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Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry, the stage name of Brianna LaPaglia, made their debut as a couple in July 2023. The country star and podcaster’s relationship made headlines because they were seemingly from different worlds, or at least entertainment sectors — but appeared ever the happy couple during red carpet appearances and on social media. During an interview with in August 2023, LaPaglia said that she had been getting “hate” for dating the country star. “It’s fun. I’m like eating it up,” the influencer said with a laugh. “It was kind of crazy at first, but now, I realize you can’t buy into love — or hate — on the internet. You just kinda got to be yourself and see where it takes ya.” When the couple broke up in October 2024, LaPaglia shared a different side of their relationship, saying she had experienced emotional abuse. TODAY.com has reached out to Bryan for comment about each of LaPaglia’s allegations and has also reached out to LaPaglia for comment. Zach Bryan, 28, is Grammy-winning country artist who rose to widespread popularity in 2022 with his album “American Heartbreak.” Bryan is known for self-deprecating lyrics, like when he refers to himself as a “damaged boy” in “Darling.” Other lyrics praise women who see his positive side. In “Sun in Me,” he sings, “The only bad you’ve ever done was to see the good in me.” Brianna Chickenfry, 25, is the stage name of podcaster Brianna LaPaglia. LaPaglia co-hosts two podcasts on Barstool Sports: “PlanBri Uncut,” alongside her friend Grace O’Malley, and the “BFFs Podcast,” alongside Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards. Portnoy stepped away from the “BFFs Podcast” in November. On Oct. 20, 2024, Bryan posted . “Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with each other and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I’ll always thank her,” he wrote. “I have had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things,” he continued. “I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways. I am not perfect and never will be. Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too.” “With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry,” he ended the message with. “I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself.” Later that same day, , detailing how “blindsided” she felt by this announcement. She then posted a entitled “Love you guys, I’ll be back soon.” “I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up and I had no idea that post was going up, he didn’t text me, he didn’t call me,” she said in the video. “I just woke up to a bunch of texts being like ‘Are you OK?’ And I’m like, ‘Did my f---ing dad die?’ And yeah, so I’m like completely blindsided by that.” LaPaglia added that she’s been “crying for like five days straight,” implying the breakup occurred the week before Bryan took to Instagram to announce their split. She said in the video she didn’t want to speak on details because she wanted to “heal privately,” but promised she would eventually. She gave context to the lead-up to the breakup in the Nov. 7 episode of the .” LaPaglia said Bryan broke up with her over text while she was on tour. “I’m doing so well, I’m so happy, I’m finally feeling like myself again and I just get the (text) ‘I can’t do this anymore, I need you’ and it was like, ‘What? Where is this coming from? Why are you breaking up with me while I’m across the country on my tour?’” she said. When her tour was finished, LaPaglia flew back to her home with Bryan. “I come home and it’s like, ‘Pack your bags,’” she said. They broke up then got back together, LaPaglia said. The morning after a show she had in Boston, Bryan said he was going back home to Oklahoma, where he’s from. She said that was the last time she saw him. Eventually, LaPaglia said they had an official breakup conversation over text. LaPaglia has unpacked her experience of their relationship on the “ ” and on her TikTok page. According to Nov. 7 “BFF’s Podcast” episode, LaPaglia said they met at his concert, but both were seeing other people at the time. When LaPaglia was newly single, Bryan asked her if she wanted to go on a road trip with him and she agreed. She said Bryan began “love bombing” her. Days after the trip began, Bryan got her name tattooed on his arm. “I truly thought he was this great dude because in the first four months of our relationship he was, that’s who he showed me. That’s who I fell in love with. I fell in love with this person who doesn’t exist. This person that he showed me who he was,” she said. But she said there was a “switch” four months in. She alleged the relationship was emotionally abusive, calling it a “crazy, awful cycle.” “I went through literal narcissistic, emotional abuse for a year,” she said on her podcast. “And he made me believe everything was my fault. He isolated me from my whole entire life, he wouldn’t let me be who I wanted to be, he made me hate everything that I loved about myself. He broke me down and then made me feel like he was all I had left, and he just kept repeatedly beating me down and beating me down.” On the same podcast episode, she gave specific incidents of their fights. For example, LaPaglia said Bryan took issue with a dress she wore to