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As small and Northern rural municipalities levy hefty property-tax increases to cover basic services, the amount of hefty grants they receive from the province each year is also going up. The province announced on Friday it’s hiking the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund by $100 million over the next two years, bringing the total amount to be expended to $600 million by the end of 2026. “We have heard from small, Northern, and rural municipalities that they need more support to meet the financial challenges they face,” Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, a Toronto-area MPP, said in a news release. Northern municipalities have come to rely on the fund heavily. The Municipality of Shuniah, for example, received nearly $880,000 from the program this year, an amount that wouldn’t cover the amount its spends on social and family services. Shuniah’s amount is expected to rise by just over $100,000 next year, its municipal chief administrator, Paul Greenwood, noted. Though the provincial fund amounts are due to rise in 2025 and 2026, individual municipalities have watched them go down slightly in other years. On Friday, the province claimed the overall amount allocated to municipal programs has spiked. According to a provincial backgrounder, “key provincial support to municipalities grew by over 45 per cent” between 2019 and 2023. “In 2023 alone, the government provided almost $10 billion to Ontario municipalities through key transfers,” the backgrounder said, to help municipalities cope with worsening problems, such as homelessness. Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association president Wendy Landry said the association “has been a long-time advocate for a permanent increase,” to the municipal partnership fund. Landry, who is also Shuniah’s mayor, said small municipalities like hers “greatly rely on this funding.” As rumours continue to swirl about a possible provincial election a year ahead of schedule in 2025, the Doug Ford government has committed to sitting down with municipalities to hold discussions about the partnership fund early next year. “We can work together to guarantee (the) fund meets the needs of small and rural municipalities across Northern Ontario,” Landry said.
On paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “ Gladiator II ,” currently playing in theaters. All hail Macrinus! In a world of political backstabbing, power and ambition, Denzel Washington’s Macrinus enters the arena in Ridley Scott ’s “ Gladiator II” with troops and guards under a canopy. He reeks of wealth and oozes power. The role has been a favorite of fans and critics, and Washington is earning some serious Oscar buzz. Scott’s sequel picks up 16 years after the original “Gladiator” ends. It tells the story of Lucius ( Paul Mescal ) whose town is attacked by Roman soldiers. The invasion leads to tragedy as Lucius’ wife is killed and he’s captured as a prisoner. Enter Macrinus, a wealthy trader who spots Lucius and buys him for his own. But audiences aren’t quite sure of Macrinus and his motives at first. It’s clear he’s a powerful player in all of this, but whether his intentions are good or bad isn’t immediately clear. Scott and his go-to team of collaborators told Macrinus’ story by planting clues to his true nature. Scott explains the idea behind Macrinus’ past. Washington’s character had been a prisoner of war, taken to Rome and turned into fodder for the arena. Still, “he earned his way out as a good gladiator,” says Scott. The idea was he eventually earned his freedom “maybe by getting a job as a supplier to the armies of Rome.” Macrinus rides under a canopy, and cinematographer John Mathieson says, “He’s remarkable looking. He’s very bling, flamboyant and he’s robed, and he’s obviously not from Rome, but he has done very well. He’s deeply mischievous, treacherous, and you feel that. He is incredibly polite and kind, even to those who owe him money.” Composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who stepped in for Hans Zimmer to score the film’s music, echoed this through his score: “We know we’re kind of attracted to him because he’s kind of a cool character, but he’s a slippery character.” When it came to Macrinus’ musical motif, he relied on the electric baritone violin and electric cello to hint at who he was. “I created this motif that is slippery and slides around.” Thematically, Macrinus’ material was “quite creepy that evolves into something much bolder” to reflect his scheming ways and ambition as he navigates his way through the halls of power in Rome. Production designer Arthur Max, who worked on the first “Gladiator” film, knew Macrinus would need a visual motif. In meeting with his fellow department heads, art was a huge inspiration for Macrinus — in particular Jean-Léon Gérôme — his 1872 Pollice Verso painting and other works by the artist. Max says, “He comes from the polytheistic pagan world of ancient Rome, which he’s a part of, they adopted gods from the animal world. We decided to give him two motifs and distributed those throughout his universe; one was the wolf and the other one was the snake.” The double snake motifs could be seen on the flags his troops were carrying, and the wolf heads could be seen around the curvature of his chariot — all hinting to the true nature of this man. Wealth was also reflected in Washington’s costumes, with rich fabrics draped over his 15 total tunics for every costume change. He collaborated closely with costume designer Janty Yates to build his look. At one point, there was an idea of putting him in a headpiece, but since Scott nor Washington liked the idea, it was quickly nixed. Yates says, “But Denzel did wear the earrings, which was great because that gives him a slightly off-center feel. It was brilliant.” They were clip-on earrings because Washington didn’t have pierced ears. When Macrinus is in the suburban colosseum with the baboons, his outfit is subtle and majestic. Once he goes to Rome, he sits in the royal box alongside the Emperors. Yates used original hand-embroidered drapes. One particular outfit is the green drape which was encrusted in jewels. Yates says, “It was bought in Milan from a man who imports ancient Indian fabrics and embroidery.” He also wore a bit of leopard