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63.jili A deal which could see the Elgin Marbles returned to Greece is “still some distance” away, George Osborne has signalled. The former Tory chancellor, now chairman of the British Museum, suggested Sir Keir Starmer had contributed to a warmer spirit of the negotiations over the famous ancient artworks. Greece has long called for the return of the Marbles, also known as the Parthenon sculptures, and maintains they were illegally removed from Athens’ acropolis during a period of foreign occupation. The British Museum – where they are currently on display – is forbidden by law from giving away any of its artefacts, and the Government has no plans to change the law to permit a permanent move. But under Mr Osborne’s leadership, the museum is negotiating the possibility of a long-term loan of the sculptures, in exchange for rolling exhibitions of famous artworks. No 10 has indicated the Prime Minister is unlikely to stand in the way of such a deal. Speaking on Political Currency, the podcast he hosts alongside former Labour politician Ed Balls, Mr Osborne said the museum was “looking to see if we can come to some arrangement where at some point some of the sculptures are in Athens, where, of course, they were originally sited”. He added: “And in return, Greece lends us some of its treasures, and we made a lot of progress on that, but we’re still some distance from any kind of agreement.” The Greek government has suggested negotiations with the museum have taken a warmer tone since Labour came to power in the summer. Mr Osborne appeared to concur with this view and praised Sir Keir’s hands-off approach, adding: “It is not the same as Rishi Sunak, who refused to see the Greek prime minister, if you remember, he sort of stood him up. “So it seems to me a more sensible and diplomatic way to proceed.” Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek premier, discussed the Elgin Marbles with Sir Keir when they met on Tuesday morning at Downing Street, he said after returning to Athens. Mr Mitsotakis has signalled his government is awaiting developments on the negotiations. A diplomatic spat between the Greek leader and Mr Sunak emerged last year when the then-prime minister refused to meet his counterpart. Mr Mitsotakis had compared splitting the Elgin Marbles from those still in Athens to cutting the Mona Lisa in half. The marble statues came from friezes on the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple and have been displayed at the British Museum for more than 200 years. They were removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Some of the remaining temple statues are on display in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens, and Greece has called for the collections to be reunited.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge took Diego Pavia 's request for a limited preliminary injunction under advisement at the end of a hearing Wednesday as the Vanderbilt quarterback seeks to play at least another season while his lawsuit against the NCAA plays out in court. U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell asked attorneys how quickly they could be ready for trial. He also asked about the upcoming transfer portal, which opens Monday and closes Dec. 28. Attorney Ryan Downton argued during a 2 1/2-hour hearing that Pavia wants “the narrowest injunction possible” to keep his time in junior college from counting against his NCAA Division I eligibility using older guidelines. Their best hope is for a quick ruling by Monday. “I get the sense from him today that he’s looking at the date the portal closes and trying to give enough time to react before it closes,” Downton said of the judge's timing after the hearing. Campbell peppered attorneys with questions. The judge noted prep schools play against junior colleges, including Pavia's, without starting their NCAA eligibility clock. He also noted junior colleges don't allow redshirt seasons. The judge also said the NCAA has changed its rules over the past 50 years, including allowing freshmen to play and later added the redshirt rule. Campbell sounded surprised when told a player who redshirted this season could play a total of nine games if on the team that wins the College Football Playoff. Pavia filed Nov. 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville. His request for a temporary restraining order was denied giving him two more seasons of eligibility allowing a redshirt season “to avoid additional harm.” His lawsuit also asks that Vanderbilt, or any other college, not be punished for complying with orders from the court. Pavia filed a declaration Monday that he is applying to the masters' program for legal studies at Vanderbilt starting in January if he is granted the preliminary injunction. Attorneys Tamarra Matthews Johnson and Max Warren argued for the NCAA that Pavia had done exactly what the organization wants athletes to do earning a bachelor's degree at New Mexico State before being a graduate transfer to Vanderbilt earlier this year. They also argued Pavia easily can seek another degree without playing football. Warren disputed the idea of irreparable damages noting Pavia can receive economic damages at trial without an injunction. Warren also questioned the lawsuit's timing with Pavia quoted that this was his last year of college football. “His best opportunity to earn a living