Pearson also scored for the Golden Knights, who have shut out Calgary twice this season, beating them 5-0 on Oct. 28 . Dan Vladar made 34 saves for Calgary. The Golden Knights have now won six straight, the longest active win streak in the NHL, while improving to 25-8-3 on the year. They own a 13-2-1 record against Pacific Division opponents. SENATORS 3, WILD 1 ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Josh Norris broke a tie on a power play with 7:18 left, Leevi Merilainen made 30 saves in his fifth NHL game and Ottawa beat Minnesota. Ottawa has won seven of its past nine games, while the Wild have lost five of their past seven. The Senators won in Minnesota for the first time since 2016. With starter Linus Ullmark and backup Anton Forsberg out with injuries, the Senators have been relying on Merilainen and Mads Sogaard since before the NHL holiday break. Frederick Gaudreau opened the scoring for Minnesota late in the first period. Ridly Greig tied it early in the second. Claude Giroux added an empty-netter. STARS 5, BLACKHAWKS 1 CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn each had a goal and two assists, and Dallas beat Chicago. Jason Robertson, Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and an assist for Dallas, which had lost three of four. Jake Oettinger made 24 saves. Chicago dropped its fourth consecutive game. It lost three of four in its season series against Dallas. Connor Bedard scored his 10th goal for the Blackhawks, and Arvid Soderblom made 26 stops. Next up for Bedard and company is the Winter Classic on Tuesday against St. Louis. Dallas grabbed control after Chicago forward Tyler Bertuzzi was ejected 8:11 into the second period. Bertuzzi was sent off for elbowing Stars forward Colin Blackwell in the face.

Over the long-term, some of the best businesses to own have been because of their substantial profit growth and the subsequent share price gains that have spurred. But, many of the ASX's most compelling companies now trade on very high such as ( ) and ( ) which have P/E ratios of well over 100. Where are we supposed to look for cheaper opportunities? I suggest we look at businesses that have compelling futures and plans for growth. The valuation doesn't seem as demanding as the high-profile stocks I've referred to. Below are two stocks I view as appealing. Beacon Lighting Group Ltd ( ) This ASX growth share claims to be Australia's leading retailer and trade supplier of lighting, ceiling fans, and electrical accessories. It has more than 120 Beacon Lighting stores, a wholesale division, and international sales offices in Hong Kong, Germany, and the US. Expanding its store network is one of the easiest ways this company can grow its earnings and underlying value. It currently has 127 stores, and management has identified the potential for 195 stores in Australia, which implies a possible increase of 53% from today's level. The company is also growing its market share in Australia's residential electrical wholesale market. Beacon Lighting is trying to partner with more electricians, builders, architects and interior designers by offering special prices, referral benefits, free lighting design, free delivery and other perks. One of the areas of this ASX growth share I'm most excited about is the international segment because of the large addressable market. Beacon's international division is expanding its offering to new sales channels and customers and attending international lighting fairs in Hong Kong, Dallas, and Frankfurt. The Beacon Lighting share price is valued at 24x FY24's earnings, which I think is a very reasonable P/E ratio for a business that's executing on multiple growth avenues. Webjet Group Ltd ( ) Webjet recently split into two businesses, with the WebBeds business now operating separately as ( ). The Webjet business now includes the online travel agency (OTA) business Webjet, the car and motorhome hire business GoSee and travel product software Trip Ninja. As shown on the chart below, the Webjet share price is down 20% since 27 September 2024 and I think this is a good time to pounce. In Webjet's recent (HY25), the company noted that the Australian economy remains slow and that ongoing cost-of-living pressures are subduing demand for travel, particularly domestic travel. Why am I optimistic about that? When it comes to cyclical businesses like and , I believe the right time to invest is when there's weakness in the sector, the outlook is poor, and share prices are down. I believe Webjet has shown its quality and business intelligence during this period by adjusting its focus to higher revenue margin opportunities, selling more 'ancillaries' to customers, increasing international flight bookings and controlling costs. Webjet OTA's revenue per booking is now higher than before the COVID pandemic. This combination of positives has boosted Webjet's profitability – the HY25 result saw a 1% increase in operating profit ( ) despite an 8% decrease in bookings. I believe that if/when travel demand eventually rebounds, whether that's in 2025 or further away, the ASX growth share's profit could significantly benefit. I'm optimistic both the company's profit margin and the Webjet share price can noticeably improve in the next couple of years, so I'm willing to be patient.KABUL - The Taliban's supreme leader has issued an order banning the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas used by Afghan women and saying that existing ones should be blocked. According to a statement released late Saturday by the Taliban government spokesman, new buildings should not have windows through which it is possible to see "the courtyard, kitchen, neighbour's well and other places usually used by women". "Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts," according to the decree posted by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on social media platform X. Municipal authorities and other relevant departments would have to monitor construction sites to ensure it is not possible to see into neighbours' homes. In the event that such windows exist, owners would be encouraged to build a wall or obstruct the view "to avoid nuisances caused to neighbours", the decree states. Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to denounce the "gender apartheid" the administration has established. Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and blocked access to parks and other public places. A recent law even prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public under the Taliban government's ultra-strict application of Islamic law. It also encourages them to "veil" their voices and bodies outside the home. Some local radio and television stations have also stopped broadcasting female voices. The Taliban administration claims that Islamic law "guarantees" the rights of Afghan men and women.

