MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media.
East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., a potential first-round pick, declared for the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday. Revel, who sustained a torn left ACL in practice in September, had one season of eligibility remaining. "After an incredible journey at East Carolina, I am officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft," the senior posted on social media. "... Pirates nation, thank you for your unwavering energy and support every game. Representing ECU is an honor, and I look forward to continuing to do so on Sundays!" Revel recorded two interceptions in three games this season, returning one 50 yards for a touchdown on Sept. 14 against Appalachian State. Over three seasons with the Pirates, Revel had three interceptions, 15 passes defensed and 70 tackles in 24 games. He was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection last season. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Revel as the No. 2 cornerback and No. 23 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class. --Field Level MediaNone
Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.
OTTAWA — Defence Minister Bill Blair said Monday that he's ready to work with the incoming Donald Trump administration to speed up Canada's timeline to meet its NATO alliance spending targets. Canada committed last year to meet the NATO members' pledge to spend at least two per cent of GDP on national defence and in July Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to hitting that target by 2032. At a Canada Global Affairs Institute conference on that commitment in Ottawa Monday, Blair told military industry representatives that Canada will need some outside assistance to do it faster. "They want us to go faster, and I'm ready to go faster," he said, when speaking about dealing with the next administration. Blair said he is asking the defence industry and American officials for "help" because much of what the Canadian Armed Forces has to acquire comes from America's military-industrial complex, and the "regimes that are currently in place for military sales, congressional approvals — even the rules with respect to how I engage with their industries, frankly, are slowing us down." He said 2032 is a "long way off" — even "too long." But Blair considers the conflict over two per cent to be "settled," since Ottawa has committed to a plan. The comments come as the Liberal government is facing stepped-up criticism from U.S. politicians and others for falling far behind what other alliance members spend. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said in a public talk at the recent Halifax International Security Forum, a glitzy confab that gathers lawmakers and military leaders from around the world to discuss global security threats, that Canada's timeline "truly has to be better than that." Trump has bristled over countries failing to meet the two per cent target, and Risch said president-elect would let out a "very large guffaw" at Canada's current timeline. Goldy Hyder, head of the Business Council of Canada, said the 2032 target leaves Canada exposed heading into trade talks with the next administration. "We're late to the game," he said. "You can't enter a year in which you're having a review and renewal of the most important trade agreement in our country on the back foot, you can't be on the defensive — and that's what we clearly are." His organization released a report Monday calling on the government to bring in a raft of reforms to defence procurement, including to build up Canada's domestic defence industry base and speed up the plan to reach the NATO target to 2030, then raise it to three per cent by 2035. Speaking at the 70th annual session of the NATO parliamentary assembly in Montreal on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the Liberal record on defence spending, saying the government stepped up "big time" after it came to power in November 2015. In 2015-16 Canada's defence spending had fallen below one per cent of GDP. It's expected to be 1.37 per cent this year. Trudeau said the country is now on a "clear path" to meet the two per cent spending pledge, something Canada committed to spend annually at the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Canada consistently ranks at the back of the pack among NATO allies when it comes to how much it shells out on its military as a share of its GDP. The office of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said this summer that a future Conservative government would "work towards meeting Canada's NATO spending commitment," though the party has not produced its own timeline. David Perry, President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said Trudeau's government has stepped up defence spending in its time in office, but is still struggling to spend money fast enough. "They're not yet getting money out the door at a rate that's going to get us to two per cent of GDP by 2032," he said. "The next five to six months are really going to tell us a lot about whether they can actually hit a really aggressive ramp-up the way they have been planning." "It's just taking longer and slower than everybody had hoped." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian PressWinnipeg Jets at LA Kings odds, picks and predictionsThe vote could usher in the desert nation's first woman leader even as her party, the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) faces the strongest challenge yet to its 34-year grip on power. Some voters told AFP they queued all day, for up to 12 hours, blaming technical problems which included issues with voter identification tablets or insufficient ballot papers. According to Namibia's electoral law, those in the queue before the polls closed -- scheduled at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) -- should be allowed to vote. "We have the obligation to make sure that they pass their vote," said Petrus Shaama, chief officer of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). The main opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has blamed the ECN for the long lines and cried