is playing college football ...,” Downton said in court. “This is his chance.” Pavia did not get an offer from a Football Bowl Subdivision school coming out of Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He went to New Mexico Military Institute in 2020 and led the junior college to the 2021 national championship. He went to New Mexico State in 2022 and won 10 games in 2023. The Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year then followed his head coach, Jerry Kill, and offensive coordinator Tim Beck to Vanderbilt this offseason. Matthews Johnson argued that Vanderbilt simply will find another quarterback. Vanderbilt hasn't had many quarterbacks like Pavia who had a handful of his teammates sitting behind him in court. Pavia is a big reason why Vanderbilt is 6-6 and bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. He led the Commodores to their best start in decades, ranked twice in the AP Top 25 and posted their biggest win ever beating then-No. 1 Alabama. That snapped a 60-game winless skid over over AP top-5 teams. Wednesday’s hearing coincided with the early signing period . Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea supported his quarterback’s initial filing and has talked of how much he has meant to the Commodores. That didn’t stop Vanderbilt from signing a quarterback Wednesday out of an Illinois high school in Jack Elliott. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football .Manchester City's struggles continued as Pep Guardiola's side remarkably blew a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to leave the French club in danger of elimination. There were also big wins for Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen, while Inter Milan went top of the standings after five games and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski reached a century of Champions League goals. However, the biggest drama came at the Etihad Stadium, where City were cruising early in the second half with a three-goal advantage as they sought to end a run of five successive defeats in all competitions. Erling Haaland opened the scoring from a penalty just before half-time, and Ilkay Gundogan's deflected shot made it 2-0 in the 50th minute. Haaland struck again to make it 3-0, but Feyenoord's comeback began on 75 minutes when Anis Hadj Moussa took advantage of hapless defending to round goalkeeper Ederson and pull one back. Substitute Santiago Gimenez bundled in to make it 3-2 on 82 minutes and the equaliser arrived a minute from the end. Ederson was again caught out with Igor Paixao going around the goalkeeper and crossing for Slovak international David Hancko to head in. "We concede a lot of goals because we are not stable," complained Guardiola. "We lost a lot of games lately. We are fragile and of course we need a victory." It is the first time that a team has gone into the last 20 minutes of a Champions League game trailing by three goals and still avoided defeat, as the point boosts the Dutch side's hopes of progressing. City are two points outside the top eight places which offer direct qualification for the last 16, while Bayern moved above them by beating PSG 1-0 in Munich. South Korean defender Kim Min-jae scored the only goal seven minutes before half-time, heading in after goalkeeper Matvei Safonov failed to clear a corner. PSG had Ousmane Dembele sent off in the second half and the French champions have just four points, and three goals, from five games. They are a lowly 26th in the 36-team league, a point adrift of the positions which offer a place in the play-off round in February. "We need to win our last three matches, otherwise we risk being eliminated," admitted PSG coach Luis Enrique. Lewandowski notched his 100th goal in the competition with an early penalty in Barcelona's 3-0 home win over French side Brest. Dani Olmo netted midway through the second half before Lewandowski sealed Barca's win at the death, his 101st goal in the Champions League -- only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have scored more. Inter lead the standings with 13 points, a point ahead of Barcelona and Liverpool, after a 1-0 win at home to RB Leipzig which means they are also still yet to concede a goal. Castello Lukeba's own goal made the difference at San Siro, and Leipzig are one of only three teams to have lost five games out of five. Arsenal romped to a 5-1 victory away to Sporting in Lisbon, as the Portuguese side adapt to life without coach Ruben Amorim, who has departed for Manchester United. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes all scored in the first half for Arsenal, before Goncalo Inacio pulled one back shortly after the restart. Bukayo Saka converted a penalty on 65 minutes after Martin Odegaard had been brought down, and Leandro Trossard headed in to seal Arsenal's win late on. Atalanta romped to a 6-1 win over rock-bottom Young Boys in Switzerland, with Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere both scoring braces. Sead Kolasinac and Lazar Samardzic also netted for the Italians, with Silvere Ganvoula getting the hosts' reply. Florian Wirtz struck twice, including a penalty, as Leverkusen crushed Red Bull Salzburg 5-0, with Alejandro Grimaldo scoring a superb free-kick and Patrik Schick and Aleix Garcia also netting. Julian Alvarez and substitute Angel Correa each scored twice and Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann once as Atletico romped to a 6-0 win away to Sparta Prague. Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Tammy Abraham were the scorers in AC Milan's 3-2 win at Slovan Bratislava, whose goals came from Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli. Marko Tolic saw red at the end for Slovan, who are without a point. as/nf