skin print. Scott says Washington embraced his silk, and the idea of his adjusting his fabrics was his idea. “He chose to do that. That’s Denzel. He’s so inventive. I thought that’s really amusing.” But it also spoke to his character. Makeup artist Jana Carboni didn’t want to get in the way of Washington’s performance. She says, “We decided to go for something simple and straightforward. So the idea was to make him look very groomed and, in a way, vain. He wasn’t too loud because he needed to be chameleon-like and fit in everywhere. Also, we kept it simple because he was going to play with his jewelry.” The only tweak that was made was to his hair. “I said, ‘It’d be lovely if we could bring the silvery-gray out in your hair,’ and he loved the idea.” As Mescal’s Lucius hopes for and fights for a better Rome, Macrinus has other plans: a bloodthirsty quest for revenge. Twin emperors, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, stand in his way. “He’s a very sinister mercurial character,” says cinematographer John Mathieson. Scott says that Macrinus always coveted the throne, but the more time he spends around the emperors “the throne is becoming, ultimately, very practical. His plan might have been,’ I will wait until one of the twins dies, I can’t do anything else because otherwise it’d be too obvious, but then things start to present themselves to him as possibility.” Mathieson made sure to capture Macrinus, even when he was in the shadows, lurking. “I always put a ping of light in his eyes, these eyes that are just going through you. I made sure I caught him.” When the twins fall out, Scott says Macrinus has found a window and he seizes it. “I can get rid of one of these.” Yates dressed him in a white jacquard silk draped fabric with gold trim. “I wanted to keep him very elegant, but simple.” She explains, “He had reached the point where he was so close to the emperors, we wanted him to look sort of almost innocent.” Except the irony was that he wasn’t, and he seized that moment and beheads one of them. Yes, Macrinus is the true villain of the film, but it’s up to Lucius to restore order and power to Rome and defeat him. For his last scene, Yates put Macrinus in a majestic peacock blue tunic. Macrinus and Lucius face one another in an epic fight in a river that Max and his team built. It doesn’t end well for Macrinus. Lucius slices off his arm with a sword, and one final swing ends him. Says Scott, “I think he earned the right to die that way. 100 percent. What a bad guy. He still had a little bit of the gladiator in him, and was a good warrior. You see that come out with Paul’s character, he fights dirty.” Scott likens the final fight to an alleyway fight – fighting dirty. That’s what Lucius had to do. ”One of them had to die.”In this interview, Senior Banking Advisor, Retail Banking at Access Bank Plc, Robert Gill, spoke extensively on the anticipated growth in remittances and the transformative impact this will have on Nigeria’s economy. He also spoke on the bank’s innovative strategies for advancing financial inclusion and digital banking, while addressing key developments in the nation’s digital financial landscape. Nume Ekeghe presents excepts: What role has digital innovation played in Access Bank’s retail banking strategy, and how has it impacted customer engagement? Digital innovation is at the heart of everything we do as a bank. With over 60 million customers, our journey over the past 15 to 20 years reflects a significant transformation. In the early days, customers would visit a branch, fill out paper forms, and officially become part of the bank. This was the foundation of financial inclusion, which initially focused on corporates and businesses before expanding through the rapid proliferation of branch-based banking to include the wider population. However, achieving 60 million customers with a paper-based system would have been impossible, or at least very inefficient, we would have needed tens of thousands of branches nationwide. This is where digital innovation came in. Pioneering one of the first mobile apps in the country and introducing USSD banking laid the foundation for our truly digital-first strategy. Today, most customers find us online. They come across us on news platforms, entertainment sites, and social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and X where they can find out more about what we do and interact with us. From there, they can easily open an account from the comfort of their home, workplace, or anywhere else—simply by dialing #901. It’s that simple. The same applies to our mobile app where you can find out about us online, download the app and open an account and begin a relationship. The days when banks had to urge customers to explore digital channels as an alternative to branch banking are long behind us. Now, digital is no longer an alternate channel, it is the primary one. Branches have become the alternative. Today, more than 90 per cent of transactions occur outside the branch, predominantly on phones—whether feature phones or smartphones. This shift has revolutionized banking from the moment customers discover us to account opening to ongoing services, whether transactional or extending to non-traditional banking products. Digital has redefined customer engagement and continues to shape the future of financial services. What are the strategies put in place to increase the adoption of digital channels by retail customers and how does it enhance financial inclusion? Financial inclusion is central to our mission and a cornerstone of Nigeria’s broader economic objectives, as championed by the Bankers’ Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Historically, Nigeria struggled with financial inclusion, ranking amongst the lowest on the continent. However, we have made remarkable progress in closing that gap through the co-ordinated leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers Committee. According to the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) reports, which show financial inclusion rates growing from less than 50% in 2008 to 74 per cent in 2023, Nigeria is now amongst the better-ranked countries for financial inclusion, largely driven by innovations in mobile financial services. This is also a continental phenomenon, with account ownership in Sub Saharan