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Asia-Pacific markets are set to open lower on the second last day of the year, tracking Wall Street's declines on Friday. Asia-Pacific markets were set to open lower on the penultimate trading day of this year, after Wall Street declined on Friday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.3% lower in its first hour of trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 futures pointed to a weaker open for the market, with the futures contract in Chicago at 40,210 compared to the index's previous close of 40,281.16. This week, traders await China's manufacturing PMI on Tuesday, while markets will be closed on Wednesday for New Year's Day holiday. U.S. stocks fell Friday, led by technology names, but major indexes still rose for the week. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 333.59 points, or 0.77%, to 42,992.21, falling for the first time in six sessions. The S&P 500 fell 1.11% to 5,970.84. The Nasdaq Composite slid 1.49% to 19,722.03, as Tesla dropped about 5% and Nvidia fell 2%. —CNBC's Yun Li and Pia Singh contributed to this report.bet 999 。

Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. It was 9:36 a.m. People began showing up almost immediately. Washington Square Park is a known spot for chess in New York — Bobby Fischer among others have famously played there, and it's been a spot used for multiple movie scenes featuring the game. Wembanyama was there for an hour in the rain, from about 10-11 a.m. He played four games, winning two and losing two before departing to catch the Spurs' flight. Wembanyama had been trying to get somewhere to play chess for the bulk of the team's time in New York — the Spurs played the Knicks on Christmas and won at Brooklyn on Friday night. The schedule never aligned, until Saturday morning. And even with bad weather, he bundled up to make it happen. He posed for photos with a couple of dozen people who showed up, braving a morning of cold rain to play chess with one of the NBA's biggest stars. “We need an NBA players only Chess tournament, proceeds go to the charity of choice of the winner,” he wrote on social media after his chess trip was over. Wembanyama is averaging 25.2 points and 10.1 rebounds this season, his second in the NBA after winning rookie of the year last season. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBAWASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill passed the House by a vote of 281-140 and will next move to the Senate, where lawmakers had sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay has failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. “No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “This bill goes a long way to fixing that.” The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation’s borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a “tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. “We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it,” Wicker said. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. “These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives,” Smith said. “And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar servicemembers' children from having access to that.” Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted upon the ban and said the provision “taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation.” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, “I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates.” Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, “and yet, here it is in this bill.” Branden Marty, a Navy veteran who served for 13 years, said the loss of health coverage for transgender medical treatments could prompt some with valuable experience to leave the military, affecting national security because “we already struggle from a recruiting and retention standpoint.” He also said the bill could regularly force service members into difficult choices financially. “It will be tough for a lot of them because of out-of-pocket expenses, especially enlisted members who we know already struggle with food insecurity,” said Marty, the father of a transgender teenager. “They don’t get paid very much, so they’re going to be making a lot of choices on a day-to-day, tactical level.” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team was not telling Democrats how to vote on the bill. “There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well,” Jeffries said. Overall, 81 Democrats ended up voting for the bill and 124 against it. On the Republican side, 200 voted for the bill and 16 against. “It’s disappointing to see 124 of my Democrat colleagues vote against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission,” Johnson said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration had requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.