DENVER — So you're the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or ran track. Or dabbled in basketball. Or toyed with any sport, really. Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. It's "America's Got Talent" meets "American Idol," with the stage being the field and the grand prize a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it's never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut. Know this, though — it's not an easy team to make. The men's and women's national team rosters are at "Dream Team" status given the men's side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport's national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent to cultivate. USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far, ranging from Dallas (Sunday) to Chicago (Dec. 14) to Tampa (March 29) to Los Angeles (TBD) and the Boston area (April 27), where it will be held at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The numbers have been through the roof, with engagement on social media platforms increasing by 86% since flag football was announced as an Olympic invitational sport in October 2023. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football research. "We pride ourselves on elevating the gold standard across the sport," said Eric Mayes, the managing director of the high performance and national teams for USA Football. "We want to be the best in the world — and stay the best in the world." Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program. The already soaring profile of American football only figures to be enhanced by an Olympic appearance. Imagine, say, a few familiar faces take the field, too. Perhaps even NFL stars such as Tyreek Hill or Patrick Mahomes, maybe even past pro football greats donning a flag belt for a country to which they may have ties. Soon after flag football's inclusion, there was chatter of NFL players possibly joining in on the fun. Of course, there are logistical issues to tackle before their inclusion at the LA Olympics, which open July 14, 2028. Among them, training camp, because the Olympics will be right in the middle of it. The big question is this: Will owners permit high-priced players to duck out for a gold-medal pursuit? No decisions have yet been made on the status of NFL players for the Olympics. For now, it's simply about growing the game. There are currently 13 states that sanction girls flag football as a high school varsity sport. Just recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles helped pave the way to get it adopted in Pennsylvania. Around the world, it's catching on, too. The women's team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores. "Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That's something to aspire to," said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL's vice president of flag football. This type of flag football though, isn't your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There's a learning curve. And given the small roster sizes, versatility is essential. Most national team members need to be a version of Colorado's two-way standout and Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter. Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there's no contact. None. That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017. "If a receiver is running around, I'm thinking, 'OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,'" Daniels explained. "They're like, 'No, you can't.' I'm just like, 'So I'm supposed to let this guy just run?!' I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn." The competition for an Olympic roster spot is going to be fierce because only 10 players are expected to make a squad. The best 10 will earn it, too, as credentials such as college All-American or NFL All-Pro take a backseat. "I would actually love" seeing NFL players try out, said Daniels, who's also a personal trainer in Miami. "I'm not going to let you just waltz in here, thinking, 'I played NFL football for five years. I'm popular. I have a huge name.' I'm still better than you and I'm going to prove it — until you prove otherwise." Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries to reach for a hug. It's his way of working on avoiding a "defender" trying to snare the flag. That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles. "You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the 'Redeem Team' led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you're always thinking, 'That's insane.' Obviously, you couldn't do it in your sport, because I played football," said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area. "With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on." It's a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now. "Everybody thinks, 'Yeah, the U.S. just wins,'" Daniels said. "But we work hard all the time. We don't just walk in. We don't just get off the bus thinking, 'We're going to beat people.'" Get local news delivered to your inbox!Is a liberal arts degree useless if you want to succeed in life? Not at all.