Africa more than doubling since 2011. This progress has been achieved through collaboration between banks and fintech’s’, leveraging tools such as USSD technology, mobile banking applications, and agency banking to reach underserved communities. The traditional branch-based banking model, while transformative in its time, is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of modern customers. For someone working in a company, government, or as a trader or small business owner, the time required to visit a branch to open an account or complete transactions is time lost from productive activities or family. Today, customers demand convenience, and digital innovation allows us to meet them where they are. Our network of over 600,000 AccessClosa agents ensures that customers are never far from financial services. While digital tools are critical, personal interaction remains essential for financial inclusion. Our agent network plays a crucial role in bridging this gap. Beyond accessibility, digital tools have significantly reduced the cost of serving customers. Consider the transportation costs and lost time involved in traveling to a branch—time that could be spent trading, working, or attending to other priorities. By bringing services directly to customers through mobile and digital channels, we have transformed the banking experience, ensuring customers are served where and how they prefer, rather than requiring them to adapt to our systems. This approach underscores our commitment to reshaping financial services to genuinely meet customer needs. How has the bank’s digital transformation journey addressed pain points in the retail banking customer experience? One of the key points we frequently emphasise in our team planning sessions is that customers don’t necessarily want to bank or make payments in the traditional sense; what they truly want is to keep their money secure, travel, work, eat, shop, and manage their lives with ease. When they engage with financial services, we must focus on understanding what they are trying to achieve, not just the transactions they need to complete. For example, services like embedded finance or buy-now-pay-later options are great ways to align financial products with everyday needs without thinking about the financial product as an extra step. Instead of going to a branch to apply for a personal loan, a customer can now make an online purchase and pay for it in installments. This approach brings us closer to the customer, providing financial solutions that are seamlessly integrated into their lives. Another critical area we’ve worked on is simplifying the Know Your Customer (KYC) process and reducing the documentation required to open an account. The banking sector in Nigeria has made significant strides in this regard, with the introduction of tiered KYC, allowing individuals to open basic accounts remotely by simply creating a digital wallet. This development has played a pivotal role in advancing financial inclusion. Regarding transactions, we’ve enhanced the customer experience by offering greater flexibility and accessibility. Customers now have multiple ways to pay through cards, mobile access, or peer-to-peer transfers. For example, with our Access More platform, you can make QR payments, order a new debit card, or even request a statement—all instantly. If you need a stamped statement for visa purposes or a loan, there’s no need to visit the branch. We already have your transaction history, turnover, and salary information, allowing us to pre-qualify you for a loan. With just a few clicks on the app, the loan can be in your account within seconds. By removing these pain points and shifting many traditional banking processes from the branch to the digital space, we are not just offering convenience but also ensuring that services are fast, accessible, and available at the customer’s fingertips. This is the future of banking—focused on understanding customer needs, simplifying processes, and providing instant, on-demand services through technology. Can we know some of the digital payment solutions you have and how they have helped retail business growth? Digital payments are a critical driver of economic activity; they are the lifeblood of business success. Without the ability to process payments efficiently, businesses face significant challenges. At Access Bank, we understand this dynamic, which is why, after transitioning into a financial holding company a few years ago, we diversified into multiple verticals, including banking, payments, lending, insurance, and pensions. One of our strategic partnerships has been with Hydrogen, enabling us to better serve merchants nationwide. Hydrogen’s innovative Instant Payment Links allow customers to make payments via links or codes, receiving instant confirmation and value at the point of sale, further enhancing the merchant experience. You’ll likely have seen Hydrogen’s branding on POS terminals, reflecting the success of this collaboration. In Nigeria, most transactions still occur on a person-to-person basis, often seen as individual payments. Through data and analytics, we’ve identified that a significant number of customers, around 7.5 million, are small business owners. We now have the capability to serve these individuals more effectively, providing them not only with financial products but also with non-financial services through our SME team. This includes business seminars on topics like setting up and managing a business, keeping personal and business finances separate, and best practices for growing a company. Payments are now more accessible than ever. Beyond traditional methods, customers can make payments via USSD, mobile apps, or even interact with our chatbot, Tamada, on the banking app. To simplify transactions, we’re pioneering payments through phone numbers, allowing customers who prefer not to remember their account number to simply use a phone number to send payments. This approach is a testament to how digital solutions transform people’s engagement with financial services, making transactions faster, more convenient, and more inclusive. Can you give us some insight into some specific products by the bank, especially women, SMEs and youths? At Access Bank, women are at the heart of everything we do and I’m extremely fortunate that the majority