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cockfighting blades WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80 year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. Trump has criticized the billions that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine. Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. The incoming Republican president has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is a move to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump's proposed national security advisor U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg was a character in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.Mnangagwa's office rebukes NewsDay over 'slanderous' articleSome Coalition MPs have cold feet on the social media ban. Dutton will stare them down

NFL Fans Mock CJ Stroud for Making Similar Dan Orlovsky ErrorA prominent Sydney vice chancellor has revealed a plan to slash university fees and immediately end $50,000 arts degrees he says are leaving graduates with unsustainable debts. Western Sydney University vice chancellor George Williams said students could not wait for the federal government’s plan to defer price reviews to the unformed Australian tertiary education commission. George Williams wants the government to slash university fees. Students (above) on their graduation day at the University of Sydney. Credit: Louise Kennerley The fees plan championed by Williams, developed and costed by Innovative Research Universities (IRU), would cost the government $1.7 billion a year and cut the cost of an arts degree from $50,000 to $28,000. It would eliminate the highest band of university fees – which now applies to most humanities, law, and commerce subjects – and create a new middle band. “The system for setting university fees in the first place is broken and unfair,” Williams said. “It also needs urgent reform. “Fees are out of kilter and at an unfair level for most students.” Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the government would “have more to say” about the proposed Australian tertiary education commission – which would be given the task of providing advice on fee changes – before the end of the year. Western Sydney University vice chancellor George Williams says fees are “unfair for most students”. Credit: Edwina Pickles “We are delivering significant reforms to build a better and fairer tertiary education system. We are doing this in a staged way,” Clare said. Under the universities’ fee reform proposal, the top fee band, which will next year cost students $16,992 a year, would be scrapped. Non-humanities courses in the top band such as commerce and law subjects would be moved to the new top band at $13,241. Humanities and social sciences courses in the top fee band would go into the new middle band of $9314 a year, meaning an arts degree would cost about $28,000 rather than $50,000. This band would also include courses such as allied health, IT computing, engineering and science. The bottom band, at $4627, would remain the same, encompassing courses in mathematics, education, English, foreign languages and nursing. “It would still be quite a substantial student contribution, which I think is fair, but a big decrease and much fairer based on students’ earning potential,” Williams said. The proposal would get rid of the Morrison government’s Job-ready Graduates scheme, which increased the price of most humanities subjects and also cut the cost of other expensive degrees such as commerce and law. It would restore funding to STEM subjects cut in the scheme too. This year the government has made a number of pledges to reform HECS as it fights to inspire young voters before next year’s election, including a promise to wipe 20 per cent of student debt in a $16 billion move. It also promised to reform the indexation of student loans, which is linked to inflation and resulted in 7.1 per cent increases in 2023, with legislation to enact this still before the parliament. Williams said that while those policies were welcome, they did not address the root of the problem – the cost of degrees. “Unfortunately, we’ve spent too much time this year talking about other things that are not and should not be the central concern of universities and the government,” he said. “[The HECS changes] are very welcome, but it’s dealing with the symptom rather than that problem. “It’s like saying you’ve got a housing affordability crisis so let’s reduce people’s mortgage payments, when the problem is the price in the first place. “And it’s doing nothing for students entering the system where the critical problem is.” Arts degrees used to be among the cheaper university courses for students, but the Morrison government’s reforms dramatically increased prices in a bid to divert students away from them. The price of other degrees the government deemed of national priority – including engineering, IT, teaching and nursing – was reduced. But the reforms have been widely loathed by universities, which say they are unfair to students while failing to achieve the aim of influencing their choices. Group of Eight universities chief executive Vicki Thomson said fee reform and abolition of the Job-ready Graduates scheme could not come soon enough. “It has been a total failure, with increasing debt levels baked in for our students in 2025,” she said. “We need a university funding model that ensures our domestic students are treated fairly and equitably when it comes to financing and student debt arrangements.” Clare said that when HECS was created, students paid about 24 per cent of the cost of a degree. “Under John Howard this increased to 36 per cent. Under Scott Morrison this increased again to almost 45 per cent,” he said. “We are fixing this for a generation of Australians with a student debt. But there is more to do.” Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .

The court has reserved its ruling after hearing a suit filed by NULGE, challenging the withholding of allocations meant for the 44 local governments in Kano state by the CBN The suit was filed by NULGE members including the chairman Ibrahim Muhd, Ibrahim Uba Shehu, and others, who are seeking to prevent the respondents from delaying or withholding LG funds Interestingly, the CBN and other defendants, including the AGF and commercial banks have filed objections to the case, with the CBN arguing that the Kano state high court lacked jurisdiction over the matter PAY ATTENTION: Got a Minute? Complete Our Quick Survey About Legit.ng Today! Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements. Kano state - On Wednesday, November 27, the Kano State High Court reserved its ruling in a case filed by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other respondents over the withholding of local government allocations in Kano state. Read also Minimum wage: Details of NLC president’s meeting with Kano governor emerge Court reserves ruling on Kano LG allocation The case, which involved multiple parties, is set to address the delay in disbursement of funds essential for local governance in the state. As reported by Daily Trust , the applicants are the chairman of NULGE, Ibrahim Muhd, Ibrahim Uba Shehu, Ibrahim Shehu Abubakar, Usman Isa, Sarki Alhaji Kurawa, and Malam Usman Imam. On November 6, the court restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and others from withholding the allocations of Kano State’s 44 local governments, Daily Trust reported. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! The applicants, through their counsel, Mr Bashir Yusuf Muhammad, filed a motion exparte dated November 1, seeking the court to restrain the respondents from withholding or delaying allocations essential for local governance in the state. The respondents are: the AGF, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC), the 44 Kano local governments, UBA , Access and six other commercial banks. Read also Minimum wage: 4 key things to note as Kano governor Abba Yusuf implements new pay Kano LG funds: Details of court's session on Wednesday As reported by The Punch, when the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, November 27, Muhammad filed a reply to the notice of preliminary objection dated November 20, 2024. He stated: “The application is attached with a four-paragraph affidavit and a written address dated November 3. “We filed 11 paragraphs of the better and further affidavit dated November 20, 2924 and one exhibit.” Muhammad urged the court to discountenance the respondent’s counter-affidavit and grant the applicant relief. However, counsel for the 44 local governments, Eyitayo Fatogun, did not oppose the plaintiff’s application. Fatogun stated that the disbursement of local government allocations should not be truncated. Responding, counsel for CBN, Ganiyu Ajape, filed a notice of preliminary objection dated November 14, 2024 pursuant to order 8 rules (1)(2) of the fundamental rights. “We filed our reaction and six-paragraph counter affidavit dated and filed November 14,” the notice read. Read also Court adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s N50bn suit against FG, gives reason Ajape urged the court to strike out the name of CBN in the suit for lacking jurisdiction to entertain the matter and not to grant the applicants relief. Justice Ibrahim Muhammad adjourned the matter for ruling in the notice of preliminary objection and the substantive matter, to a date that would be communicated to parties. Fubara reacts to court judgement stopping FG allocation Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Fubara reacted as the court stopped the federal government from sending allocation to Rivers state . Legit.ng reported that Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly filed the suit before the court. Reacting swiftly, Fubara, during a special thanksgiving service in Rivers state, maintained that the court judgement is the least of his worries. PAY ATTENTION : Legit.ng Needs Your Opinion! That's your chance to change your favourite news media. Fill in a short questionnaire Source: Legit.ng

NINGDE, China , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 24th, CATL officially launched the CATL Bedrock Chassis, the world's first ultra-safe skateboard chassis. With its outstanding performance of withstanding 120 km/h frontal impact without catching fire or exploding, CATL's Bedrock Chassis sets a new standard for intelligent chassis safety, providing comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speed ranges. Lead the industry with the most stringent safety tests With the battery-centered design, CATL's Bedrock Chassis utilizes Cell-to-Chassis integration technology, which directly integrates the battery cells into the chassis, allowing for a shared structural design between them. And based on the decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, the Bedrock Chassis is capable of absorbing 85% of the vehicle's collision energy (compared to around 60% absorbed by traditional chassis). Through various technological breakthroughs, the Bedrock Chassis successfully passed the world's first "highest speed + strongest impact" dual extreme safety test. This achievement enables the chassis to pass the 120 km/h frontal central pole impact test without catching fire, exploding or thermal runway, redefining the benchmark for safety in the industry. Currently, the speed for frontal impact safety test in the commonly used C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) is 56km/h, which, when experiencing a frontal impact at this speed, generates collision energy equivalent to falling from 12-meter-high building. In comparison, a frontal impact at 120km/h is equivalent to falling from a 56-meter-high building, generating a collision energy 4.6 times that of collision at 56km/h. In more stringent frontal pole crash tests, which simulate crashes with non-standard objects such as power poles, large trees, or animals, the impact area is only 1/6 of that in a full-width frontal impact, exponentially increasing impact pressure. At a speed of 120km/h, the impact pressure on the chassis per unit area in a frontal central pole impact is 21 times that of the 56 km/h full-width frontal impact in C-NCAP testing. Due to the extremely high crash speed and intensity, there has been no previous instance of any new energy vehicle daring to challenge a 120km/h frontal pole impact test. With this extreme challenge, CATL's Bedrock Chassis has blazed a fresh trail for the industry. Open the era of ultra-safe transportation through three technological breakthroughs CATL's Bedrock Chassis has delved deep into the realm of structure and material innovation, leveraging three technological breakthroughs to provide unparalleled protection in all scenarios and speed ranges, ensuring rock-solid safety for the entire vehicle. The CATL Bedrock Chassis introduces a revolutionary three-dimensional biomimetic tortoise shell structure, where the body and energy unit framework are integrated, deeply coupled to provide the energy unit with indestructible protection. And its aircraft carrier-grade arresting structure disperses impact forces across multiple pathways during a crash, gradually decelerating the vehicle and significantly reducing the depth and speed at which obstacles intrude the cabin. The utilization of submarine-grade hot-formed steel with a strength of 2000MPa, aerospace-grade aluminum alloy with a strength of 600MPa, and multiple barrier structures further enhance the chassis' rigidity, making it virtually impervious. Moreover, the CATL Bedrock Chassis incorporates an ultra-safe battery cell design, NP technology, and a high-ductility energy-absorbing insulation film, leading the industry in a groundbreaking manner. In terms of high-voltage disconnection, it achieves instantaneous disconnection of high voltage circuit within 0.01 seconds of impact and completes the discharge of residual high-voltage energy in the vehicle within 0.2 seconds, setting a new industry record. Notably, the battery cells have undergone highly demanding tests, including high-speed sled impact tests at 60 km/h, 90-degree bending tests, and breakthrough sawing tests, the battery did not catch fire or explode across all three tests. These tests, all industry-firsts by CATL, have elevated the safety standards of battery cells to new heights. Unlocking the era of customization, and activating a trillion-yuan market The launch of the Bedrock Chassis not only redefines the standard for intelligent chassis safety but also activates a trillion-yuan market. It greatly accelerates the shift towards modular, personalized, and intelligent automotive design. Addressing the common pain points of high investment, long development cycles, and accelerated product iteration in the industry, the Bedrock Chassis incorporates three core characteristics: internal integration, decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, and external openness. With a rich array of toolkits and solution packages, it offers a scalable software and hardware architecture and standardized interfaces, enabling flexible configurations for different vehicle models and scenarios. This allows the realization of a "one chassis architecture, multiple vehicle models" concept and significantly improves development efficiency and shortens the R&D cycle. The time required for mass production of a vehicle is reduced from the traditional 36 months or longer to 12 to 18 months. Furthermore, the Bedrock Chassis breaks the limits of safety and modeling, and expands design flexibility through the design of decoupling of the chassis from the upper body. The fourth-generation Cell-to-Chassis (CTC) technology and inverted battery cell technology enhance the utilization of chassis space while reducing the risk of chassis scraping. Additionally, in terms of intelligence, the chassis supports mechanical decoupling, software decoupling and EE decoupling, enabling L3 to L4 intelligent driving capabilities. It provides high adaptability interfaces and promotes collaborative intelligent applications. At the launch ceremony, AVATR, the first automaker to use Bedrock Chassis, and CAIT-SH, CATL's skateboard chassis arm, signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on CATL's Bedrock Chassis to create a safer, higher-quality travel experience for users. Safety is a never-ending journey. In the future, CATL will continue to break technological barriers through continuous innovation, and work with partners to build a safe ecosystem for EV batteries and vehicles, safeguarding the safety of users. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catl-launches-the-bedrock-chassis-that-withstands-120-kmh-impact-without-catching-fire-or-exploding-302338927.html SOURCE Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)