EMMA PATON stole the show at Alexandra Palace as the World Darts Championship returned from its Christmas break. The Sky Sports presenter was front and centre of the pre-tournament advertising, including one hilarious "marriage proposal gone wrong" skit made by Paddy Power. And her popularity among darts fans has certainly not diminished during the tournament. Paton , 30, was seen back on TV screens in a dazzling black dress which came with some glistening silver flowers. Taking to social media, fans were loving the look. One fan said: "Emma Paton. Deary me." A second said: "Emma Paton back on the telly today happy days." A third added: "Looking absolutely gorgeous!!" Another said: "Is Emma Paton the best presenter on the old box atm??" Today's darts action has seen Damon Heta hit the tournament's second nine-darter en route to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Luke Woodhouse. Jonny Clayton and Stephen Bunting also won in their respective games against Daryl Gurney and Madars Razma. The evening session see Gerwyn Price taking on Joe Cullen, with Peter Wright and Luke Humphries both in action later as well. Paton made the move into presenting in 2019. In an exclusive interview with SunSport earlier this year, Paton revealed some of the difficulties of working in front of a raucous darts crowd. She said: "It is really loud. There are some occasions when it’s just a wall of noise. "There are times when I actually can’t hear what Wayne Mardle , Mark Webster or John Part are saying. I can’t even hear the director in my ear. "I just have to hope we are on the same page for running order and not too much has changed. "Working with Wayne has helped me, he is someone who has always backs me. He’s one of those people who wants people around him to succeed. "He’s like the Gary Neville of Sky Sports Darts. He’s so engaging and his analysis is second to none and his stories are ridiculous!" READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza... All the info: News, features and interviews:

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BOSTON (AP) — UConn coach Jim Mora pulled a move that would make Bill Belichick proud while preparing the Huskies to play the notoriously churlish former New England Patriot's next team in his old backyard. Mora and his players were more than 45 minutes late for what was scheduled as a 30-minute media availability a day before Saturday's Fenway Bowl against North Carolina. Mora then gave a non-apology straight out of Belichick’s playbook. “We practice at a certain time the day before a game,” Mora said. “And we stuck to the script.” A six-time Super Bowl winner in New England with Tom Brady, Belichick was fired after going 4-13 in 2023, leaving him just 14 wins short of matching Don Shula’s all-time record for NFL victories. Unable to land a pro job at the age of 72, Belichick signed on with North Carolina — his first college gig — when they fired 73-year-old Mack Brown. Belichick hasn’t taken over on the Tar Heels' sideline yet; interim coach Freddie Kitchens — another ex-Cleveland Browns coach — will lead them in the Fenway Bowl. But the future Hall of Famer's potential return to a football field in Boston has been the biggest story ahead of Saturday’s game. Belichick did not attend media day, and Fenway Bowl executive director Brett Miller tried to preempt questions about him by asking reporters “to keep questions focusing on the players and coaches out here today.” “I don’t need to beat around the bush any more than that,” he said in comments that would have been cryptic if it weren’t so obvious to everyone who he meant. “I know there’s probably a lot of questions that you guys have about next year, particularly one side. Please do your best to keep it to these guys, because they’ve earned the right to be here.” The request wasn’t completely successful, with Kitchens taking a question about Belichick specifically and saying he talks to his new boss every day. Earlier this month, Kitchens said: “He asks questions; I answer the questions.” “I’m going to try to soak in all I can from him, and be a better coach because of it,” Kitchens said after Belichick was hired. “I love Carolina, I want what’s best for Carolina, and I know that right now at this moment in time, coach Belichick is what’s best for Carolina. “At the end of the day, he’s a ballcoach,” he said, “and I enjoy working for ballcoaches.” Mora also brushed off a question about whether the next Carolina coach would have any impact on Saturday's game. “It's irrelevant to us," said Mora, who was 0-1 against Belichick in four seasons as an NFL head coach. "We can't control the emotions of our opponents. And as far as I know, coach Belichick will not be taking the football field on Saturday, so it's not relevant to this football team in our preparation. North Carolina (6-6) will be playing in a bowl for the sixth straight year – the second-longest streak in program history. The Tar Heels climbed from back-to-back nine-loss seasons in the final years of Larry Fedora to reach into The Associated Top 25 in each of the previous