the Golden Globes this past January. “He said he didn’t want to date someone who presents themselves that way,” she said. “He makes me believe that I have to change my image to keep up with his, or something, so I was twisted in the head — OK, yeah, he doesn’t want to be with a girl that, I don’t know, has cleavage,’” she said. LaPaglia said on the podcast this was the moment she “lost herself.” According to LaPaglia, another fight happened after she was singing country artist Morgan Wallen’s song “Last Night.” Bryan allegedly said he couldn’t believe LaPaglia was “singing another man’s song under my roof, in this house that I own.” She said the fight lasted a week. LaPaglia also said that she was not allowed to listen to Noah Kahan, an artist Bryan has collaborated with previously, because she “listened to him too much.” In a , LaPaglia said the relationship caused her to lose 15 pounds because she was “physically sick from what I was going through mentally.” Post breakup, LaPaglia said she doesn’t want to be “defined” by their relationship. “I’ll be damned if I let my career be defined by what he did to me,” she on Nov. 20. Also on the Nov. 7 episode of the podcast, LaPaglia said that Bryan wanted her to sign an NDA after their breakup and offered her $12 million and a New York apartment in exchange for her silence. She said she considered the offer “for a second,” but said no because she doesn’t “think you can pay people off that you hurt for them to protect you.” She said Bryan made “the women before (her)” believe “they had no other choice than to take money from you, sign their experiences away, sign what they went through away.” LaPaglia said she didn’t take the money so that she could speak out for other victims of emotional abuse. “It’s not just for me, it’s for anyone else that’s been emotionally abused, it’s for people right now that are being emotionally abused, it’s for people that don’t have a support system that I was luckily enough to have going through this. And the last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life, like dealing with the abuse from this dude,” she said. LaPaglia said she wants to be a voice for survivors in a Nov. 20 . “I want to show people that it’s OK to continue on with your life, and when it’s hard to, that you have to — or you won’t,” she continued. She said she’s gotten “tens of thousands” of DMs a day from men and women who have “gotten the courage” to leave their relationships or “finally felt validated.” Georgina is an editorial intern for TODAY.com, based in New York City.Falcons feeling the pressure at .500 as Cousins’ interceptions put spotlight on downturn for offense234 go 。

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vincerx Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: VINC), a biopharmaceutical company aspiring to address the unmet medical needs of patients with cancer through paradigm-shifting therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into a binding term sheet for a proposed merger with Oqory, Inc., a privately-held, clinical-stage company developing ADCs for the treatment of multiple oncology indications. Upon completion of the proposed merger, Oqory, Inc. will merge with Vincerx Pharma, Inc. Post-closing, Oqory equity holders are expected to own approximately 95% of the combined entity, while Vincerx equity holders will hold about 5%. The transaction includes a minimum fully diluted equity value of $13.66 million for existing Vincerx stockholders at closing and, as a condition to the closing of the merger, completion of a concurrent offering of Vincerx equity securities of at least $20 million. Additionally, Oqory-designated investors will provide interim financing to Vincerx of $1.5 million in two tranches, approximately $1,000,000 of which was funded today through the issuance of common stock and pre-funded warrants along with accompanying common stock warrants and approximately $500,000 of which will be funded on or prior to January 31, 2025. The merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including due diligence, regulatory approvals, negotiation of a definitive merger agreement, stockholder approval from both parties, completion of the minimum $20 million financing, and the continued listing of Vincerx's common stock on Nasdaq. Vincerx is also implementing additional streamlining and cost-control measures, including a workforce reduction, as it pursues due diligence and transaction-related work. As part of this workforce reduction, Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has stepped down as CEO but will remain as Chairman. Dr. Raquel Izumi has stepped down as President and Chief Operations Officer and taken over as Acting CEO in a consulting capacity. Alexander Seelenberger has stepped down as Chief Financial Officer, and Kevin Hass, the Company’s Vice President and Controller, has taken over as Acting Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Seelenberger has agreed to provide ongoing assistance in a consulting capacity to assist the Company as it pursues its strategic efforts. “This strategic transaction highlights Vincerx’s commitment to develop ADCs with improved safety profiles that allow patients to thrive on—rather than endure—their cancer therapies,” said Raquel Izumi, Ph.D., Acting