Ilya Samsonov turned aside 31 shots for his 14th career shutout and Tanner Pearson had a goal and an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Sunday night in Las Vegas. It was Samsonov's first shutout with the Golden Knights and marked his sixth win in his past seven starts. Brett Howden and Victor Olofsson also scored goals and Shea Theodore added two assists for Pacific Division-leading Vegas, which improved to an NHL-best 15-3-0 at home. The Golden Knights also moved into a tie with the Winnipeg Jets for the NHL lead in points with 53. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. As property values continue to outpace inflation, property taxes are taking a bigger bite out of homeowners’ wallets. A new analysis from Construction Coverage breaks down property tax rates by state, county, and city to reveal where homeowners have the greatest burden. Click for more. Where Are U.S. Property Taxes Highest and Lowest? A State, County, and City Analysis

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he will lift his martial law decree, giving in to the parliament’s opposition, just hours after his dramatic move imposing it Tuesday. Yoon said in a televised address early Wednesday that he will “accept the National Assembly’s demand and lift the martial law through a cabinet meeting,” which he said he had called but its members hadn’t yet arrived. He will immediately lift the martial law when they convene, he said. Yoon, 63, stunned the nation, lawmakers and investors earlier by declaring martial law in a high-stakes move he claimed would prevent the opposition from trying to paralyze his administration amid a political rift that is set to deepen markedly. The South Korean leader’s political future will be put to test after his daring move, which caught even his fellow party members and foreign allies like the U.S. by surprise. “I request the National Assembly to immediately stop the reckless acts of paralyzing the functions of the state through repeated impeachments, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation,” Yoon said in his earlier televised address. After Yoon announced he would lift the decree, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its troops that had been mobilized for the martial law declaration have returned to their original posts as of 4:22 a.m., Yonhap reported. No unusual activities have been spotted from North Korea, it added. The move was viewed by analysts as a risky political play that was likely to backfire rather than an attempt to return to military-led regimes of the past. With his own government and party kept in the dark alongside the U.S. and other friendly nations, Yoon created a chaotic moment that left him isolated and even further from controlling the political agenda going forward. Early Wednesday morning, 190 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament unanimously voted to demand the lifting of martial law. The president had said his move was intended to protect freedom and constitutional order, that it wouldn’t have an impact on South Korea’s foreign policy, and that it would help eradicate the influence of North Korean supporters. A proclamation released after the address banned all political activities and strikes and said media would be subject to control of the Martial Law Command. Korean assets were battered during New York trading. The won suffered its sharpest drop since the global financial crisis to hit 1444.65 its lowest in over two years, before paring losses. Samsung Electronics’ London-listed shares fell as much as 7.2% then regained some ground. The finance minister and central bank chief met and promised to provide unlimited liquidity to markets if needed. The Bank of Korea will meet early Wednesday, just a week after a surprise rate cut partly triggered by heightened uncertainty generated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. Adding to the sense of chaos, the nation’s largest union federation called a general strike in defiance of Yoon’s order. The shock announcement to impose martial law for the first time since the democratization of South Korea in 1987 caught even Yoon’s own party off guard. Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, condemned the move and vowed to stop it, in a sign of the president’s increasing isolation and his lack of consultation. The move also surprised the White House, prompting Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell to say that the Biden administration was watching the developments with “grave concern.” Yoon’s abrupt decision came after months of wrangling and deadlock in parliament between the president’s minority government and the main opposition Democratic Party, but with little expectation that the president would take such a drastic step. The opposition has been trying to force its budget proposal through parliament and has submitted an impeachment motion against the chief prosecutor after months of also trying to get Yoon’s wife prosecuted. Adding to the fractious political rift, the DP’s leader has faced multiple court cases and was convicted last month of election-law violations, barring him from running for president if it is finalized. Amid the political standoff, Yoon had vetoed