four seasons under Brown, who also coached them from 1988-97 in one of the most successful eras of Carolina football history. After starting out 3-0 this year, the Tar Heels lost four straight — including a 70-50 loss to Sun Belt Conference team James Madison. They won three more to gain bowl eligibility before a loss to Boston College that sealed Brown's fate, and a season-ending loss to rival NC State. UConn is playing in its second bowl game in three seasons under Jim Mora, bouncing back from last year’s 3-9 record to post its first eight-win season since Randy Edsall took the Huskies to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010. An independent, UConn won all of its games against the non-Power 4 conferences and lost to Syracuse, Wake Forest and Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Maryland of the Big Ten. Miller said the bowl, which has struggled to find traction in a city more focused on the success of its professional sports teams, sold more tickets this year than in its first two. The Belichick angle is certainly part of that, but the game has also had some good success picking teams, hosting Louisville in 2022 -- the year before the Cardinals climbed into The Associated Press Top 10 – and then SMU last year, one season before the Mustangs made the College Football Playoff. “Could one of these teams be next,” Miller said. “We’ll see.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

COPS have launched an urgent hunt for an 11-year-old schoolboy who "sexually assaulted" a woman in broad daylight. Detectives said that the pre-teenager approached the woman in Woodford, Northants, at around 12 noon on December 17. Northamptonshire Police said the 11-year-old then touched her inappropriately before fleeing. The young boy, wearing blue jeans and a black bomber jacket, was today being hunted by cops following the incident. The force urged eyewitnesses or anyone with information to get in touch immediately. A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said today: "Police officers are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in Woodford. "The incident happened on Tuesday, December 17, between 12pm and 12.30pm, when a boy approached a woman and touched her inappropriately. "The suspect is described as a white boy, aged 11 to 12 years, with short, light brown hair and wearing a black bomber jacket and blue jeans. "He walked away in the direction of Mill Road. "Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101." Most read in The Sun FILTHY FLOOD Major Scots motorway closed after road flooded by raw SEWAGE TOUGH CALLS Former top refs issue strong verdicts on Celtic-Motherwell penalty flash points HAD HIS PHIL Inside Philippe Clement's dressing room rant as Rangers flopped at St Mirren SNOW END Exact date snow storms to hit Scotland as weather map reveals Arctic freeze on way 1 Cops are hunting for an 11-year-old boy (stock) Credit: Getty(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done! Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Why Luke Lango sees stocks rising in December ... China bans exports to the U.S. of a key rare earth metal ... pricing challenges at MCD ... ADP jobs data ... and Apple partners with Coinbase It was a blistering November for stocks. The S&P 500 rose 5.73% and the Dow jumped 7.54%, marking their best monthly performance of 2024. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq climbed 6.21% for its largest gain since May. Where does the market go next? According to our tech expert Luke Lango, the answer is “even higher.” Let’s quickly tour through his four reasons, the first of which is “bullish seasonality.” From Luke: Since 1950, the stock market has risen about 80% of the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year. And for the past five years, the market rallied from Dec. 2 into the end of the year all but once. The second is “a dovish Fed”: The Federal Reserve will likely play the part of Santa, not the Grinch, later this month... It is widely expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points at that upcoming meeting. But more important than the actual rate-cut decision will be Fed Board Chair Jerome Powell’s tone in the post-meeting press conference... [We think he will sound] dovish and signal that the cuts will keep coming. Third, Luke points toward “robust consumer spending”: It looks like this holiday shopping season will be quite a strong one. According to data from Mastercard ( MA ), Adobe Analytics, and Salesforce ( CRM ), the 2024 holiday shopping season is off to a record start... By some metrics, we’re looking at potentially the best holiday shopping season since Covid emerged more than four years ago. Finally, Luke highlights “falling inflation:” Reinflation fears have, in our view, been the one obstacle holding the market back in recent weeks – and rightfully so. For a while there, real-time measures of inflation had been reheating... But [Truflation’s U.S. Inflation Index] has slid to 2.7% over the past two weeks. This seems to suggest that the recent bout of reinflation has at least