Chief Executive Officer. “Oqory’s anti-TROP2 ADC has shown favorable efficacy and safety in the clinic. Among approximately 150 treated patients, results include an 83% overall response rate and 100% disease control rate in first-line triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; n=30). Unlike other TROP2 ADCs in Phase 3, no cases of interstitial lung disease or Grade 3 and above stomatitis have been reported. Oqory’s Phase 3 studies of OQY-3258 are ongoing to confirm these promising findings.” About OQY-3258 (also known as ESG401) OQY-3258 is Oqory’s anti-TROP2 ADC with an optimized enzyme-dependent linker technology and an SN-38 payload with established efficacy and manageable side effect profile. OQY-3258 has completed Phase 1/2 development in over 150 patients with solid tumors, including metastatic HR+/HER2- and triple-negative breast cancer. OQY-3258 has shown efficacy in these patients, including reduction of brain metastasis and responses in heavily pretreated patients. To date, OQY-3258 has exhibited a differentiated safety profile vs. Trodelvy and other TROP2 ADCs in Phase 3 development. Notably, no interstitial lung disease or ocular surface events have been observed. Gastrointestinal effects have been mild and mainly Grade 1/2. Neutropenia and leukopenia have been the major AEs, which were manageable and did not result in discontinuation of study drug. OQY-3258 is being evaluated in a Phase 3 study as first-line treatment in patients with unresectable recurrent or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer ( NCT06732323 ) and in a Phase 3 study in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancer ( NCT06383767 ). About Oqory, Inc. Oqory, Inc. is an innovator in the field of ADCs with expertise in advancing targeted cancer therapies. The Company’s pipeline includes multiple ADC programs, with two currently in clinical development and several next-generation ADCs in preclinical stages. These programs are designed to address critical unmet needs in indications such as breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, multiple myeloma, and other metastatic solid tumors. Powered by a proprietary ADC platform, Oqory is delivering therapies that have demonstrated promising efficacy and safety paving the way for improved patient outcomes. About Vincerx Pharma, Inc. Vincerx Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing differentiated and novel therapies to address the unmet medical needs of patients with cancer. Vincerx’s pipeline consists of a next-generation ADC, VIP943, currently in Phase 1; a small molecule drug conjugate, VIP236, which has completed its Phase 1 study; a CDK9 inhibitor, enitociclib, which has completed a Phase 1 monotherapy study; a preclinical ADC, VIP924; and VersAptxTM, a versatile, next-generation bioconjugation platform. Vincerx is based in Palo Alto, California, and has a research subsidiary in Monheim, Germany. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies, expectations and events, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “suggest,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “potential,” “on-target,” “on track,” “project,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the entry into a definitive merger agreement; the anticipated terms and closing of the merger, the $20 million equity investment, and the amount and timing of the interim financing; the expected ownership structure and value to Vincerx stockholders upon closing of the merger; the anticipated benefits of a merger transaction; and the clinical results of Oqory’s product candidates. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance or events. Instead, they are based only on current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding future business developments, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict, many of which are outside Vincerx’s control. Actual results, conditions, and events may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results, conditions, and events to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, Vincerx’s capital requirements, availability and sufficiency of capital, and cash runway; the ability of the parties to enter into a definitive merger agreement and the final terms thereof; the parties’ ability to satisfy the conditions precedent to the merger, including stockholder approval; the closing of the merger; the risk that any definitive agreement is terminated after it is entered into but before consummation of any proposed merger;; Vincerx’s reliance on receipt of interim funding; market acceptance of the combined company; risks associated with clinical development of the Vincerx and Oqory product candidates; general economic, financial, legal, political, and business conditions; and the risks and uncertainties set forth in Vincerx’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Vincerx. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Vincerx disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Vincerx and the Vincerx logo are trademarks of Vincerx. This press release also contains trademarks and trade names that are the property of their respective owners. Contacts: Gabriela Jairala Vincerx Pharma, Inc. gabriela.jairala@vincerx.com Totyana Simien Inizio Evoke Comms totyana.simien@inizioevoke.comOn Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here . ___ Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There’s no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley’s historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He’s not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP’s first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren’t QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn’t. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP’s new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. It’s not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. “I don’t think that’s crazy at all. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left,” Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven’t reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team’s struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

A massive stampede of teens pushed and shoved their way into a shop after they were invited to ransack the store. Dozens of young men could be seen running towards the shop StreetX in Perth on Boxing Day , and in the mayhem people were pictured with cuts and bruises. Store owner and founder of the StreetX label, Daniel Bradshaw, had encouraged people to come down and “rob” his store as he planned to give away hundreds of t-shirts. He is known for his high profile marketing campaigns and this certainly attracted attention with youngsters arriving by 11pm on Christmas Day to be first in the queue when the shop opened at 9am the next day. Footage shows people bursting through the doors of the shop on Shafto Lane, with a pile of bodies at the front door as people were knocked over - but fortunately nobody was badly injured. There was even one person who had turned up well prepared wearing a bicycle helmet and wearing shoulder pads. “We wanted to give our customers something fun. We made the entire store free. There were 400 items to ‘steal’,” he told The West Australian . “It was gone in 30 seconds. It was crazy. Just a stampede of people.” He added that the police this year were “fine” with what happened. Clips shared on social media also showed bizarre scenes of people drinking milk and raw eggs from shoes, throwing food at each other and also shaving heads. Last year Mr Bradshaw said there had been trouble with the police while they had filmed a mock robbery and that this time around they had been more careful. “We always do a Boxing Day sale. Last year, we did a give-away out the back of a truck. This year we wanted something that ideally wouldn’t get us in trouble,” he said. “Cops came today and they were fine with it. Touch wood no one got injured.” But not everybody was happy and one mum complained that her son had been “punched in the head” during the stampede. "My son was punched in the head and had his items stolen by a young adult thug," she wrote on Instagram . "I get what you're trying to do but not having any control over violence is just not ok."McDonald’s is making a big change to menus in days and customers can’t wait

Falcons feeling the pressure at .500 as Cousins’ interceptions put spotlight on downturn for offense

Congress Has One Month to Save a Key Medicare BenefitWhen you match your career high in points in back-to-back games during the same week, there is a high probability that the conference will take notice. The Mountain West Conference did on Monday. Utah State guard Mason Falslev was named the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday. Off to a 5-0 start, the Aggies have received votes the past two weeks in the AP Top 25 Poll. Helping USU stay perfect this past week was Falslev. The sophomore from Benson played a big part in the Aggies’ 95-83 win over Montana in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and then an even bigger role in USU’s 77-69 victory against Iowa in Kansas City. Falslev put up 25 points in each game against the Grizzlies and Hawkeyes, which matches his best scoring game set last season against Boise State. However, Falslev did much more than score. No. 12 set a career-high mark in steals against Montana with five. Against Iowa, he grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds. The double-double against the Hawkeyes was his first at the collegiate level. “Mason played 36 minutes against Iowa, but if we had needed him to play 40, he would have,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said on Monday. “... Not only did Mason play 36 minutes, have 25 (points) and double-digit rebounds, but he also led us in deflections. That’s something that nobody looks at. It’s defense, it’s guarding. When he was on the floor, we held them to less than a point per possession. He impacted that game in a huge way.” Yes, he did. Falslev scored the first points of the game against the Hawkeyes on one of his moves in the paint. Later in the first half he hit a 3-point shot and grabbed a rebound and scored just before halftime as USU went into the break down four. In the second half against Iowa, Falslev scored 16 points, including two big-time 3-pointers as the shot clock was set to expire. Both those treys came with less than seven minutes to play and when the Aggies were in need of a bucket to stay in front. He sealed the victory with a dunk with 34 seconds to play. “I think it’s