a string of bills passed by parliament and at times angering his own party. His latest act ramped up tensions considerably domestically, while also creating high uncertainty abroad for the outlook of one of the world’s key suppliers of semiconductors and a stalwart U.S. ally in an increasingly complex security environment in Asia. Even though the martial law order lasted less than a day, the political instability it will generate is set to last two or three years, according to Lee Won-Jae, a sociology professor at at Kaist Graduate School of Culture Technology in Daejeon. “Martial law has lost its effect, so from this moment on, all state institutions exercising physical force, including the military and police of the Republic of Korea, are obligated not to follow unlawful or unfair instructions,” Han, the leader of Yoon’s party, said in a Facebook post. Yoon’s moves came at a time of high uncertainty for the nation as its trade-dependent economy faces potential tariffs from Trump’s incoming U.S. administration. Bloomberg Economics estimates that full imposition of tariffs on China, South Korea and other U.S. trading partners could reduce Seoul’s exports to the U.S. by as much as 55%. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to present a security concern as it deepens its ties with Russia, having sent thousands of troops there to help in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s defense minister visited Pyongyang last week in the latest sign of talks between the two countries. Russia may help provide North Korea key technology for its weapons programs including its intercontinental ballistic missiles. “We shouldn’t be fooled — this has nothing at all to do with North Korea and all to do with domestic politics,” said Defense Priorities Fellow Daniel DePetris. China suggested its citizens residing in South Korea keep calm and try to avoid going outdoors for anything non-essential, the country’s embassy said in a post on social media Tuesday night. The embassy also asked Chinese citizens to comply with official orders from the Korean government and “use caution” over sharing political opinions. “The domestic uncertainty adds to the external pressures in recent weeks as the market is starting to price in the rise of higher U.S. tariffs under the new Trump administration,” said Aroop Chatterjee, a strategist at Wells Fargo. “Korea is an open economy sensitive to shifts in global export demand and spillovers from a weaker China.” While it remains to be seen if the short-lived declaration of martial law will have a lasting impact on markets and the economy, Yoon’s high-stakes move is certain to knock confidence in his leadership and his reliability as a bullwark of democracy in a nation with many authoritarian neighbors. “U.S. officials look to South Korea now as a beacon of democracy so for a president to pull a fast one like this is certainly shocking and unprecedented,” said DePetris. Bank of Korea’s monetary board, which unexpectedly cut the key rate last week, will also hold an extraordinary meeting Wednesday morning to discuss steps to shield the economy and markets. “From a near-term policy standpoint, apart from the market disruptions, uncertainty could also arise in the event of cabinet changes,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts Goohoon Kwon and Kamakshya Trivedi wrote in a note Tuesday. (With assistance from Maria Elena Vizcaino.) ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Louisiana lawmakers pass income and corporate tax cuts, raising statewide sales tax to pay for it

Trump stands by controversial defence secretary pick

Charting a path toward overcoming glioblastoma resistance to chemotherapy December 19, 2024 Institute for Basic Science Mutational signatures etched into the cells' genome by an anti-cancer drug called temozolomide (TMZ) uncover an Achilles' heel for TMZ chemotherapy resistance, according to new research. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email In spite of intensive research, glioblastoma remains one of the most lethal types of brain cancer. Temozolomide (TMZ) is used as the front-line medicine in its treatment. While TMZ effectively penetrates the brain and targets tumors, its success depends on the tumor cells attempting to repair the DNA damage caused by the drug. Unfortunately, glioblastomas often evade treatment by inactivating the various DNA repair pathways, making them resistant to TMZ and limiting its effectiveness. In these drug-resistant cancer cells, DNA becomes mutated but does not lead to cell death. The researchers at the Center for Genomic Integrity within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Ulsan, South Korea, in conjunction with the bioinformatics team from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), have uncovered critical insights into the mechanisms behind TMZ resistance. Their work could pave the way for more effective therapies against this devastating cancer. Understanding How TMZ Works -- and Fails TMZ works by introducing DNA damage, specifically a modification called O 6 -methyl guanine ( O 6 -meG), which is a modified DNA base guanine with a methyl group added to the oxygen in position 6. Normally, a cell's mismatch repair (MMR) system attempts to fix the damage, but in the case of O 6 -meG, the mutated base pair can efficiently pair with thymine as with cytosine. This causes the repair process to go awry, creating a vicious cycle of failed repair attempts that ultimately kill the tumor cells. However, if the MMR pathway is disabled, O6-meG no longer triggers this toxic cycle. Instead, it leads to a massive number of cytosine-to-thymine mutations without killing the cells. The tumor with defective MMR becomes 100 times more resistant to TMZ. It is possible to still kill these resistant tumors by administering a very high dose of TMZ. At these high concentrations, TMZ generates another methylated base, 3-methyl adenine (3-meA), which blocks the DNA synthesis in cancer cells. This base is repaired by a different DNA repair pathway, called base excision repair (BER). The first enzyme in the BER pathway, called MPG, excises not the entire nucleotide but only the base part of it, creating an abasic site, which is converted into a single-strand DNA break by another enzyme called APE1, and the gap is then filled and sealed. However, if APE1 is inhibited, glioblastoma cells become highly sensitive to TMZ, even if the MMR pathway is inactive. Thus, APE1 represents the Achilles' heel (i.e., the most vulnerable spot) of tumor chemoresistance. Surprising Insight into Mutations and its Relation to Aging Surprisingly, the IBS researchers found that if the MPG enzyme is inactivated and BER cannot be initiated, the cells remain resistant to TMZ. This is because the replication block can be overcome with the help of a specialized polymerase that can insert adenine in place of the blocking DNA residue. Using the whole genome sequencing, the IBS/UNIST team could detect a mutational "scar" marking the spot where the replication block occurred. The specialized DNA polymerases that come to the rescue when the DNA replication is blocked by 3-meA or any other replication-blocking lesion are aptly called translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerases. They differ from the main replicative enzymes, which synthesize the bulk of DNA, in that they are less precise and can insert mismatched nucleotides, which allows them to bypass the lesion. However, this unique feature can have undesired consequences: TLS polymerases not only bypass the roadblocks on the way of replication, they also introduce errors. The more often the cell has to employ TLS polymerases, the more mutational "scars" accumulate in the genome. One particular TLS polymerase, so-called polymerase zeta, is called to the rescue of the stalled replication forks more often than others. It has its own "mutational signature," that is etched into the genome wherever polymerase zeta is active. IBS researchers discovered that polymerase zeta increases mutational background in TMZ-treated cells. Importantly, apart from contributing to the mutational burden following the TMZ treatment, polymerase zeta was found in this study to also be the main culprit responsible for the mutation accumulation in untreated cells. As organisms age, their cells accumulate mutations. There is a striking correlation between the rate of mutation accumulation and the organism's lifespan, e.g., a short-living mouse accumulates mutations faster than a long-living human. The mutation patterns left behind by polymerase zeta happen to resemble one of the mutational patterns found in aging mammals. This unexpected finding sheds light on one of the potential mechanisms of aging. Charting a Path Forward The IBS researchers used a comprehensive collection of DNA repair mutants to study which genes are required to survive the TMZ treatment. They analyzed TMZ sensitivities of dozens of cell lines, each having one DNA repair gene inactivated. They also sequenced more than 400 genomes of treated and untreated cells to determine what mutations were caused by the DNA repair pathway inactivation, by the TMZ treatment, and by their combination. Bioinformatics analysis of mutations reveals so-called "mutational signatures," which can be caused by the chemical substances, irradiation, and inactivation of DNA repair genes, which frequently occurs in cancer. Computer programs analyze all the mutations found in the genome and extract mutational patterns primarily based on the nucleotides to the left and to the right of the nucleotide substitutions. This study is the first to use a comprehensive approach using a collection of knockouts in the normal and MMR deficient genetic backgrounds and combining cell survival assays with whole genome sequencing. In the course of this research, it became clear that DNA repair pathways underlying drug resistance are redundant, i.e., when one pathway is inactivated, another can serve as a backup. To reveal this redundancy, it is necessary to generate multiple knockouts, sequentially inactivating different pathways, not unlike peeling an onion. As the cell is stripped of its DNA repair defenses, layer by layer, the genomic mutational signatures change, reflecting which mechanisms are activated in response to the drug. One of the findings is that the inactivation of some genes, e.g., FANCD2, further sensitizes the MMR-competent cells to TMZ but doesn't