MANCHESTER CITY striker Khadija Shaw was bizarrely shown a yellow card after being hit by an object thrown from the crowd during Thursday's Champions League clash with Hammarby. Shaw broke the deadlock for City with a deflected shot in the 31st minute. But as she ran over to the corner flag to celebrate, she was struck by a projectile which appeared to be thrown from the home supporters. The striker looked over to the crowd to see where the object came from, but as she began walking back to the halfway line referee Silvia Gasperotti brandished a yellow card. Shaw looked completely perplexed as her team-mate Alex Greenwood attempted to question the decision. However, Gasperotti just walked away before restarting the match. Fans on social media were equally confused as to why Shaw received a booking. One person wrote: "Absolutely crazy decision from the ref." Another commented: "Just when you think you have seen the worst decision in women's football the refs just have to take it to a new level." While a third said: "Poor officiating, there has to be severe punishment for this incompetence." FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS Other fans appeared to suggest that Shaw was booked for "excessively celebrating" in front of the Hammarby fans. One commented: "She celebrated in front of Hammarby stand, that's why she got a yellow card." Shaw had the last laugh, however, as she went on to score the winner in superb style. Just four minutes after Ellen Ingegerd Wangerheim equalised for Hammarby, the striker fired a shot straight into the top-right corner from the edge of the box. The goal saw her become Man City Women's all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League. City went on to win 2-1 to book a spot in the quarter-finals.

The Mega Millions jackpot has surged to an estimated $1 billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing. Nobody has won the jackpot since September and the prize is now the seventh-largest in the game's history, reports. If somebody beats the 1 in 302 million odds, they can choose 30 annual instalments or a lump-sum payment of around $449 million, which would be significantly reduced by taxes, notes. The drawing is at 11pm Eastern. The jackpot has been won on Christmas Eve before, but the person in New York who won $68 million in 2002 never claimed their prize. (The person in New Jersey who won a $1.12 billion jackpot )

Coding Education With AI: Can English Teachers Show The Way?By MARY CLARE JALONICK, STEPHEN GROVES and KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth , Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction” amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees’ pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump’s nominees, it became clear after Gaetz’s withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators’ careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump’s picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won’t face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he “shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It’s one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Related Articles National Politics | Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations National Politics | Several of Trump’s Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct National Politics | New study shows voting for Native Americans is harder than ever National Politics | Was it all a joke? How stand-up comedy helped reelect Trump National Politics | California teachers are cursing Donald Trump in the classroom. Is it their right? Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants – even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.”