my first double-double, so that’s pretty cool,” Falslev said after the game against Iowa. “I’m happy about that. It’s awesome.” Against Montana, he had 14 points in the first half, including nine of the final 11 of the opening half for the Aggies as they took a 49-35 lead into halftime. In the second half against the Grizzlies, Falslev hit a huge 3-pointer to end to end a field-goal drought for USU and end a 12-0 run by Montana, who had pulled within two. For the week, Falslev shot 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the floor, 62.5 percent (5 of 8) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (5 of 6) at the free throw line. In the two games, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 3.5 steals per contest. “Mason Falslev was certainly unbelievable in huge moments,” Calhoun said. This is the first MW Player of the Week honor for Falslev. After spending a few days practicing in Logan, the Aggies will be heading out again to play in the Preseason NIT in Orlando, Florida, later this week. They face St. Bonaventure on Thanksgiving Day at 3:30 p.m. The Bonnies (6-0) beat Bryant Sunday, 85-70. The four-team event will conclude on Friday with a championship and third-place game. Northern Iowa and North Texas are the other two teams playing in Orlando.

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This is our most diverse field of Car of the Year finalists yet. The nine cars representing the best of 2024 cover several bases. Petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power are represented, as are utes, sedans, four-wheel-drives, coupes, convertibles and family SUVs. It’s not easy to choose a handful of finalists that represent the cream of the crop – and to whittle those down to one outstanding winner. Judges with decades of experience will put the field through their paces, examining the cars according to five key criteria: value for money, performance, design, safety and technology. We’ll test the finalists on the highway, country roads and suburban lanes, examining them inside and out to find highlights and flaws. The 2024 News Corp Australia Car of the Year will be revealed on Friday, December 13. BYD Sealion 6 Thus plug-in hybrid family SUV promises to blend the green appeal of an electric car with the convenience of a petrol vehicle. Generously equipped, competitively priced and technically intriguing, the BYD Sealion could go the distance. BYD Shark 6 Australia’s first hybrid-powered ute is a cracker. Powerful motors, a long features list and razor-sharp prices have put it on the shortlist for thousands of Aussie drivers. Can it become the first ute to win our annual prize? Ford Mustang GT At the other end of the spectrum, Ford’s Mustang GT is not particularly practical, thrifty or innovative. But its style, sound and classic appeal have won the hearts – and wallets – of many Aussie motorists. Could this be the last hurrah for V8-powered muscle cars? Hyundai Ioniq 5 N This high-performance EV promises to deliver driving thrills unlike any other battery-powered car on the road. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N isn’t just fast, it’s really fun to drive – and it brings genuine innovation to justify its high price. Hyundai Santa Fe The Hyundai Santa Fe defeated Kia’s Sorento and the Toyota Kluger to win our family SUV shootout earlier this year. Spacious, thoughtfully designed and surprisingly efficient, it has the potential to go after overall honours. Kia EV5 The latest in a long line of truly outstanding electric vehicles by Kia, the EV5 shapes up as a genuine alternative to Tesla’s Model Y with a modern cabin, comfortable drive experience and sharp prices. MG Cyberster Australia’s first electric convertible combines showstopping looks with supercar performance and an eerily silent soundtrack. Built to transform MG brand perceptions, the Cyberster has the potential to win against the odds. Toyota Camry As one of the most familiar sights on Australian roads, Toyota’s Camry Hybrid needs little introduction. There are strong reasons behind its ubiquity – it’s affordable, efficient, dependable and surprisingly fun to drive. Toyota Prado Rugged looks, go-anywhere ability and a proven track record make the Toyota Prado a sought-after machine for Aussie adventurers. The latest model is one of the most anticipated cars of 2024. Near Misses Impressive cars missed the cut for a variety of reasons. The affordable and adorable MG3 and Suzuki Swift fell short on safety grounds, GWM’s Tank 500 and the MG HS impress on paper but not on the road, and exotics such as the Ferrari 296 GTS or Porsche Taycan GT are sublime to drive, but too expensive to be truly relevant. Special editions or mildly updated models including the Ford Ranger Tremor weren’t new enough to get a Guernsey, while others such as the Toyota BZ4x electric car or Fiat Abarth 500e simply weren’t good enough. Judging criteria Value for money: Pricing, equipment, running costs, capped servicing, warranty, service intervals, resale and material quality. Performance: How the car accelerates, stops, shifts gears, corners and soaks up bumps. Also refinement and fuel efficiency. Design: Leg and headroom, ergonomics, comfort and vision. Technology : Connectivity, ease of navigating screens etc. Safety: Physical