affect the resistance of MMR-deficient cells. On the contrary, knockout of genes involved in BER, such as APE1 and XRCC1 , sensitizes MMR-deficient cells but has very little effect on MMR-proficient ones. The study makes it possible to outline the path to combat TMZ resistance with the DNA repair protein inhibitors. For example, substances inhibiting MPG by themselves are not likely to make the TMZ effect more potent. On another hand, inhibition of APE1 appears to be a very promising approach to combat the build-up of TMZ resistance. As the drugs targeting APE1 are being developed, it will be important to test them for synergistic effects with TMZ. Another potentially promising approach is a combination of APE1 and TLS inhibitors. The IBS/UNIST researchers now plan to focus on identifying TLS polymerases that are relevant for TMZ resistance. The findings of the IBS/UNIST team represent a significant step forward in understanding glioblastoma resistance and offer hope for new, more effective therapies. As the researchers continue to explore the intricate layers of tumor defenses, their work brings us closer to developing treatments that can outsmart even the most stubborn cancers. Story Source: Materials provided by Institute for Basic Science . Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Cite This Page :

Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders moved past Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka on Sunday to set the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in his rookie season and also set the record for most receptions by a rookie, regardless of position. Bowers has 108 receptions to top the mark set last season by Puka Nacua (105) of the Los Angeles Rams. Bowers' yardage stands at 1,144 after having seven receptions for 77 yards in a 25-10 road victory over the New Orleans Saints. Bowers also set a franchise receptions for catches in a season, surpassing Darren Waller (107 in 2020). "It's awesome," Bowers said of the records in a postgame interview on Fox. "You never know what to expect coming up to the next level. It's been everything and more." Bowers' third catch on Sunday -- a 13-yard grab late in the second quarter against the Saints -- pushed his season total to 1,087 yards. Ditka totaled 1,076 receiving yards in 14 games with the Chicago Bears in 1961. Bowers, 22, set the record for receptions by a rookie tight end earlier this season by eclipsing the total of 86 reeled in by Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions in 2023. Bowers was selected by the Raiders with the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite all his catches, he has just four scoring receptions. While with Georgia, Bowers was the first back-to-back winner of the Mackey Award (2022, 2023), which is given to the top tight end in college football. --Field Level MediaPRATTVILLE, Ala. -- A federal judge has ordered an Alabama city to allow an LGBTQ+ pride group to participate in the city's Christmas parade on Friday, after the mayor initially blocked the group from the annual event citing unspecified “safety concerns.” U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled that the City of Prattville violated Prattville Pride's First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law when it banned the group from running a float in the annual Christmas parade one day before the event was set to take place. “The City removed Prattville Pride from the parade based on its belief that certain members of the public who oppose Prattville Pride, and what is stands for, would react in a disruptive way. But discrimination based on a message’s content 'cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment,' ” Huffaker wrote in his opinion. The ruling required the city to provide at least two police officers to escort the float throughout the parade. On Thursday, Prattville Pride requested additional security measures from law enforcement. In response, Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr released a statement banning the group from the parade altogether, citing “serious safety concerns.” Huffaker's ruling said that, leading up to the event, some community members “voiced vehement opposition” to the group's inclusion in the parade, but that “the City has presented no evidence of legitimate, true threats of physical violence.” Gillespie's office referred to a statement posted on the city's social media in response to a request for comment. “The City respects the ruling of the Court and will comply with its order. The safety of everyone involved with the parade is a priority,” city officials said in a statement on social media. Prattville Pride celebrated the ruling on social media. “The Christmas parade is a cherished holiday tradition, and we are excited to celebrate alongside our neighbors and friends in the spirit of love, joy, and unity," the group wrote. Prattville is a small city of about 40,000 people, just north of the capital of Montgomery.President-elect Donald Trump has announced billionaire investment banker Warren A. Stephens as his pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, a decision that sparked mixed reactions on Monday. Stephens, head of the Arkansas-based investment bank Stephens Inc., is a longtime Republican donor. Although initially opposed to Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries, Stephens later supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign through significant contributions to a political action committee. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. This marks another high-profile appointment in Trump’s growing list of nominations ahead of his 20 January inauguration. Stephens follows in the footsteps of Woody Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets, who served as U.S. ambassador to the UK during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021. The choice of Stephens dashed hopes among Jets fans who had wished for Johnson’s return to the diplomatic post. Johnson’s tenure as ambassador was seen as a high point for the franchise, as his absence allowed his brother Christopher Johnson to take over team operations and personnel decisions. The Jets are currently enduring a difficult 3-9 season despite pre-season optimism, fueled by quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ anticipated return to full health and the acquisition of star receiver Davante Adams. The mid-season firing of head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas only deepened fan frustration. While Trump’s choice of Stephens is pending Senate confirmation, Jets fans remain hopeful that Johnson might be appointed to another prominent role in the administration. (Sources: AFP, Fox News)

Heat earns gusty road win over Rockets behind another excellent night from Tyler Herro

Aidan O'Connell threw two touchdown passes, Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals, Ameer Abdullah had the first 100-yard rushing game of his career and the visiting Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 25-10 on Sunday afternoon. Abdullah, playing in the 141st game of his 10-year career, finished with 115 yards on 20 carries. O'Connell completed 20 of 35 passes for 242 yards as the Raiders (4-12) won their second straight after a 10-game losing streak. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. As property values continue to outpace inflation, property taxes are taking a bigger bite out of homeowners’ wallets. A new analysis from Construction Coverage breaks down property tax rates by state, county, and city to reveal where homeowners have the greatest burden. Click for more. Where Are U.S. Property Taxes Highest and Lowest? A State, County, and City Analysis

South Korean authorities seek warrant to detain impeached presidentHOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Key Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron's new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand's tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that "We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company's website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders moved past Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka on Sunday to set the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in his rookie season and also set the record for most receptions by a rookie, regardless of position. Bowers has 108 receptions to top the mark set last season by Puka Nacua (105) of the Los Angeles Rams. Bowers' yardage stands at 1,144 after having seven receptions for 77 yards in a 25-10 road victory over the New Orleans Saints. Bowers also set a franchise receptions for catches in a season, surpassing Darren Waller (107 in 2020). "It's awesome," Bowers said of the records in a postgame interview on Fox. "You never know what to expect coming up to the next level. It's been everything and more." Bowers' third catch on Sunday -- a 13-yard grab late in the second quarter against the Saints -- pushed his season total to 1,087 yards. Ditka totaled 1,076 receiving yards in 14 games with the Chicago Bears in 1961. Bowers, 22, set the record for receptions by a rookie tight end earlier this season by eclipsing the total of 86 reeled in by Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions in 2023. Bowers was selected by the Raiders with the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite all his catches, he has just four scoring receptions. While with Georgia, Bowers was the first back-to-back winner of the Mackey Award (2022, 2023), which is given to the top tight end in college football. --Field Level Media400tmax Introduction: Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) has been targeted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) multiple times over the past few years. Late Wednesday evening, the DOJ decided that Google should be forced to sell off its Chrome browser. This topic Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of GOOG either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