Homeland Security shares new details of mysterious drone flights over New Jersey, lawmaker says A New Jersey lawmaker from part of the state where several mysterious drones have been spotted in recent week says the devices appear to avoid detection by traditional methods. Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia was among state officials who met Wednesday with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security. She says lawmakers were told the drones have dodged detection by helicopters and radio. Fantasia says DHS described the devices as up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights off. The Morris County Republican made the comments in a post on X shortly after she and several other state and local lawmakers met with state police and Homeland Security officials. Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell as he's named Time's Person of the Year NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange for the first time and be named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Thursday's events will be a notable moment of twin recognitions for Trump, a born-and-bred New Yorker who has long seen praise from the business world and media as a sign of success. Four people with knowledge of his plans told The Associated Press that Trump was expected to be on Wall Street on Thursday to mark the ceremonial start of the day's trading, while a person familiar with the selection confirmed that Trump had been selected as Time's Person of the Year. Rape allegation against Jay-Z won’t impact NFL's relationship with music mogul, Goodell says IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says a rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z won’t impact the NFL's relationship with the music mogul. Jay-Z's company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL’s entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show. A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 amended the lawsuit Sunday to include an allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault. Jay-Z says the rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago. Ohio politician proposes make flag planting a felony after fight in Michigan rivalry game An Ohio politician has seen enough flag planting. Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. A fight ensued and police had to use pepper spray to disperse the players. Former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield famously planted a flag in the middle of the field at Ohio State after the Sooners beat the Buckeyes in 2017. Gastineau confronts Favre in documentary for his 'dive' on Strahan's record-breaking sack Former New York Jets star Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre last year at a memorabilia show and angrily accused the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback of deliberately going down on a record-breaking sack. The tense exchange is shown in the new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The New York Sack Exchange." It chronicles the Jets’ fearsome foursome defensive line of the 1980s that included Gastineau. Gastineau set an NFL record with 22 sacks in 1984, but Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan broke the mark when he sacked Favre in 2002 in a game between the Giants and Packers. Many have accused Favre of purposely taking the sack so Strahan could set the single-season record with 22 1/2. What happens next with Alex Jones' Infowars? No certainty yet after sale to The Onion is rejected Lawyers in the Alex Jones bankruptcy case are now in discussions on what could happen next after a federal judge in Texas rejected the auction sale of Jones’ Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet. The next steps remained unclear Wednesday as the judge ordered the trustee who oversaw the auction to come up with a new plan. Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston rejected the bid late Tuesday, saying there was too much confusion about The Onion’s bid. The bankruptcy case was in the wake of the nearly $1.5 billion that courts have ordered Jones to pay for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut a hoax. Sandy Hook families had backed The Onion’s bid. NFL and Nike extend their partnership with a 10-year deal, will focus on growing the sport globally IRVING, Texas (AP) — The NFL’s desire to become a global powerhouse is no secret. Nike is committed to helping the league continue expanding its worldwide reach. The league and the apparel giant announced Wednesday a 10-year partnership extension. The NFL and Nike will focus on working together to grow the game’s global reach, increase participation, develop new talent, and expand the football fan base. Nike, the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, has been the NFL’s exclusive provider of uniforms and sideline, practice and base layer apparel for all 32 NFL teams for 12 years. George Kresge Jr., who wowed talk show audiences as the The Amazing Kreskin, dies at age 89 NEW YORK (AP) — George Joseph Kresge Jr., otherwise known to TV watchers as the mesmerizing entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, has died at age 89. Kreskin’s friend and former road manager, Ryan Galway, says he died Tuesday at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Kreskin launched his television career in the 1960s and remained popular for decades, appearing with everyone from Merv Griffin to Johnny Carson to Jimmy Fallon. Fans would welcome, if not entirely figure out, his favorite mind tricks — whether correctly guessing a playing card chosen at random, or, most famously, divining where his paycheck had been planted among the audience. He also hosted a show in the 1970s, gave live performances and wrote numerous books. Albertsons sues Kroger for failing to win approval of their proposed supermarket merger Kroger and Albertsons’ plan for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history has crumbled. The two companies have accused each other of not doing enough to push their proposed alliance through, and Albertsons pulled out of the $24.6 billion deal on Wednesday. The bitter breakup came the day after a federal judge in Oregon and a state judge in Washington issued injunctions to block the merger, saying that combining the two grocery chains could reduce competition and harm consumers. Albertsons is now suing Kroger, seeking a $600 million termination fee, as well as billions of dollars in legal fees and lost shareholder value. Kroger says the legal claims are “baseless.” Keynote Selena Gomez spotlights prioritizing mental health during Academy Women's Luncheon LOS ANGELES (AP) — While surveying a room packed with Hollywood’s most influential figures, “Emilia Pérez” star Selena