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I laughed out loud five times during the first three minutes of Only Child, which stars Greg McHugh as a semi-successful actor who returns to his home town to look after his ailing dad (Gregor Fisher). That’s probably the highest compliment you can pay the opening episode of a new sitcom – but it’s also the only feasible way to sell this series: there isn’t anything remotely original or different about this doggedly conventional comedy. Set in Forres, a sleepy town in the north of Scotland, the show is geriatric in pace and content; a gentle, bittersweet exploration of midlife’s handbrake turn, when children start parenting their own parents. And yet Bryce Hart’s script is meticulously dense with gags, delivered with exemplary timing by its two leads. In other words, it’s pretty funny. We begin with McHugh’s Richard arriving home for a flying visit; he doesn’t have long before he must journey back south to film the latest series of his cosy police procedural Detective Manners (he plays Doctor Sparrow, whose imperfect grasp of basic medical principles enrages the local GP). But he doesn’t even make it out of the station before his dad is on the phone, pestering him for help with his iPad. The tech-literacy generation gap is a groan-worthy subject at this stage, but Ken’s gruff reaction to his tablet-based confusion (the iPad in question is actually the kitchen scales) sells the joke. Then we’re promptly whisked off to the funeral of a man Ken can’t stand (Richard: “Why are we here?” Ken: “Well it’s a social contract – you go to someone’s funeral, they come to yours.” Richard: “Not if they’re dead ... ”). At first, any truly worrying signs are obscured by Ken’s litany of quirky behaviours: driving around town with a spine-chilling child-sized doll named Percy in his motorbike sidecar, barking at a nuisance cat, turning the contents of his fridge into an antique collection, his passionate devotion to Jane McDonald. But when Richard witnesses Ken mixing up his pills and finds a battered car in the garage (it was driven into the local outdoor swimming pool), he realises his dad has become a danger to himself since becoming a widower a year ago. As much as he’d love to tiptoe back to London, Richard doesn’t feel great about leaving his father – so when he gets the news that Detective Manners has been cancelled (delivered by his breathtakingly brutal agent, voiced by Jennifer Saunders), he realises he has no excuse not to stick around. As Ken, Fisher – most famous for playing Glasgow alcoholic Rab C Nesbitt on the BBC over a 28-year period – is a master at squeezing every drop of comic juice out of any given line. This is a man who could make reciting the alphabet uproarious (in fact, he does just that: upon being asked about his mental state by the GP, he reels off his ABCs – incorrectly, unfortunately). In contrast, McHugh doesn’t get to showcase the full extent of his powers – the ones in evidence in Fresh Meat (I could not have loved him more as paranoid nerd Howard) and his BBC Scotland sitcom Gary: Tank Commander , in which he played a puppyish corporal. Still, his character’s relative seriousness does invite plenty of abject humiliation, usually involving the indignities of minor celebrity (and its accompanying vanity) or Emily, the school friend he has a crush on. After a cracking first episode – which ends with a subtly devastating moment of father-son bonding over the loss of Ken’s wife and Richard’s mum – the series does get a bit repetitive and sluggish. Its saving grace is the relatable truth at its heart: Richard’s pivot from myopic self-involvement to reluctantly but dutifully caring for his dad is a transition most of us will experience sooner or later, and the love between the pair is portrayed in a touching yet extremely realistic manner, bound up as it is in their stereotypically masculine emotional constipation. There’s a lot to like about Only Child. It is heartwarming without being cloying and its supporting characters are great value (Paul Rattray is very amusing as Richard’s kleptomaniac childhood friend Digsy, as is Stuart Bowman as bin-fixated neighbour Rod – we also get the great Samantha Spiro as a famous actor who visits the village for an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?). Yet while Ken’s antics spark a reliable stream of comic relief, it’s impossible to imagine this sedate comedy setting the world alight. Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Only Child aired on BBC One and is on iPlayer now.188 asia 。

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Radical Jaguar rebrand and new logo sparks ire online NEW YORK (AP) — A promotional video for a rebrand of British luxury car brand Jaguar is being criticized online for showing models in brightly colored outfits — and no car. The rebrand, which includes a new logo, is slated to launch Dec. 2 during Miami Art Week, when the company will unveil a new electric model. But Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors Ltd., has been promoting it online. The Jaguar brand is in the middle of a transition to going all-electric. “Copy Nothing,” marketing materials read. “We’re here to delete the ordinary. To go bold. To copy nothing.” Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations DALLAS (AP) — The nation is set to mark 61 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade passed through downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Even after over six decades, conspiracy theories about what happened that day still swirl and the desire to follow every thread of information hasn’t waned. President-elect Donald Trump made promises over the summer that if reelected he would declassify the remaining records. At this point, only a few thousand of millions of pages of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released. And those who have studied what's been released so far say that the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations even if the remaining files are declassified. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. NFL issues security alert to teams and the players' union following recent burglaries The NFL has issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets. Penn State wins trademark case over retailer's use of vintage logos, images PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages earlier this week over products made and sold by the firms Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories. The defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with Penn State. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, but the Pennsylvania case was the first to go to trial. Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum? NEW YORK (AP) — A previously unknown musical work written by composer Frederic Chopin appears to have been found in a library in New York City. The Morgan Library & Museum says the untitled and unsigned piece is the first new manuscript of the Romantic era virtuoso to be discovered in nearly a century. Robinson McClellan, the museum’s curator, says he stumbled across the work in May while going through a collection brought to the Manhattan museum years earlier. He worked with outside experts to verify the document's authenticity. But there’s debate whether the waltz is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. Volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for the 7th time in a year GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland is spewing lava from a fissure in its seventh eruption since December. Iceland's seismic monitors said the eruption started with little warning late Wednesday and created a long fissure but looked to be smaller than eruptions in August and May. Around 50 houses were evacuated after the Civil Protection agency issued the alert, along with guests at the famous Blue Lagoon resort, according to the national broadcaster. The repeated eruptions over the past year have caused damage to the town of Grindavík and forced people to relocate. Australian teen and British woman who drank tainted alcohol in Laos have died, bringing toll to 5 VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister said was every parent’s nightmare. Officials earlier said an American and two Danish tourists also had died following reports that multiple people had been sickened in town popular with backpackers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones had died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng, Laos, for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalized in Thailand. Later Thursday, Britain said a British woman also died and the media in the U.K. identified her as 28-year-old Simone White. US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford's new ranking The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index. There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across a variety of dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm. Following the U.S. and China were the United Kingdom, India and the United Arab Emirates. Pop star Ed Sheeran helps favorite soccer team sign player before getting on stage with Taylor Swift It turns out British pop star Ed Sheeran is also good at recruiting soccer players. Sheeran is a minority shareholder at English soccer team Ipswich Town and it needed his help over the summer to get a player to join the club. Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton tells a Soccerex industry event in Miami: “Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.” Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday after being recognized for the second time by Time magazine as its person of the year. Watch Trump speak at the New York Stock Exchange in the player above. The honors for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump's remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November. READ MORE: Trump invites China's Xi to his presidential inauguration, even as he threatens Beijing with tariffs Before he was set to ring the opening bell at 9:30 a.m., a first for him, Trump spoke at the exchange and called it "a tremendous honor." "Time Magazine, getting this honor for the second time, I think it like it better this time actually," he said. Sam Jacobs, Time's editor in chief, announced on NBC's "Today" show that Trump was Time's 2024 Person of the Year. Jacobs said Trump was someone who "for better or for worse, had the most influence on the news in 2024." "This is someone who made an historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who's reordering American politics," Jacobs said. "It's hard to argue with the fact that the person who's moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in news." He added that "there's always a hot debate" at the magazine over the honor, "although I have to admit that this year was an easier decision than years past." In an interview with the magazine published Thursday, Trump spoke about his final campaign blitz and election win. "I called it '72 Days of Fury,'" Trump said. "We hit the nerve of the country. The country was angry." Trump was on Wall Street to mark the ceremonial start of the day's trading. The Time magazine cover featuring him was projected onto a wall at the stock exchange, flanked by American flags. Trump took the...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

Nearly 200 countries agreed to triple the amount of money available to help developing countries confront rapidly warming temperatures. But the deal reached at the close of the two-week COP29 summit in Azerbaijan resulted from fractious and at times openly hostile negotiations, producing an agreement that even its supporters may see as insufficient and disappointing. The process of global climate cooperation will lurch forward from here under the weight of heavier existential questions. Rich countries have pledged to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035, through a wide variety of sources, including public finance as well as bilateral and multilateral deals. The agreement also calls on parties to work toward unleashing a total of $1.3 trillion a year, with most of it expected to come through private financing. Developed and developing countries entered the negotiations far apart on what was necessary yet realistic. At one point on Saturday, the talks even appeared to be on the brink of collapse, before