foul play. "We have reason to believe that the ECN is deliberately suppressing voters and deliberately trying to frustrate voters from casting their vote," said Christine Aochamus of the IPC. She said the party had "started the process" of approaching a court "to order the ECN to extend the voting time". At one polling station inside Namibia's University of Science and Technology in the capital Windhoek, hundreds of people were still in line at 09:00 pm despite some having arrived at 6:00 am, an hour before polls opened. It was a similar situation at the Museum of Independence, according to an AFP reporter, where one voter said he arrived 12 hours earlier and was still in line with hundreds of others. SWAPO's candidate and current vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was one of the first to vote and called on Namibians "to come out in their numbers". An estimated 1.5 million people in the sparsely populated nation had registered to cast their ballot. SWAPO has governed since leading mineral-rich Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 but complaints about unemployment and enduring inequalities could force Nandi-Ndaitwah into an unprecedented second round. Leader of the IPC, Panduleni Itula, a former dentist and lawyer said he was optimistic he could "unseat the revolutionary movement". "We will all march from there and to a new dawn and a new era of how we conduct our public affairs in this country," the 67-year-old told reporters after voting. Itula took 29 percent of votes in the 2019 elections, losing to SWAPO leader Hage Geingob with 56 percent. It was a remarkable performance considering Geingob, who died in February, had won almost 87 percent five years before that. Namibia is a major uranium and diamond exporter but not many of its nearly three million people have benefitted from that wealth. "There's a lot of mining activity that goes on in the country, but it doesn't really translate into improved infrastructure, job opportunities," said independent political analyst Marisa Lourenco, based in Johannesburg. "That's where a lot of the frustration is coming from, (especially) the youth," she said. Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds is estimated at 46 percent, according to the latest figures from 2018, almost triple the national average. For the first time in Namibia's recent history, analysts say a second round is a somewhat realistic option. That would take place within 60 days of the announcement of the first round of results due by Saturday. "The outcome will be tight," said self-employed Hendry Amupanda, 32, who queued since 9:00 pm the night before to cast his ballot. "I want the country to get better and people to get jobs," said Amupanda, wearing slippers and equipped with a chair, blanket and snacks. Marvyn Pescha, a self-employed consultant, said his father was part of SWAPO's liberation struggle and he was not going to abandon the party. "But I want SWAPO to be challenged for better policies. Some opportunistic leaders have tarnished the reputation of the party, they misuse it for self-enrichment," the 50-year-old said. While lauded for leading Namibia to independence, SWAPO is nervous about its standing after other liberation-era movements in the region have lost favour with young voters. In the past six months, South Africa's African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority and the Botswana Democratic Party was ousted after almost six decades in power. clv/br/lhd/sbk
Merus announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2 Trial of Petosemtamab in 3L+ mCRC
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall could play Sunday at Jacksonville after missing a game with a knee injury. Hall has been dealing with a hyperextension and injured MCL in his left knee that sidelined him last Sunday at Miami. But he was a full participant at practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday. Hall was officially listed as questionable on the team's final injury report. “He looks good right now,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “So it’s promising.” Hall leads the Jets with 692 yards rushing and four touchdown runs, and he also has 401 yards receiving and two scores on 46 catches. A pair of rookies helped New York offset Hall's absence last weekend, with Braelon Allen rushing for 43 yards on 11 carries, and Isaiah Davis getting 40 yards on 10 attempts and scoring his first rushing touchdown. “We’re hopeful and we’ll see how it goes,” Ulbrich said of Hall. The Jets will get star cornerback Sauce Gardner back after he missed a game with a hamstring injury, but New York's secondary appears likely to be without cornerback D.J. Reed because of a groin injury. Reed was listed as doubtful after he didn't practice Thursday or Friday. “It’s been something that’s kind of lingered here and there,” Ulbrich said. “It’s gotten aggravated and then it went away, and then it got aggravated again. So, it’s just dealing with that.” Backup Brandin Echols is out with a shoulder injury, so veteran Isaiah Oliver or rookie Qwan'tez Stiggers could get the start opposite Gardner if Reed can't play. Kendall Sheffield also could be elevated from the practice squad for the second game in a row. Ulbrich said kick returner Kene Nwangwu will be placed on injured reserve after breaking a hand last weekend at Miami. The injury came a week after he was selected the AFC special teams player of the week in his Jets debut, during which he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and forced a fumble in a loss to Seattle. “To put him out there with a broken hand, just thought it’d be counterproductive for him and for us as a team, so it unfortunately cuts the season short and what a bright light he was,” Ulbrich said. “What an amazing future I think he has in this league. With saying that, he’s already been a really good player for quite a while, so (it's) unfortunate, but he’ll be back.” Offensive lineman Xavier Newman (groin) is doubtful, while right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) and RT Morgan Moses (wrist) are questionable. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLVDH: Are The Years Of Madness Ending?