of the leaders in my team are women. Our W Banking initiative has evolved into a thriving community, going beyond just offering financial products to creating a comprehensive ecosystem that supports women in multiple dimensions of their lives. Access W is not just a Nigeria-focused solution; it’s a pan-African proposition, with Access Bank’s presence in numerous countries across the continent. We have recently launched Access W in Botswana, and our mission is to impact women across Africa, not just locally in Nigeria. Our aim is to foster intra-African trade and connect women across the continent with global markets. One of the key offerings under Access W is the W Power loan, which has been in place for over a decade, providing women with preferential rates and terms to fund their businesses. Additionally, our digital lending team provides instant loans accessible via mobile devices, ensuring that women, regardless of the size of their business, can access financing quickly and conveniently. The W-branded debit card helps identify and serve women within our community, and we organize a range of seminars and events tailored to support women in business. We also have partnerships designed to help women learn practical skills, such as driving, and access loans for purchasing their first cars. Our training programs empower women with the tools they need to grow and succeed in their businesses. Just this week, we held our 6 th annual Womenpreneur ‘Pitch a Ton’ event where we celebrated over 100 graduates of the mini MBA programme we run in conjunction with the IFC for women-led small and medium businesses. These businesses are all doing amazing things on the continent, solving problems, creating employment and wealth. At Access Bank, we understand that empowering women leads to broader societal benefits. When we support women, we uplift families and contribute to the overall economic growth. This commitment to women’s economic empowerment is central to our values, and we continue to invest heavily in W Banking. Our youth solutions are also tailored to different life stages. For younger children, we offer Access Solo, an account that transitions from a parent-operated to a child-operated account once they turn 18. This progressive approach ensures that as children grow, they become more financially literate and prepared to manage their own finances. By the time they reach adulthood, they have their own debit cards, mobile apps, and full control over their accounts, empowering them to take charge of their financial future. How do you collaborate with fintechs companies? Some bankers view fintech companies primarily as competitors, but the potential for collaboration far outweighs the competitive angle. Despite the increasing digitalization of the financial sector, most transactions in the market are still conducted in cash, presenting a significant opportunity for partnership. Fintechs, working with banks as part of the overall financial ecosystem, have helped to bridge the financial inclusion divide and increase the velocity of money in the economy. To tap into this potential, we established a dedicated team—the Partnership and Digital Capabilities Team. Their primary role is to forge strategic partnerships with fintech companies, helping them gain better market access. This includes collaborating to provide payment services such as instant payments, leveraging partnerships like the one with Hydrogen to facilitate quick transactions, and even supporting fintechs in issuing payment cards. This approach is central to our strategy and has been a key focus for several years. We are moving beyond the traditional banking partnerships focused on payments, lending, and deposits. We have expanded into more strategic collaborations, such as our partnership with Coronation, which allows our customers to access the stock market and invest in Nigerian equities in real-time via our mobile app. This innovation lowers the barriers to entry for investing, allowing customers to easily view the market and make real-time transactions directly from their mobile phones. This is a part of our broader financial inclusion strategy to provide customers with access to a wider range of financial services beyond traditional deposit products, enabling them to build long-term wealth and contribute to economic growth in the community. What upcoming digital innovations or initiatives will further drive retail business growth? We foresee significant growth in the remittance space, with Nigeria receiving over $20 billion annually in remittances. Digital solutions are driving down the cost of international money transfers, enhancing speed and efficiency. Our partnerships with fintechs and international remittance operators aim to expand financial access, ensuring that more funds flow into the formal economy. What is Access Bank doing in this regard? With presence in over 15 countries, Access Bank is building its proprietary payment route, Access Africa, which connects all our countries of presence facilitating individual and business payments on the continent. We also collaborate with global payment schemes like Visa and Mastercard to facilitate seamless international transfers to over 150 countries in the world. By partnering with fintechs, we broaden access to financial services enabling remittances into mobile wallets, making money transfers more affordable and efficient The reduction in remittance costs will not only benefit the economy but also increase the flow of funds through formal channels. This will drive economic growth and prosperity within the continent. What is the future of remittances, and how is Access Bank preparing for it? We anticipate that remittances will evolve beyond cash transfers to include goods and services. For example, remittances could directly fund education fees, support online food retailers, or pay for medical expenses. This approach ensures that remittances are used for their intended purpose while helping to grow commerce and lower costs.
Published 4:40 pm Friday, November 22, 2024 By Data Skrive Top-25 teams will hit the court across three games on Saturday’s college basketball schedule. That includes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish taking on the USC Trojans at Galen Center. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.