the mood lifted late in the evening following numerous closed-door meetings. “It was hard fought” and the amount of financing “is at the boundary between what is politically achievable today in developed countries and what would make a difference in developing countries,” said Avinash Persaud, special adviser on climate change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Rich nations are grappling with a slew of fiscal and political constraints, including inflation, constrained budgets and rising populism. The election of Donald Trump and his threat to pull the U.S. out of the landmark Paris climate agreement also hung over the COP29 summit early on. Under a compromise to get a deal over the line, rich nations eventually agreed to commit $50 billion more than what a draft agreement on Friday called for. They had also made any agreement contingent on reaffirming last year’s COP28 outcome in Dubai that included a vow to transition away from fossil fuels. A separate text calls on parties to “contribute to the global efforts” toward that landmark agreement, without explicitly naming fossil fuels. ‘Too little’ The promised funding, however, falls short of the trillions of dollars poor and vulnerable nations say they need to climate-proof their economies. They also want more of that money to come in the form of grants and other affordable financial support, since market-based loans risk deepening their debt burdens. The deal’s adoption came over the objections of India, whose delegates had raised their hands in an attempt to intervene, and as the gavel fell, walked up to the stage in a failed bid to get attention. Leena Nandan, India’s secretary of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, called the deal inadequate. “The goal is too little, too distant,” she said, her speech punctuated frequently by applause and cheers. Still, for some the result will likely serve as proof the COP process is still the best approach for coordinating global action to meet the escalating challenges of climate change. “COP29 took place in tough circumstances but multilateralism is alive and more necessary than ever,” Laurence Tubiana, chief executive office of European Climate Foundation, an architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. The new agreement will help inform individual country commitments for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 as well as the next round of U.N. climate talks in Brazil. Many developing nations have emphasized the scale of available climate finance is directly tied to how quickly they can build emission-free energy and how ambitious they can be in setting carbon-reducing targets due in February. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Child Welfare Agencies Tackle Software Selection Challenges with New Framework

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OpenAI’s Super-Hyped Sora Goes Absolutely Freakshow If You Ask It to Generate Gymnastics VideosWorld Class Health wants to democratize access to quality healthcare. World Class Health has a mission deeply rooted in accessibility. The company boasts on its website about a “global concierge health benefit,” saying they enable companies to “offer their employees and families access to the top 1% of hospitals and doctors worldwide, with best-in-class clinical outcomes and guaranteed savings.” World Class Health says its mission is to make healthcare accessible to everyone by removing barriers such as geography and finances. In an interview conducted over email, World Class Health’s co-founder and CEO Siddharth Nambiar explained his company helps people access high-quality care for such procedures as orthopedic and bariatric surgery, cancer treatment, and IVF. Nambiar told me his passions lie in “working with mission-driven teams to create jobs, deliver impact, and improve lives.” World Class Health exists to combat what he described as “three persistent challenges in healthcare”: access, cost, and quality. Rising expenses and limited access means people often are delayed in getting crucial care and are burdened with financial strain and suboptimal outcomes. World Class Health closes these gaps by “offering a seamless, affordable healthcare solution that ensures access to the best providers worldwide without any out-of-pocket costs for employees.” “World Class Health stands apart as a transformative healthcare solution designed to prioritize exceptional care, cost-efficiency, and unparalleled patient experiences,” Nambiar said of his company’s place in the market. Nambiar said his company is able to distinguish itself in a slew of ways. Most crucially from an accessibility perspective are the advantages in terms of cost and access. Nambiar told me World Class Health’s “innovative approach” to pricing nets significant savings—between 50% and 70% off traditional hospital rates. This makes healthcare “more accessible and financially sustainable for both patients and employers.” As to access, World Class Health offers end-to-end solutions, meaning it will provide what Nambiar characterized as “white glove service” for people when trying to navigate the care journey, from beginning all the way through to post-treatment followup appointments. This personalized level of assistance for patients, Nambiar told me, “ensures clarity, reduces stress, and enhances the overall experience.” FBI Warns iPhone And Android Users—Stop Sending Texts FBI Warns Smartphone Users—Hang Up And Create A Secret Word Now Gmail Takeover Hack Attack—Google Warns You Have Just 7 Days To Act Technologically speaking, Nambiar called it “central” to World Class Health’s work. Technology, he said, is the conduit through which the company delivers “more personalized and effective care while driving greater access and affordability.” He noted World Class Health’s platform leverages digital tools in order to enable “seamless patient navigation, transparent cost management, and enhanced communication between patients, providers, and employers.” Furthermore, Nambiar said the company is investigating ways that—what else?