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A landmark defence pact between North Korea and Russia, signed by its leaders in June, has gone into effect after the two sides exchanged ratification documents, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Thursday. The formalization of the treaty comes as the United States and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is keen to acquire advanced technology from Moscow and battle experience for his troops in return. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the strategic partnership deal during the Kremlin chief's visit to Pyongyang. It obligates both states to provide military assistance "without delay" in the case of an attack on the other, and to jointly oppose Western sanctions. It came into effect from Wednesday, when the ratification documents were exchanged in Moscow by the countries' vice foreign ministers Kim Jong Gyu and Andrei Rudenko, KCNA reported. Lawmakers in Moscow last month voted unanimously for the deal and it was later signed by Putin. Pyongyang said it was ratified by a decree from Kim. The treaty will serve "as a strong driving force accelerating the establishment of an independent and just multi-polarized world order without domination, subjugation and hegemony," KCNA said. Analysts have suggested Pyongyang could be using Ukraine as a means of realigning its foreign policy. By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian war economy as a supplier of weapons, military support and labour — potentially even bypassing traditional ally, neighbour and main trading partner China, they say. North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries are under rafts of UN sanctions -- the former for its nuclear weapons programme and the latter for the Ukraine conflict. Kim said last week during a visit to Pyongyang by Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov that his government, army and people would "invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity". Putin hailed the deal in June as a "breakthrough document". bur-sst/bjtsports tourism 。

No. 23 Texas A&M aims to hand Oregon first loss at Players EraNo. 22 Xavier aims to keep its perfect record intact Monday night in Fort Myers, Fla., when it takes on South Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Musketeers (5-0) are coming off an 80-55 victory on Wednesday over Siena, while the Gamecocks (3-2) beat Mercer on Thursday 84-72. Against Mercer, South Carolina sank a season-best 12 3-pointers -- tied for the fourth-most in a single game under third-year coach Lamont Paris. Jamarii Thomas, a senior transfer from Norfolk State, had 19 points and swished 4 of 5 shots from behind the arc. "Thomas got some good, clean looks," Paris said. "It was good to see those guys make their shots. Hopefully it gets those guys going in the right direction." On the season, the Gamecocks are making 7.8 3-pointers per game and shooting 32.5 percent from deep. Senior guard Jacobi Wright makes a team-best 1.8 3-pointers per game and shoots 37.5 percent from behind the arc. At 13.0 ppg, he is second on the team behind Collin Murray-Boyles (15.8). Xavier is allowing eight makes from deep per game and is letting opponents shoot 38.5 percent from behind the arc, which ranks 337th in the country. And despite an undefeated record so far for the Musketeers, third-year coach Sean Miller is worried about his players developing bad habits. "We have a virus that everybody is looking at the stat sheet, trying to get as many points as they possibly can," Miller said after the win over Siena. "They want to win, but they really want to win and score. We need a couple of guys that are willing to rebound, defend, make the extra pass, play at a high level defensively and understand what makes a team great." Marcus Foster did a decent job of doing a little bit of everything for Xavier against Siena, piling up 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal. It was the first double-digit scoring outing for Foster -- a grad transfer from Furman -- in a Xavier uniform. Since 2008, Xavier is 25-11 against teams from the Southeastern Conference, but it hasn't played South Carolina in that stretch. --Field Level Media

Judge rejects request to sideline a San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgender

TORONTO, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AGF Management Limited reported total assets under management (AUM) and fee-earning assets 1 of $53.6 billion as at November 30, 2024. AUM ($ billions) November 30, 2024 October 31, 2024 % Change Month-Over-Month November 30, 2023 % Change Year-Over-Year Total Mutual Fund $30.7 $29.2 $24.4 Exchange-traded funds + Separately managed accounts $2.5 $2.5 $1.5 Segregated accounts and Sub-advisory $7.0 $6.6 $6.9 AGF Private Wealth $8.5 $8.3 $7.3 Subtotal (before AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets 1 ) $ 48.7 $ 46.6 $ 40.1 AGF Capital Partners $2.8 $2.8 $0.1 Total AUM $ 51.5 $ 49.4 4.3 % $ 40.2 28.1 % AGF Capital Partners fee-earning assets 1 $2.1 $2.1 $2.0 Total AUM and fee-earning assets 1 $ 53.6 $ 51.5 4.1 % $ 42.2 27.0 % Average Daily Mutual Fund AUM $ 30.1 $ 29.2 $ 24.1 1 Fee-earning assets represent assets in which AGF has carried interest ownership and earns recurring fees but does not have ownership interest in the managers. Mutual Fund AUM by Category ($ billions) November 30, 2024 October 31, 2024 November 30, 2023 Domestic Equity Funds $4.6 $4.4 $4.0 U.S. and International Equity Funds $19.0 $17.8 $13.7 Domestic Balanced Funds $0.1 $0.1 $0.1 U.S. and International Balanced Funds $1.6 $1.6 $1.6 Domestic Fixed Income Funds $1.8 $1.8 $1.6 U.S. and International Fixed Income Funds $3.3 $3.2 $3.1 Domestic Money Market $0.3 $0.3 $0.3 Total Mutual Fund AUM $ 30.7 $ 29.2 $ 24.4 AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets ($ billions) November 30, 2024 October 31, 2024 November 30, 2023 AGF Capital Partners AUM $2.8 $2.8 $0.1 AGF Capital Partners fee-earning assets $2.1 $2.1 $2.0 Total AGF Capital Partners AUM and fee-earning assets $ 4.9 $ 4.9 $ 2.1 About AGF Management Limited Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. Our companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Capital Partners and AGF Private Wealth. AGF brings a disciplined approach, focused on incorporating sound, responsible and sustainable corporate practices. The firm's collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America and Europe. With nearly $54 billion in total assets under management and fee-earning assets, AGF serves more than 800,000 investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B. AGF Management Limited shareholders, analysts and media, please contact: Ken Tsang Chief Financial Officer 416-865-4338, InvestorRelations@agf.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.AMGEN ANNOUNCES 2025 FIRST QUARTER DIVIDEND