The Rajapaksa governments used labels such as ‘traitor’ and ‘terror sympathiser’ to vilify their political opponents. They effectively created a bogey to rally support for their repressive actions, on the pretext of protecting national security, which they made out to be their raison d’etre . They succeeded in marketing their brand of patriotism to retain their hold on power and go on enriching themselves until they bankrupted the economy, provoking the public into rising against them. Most of those who voted for them became so frustrated in the end that they switched their allegiance to the JVP-led NPP, enabling its mammoth electoral wins. The NPP government has moved to the other extreme. It promptly dubs those who flag potential threats to national security as ‘racists’ and enemies of ethnic reconciliation in a bid to prevent its opponents from criticizing its policies and actions aimed at consolidating its electoral gains in the North and the East. Several persons have already been arrested over what the government calls the dissemination of false information to promote racial disharmony and derail its reconciliation efforts. The CID has gone to the extent of using the much-dreaded Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which the NPP bigwigs condemned during their opposition days, to deal with some social media activists who have highlighted a recent commemoration of slain LTTE members, including Velupillai Prabhakaran. It is a case of using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Thankfully, the draconian police action against the aforesaid suspects has not passed muster with the judiciary. When some of them were arrested and produced in court, recently, Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilana Gamage pointed out that the CID should have taken action against the organisers of the commemorations at issue rather than those who reported on them. The suspects were released on bail. On Thursday, Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake likened such police action to shooting the messenger, when the CID produced in court another person arrested for using social media to highlight the commemoration of dead LTTE members. That suspect was also granted bail. If anyone abuses social media to incite racial hatred and disseminate misinformation to disrupt social order by destabilising ethno-religious relations and instigating violence, he or she must be severely dealt with, according to the law. But that task does not require the invocation of the PTA; there are enough and more other laws that can be used for that purpose. Above all, arrests must not be politically motivated, and the police must not provide their service to the politicians in power as stormtroopers or hunting Mastiffs on the pretext of bringing ‘the enemies of national reconciliation’ to justice. They must desist from making arrests at the behest of politicians. Many police high rankers unashamedly did political work for previous governments so much so that one wondered whether they had sold their souls to the rulers of the day, such as the Rajapaksa brothers, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena. Worryingly, some of those puppets in uniform are occupying key positions in the Police Department and serving the interests of the incumbent government. No wonder they swoop on the critics of their current political masters at the drop of a hat. The Rajapaksas realised that they had failed to fool all the people all the time, only when they had to head for the hills, with angry mobs in close pursuit, after bankrupting the country. Their method of labelling and vilifying their political opponents came with a short sell-by date. It will be a huge mistake for the JVP/NPP leaders not to learn from the dreadful experience of the Rajapaksas. Demonising political rivals is no substitute for effective governance and fulfilling promises.South Korea Industrial Output (YoY) below expectations (0.4%) in November: Actual (0.1%)BEDFORD, Mass. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer robots, today announced that the company's management team will present at the following investor conferences: Raymond James TMT and Consumer Conference Date: Monday, December 9, 2024 Location: New York, NY Presentation: 3:00 p.m. ET ICR Conference 2025 Date: Monday, January 13, 2025 Location: Orlando, FL Presentation: 2:30 p.m. ET 27th Annual Needham Growth Conference Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Location: New York, NY Presentation: 8:45 a.m. ET iRobot Chief Executive Officer Gary Cohen and Chief Financial Officer Karian Wong will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors during the three events. Live webcasts of the presentations will be available on the company's investor relations website, https://investor.irobot.com . Archived versions of the webcasts will be available after the event. For more information, please visit https://investor.irobot.com . About iRobot Corporation iRobot is a global consumer robot company that designs and builds thoughtful robots and intelligent home innovations that make life better. iRobot introduced the first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold more than 50 million robots worldwide. iRobot's product portfolio features technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation. Working from this portfolio, iRobot engineers are building robots and smart home devices to help consumers make their homes easier to maintain and healthier places to live. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/irobot-to-present-at-upcoming-investor-conferences-302321521.html SOURCE iRobot Corporation