Michigan , but it wasn't enough to save the job of offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. The , which also included quarterbacks coach. Tight ends coach Steve Casula will become the interim offensive coordinator for bowl season. Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore's comment, via the program: "After a thorough assessment of our offense, I made the decision to relieve Kirk Campbell of his duties and move in a different direction," said Moore. "This was a decision that I felt was in the best interest of our football program. I want to thank Kirk for his hard work and dedication to the university, Michigan Football and our student-athletes. I wish him well in his future coaching endeavors." It was a challenging year for Michigan in its first season under Moore, who took over for Jim Harbaugh full-time after a breakthrough national championship. Moore filled his old offensive coordinator position with Campbell, who was previously the program's quarterbacks coach in 2023 and an offensive analyst in 2022. Before Michigan, Campbell's play-calling experience consisted of stints at Old Dominion and Division II Alderson Broaddus. The offensive results weren't pretty for Michigan, which also saw seven offensive players get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and wide receiver Roman Wilson. The Wolverines ranked 117th in the country in yards per play — after ranking 24th last season — and didn't score more than 17 points in any of its six games against ranked opponents. Those struggles didn't prevent Michigan from , though the numbers from that game normally wouldn't be an argument for keeping Campbell. Quarterback Davis Warren was 9-for-16 for 62 passing yards and two interceptions, while the run game averaged 4.2 yards on 41 attempts. Before its game-winning field goal, Michigan had scored all of its points on drives of three yards or less. Its touchdown came after an interception deep in Buckeyes territory, while the first field goal was the product of a weak punt and a three-and-out. As for what Michigan will do going forward, it at least has plenty to offer the next offensive coordinator. Thanks to a donation from tech billionaire Larry Ellison, the program was able to . It helps when .Commentary: It’s disturbing that deepfake porn and online harms are seen as unavoidable in our digital lives
This tape is for L.A., The LAnd, Cal-a-forn-I-A. The West. Kendrick Lamar solidified his place in rap history this summer after he battled Drake for the game’s top spot and this album feels like a victory lap. GNX is named after the 1987 Buick GNX — the souped up version of their Grand National car that’s apparently very rare. According to the Bentonville Buick GMC blog, there were only 547 of these things made and Kendrick confirms that number on his Instagram burner account. You see, because everything he’s been doing has been done with intention. There was a lot of smoke around rumors that he would be dropping a fresh project before the Super Bowl , and you know that old saying, right? Well, it looks like there’s a fire, folks. He’s far from finished and we should probably get used to it. There’s no sense in fighting it or hating on it, just let it be and let the chips fall where they may. The crown now sits firmly in the West. There’s no more Big 3, that era is done. It’s over with. This guy is a maniac, he’s a tyrant. He’s still talking Drake and the rest of the game all over this record. You remember that “ For Pharrell I’ll inherit the beef ” line? He flipped SWV’s “ Use Your Heart ” from 1996 that was produced by The Neptunes and titled it “ heart pt. 6 .” This is a diabolical mastermind that we’re dealing with here, so join me as I tried to pick and rank the 10 Best Lines from Kendrick Lamar’s new album GNX . Song: “peekaboo” This is an honorable mention right here because it’s not a Kendrick line. This rapped by Dody6 and was a line I kept thinking about, so I included it on here. The fact that he made sure to feature underground West Coast cats like Dody6, AzChike , and Peysoh is a pretty big deal. This is a major look for them and they delivered with some of the best features on this record. Dody snapped with that Her Loss double aunt andre, too. Salute. Song: “tv off” Hey, man, sometimes family be on some b.s. It be like that. Song: “gloria” Some feel like the his bitch being his pen is a little corny, but I was feeling the lead up to it because there’s been a lot of conversation about some of lyrical content and approach. Yeah, he’ll maybe come across as preachy or self righteous, but they in the next breath he’ll crash out. This is the dichotomy of man. Song: “heart pt. 6” This SWV flip is madness and then you couple that with these heartfelt lines about TDE’s come up and you have a special song. I felt like Stefon Diggs doing that postgame interview. You know the one. Song: “reincarnated” This dude flipped 2Pac’s “ Made N—az ” and used his flow on the first verse, but this conversation with God in the last verse stops you in your tracks. Here he goes again putting the war that’s inside him on full display. His vulnerability turns some off, yet it’s one of those things that makes an artist generational. Snoop recently gave him credit for bringing L.A.’s gangs together and how important the “Pop Out” concert was. Song: “squabble up” He has the money and the power to off the competition, but the boogeyman enjoys doing the job himself. Song: “man at the garden” He’s still not finished?? This guy is a menace. Song: “hey now” I’m not sure Noah was killing animals aboard his ark, but I haven’t read the bible in a minute. Great line, either way. And of course, we all know how he’s referring to. Song: “squabble up” So, it looks like we finally got the snippet he did at the start of the “Not Like Us” video and it’s essentially a message to the game that the boogeyman is outside and he wants to play. Song: “peekaboo” Calling diamonds boogers and comparing their carats to Kobe’s 81-point game is what this rap thing is all about. Song: “wacced out murals” To be fair to Snoop, he posts damn near everything on his Instagram account. But him waking up and being confused about hearing his voice on Drake’s diss song and then reposting it was a little head-scratching to say the least. The West Coast legend has been adamant about wanting to stay neutral throughout this whole ordeal, so maybe he didn’t really mean anything by it? Either way, Kendrick’s disappointed in his OG. Let’s hope they can hash this out. Song: “hey now” This is one of the best lines on one of the album’s best songs, and he’s still