Gomez took center stage at the Academy Women’s Luncheon to spotlight a critical issue: Prioritizing mental health and supporting underserved communities often left behind in the conversation. The singer-actor has been public about her mental health struggles, revealing she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Gomez was the keynote speaker Tuesday at the event held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with attendees including Ariana Grande, Olivia Wilde, Amy Adams, Pamela Anderson, Rita Wilson, Ava DuVernay and Awkwafina.Rams offense is humming with good health, and it gave a stellar performance to upset BuffaloWASHINGTON , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Nicola Fox , associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, will travel to Mexico City on Sunday, Nov. 24 , for a multi-day trip to build on previous engagements and advance scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and Mexico . This visit will focus on fostering partnerships in astronomy and astrophysics research, as well as highlighting opportunities for economic, educational, and science, technology, engineering, and math collaborations between the two nations. Melroy's trip will include high-level meetings with senior Mexican government officials, including the secretariat-designate for Science, Technology, Humanities, and Innovation. Melroy and Fox also will meet with leaders from academia, industry, and scientific institutions. These discussions will emphasize expanding cooperation in space science, with particular focus on Mexico's growing astronomy programs. This visit builds on Melroy's trip to Mexico City earlier this year and reflects NASA's commitment to advancing international cooperation in space and science for the benefit of all. For more information about NASA's international partnerships, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/oiir View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-leadership-to-visit-strengthen-cooperation-with-mexico-302314627.html SOURCE NASA

Nov. 22—A 19-year-old man from Minneapolis, Minn., is accused of third-degree sexual abuse that police allege took place in Newton. Xian M. Wanjala has since been arrested and charged for the alleged assault, which is a Class C felony in Iowa and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. According to the criminal complaint against Wanjala, the police department received a report from the victim on July 25 that she was sexually assaulted in her home by an unknown male she knew as "Z." She had met Wanjala on social media and invited him to her home. He spent the night on July 24. By the next morning, the victim said Wanjala forcibly removed her pants and laid on top of her. She told him to stop and that she did not want to have sex with him. After the sexual assault, the victim contacted a family member by phone to seek advice on what to do. Wanjala was still in the home when she called. The family member told the victim to call the police, but Wanjala was able to hear the conversation and ended the call by physically assaulting the victim. She told police that Wanjala choked her by placing his hand around her neck. During the struggle she was pushed into a wall light switch. Call history of the victim was consistent with her statement to police, and it showed she did call her family member and then 911 afterward. She said Wanjala fled by vehicle after the physical assault. She was able to provide police with a photo of his license plate and a photo of him from his social media profile. Newton Police Department spoke with the family member who was on the phone at the time of the physical assault. The relative told police the victim's voice was scared and shaky, and that she told them she was sexually assaulted. The family member also confirmed the phone call was interrupted and ended abruptly. When officers inspected the room in which the assaults occurred, they found a light switch was broken and damaged. The victim also had a handprint-shaped bruise to her neck. Police found the license plate was registered to Wanjala. His driver's license photo matched the photo of him from social media. Officers interviewed Wanjala by phone. He confirmed he was in Newton on or about the day the alleged assaults took place. He also confirmed he met with the victim, but he claimed their sex was consensual. He denied any injuries occurred during his time with the victim. Wanjala was arrested at the Polk County Jail and was transported to the Jasper County Jail by an officer by the Newton Police Department. (c)2024 the Newton Daily News (Newton, Iowa) Visit the Newton Daily News (Newton, Iowa) at www.newtondailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

ROME (AP) — Romelu Lukaku scored against his former club and Napoli beat struggling Roma 1-0 on Sunday to reclaim the Serie A lead and spoil Claudio Ranieri’s debut with the Giallorossi. Napoli moved one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio. Fiorentina won 2-0 at Como for its seventh consecutive victory and Lazio beat 10-man Bologna 3-0. Lukaku redirected in a cross from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo early in the second half at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Roma had a chance to equalize but Artem Dovbyk’s header banged off the crossbar. Lukaku played for Roma last season but was one of the main transfer targets when Antonio Conte was hired at Napoli for this season. Ranieri was hired 10 days ago as Roma's third coach of the season, replacing the fired Ivan Juric, who had in turn replaced Daniele De Rossi. Still, Roma remained in 12th place, four points above the relegation zone. Yacine Adli put Fiorentina ahead with a long-range strike early on. Then Moise Kean redirected in a cross midway through the second half for his ninth goal of the season. Fiorentina last won seven straight in a single Serie A campaign in 1960, when it won eight in a row. Story continues below video Bologna was reduced to 10 men when Tommaso Pobega picked up two yellows during the first half. But it took a while until Lazio took control with second-half goals from Samuel Gigot, Mattia Zaccagni and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. Patrick Vieira’s debut as Genoa coach was a 2-2 draw with Cagliari. Both of Cagliari’s goals came on penalties, including Roberto Piccoli’s equalizer in the 88th. Vieira was hired on Wednesday to replace the fired Alberto Gilardino. Mario Balotelli came on late for Genoa and didn't make an impact. Torino and Monza drew 1-1. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Georgia's Dasha Vidmanova, Columbia's Michael Zheng win NCAA singles titlesMalik Nabers: Giants Were 'Soft as F--k' in Bucs Loss; I'm 'Tired of Losing'