crash rating and active safety aids. Judges Danielle Collis, Iain Curry, Toby Hagon, Jules Lucht, David McCowen, Mark Short. Photography by Thomas Wielecki and logistics assistance by Craig Reasbeck.Albion are bringing safe standing to the Amex. It will be installed in part of the North Stand in time for next season. The club report more than 80% of season ticket holders at the back of that stand were in favour of safe standing. It will be installed from row R backwards. The club hope it will help improve the atmosphere at the Amex and is one of several measures designed to change and improve matchday. Away fans will be moved from next season and a new Fan Zone will be operational by then – potentially in the later stages of the current campaign. A new loudspeaker system has been in use this season and the club have also moved the singing of Sussex By The Sea to just before kick-off. Albion haver generally felt there was not sufficient appetite for standing room for them to carry out such changes to their 13-year-old stadium. But there appears to have been a shift of opinion in more recent times. Many fans will have experienced and enioyed safe standing at away venues around the Premier League. Season-ticket holders who are currently seated in the new safe standing area but who wish to move will be offered a priority window next March. Fans will also be able to go to the Amex and see a small section of rail seating in place. The North Stand seats affected are in Blocks N1A to N1H, row R upwards, seats 13-241. Albion’s head of ticketing and supporter services Jenny Gower said: “We had a fantastic response to our survey and a very strong majority in favour of installing safe standing towards the back of the North Stand. “We will help any season-ticket holders who want to move and the impact of safe standing will be regularly reviewed, but we are confident it will make the atmosphere in the North Stand even better and help Fabian Hurzeler and the team.” As has been made clear both on this occasion and when safe standing was discussed in previous years, it is a long way from the terraces on which many fans grew up watching their football . Safe standing leads to neither increased capacity nor reduced prices and fans will still have their allocated space from which to watch the game.The Louisville Cardinals host a ranked team for the second time this week when the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils pay a visit on Sunday, and the Cardinals hope for a better outcome in the teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Louisville (5-3) has lost two straight, including an 86-63 thrashing at home by No. 23 Ole Miss in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday. The visiting Rebels shot 56.7 percent and dominated inside with a 48-26 edge on points in the paint. Tuesday's game was the first for coach Pat Kelsey's team without Kasean Pryor, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Oklahoma in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. The 6-foot-10 senior wing, a transfer from South Florida, was a key player early on for Louisville, averaging 12 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and blocking eight shots in seven games. Pryor is the latest Cardinals player to go down with an injury. Before the season started, the school announced center Aly Khalifa and guard Kobe Rodgers would redshirt due to injuries. Then just two games into the season, Aboubacar Traore broke his arm and Koren Johnson injured his shoulder. Traore is expected back this season, but Johnson announced earlier this week that he would also redshirt this season and undergo surgery. Besides the injuries, the Cardinals are also struggling to hit 3-point shots, a key facet to Kelsey's offense. Louisville entered Saturday 340th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage at 27.3 percent and seventh nationally averaging 31.6 attempts per game. Despite the woes, Kelsey told reporters after the Ole Miss loss that he doesn't plan to change his offense, adding that he believes in his players. "The percentages even themselves out," he said. "This has happened before. I just don't want our guys to lose confidence, because I really, really believe in them. They'll bounce back and be better on Sunday." The Blue Devils (6-2) won their SEC/ACC Challenge game on Wednesday, beating No. 2 Auburn 84-78 in Durham. Duke overcame a 13-2 deficit to get the Quadrant 1 victory on its resume. Coach Jon Scheyer's team shot 50 percent from the field and committed just four turnovers. It was just the 14th time in program history the Blue Devils had four or fewer turnovers in a game. Freshman Cooper Flagg, a preseason All-American and a contender for national player of the year awards, leads the Blue Devils in scoring (16.6 ppg), rebounding (8.6 rpg), assists (4.1 apg) and blocked shots (1.4 per game). He scored 22, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists in the win against the Tigers, but it was another freshman who stole the show. Isaiah Evans came off the bench to score 18 points and hit 6 of 8 3-point shots. The guard averages 9.4 points per game but has only played in five games and has yet to play more than 17 minutes in a contest. Scheyer told reporters after the win that Evans provided a "special moment" when his team needed a lift. "To have that amazing courage to come into this game and do what he did -- I'm not sure if I've ever been a part of something like that in my years here," Scheyer said. --Field Level Media