talking to Drake who some thought was too big to fail. Song: “dodger blue” That line about his chain being so dripped in ice that it resembles the glare on the camera lenses used by some of the game’s greatest directors is special. Song: “wacced out murals” Jigga tapping Dot to headline the Super Bowl has made everyone loose their minds, and perhaps there were some politics happening behind the scenes that made Wayne feel like he and Cash Money were going to get the nod in their hometown, but I’m not really sure how you can not understand this decision. Maybe Weezy gets the call if one of the most important rap battles since Jay-Z vs. Nas didn’t pop off. Song: “man at the garden” The crown sits in the West. We better get used to it. Now we sit back and see who tries to come for it.Should you buy Nvidia stock before 2025? The evidence is piling up, and it says thisSuspended soccer coach Bev Priestman has broken her silence, saying she hopes something positive comes out of the ongoing Canadian drone-spying scandal. “I hope out of a really tough situation, this is a turning point for our game,” she wrote in an Instagram post via her verified account. “There has been a standard and precedent set now, irrespective of gender, tournament or associated revenues that will hopefully clean up our game.” She did not address her role in the affair in the six-paragraph post. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi are all serving one-year FIFA bans for their role in the scandal, which saw the Canada women’s team use a drone to spy on two New Zealand training sessions at the Olympics. Canada Soccer says the three won’t be back in the wake of the recent independent report into the scandal. Lombardi is already gone, having resigned his position after the Olympics. “The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the incident itself was a symptom of a difficult and unacceptable past culture within the national teams,” Canada Soccer chief executive officer and general secretary Kevin Blue and president and board chair Peter Augruso said in a statement when the report was released earlier this month. Canada Soccer continues to investigate the roots of the spying scandal and has initiated a disciplinary process against former men’s and women’s coach John Herdman, currently coach of Toronto FC. The governing body has said it “has initiated a proceeding with respect to Mr. Herdman under its Disciplinary Code.” Herdman did not speak to Sonia Regenbogen, who wrote the report. Priestman signed a new contract in January that runs through the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 38-year-old Priestman took over the Canadian women on Nov. 1, 2020, and was initially appointed “through the next quadrennial.” She had been working on a rolling contract — until the new deal. “It has and will continue to take some time to process, heal, find the right words and step back into a public setting but I felt I should say something irrespective of ongoing circumstances,” Priestman wrote. In addition to the suspensions, FIFA docked the Canadian women six points in the group stage at the Olympics and fined Canada Soccer 200,000 Swiss francs ($312,815). Despite that, defending champion Canada still managed to make the knockout round before losing a penalty shootout to Germany in the quarterfinals. “I know that amazing group was ready to reach the top again this summer, but in many ways what they did was even more special under such difficult circumstances,” Priestman wrote. She also thanked those who had reached out to her. “You continue to help me through some dark days,” she said. Canadian under-20 coach Cindy Tye has been named interim coach for the sixth-ranked Canadians’ upcoming friendlies in Spain against Iceland and South Korea.
The NFL's security division is warning players to be aware of professional burglars targeting the homes of pro athletes. The Athletic reported Thursday that the NFL sent a memo to teams that outlines the threat. "The homes of professional athletes across multiple sports leagues have become increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups," read the memo, which was obtained by The Athletic. "Law enforcement officials have noted these groups appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes' homes on game days." NBC News reported Wednesday that law enforcement is working to figure out whether an international crime syndicate is involved. The Athletic reported that the memo includes tips for home security and also gives recommendations about the use of social media, such as not posting photos of items that would attract thieves. Players also learned via the memo how homes are targeted and how burglars enter. Mahomes hasn't said much about the burglary, other than to call it "disappointing" and "frustrating." "I can't get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing," he said. "But obviously something that you don't want to happen to really anybody, but obviously yourself." It's not clear what was stolen from Mahomes' home in Belton, Mo., during the Oct. 6 incident. But Kelce apparently lost $20,000 in cash in the burglary at his home in Leawood, Kan., the following day when the Chiefs played the New Orleans Saints on "Monday Night Football," according to a police report. The burglary at the home of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis in River Hills, Wis., occurred Nov. 2 during the Bucks' home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said the perpetrators "took most of my prized possessions" and is offering a reward for the return of his property. "Any info that leads to the return of any of my belongings will be rewarded handsomely," Portis said. "Let me know, thank you." --Field Level Media
The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Billy Smith scored 18 points as Bellarmine beat Bowling Green 80-68 on Saturday. Smith also contributed three steals for the Knights (1-5). Jack Karasinski added 15 points while going 6 of 9 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) while they also had five rebounds. Ben Johnson shot 4 for 12 (2 for 6 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. Derrick Butler and Javontae Campbell each scored 21 points for the Falcons (2-4). Youssef Khayat also had 11 points. Karasinski led his team in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 34-29 at the break. Bellarmine extended its lead to 58-46 during the second half, fueled by an 8-0 scoring run. Smith scored a team-high 12 points in the second half. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Liquidity boost to improve core profitability at lenders