temporarily stalled. Put it altogether and Luke believes we’re in for a strong Santa Rally to end the year. This comes after what was an extraordinary November for Luke’s Innovation Investor subscribers. They locked in the following profits: We’re thrilled to highlight these wins for subscribers and couldn’t be prouder of Luke . Better still, if he’s right, more profits are on the way as we round out the year. Yesterday brought news that China has tightened its grip on two obscure yet indispensable elements that are cornerstones for next-gen technologies. Here’s Bloomberg with more: China ratcheted up trade tensions with the US with a ban on several materials with high-tech and military applications, in a tit-for-tat move after President Joe Biden’s government escalated technology curbs on Beijing. Gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials are no longer allowed to be shipped to America, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday. Beijing will also place tighter controls on sales of graphite, it added. This is important because these elements have a wide range of applications – from semiconductors, to satellites, to night-vision goggles, and beyond. Here’s a graphic illustrating how many industries rely on gallium. If you can’t see/read it, the takeaway is basically “all things tech.” After news broke yesterday, western-based rare-earth materials companies popped. For example, Las Vegas-based Mp Materials Corp ( MP ) shot up 11%, Canadian-based Ucore Rare Metals added 23%, and tiny Texas Mineral Resources Corp erupted 34% (and it’s up another 15% as I write Wednesday). This could serve as a preview of what’s on the way if Trump ratchets up the trade war with China. It risks putting upward pressure on inflation for related tech products in 2025 – a dynamic we’ve been warning about repeatedly here in the Digest . We’ll keep you updated as this story unfolds. In the wake of the pandemic and supply chain problems, McDonald’s raised prices as its input costs soared. You may recall last May when the president of McDonald’s U.S. business, Joe Erlinger penned an open letter, explaining why the average price of a Big Mac in the U.S. is 21% higher than in 2019. He pointed toward the company’s own higher costs. The problem is that these higher prices (which protected McDonald’s profit margins) have made the fast-food giant no longer affordable for a huge percentage of Americans. From Bloomberg : After decades of stagnant wages, depleted pandemic savings and the highest inflation since the disco era, many Americans are broke. So much so that in February, McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski told investors that fewer “low-income consumers,” by which he means households earning $45,000 a year or less, are showing up for meals at McDonald’s. According to the latest Census Bureau data, roughly 28% of US households earn less than $45,000 a year. This translates into roughly 90 million Americans. Now, so far, this hasn’t made a dent in McDonald’s overall profitability. But at some point, the fast-food icon will have trouble passing along inflationary cost increases to protect its margins without kneecapping revenues. Back to Bloomberg : [If inflation rises], someone will have to pick up the tab. Companies shouldn’t assume it will be consumers, as McDonald’s has discovered... What is clear is that McDonald’s can no longer serve the broad public, as it always has, without absorbing some of the cost because a substantial portion of its customers have reached their spending limit. It’s a balance that many U.S. executives may have to navigate in 2025: Do you raise prices to protect margins, while risking raising them too high, resulting in fewer customers... or do you eat some of your higher input costs to keep customers happy, which means lower profit margins? At the end of the day, which will have the greatest positive impact on overall profitability? Keep in mind that analysts are projecting calendar year 2025 earnings growth of 15% and revenue growth of 5.7% for the S&P. That’s a lot. For context, for 2024, analysts project earnings growth of 12% and revenue growth of 4.7%. This is happening as the labor market tightens up, which could mean even tighter purse strings for some Americans, which brings us to our next story... ADP released its latest private payrolls report showing that U.S. businesses added 146,000 jobs on the month. That was shy of the downwardly revised 184,000 in October and less than the Dow Jones estimate for 163,000. In positive news, wage growth accelerated by 4.8%, which was faster than October’s increase. Here’s ADP’s chief economist, Nela Richardson: While overall growth for the month was healthy, industry performance was mixed. Manufacturing was the weakest we’ve seen since spring. Financial services and leisure and hospitality were also soft. The more closely watched labor report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics comes out Friday. You’ll recall that its October release showed an increase of just 12,000 jobs. This was artificially lowered by the Boeing strike