African festival posters are more than just advertisements for events; they are vibrant works of art that reflect the continent's rich cultural heritage. These posters are a unique blend of graphic design, traditional art, and modern aesthetics. They tell stories, celebrate history, and invite people from all walks of life to come together in celebration. A glimpse into cultural celebrations African festival posters are a visual feast! From Mali 's Festival au Desert to South Africa 's Cape Town International Jazz Festival, these posters combine bold patterns, vibrant colors, and symbolic imagery to create truly memorable pieces of art. They serve as ambassadors of Africa's rich cultures, blending traditional and contemporary aesthetics to perfectly capture the essence of each event. The artistic process behind the scenes The process of creating an African festival poster is a beautiful blend of traditional artistry and digital enhancement. Artists begin with hand-drawn sketches, incorporating symbols related to the festival, and then these sketches are digitized and refined using graphic design software. This approach merges traditional aesthetics with contemporary techniques, resulting in posters that are not only visually captivating but also deeply rooted in culture. Marketing meets art African festival posters are more than pretty pictures; they're essential tools for promoting events to local and international audiences. With social media becoming the go-to place for event info, these posters are designed to be scroll-stoppers, catching your eye even on a tiny phone screen. Artists walk a tightrope between beauty and clarity, making sure key details like dates, locations, and line-ups pop without sacrificing visual appeal. Sustainability in poster production As the world becomes more conscious of environmental concerns, the artists and organizers responsible for African festival posters are doing their part by making their production processes greener. This means using environmentally-friendly materials like recycled paper or biodegradable inks for physical copies of the posters. And, they are pushing digital versions on online platforms to minimize paper waste and reach more people efficiently. Collecting memories through posters More than just advertisements for events, African festival posters have emerged as sought-after collectibles for art enthusiasts globally. Each poster serves as a snapshot of history, embodying not only the event it represents but also the artistic currents and societal norms at the time of its creation. Collectors value these posters for their historical resonance, artistic appeal, and the sense of nostalgia they inspire, harking back to past celebrations.Memphis beats No. 2 UConn 99-97 in overtime to tip off Maui Invitational

Dillon Gabriel mock draft projection: Will Oregon QB be selected in 2025 NFL Draft? | Sporting NewsBeirut: Syrian rebels announced they had gained full control over the key city of Homs early on Sunday after only a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread as insurgents marched on the capital, Damascus. Thousands of Homs residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the central city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad”. A giant portrait of Bashar al-Assad sits on a building in Damascus. Credit: AP Rebels fired guns into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial control has collapsed in a dizzying week-long retreat by the military. The fall of Homs gives the insurgents control over Syria’s strategic heartland and a key highway crossroads, severing Damascus from the coastal region that is the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and air base. Homs’ capture is also a powerful symbol of the rebel movement’s dramatic comeback in the 13-year-old conflict. Swaths of Homs were destroyed by gruelling siege warfare between the rebels and the army years ago. The fighting ground down the insurgents, who were forced out. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms”. Syrian opposition fighters on a seized Syrian air force fighter plane at the Hama military airport on Friday. Credit: AP Rebels freed thousands of detainees from the city prison. Security forces left quickly after burning their documents. Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement early on Sunday that operations continued to “completely liberate” the countryside around Damascus and rebel forces were looking towards the capital. In one suburb, a statue of Assad’s father, the late former president Hafez al-Assad, was toppled and torn apart. The Syrian army said it was reinforcing around Damascus, and state television reported on Saturday that Assad remained in the city. People arrive at the Jordanian side of the border as others wait in their cars on Saturday, after a ban on crossings into Syria. Credit: Getty Images The lightning rebel advance suggests Assad’s government could fall within the next week, US and other Western officials said. Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago , government defences have crumbled at a dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. The twin threats to Damascus and the strategically vital city of Homs now pose an existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence in the country of its main regional backer, Iran. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, but both are bogged down in separate conflicts. Credit: Saudi Press Agency/AP The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian Army. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, Pedersen said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he felt “sorry for the Syrian people”. In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the city were shuttered, a resident told the Associated Press, and those still open had run out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle [in Damascus] or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a years-long siege. The UN said it was moving non-critical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad rumours Syria’s state media denied social media rumours that Assad had left the country, saying the president was performing his duties in Damascus. Assad has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel. Iran has had its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the US should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. A Syrian opposition fighter holds a rocket launcher in front of the provincial government office. Credit: AP Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on implementing a 2015 UN resolution calling for a Syrian-led political process would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with UN-supervised elections. Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pedersen, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha summit on Saturday to discuss the situation. No details were immediately available. The insurgents’ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were also marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he said. An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Credit: Al Jazeera HTS controls much of north-west Syria and, in 2017, set up a “salvation government” to run daily affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaeda, ditching hardline officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third-largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began on November 27, during which rebel fighters captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Opposition activists on Friday said insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites that had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra, including the main Baath City, activists said. The Syrian Observatory said government troops had withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and were sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents were to capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The army said in a statement that it had carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists”. The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area”, apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since the conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is the main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticised Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there was a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity”. He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter .

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather , the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces have been seen in other hospitals, maintaining security but also controlling access to parts of the facilities. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified staff member said in an audio message posted on social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, denied the accusations. “While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital that is under control,” he said Friday night. He said a preliminary investigation found “no connection” between military activity and the fire. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movements of Palestinians in Gaza and has barred foreign journalists from entering the territory throughout the war, making it difficult to verify information. “These actions put the lives of all of these people in even more danger than what they faced before,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told journalists, and noted colleagues' reports of “significant damage” to the hospital. It should be protected as international law requires, she added. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine . The United Nations says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice, seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most now sheltering in sprawling tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. "I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days , doctors there have said, and the Health Ministry said an adult — a nurse who worked at the European Hospital — also died this week. Khaled and Keath reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Narions contributed to this report.Noel scores 26 points as Wright State takes down Detroit Mercy 80-72