Ole Miss WR Tre Harris injured during loss to FloridaSINGAPORE: In November, shocking news broke that the police were investigating teenage students from the Singapore Sports School for generating and circulating deepfake nude photos of their female schoolmates. Later that month, five ministers in Singapore and over 100 public servants across 31 government agencies received extortionary emails , demanding cryptocurrency payment in return for not publishing doctored images of them in compromising positions. These are Singapore’s latest cases of artificial intelligence (AI)-created deepfake sexual content – they will certainly not be the last, not here, not globally. In 2017, a Reddit thread offering fake videos of “Taylor Swift” having sex amassed 90,000 subscribers before being taken down eight weeks later. Last year in a small Spanish town, more than 20 young girls found their AI-generated nude photos circulating, created by teen boys accessing innocent photos off social media. AI may be trumpeted as the next big revolution, but the threat it poses is deeply nefarious. SINGAPORE TAKES ACTION Even before the Sports School incident, authorities in Singapore were girding against this new wave of online assault, with legislation passed or proposed along three prongs. The first is to regulate platforms where online content is accessed. The Broadcasting Act was amended in 2023, allowing the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to direct social media services – the gatekeepers of our cyber world – to block or remove egregious content within specified timelines and direct them to adhere to an online Code of Practice. Second, crimes in the analogue world but with a digital element can now be more effectively targeted, prevented and prosecuted. The Online Criminal Harms Act passed last year empowers authorities to issue directions to online service providers to restrict Singapore users’ exposure to online criminal content and activity. These include directions to prevent offending content from reaching, and restrict offending accounts from interacting with, persons in Singapore. WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS DOING But these would still not be a complete solution because the proliferation of deepfakes is a borderless problem. The international community needs to build consensus and cooperation on adopting and enforcing appropriate laws – to stem both the creation and spread of such content. Other nations have come at the problem from different angles. Australia has arguably the most developed governmental response to the online scourge, with an e-safety commission that was first established to tackle cyber harm against children. It passed a law on Nov 28 to ban children from social media until their 16th birthdays – the world’s first such legislation. While politically popular, a complete ban will be hard to enforce: It ignores that children today are digital natives. Virtual Private Network (VPN) access is an easy workaround. Bubble-wrapping kids is not the answer to developing resilient and discerning adults. The United Kingdom recently proposed measures to stop harmful deepfakes being created in the first place. For example, developers of AI models can apply filters to remove certain types of data from their training data sets and to prevent output with harmful content. A model can also be trained to reject prompt requests to create malicious or harmful deepfakes. These proposals pose their own challenges, including enforcement against rogue developers. China already has expansive rules requiring that manipulated material bear digital signatures or watermarks – while a potentially useful tool to help users identify AI-generated content, it offers cold comfort where pornographic deepfake content is circulated. BROADER IMPACT OF ONLINE HARMS Disturbingly, studies suggest that online harms are becoming increasingly normalised, with users thinking they are par for the course. In 2023, a survey by local non-profit SG Her Empowerment found that 20 per cent of respondents reported being “unaffected” because online harms were a “normal part of life”, while 66 per cent have taken to self-censorship. Instead of fighting the playground bully, people are staying away from the sandpit, and not understanding the harm being inflicted. If the internet brings with it the promise of equality through education and engagement, we are stumbling in our march of progress because of threats in cyberspace. And this is before we start to count the cost in mental health terms suffered by victims who find deepfake videos of themselves, no matter how speedily removed. From a gender perspective, the story is even bleaker. It is estimated that 95 per cent of deepfake porn is of women. Women are being disproportionately targeted online, potentially setting back progress made in gender equality. LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN ONLY GO SO FAR Law enforcement, by definition, comes in after the offending action – and the harm – has occurred. Enforcement is tough – creators of harmful content may be out of the territorial reach of our authorities and enjoy the anonymity the internet facilitates. Prevention is obviously even more challenging. What can individuals and the community do? First, the big DON’T – never share an offensive post even if it is to denounce it. Every repost is a fresh assault on the victim. Second, as a community we need to signal what are appropriate behaviours. The teenagers who created the deepfake nudes may well consider it a mere lark, without a real appreciation of the enormity of the harm. It is not enough to say “boys will be boys” – that simply avoids accountability. We need to have more conversations and agree, as a community, the boundaries of respectful conduct towards one another. Just as importantly, we need to think about what restorative justice would look like here. What kind of corrective training would be effective for perpetrators? Finally, victims should not be afraid to call out the perpetrator. Where a crime has been committed, report it to the authorities. If you know someone who has been the target, encourage them to take action. Survivors should not feel embarrassed; it is important that they take back control. While it looks like AI is here to stay, the true measure of society's progress is not in technology, but how we treat each other. Let's educate ourselves and act decisively before more victims become statistics in this alarming trend. Stefanie Yuen Thio is Joint Managing Partner and Stephanie Chew is Associate Director at TSMP Law Corporation.