TEHRAN - In a note, Hamshahri dealt with the increase of Iran's infiltration into Israel's security structures. It wrote: These days, concern about Iran's increasing infiltration into various structures of the Zionist regime has become one of the most important political-security concerns of Tel Aviv in facing the Islamic Republic. It seems that after the implementation of the "True Promise II" operation, the Zionist authorities were more worried about Iran's security infiltration into the occupied territories. Although the Zionists tried to hide the strikes by launching a propaganda campaign after Operation "True Promise I", during "True Promise II", the high volume of hits could not be hidden. More than anything else, the accurate hitting of the missile depots indicated Iran's precise information about the military-security goals of the Zionist regime. An issue that seems to have faced the security authorities of this regime with an important challenge called “Iran's security penetration.” In an article, Ettelaat addressed the developments in the Middle East, especially in Syria, and the performance of Iran after these events. The paper said: The Middle East has become the center of strange political and social developments. In such a situation, we need to know what direction the future conditions in the region will take and what the Islamic Republic of Iran can do. It seems that threats and sabotage attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran will intensify based on the expansionist and aggressive strategies of the Israeli regime. In such a situation, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Resistance Front should put themselves in a position of renewal and strength. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the leader of the resistance groups and more than others it is most exposed to threats and conspiracies. Therefore, it must take serious measures to strengthen its internal power because inciting and equipping forces opposed to the Islamic Republic, launching media wars and cyberattacks, creating public discontent among the people, etc. are on the list of programs of this regime against Iran. In an analysis, Etemad discussed the role of Syria in the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. It wrote: The developments in the Middle East and the confrontation between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah changed the balance of power between Iran and Israel, and now the fall of Bashar al-Assad can affect the position of Iran and the resistance front. However, the wider consequence of recent developments is a change in the balance of power between Turkey and other regional and extra-regional actors. What is clear is that Turkey's achievements in Syria have been highlighted and Ankara's influence in Lebanon and Iraq may increase. Turkey's achievements may affect Tehran's interactions and have consequences for other regional actors. From Iran's point of view, the fall of Assad may provide the basis for changing Tehran’s strategy. But as observers say, Turkey's achievements in Syria can be worrying signs for the whole region. Iran sees Turkey as a regional competitor. A rival who secretly challenges Tehran's influence in the Middle East and the Caucasus. A geography where the two players have been competing for a long time. In an explanation, Arman-e-Emrooz analyzed Iran's future policy after Assad and wrote: Considering the anti-Israeli nature of the Islamist movement in Syria and the closeness of some of them to Hamas, perhaps this channel will provide an opportunity for Tehran to play a role in this regard in the future. The continuation of Israel's attacks on Syria and serious hatred toward the occupation and apartheid regime can increase the chance of creating this opportunity for Iran. Considering the escalation of tension in the future, Tehran may be led to redefine its regional priorities and strengthen relations with Syria’s actors to pass this stage. It is also possible that the Iranian government will focus more on strengthening its internal front and solving its problems and negotiations to lift sanctions. Of course, before the formation of such negotiations, it is not unlikely that Israel will take action against Iran's nuclear program with a green light from the United States. Apart from these goals, another goal may be to remove Iran's nuclear leverage in order to get concessions in the negotiations.Meteorologist Devon Lucie steps us through the Thanksgiving Day forecast timing the arrival of a cold front, when and where rain will be in relation to where you are, how temperatures are affected. what the risk for strong, possibly severe storms will be and what impacts they could bring, then breaking down the day's forecast along with the Tulane football game outlook, then shows you how much colder it will get through the rest of the holiday weekend highlighting the coldest times and when some of our first "cold alerts" of the season are likeliest, then finishes with your seven day forecast.