and hurricanes in the south. The estimate for November is 214,000 jobs. You can be sure the Fed will be watching closely as it tries to thread the needle between maintaining a healthy labor market and taming inflation. In what marks a momentous step into the mainstream, Apple announced that it’s partnering with crypto platform Coinbase to enable crypto purchases through Apple Pay in third-party apps. From CEO Today : The integration is part of Coinbase Onramp—a service designed to streamline the conversion of traditional currencies, such as USD, into digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The move signifies a turning point for the cryptocurrency ecosystem, as two major tech and financial players join forces to simplify the notoriously complex process of acquiring digital currencies. By leveraging Apple Pay’s widespread adoption and Coinbase’s crypto expertise, this partnership could redefine how consumers and developers interact with cryptocurrencies. Here’s more from Coinbase’s CEO, Brian Armstrong: This partnership is a game-changer. It eliminates many of the barriers that have kept average consumers from exploring cryptocurrencies. By integrating with Apple Pay, we’re bringing crypto to the fingertips of millions of users. We continue to be bullish on Bitcoin and the emerging “altcoin season.” If you missed yesterday’s Digest on altcoins, click here to catch it . Bottom line: We believe a tremendous amount of wealth will be made in the crypto sector in 2025. This latest news from Apple and Coinbase only adds to that conviction. We’ll end today by circling back to Luke’s bullishness at the start of the issue. Yes, there are reasons to maintain caution today, and we’ll continue highlighting them so that you’re not caught off-guard as we move into 2025. But we’re in a money-making market. So, until bullish momentum turns, stay invested. While it may or may not be a white Christmas, from the looks of it, it’ll be plenty green. Have a good evening, Jeff Remsburg

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Keir Starmer holds secret talks with union boss amid growing backlash to Labour's controversial inheritance tax raid on farmers By JASON GROVES POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 17:30 EST, 26 November 2024 | Updated: 17:54 EST, 26 November 2024 e-mail View comments Keir Starmer has held secret talks with farming leaders about the impact of the government’s ‘family farms tax’ - triggering speculation he is clearing the way for a climb down. Downing Street yesterday confirmed that the Prime Minister held private talks with NFU president Tom Bradshaw on Monday. No 10 said the government remained determined to press ahead with the controversial Budget move to slash inheritance tax relief for farms, which has triggered fury in rural communities. But Mr Bradshaw said he had emerged hopeful of action to soften the impact, saying the PM had been ‘very much in listening mode’. He said he had explained to Sir Keir the ‘very real human impact, the viability of family farms and the low returns from producing the country’s food’. He added: ‘The PM engaged with us and I really hope this marks a moment where we can move forward and reach an outcome that works for everyone.’ No 10 had previously indicated that Sir Keir had no plans to meet with farming leaders, saying that Environment Secretary Steve Reed was handling the issue. But Downing Street last night confirmed that he had held an undisclosed meeting with Mr Bradshaw following last week’s protest by thousands of farmers in London . Downing Street last night confirmed that Starmer had held an undisclosed meeting with Mr Bradshaw following last week’s protest by thousands of farmers in London (pictured) The two men discussed food security, trade, and other issues affecting farmers but No10 insisted the government will not back down on the inheritance tax (pictured: Keir Starmer) A spokesman described the talks as ‘constructive’, adding: ‘They had a wide-ranging conversation in which the Prime Minister recognised the strength of feeling about the changes to agricultural property relief set out in the Budget and listened to the NFU’s concerns.’ Read More Labour's inheritance tax raid on farmers 'will spell the death of farm shops' The two men also discussed food security, trade, and other issues affecting farmers. No 10 insisted that the government will not back down on the inheritance tax change, which the Treasury hopes will generate £500 million. ‘We are not considering mitigation for the policy,’ the spokesman said. ‘We are fully committed to implementing it as set out.’ However, ministers are under mounting pressure to soften the policy, or scrap it altogether. The government claims that the ‘vast majority’ of farms will not be affected by the introduction of inheritance tax on agricultural land worth more than £1 million. From 2026, farming families will pay inheritance tax at 20 per cent above this threshold. But critics have warned that the government’s estimates include many small hobby farms. A new analysis by the National Farmers’ Union found that three-quarters of commercial family farms are likely to be hit with huge tax bills which could force them to sell off land. It added: ‘Put simply, the majority of farms don’t earn enough money to pay the potential Inheritance Tax Bill without selling off some of their land or business, which in turn makes the farm business unviable.’ NFU president Tom Bradshaw (pictured) said he had emerged hopeful of action to soften the impact, saying the PM had been ‘very much in listening mode’ The government claims that the ‘vast majority’ of farms will not be affected by the introduction of inheritance tax on agricultural land worth more than £1 million (pictured: The farmers rally on November 19 outside Westminster) The Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted this week that the sudden change meant some farmers would be unable to use normal tax planning to avoid the charge, as assets can only be passed on free of inheritance tax if the gift occurs at least seven years before death. The think tank suggested ministers should consider allowing farmers a one-off exemption to pass on assets. The Treasury has denied persistent reports that it is working on options to defuse the row. Share or comment on this article: Keir Starmer holds secret talks with union boss amid growing backlash to Labour's controversial inheritance tax raid on farmers e-mail Add commentDENVER — The touchstone wore diamonds and spun gold. Shedeur Sanders, the greatest pure passer to ever run behind Ralphie, takes a Colorado snap for the last time Saturday night. Flex your watches accordingly. “I don’t see how you don’t consider him the best QB that ever played at CU outside of Darian Hagan, because (Hagan) got the national championship,” former Buffs QB Steven Montez, no slouch himself, told me recently when the conversation shifted to Shedeur. “I feel that Hagan having won the national championship, he’ll probably always be No. 1 in my mind. “And then after that, there are some other names in there. Kordell Stewart is someone I think about when I think of all-time (best). But don’t get me wrong, Shedeur is absolutely up there.” The son of CU coach Deion Sanders split the difference between John Elway and Harry Houdini, a dash of Patrick Mahomes with a pinch of Harry Potter. You’ll miss the way he painted the corners like Greg Maddux. The way he made third-and-forevers look like layups, a skill you took for granted — until a Buffs bye week, when 99.8% of Sanders’ peers tripped all over themselves trying to do the same. He was bruised. He was beaten. He was unbowed. Shedeur’s only weakness was occasionally playing the hero for a second or two too long. The only assured way to beat him was to take the rock, run it and hog it until the clock mercifully ran out. Any time was too much time. “Yeah,” Stewart, another Buffs giant, told me earlier this fall, chuckling like a proud uncle. “I’ve got some company.” Julian Lewis, CU’s key high school get from the Class of ’25 and one of the best prep QBs in the country, has been practicing with the Buffs during their Alamo prep, a taster for what’s to come. Like Sanders, he’s been raised for massive moments and big stages. But fair or not, every Buffs signal-caller from now on will feel the shadow of No. 12 looming. Starting with Ju Ju. Shedeur would’ve completed that. Shedeur would’ve seen the rusher. Shedeur would’ve kept the play alive. Shedeur would’ve scored. The younger Sanders is one passing touchdown at the 2024 Alamo Bowl away from tying Montez and Cody Hawkins for CU’s lifetime record of 63 scores. Hawkins did it in 45 games; Montez in 47. Sanders is about to do it in 24. “I will say this: (Shedeur) has shown how resilient he is, considering some of the things I’ve heard him speak on,” Stewart continued. “Shedeur has proven himself to be a top-notch quarterback. If not the best, one of the best two or three quarterbacks in all of college football. And, of course, it’s about winning, right? ... When you win, it makes all of what he’s doing right now to be more worthy. (It helps him) to be recognized, respected, appreciated and most importantly, identified as one of the top quarterbacks in this (draft) that’s coming up.” The Giants (2-13) need Shedeur. The Raiders (3-12) covet him. He’ll be long gone by the seventh pick in the 2025 NFL draft, another CU first. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only five Buffs players have been drafted to play QB at the next level. Koy Detmer was the last, in 1997, and he waited until the seventh round. Stewart, a second-round pick tapped by Pittsburgh with pick No. 60 in 1995, was the highest. “He’s just so cool and calm in that pocket,” Montez gushed. “And when he steps up, it’s trouble for the defense because somebody’s running open downfield. You get Travis (Hunter) or Jimmy Horn Jr. the ball, no matter where you’re at on the field, they’ve got a chance to go all the way. It looks really easy for him.” The impossible looked routine. You’ll miss that, too. Legends, like diamonds, are forever. ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.