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HOURS after gunmen brazenly killed, Jahiem Papius of Babonneau, and critically injured another man, near Derek Walcott Square in Castries, a group of 36 young men (mentees) assembled in the conference room of the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC), for an interactive session with their mentors. The mood at this event, which was organized by the Our Boys Matter (OBM) programme of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund, (SSDF) and which coincided with International Men’s Day, contrasted sharply with the recalled deadly shooting incident. The latter brought despair, while the former engendered hope. There will be times when we will not have effective solutions for our problems. Frustratingly, there are times when obvious solutions are before us, yet we ignore them. One hopes the OBM does not suffer this fate. The OBM has its raison d’etre in several, linked, and familiar challenges that afflict boys, such as poverty, hunger, living in dilapidated homes and unseemly neighbourhoods, fatherlessness, high rates of juvenile delinquency, and the growing presence and attraction of gangs. It’s also thought that declining levels of educational achievement, a lack of employable skills and unpreparedness of young men for work, are primarily because students are being forced to take on academic subjects that do not interest them; and are not in areas they are passionate about. Since it was established seven years ago, the OBM has helped to boost the employability of participants. It has given them a desire to set achievable goals for themselves. This, in turn, has helped to motivate participants and given them a sense of achievement. Additionally, the OBM has helped to keep young boys who are contemplating dropping out of school, to remain in school and away from criminality. OBM participants receive housing, educational assistance, and psycho-social support. Those who are prone to, or who manifest deviant behaviour are exposed to the Adolescent Development Programme (ADP) pioneered by the Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education (CARE). It’s puzzling to note that despite its obvious success, the ADP model has not been fully incorporated within the education system. An attractive feature of the OBM is the pairing of participants with male mentors who can help them to safely navigate the isthmus that connects adolescence and adulthood. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, few male mentors have come forward, perhaps because the call for mentors has not gone out far and wide enough. The OBM will have to fix this. Admittedly, mentorship is not for everyone. It’s like a vocation. Being a good mentor is about much more than giving good advice. Good mentors have loads of patience and empathy, are excellent listeners, and are willing to serve as sounding boards for mentees. Good mentors don’t know it all, but know enough and are willing to learn, including from mentees. Moreover, good mentors are emotionally intelligent, have positive mindsets and are not judgmental. They always seek the facts on an issue. Finally, good mentors must have good contacts and be able to find resources, often at short notice. Reflecting on these qualities, it’s easy to see that a good mentor is like a good parent, who gives tough love to his/her children, who show concern for them and who are committed to helping them achieve their full potential and become role models to others. Mentors are only as good as mentees allow them to be. The relationship between a mentor and mentee thrives on trust, mutual respect and a shared commitment to learning. Mentees and mentors can learn a great deal from each other. The most productive mentor-mentee relationships are those in which both parties are equally invested in success. My parents were the best mentors I could have had. They complemented each other perfectly. My Dad was highly disciplined, so much so that in 27 years of public service, he was never late for work or missed a day’s work. He was brutally frank and deeply honest. For him, a spade was...a spade. He worked hard at several jobs to feed, clothe, and educate us, and to pay the house rent and utility bills. Critically, he taught us how to approach life by his powerful example. But despite his admirable qualities, Daddy was sometimes impatient and high strung, except at Christmas. While Mamma was softer than Daddy, at times she could be much tougher than him. Whenever she didn’t want my brothers and me to leave the house, while she was away, she would simply collect all our pants, put them in her bag and take them with her. It wasn’t that her bag was large. It was because we had few pants. She would leave us naked from our navels to our feet, to discourage us from going outside to play and getting into trouble. Although my parents had 8 of us, often on arriving home from school we would find a distressed boy or girl whom Mamma had taken in. One young girl stayed with us until she reached adulthood. As fortunate as we were to have excellent parents, there were times when “the village” would take over and provide the guidance and counseling we needed. Parenting can be challenging, especially for young parents. Being human, parents will occasionally make mistakes. I count among these mistakes the belief that “sparing the rod spoils the child.” If a parent must often beat a child, this is a sign that parent needs professional help for himself/herself and/or for the child. Unfortunately, unlike in the past, there are fewer channels through which challenged parents can get support. The OBM deserves to succeed and be replicated across the island. The Ministry of Social Equity and the SSDF might consider creating a CARE-type entity, to advance the programme and to effectively manage it. Hopefully, the OBM will receive enhanced support from the Government and the private sector. Masseys, and the Saint Lucia Electricity Company Limited, (LUCELEC), must be commended for embracing the programme as part of their corporate responsibility efforts.UP Minister Nand Gopal Nandi's Convoy Meets With Accident in Sant Kabir Nagar, 3 Injured
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