—artificial intelligence can augment its product, telling me AI can be used to connect patients with specialists and use “predictive analytics to identify risks early and guide preventive care.” All told, Nambiar told me the advancements from artificial intelligence will help World Class Health ensure “we continue to set the standard for exceptional, outcomes-focused healthcare on a global scale.” My conversation with Nambiar coincided with the company’s announcement late last month it secured $8 million in seed funding. In a press release, the New York-based company said funding had been led by venture capital firm AlleyCorp , along with the participation of several others. The announcement notes Nambiar and team’s “unique benefit” is their capacity to offer “top-tier surgical care at a fraction of the cost.” World Class Health’s mission is instructive from a disability context because it illustrates accessibility is a dynamo. It means different things to different people, and is more than discrete software features in computers. What Nambiar and his company is trying to do is break barriers to healthcare to make it more accessible. If you’re an employee someplace and have a neurological disability, for instance, the fact World Class Health will hold your hand from start to finish as you are cared for is worth its weight in gold. The healthcare industrial complex surely isn’t renowned for its ease of use, which can be overwhelming for most people. Imagine how daunting it is for people with disabilities. Add on the company’s reliance on modern technology like AI to connect people and streamline operations, and it’s easy to see how World Class Health could be world-class in terms of being an assistive technology to people. When asked about feedback, Nambiar told me it has been “overwhelmingly positive.” He noted employees are appreciative of World Class Health’s personalized and stress-free approach to obtaining care, while employers are reporting significant cost savings and an increase in productivity. Moreover, Nambiar gushed his company has a net promoter score, or NPS, which exceeds 90 and a 1.6% readmission rate, a number he said is “well below the industry average.” The results, he said, speak for themselves. World Class Health has been able to demonstrate “a consistent commitment to delivering results that matter—healthy, satisfied patients and long-term success in care delivery.” “Nearly 4,000 patients have benefited from our services,” Nambiar said. “Their stories of improved outcomes continue to inspire us.” As to the future, Nambiar said World Class Health plans to spent the next several months expanding its footprint in Asia and the Middle East with its Global Centers of Excellence network. He added the company is working towards expanding partnerships with employers and more.

One day before Texas and Georgia face off in the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Longhorns earned a surprising victory over the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail. Justus Terry, a defensive lineman from Manchester, Georgia, announced Friday he would be leaving his home state to play for Texas next year. Terry, who also was considering Georgia and Auburn, had been the nation’s top remaining uncommitted 2025 prospect. The addition of Terry gives Texas the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. “We’re super pumped about this recruiting class,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday, before Terry had announced his decision. “This is a very talented group of players that I think not only fit the physical characteristics of what we’re looking for by position in our program, but I think meet the character and are going to fit nicely into our culture.” Although there will be an additional signing period in February, 247Sports officials said Texas should maintain its No. 1 standing. The overwhelming majority of Power Four recruits already finalized their college plans this week. The top 11 classes as of Friday afternoon include eight Southeastern Conference schools and three Big Ten programs. Alabama is second, with Georgia third, Oregon fourth and Ohio State fifth. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan and Tennessee round out the top 10. Florida is 11th. The highest-rated recruiting classes outside the SEC and Big Ten are Notre Dame at No. 12 and Miami at No. 14. Terry is the nation’s No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 10 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. His decision gives Texas nine of the 247Sports Composite’s top 66 prospects. Texas’ other recruits rated 66th or better include safety Jonah Williams (No. 8), wide receivers Kaliq Lockett (No. 22) and Jamie Ffrench (No. 32), defensive lineman Lance Jackson (No. 25), all-purpose athlete Michael Terry III (No. 43), cornerbacks Kade Phillips (No. 54) and Graceson Littleton (No. 65), and linebacker Elijah Barnes (No. 66). “I think it’s a really versatile class with a variety of positions, highlighted by high-level players,” Sarkisian said. “As always, we really pride ourselves on recruiting the high school ranks. We think when we can get players in here young, then immerse them into our culture, into our off-season conditioning program, develop them as we go throughout their career, that’s when we really reap the benefits of having these guys in our program. This class is no different.” With the early signing period concluding Friday, the focus on college roster construction now turns to transfers. The transfer portal window officially opens Monday, though numerous college players already went to social media this week to announce their intentions to transfer. The early signing period was moved up a few weeks this year so that high school seniors could get their decisions out of the way before the opening of the transfer portal window. This marked the first signing period since the demise of the national letters of intent that prospects had sent in the past after signing with their respective schools. Athletes now are signing their names to a financial aid agreement that can include name, image and likeness agreements along with the standard tuition and room and board details. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballLithium Mining Market to Observe Strong Growth to Generate Massive Revenue in Coming Years