Will Guillory: sources tell me and @KellyIko Source: What's the buzz on Twitter? @ Brandon Ingram has been getting bumped and bodied on dribbles throughout 3Q, but it's finally catching up to Warriors with a couple fouls - @ Update: Jordan Hawkins (back) and Brandon Ingram (ankle) are available vs. Golden State. CJ McCollum (adductor) is out - More on Jim Eichenhofer: Update: -via / November 22, 2024 for the contest -via / November 21, 2024 In the second game of a back-to-back Wednesday, . -via / November 20, 2024NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 19, 2024-- Republic, a leading global investment platform at the intersection of finance and technology, is thrilled to announce the appointment of James Newman as General Partner – Fund Manager & Vice President of Operations at Republic. James Newman brings two decades of expertise spanning traditional finance, venture building, investing and the cutting edge of Web3 & digital assets. His diverse background and exceptional leadership will play a pivotal role in strengthening Republic’s position as a trailblazer in the investment space. Prior to joining Republic, James has worked extensively across the Brevan Howard and Web3 ecosystem, taking on key roles in investing, business building, and operations. Originally hired at Brevan Howard, his focus was Principal Investing across Crypto, Web3, Fintech, and Frontier Technologies. James was also a founding team member of WebN Group, a renowned incubator for Fintech and Web3 innovation, where over 18 months substantial equity value was created by incubating and scaling early-stage companies such as Twinstake, TruFin, Libre, Geometry, and Soter. James further demonstrated his operational acumen during his tenure at Elwood, a Digital Asset EMS & PMS provider backed by Goldman Sachs, Dawn, Citi Bank and Barclays, where he spent six months on secondment, restructuring and scaling the company’s operational policies and procedures. With eight years of extensive involvement in Web3, James began his career with nearly fifteen years of experience in investment banking, working across multi-asset trading, derivatives, sales, and structuring at top-tier global banks. “James’s depth of experience and strategic vision make him an exceptional addition to the Republic team,” said Andrew Durgee, President of Republic. “His ability to seamlessly navigate the intersections of traditional finance, digital assets, and Web3 innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to democratize access to transformative investment opportunities. We are excited to see the impact James will have as we continue to grow and evolve.” James’s appointment underscores Republic’s commitment to leveraging unparalleled expertise to expand the horizon of investment opportunities for its global community. “I’m thrilled to join Republic during such a transformative time in the financial industry,” said James Newman. “The convergence of digital assets and traditional finance presents immense investment and operational opportunities, and I look forward to driving innovation and investment alongside this talented team.” About Republic: Headquartered in New York City, Republic is a global financial firm operating an enterprise-focused digital merchant bank and a network of multi-jurisdictional retail-focused investment platforms. Backed by Valor Equity Partners, Galaxy Interactive, Morgan Stanley, Hashed, AngelList and other leading institutions, Republic boasts a portfolio of over 1500 companies and a community of nearly 3M members from over 100 countries. More than $2 billion has been deployed through investment platforms, funds, and firms within the Republic family of companies. Republic has established operations in the US, the UK, the UAE, South Korea, and Singapore. For more information on Republic, visit www.republic.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219132421/en/ CONTACT: Media: Jasmyn Pizzimbono PR Strategy Manager Republic jasmyn@republic.com KEYWORD: NEW YORK EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY WEB3 FINANCE FINTECH BANKING DIGITAL CASH MANAGEMENT/DIGITAL ASSETS SOURCE: Republic Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/19/2024 04:07 PM/DISC: 12/19/2024 04:05 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219132421/en
LONDON (AP) — When had their say in 2024, their message was often: “You’re fired.” Some 70 countries that are home to half the world’s population held elections this year, and in many . From and to , and , voters tired of economic disruption and global instability rejected sitting governments — and sometimes turned to disruptive outsiders. The rocky democratic landscape just seemed to get bumpier as a dramatic year careened toward its end, with mass protests in and , an election and an attempt to impose Cas Mudde, a professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia who studies extremism and democracy, summed up 2024 in Prospect magazine as “a great year for the far right, a terrible year for incumbents and a troublesome year for democracy around the world.” Incumbents battered One message sent by voters in 2024: They’re fed up. University of Manchester political scientist Rob Ford has attributed the anti-incumbent mood to “electoral long COVID” -– lingering pandemic-related health, education, social and economic disruptions that have made millions of people unhappier and worse off. High inflation, fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and mass displacement from that war and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa have added to the global unease. In South Africa, high helped drive a dramatic loss of support for the African National Congress, which had governed for three decades since the end of the . The party lost its political dominance in May’s election and was forced to go into coalition with opposition parties. Incumbents also were defeated in Senegal, Ghana and , where voters ousted the party that had been in power for 58 years since independence from Britain. Namibia’s extended its 34 years in power in December -– but only by a whisker. Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, , became the country’s new president in a November runoff that delivered another rebuke to incumbents. In India, the world’s largest democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost its parliamentary majority in a shock election result in June after a decade of dominance. It was forced to govern in coalition as the opposition doubled its strength in Parliament. Japanese politics entered a new era of uncertainty after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled almost without interruption since 1955, suffered a major loss in October amid voter anger at party financial scandals. It now leads a minority government. The saw the right-of-center Conservatives ousted after 14 years in office as the center-left Labour Party swept to power in a landslide. But the results also revealed growing fragmentation: Support for the two big parties that have dominated British politics for a century shrank as voters turned to smaller parties, including the hard-right party Reform U.K. led by Nigel Farage. Authoritarians advance Britain is not alone in seeing a rise for the right. Elections in June for the parliament of the saw conservative populists and the far right rock ruling parties in France and Germany, the EU’s biggest and most powerful members. The anti-immigration National Rally party won the first round of in June, but alliances and tactical voting by the center and left knocked it down to third place in the second round, producing a and a fragile government that collapsed in a Dec. 4 no-confidence vote. In Austria, the conservative governing People’s Party was beaten by the far-right, pro-Russia Freedom Party in September, though other parties allied to keep it out of a coalition government. Nepotism and political dynasties continued to exert influence -– and to be challenged. After in February, Pakistan elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of three-time leader Nawaz Sharif. Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest democracy, elected , son-in-law of the late dictator . Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the world’s longest-serving female leader, won in a January election that . Months later, her 15-year rule came to a tumultuous end: After mass student-led protests in which hundreds were killed, Hasina was ousted in August and fled to India. In Sri Lanka, voters also rejected a discredited old guard. Voters elected the Marxist as president in September, two years after an island-wide public movement by an engaged middle class removed the long-ruling Rajapaksa clan. Interference allegations Covert meddling and online disinformation were growing concerns in 2024. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said that this year it took down 20 election-related “covert influence operations around the world, including in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the U.S.” It said Russia was the top source of such meddling, followed by Iran and China. In Romania, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu came from nowhere to win the first round of the presidential election in November, aided in part by a flood of TikTok videos promoting his campaign. Amid allegations of Russian meddling, Romania’s runoff two days before it was due to take place after a trove of declassified intelligence alleged Russia organized a sprawling campaign across social media to promote Georgescu. No date has yet been set for a rerun. Moldova’s won a November runoff against her Moscow-friendly rival in an election seen as pivotal to the future of one of Europe’s poorest nations. Georgia has seen huge protests since an election in October was won by the pro-Moscow Georgian Dream party, which suspended negotiations on joining the European Union. The opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with Russia’s help. Uncertainty reigns Possibly the year’s most seismic result, in November’s U.S. presidential election, has America’s allies and opponents bracing for what the unpredictable “America-first” leader will do with his second term. And instability already reigns on several continents as the year ends. Venezuela has been in political crisis since a July election marred by serious fraud allegations which both President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition claim to have won. Amid opposition protests and a harsh crackdown, opposition candidate Edmundo González went into exile in Spain. In Mozambique, the Frelimo party that has ruled for half a century was declared the winner of an October election that the opposition called rigged. across the country South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol — weakened after the liberal opposition retained control in an April election -– astonished the country by declaring martial law in a late-night announcement on Dec. 3. Parliament voted to overturn the decision six hours later, and within days voted to impeach Yoon. The crisis in the deeply divided country is far from over. Democracy’s bumpy ride looks likely to continue in 2025, with embattled incumbents facing challenge in countries including Germany, where Chancellor lost a confidence vote on Dec. 16, triggering an early election likely in February. Canada will also vote in 2025, with the governing Liberals and increasingly divided after almost a decade in power. Seema Shah, head of democracy assessment at the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, said global surveys suggest support for the concept of democracy remains strong, but the numbers plummet “when you ask people how satisfied they are with their own democracy.” “People want democracy. They like the theory of it,” she said. “But when they see it actually play out, it’s not living up to their expectations.” ___ Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this story. Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
A massive fire broke out early Sunday morning on the second floor of a two-wheeler showroom near Basti Jodhewal, reducing a stock of electric scooters to ashes. Fire officials said around 70 electric and petrol vehicles were gutted. The blaze, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, spread rapidly. Residents in the vicinity noticed the flames and alerted the fire brigade and the showroom owners. An eyewitness reported that an employee of a nearby petrol pump was the first to spot the fire and raise the alarm. Fire officer Lovelesh Sood said that upon receiving the emergency call, fire stations from the central fire station, Sundar Nagar and Tajpur Road were immediately dispatched to the site. It took almost two hours for the firemen to being the situation under control. The showroom owners are assessing their loss. An investigation into what triggered the fire is underway, officials said.SANTA CLARA — Brandon Allen prepared as if he was the 49ers’ starting quarterback all week, but the reality didn’t hit home until Friday, when Brock Purdy again missed practice. “I know he had a plan for his shoulder all week, rest it a little bit on Wednesday and we’d split reps,” Allen said of Purdy. “I think the plan Thursday was to come out and practice. I guess in warmups it just wasn’t feeling right. I found out (Friday).” Allen, a 32-year-old veteran in his ninth season, will start Sunday when the 49ers (5-5) visit the Green Bay Packers (7-3) at Lambeau Field. Purdy was ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained in a 20-17 loss to Seattle , the first time he has missed a start because of injury after 31 regular-season and six postseason starts. Here are five things to know about Allen: 1. Arkansas roots The Fayetteville, Arkansas native’s father Bobby spent more than 20 years as an Arkansas assistant coach. After a redshirt season in 2011, Allen played in 42 games with 38 starts for the Razorbacks. As a senior, Allen completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 3,440 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions as Arkansas went 8-5. His brother Austin took over as the Arkansas quarterback. In his ninth season, only Joe Ferguson (11 seasons) of the Buffalo Bills has more time in the NFL among Arkansas quarterbacks. 2. Professional route Drafted in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Allen spent his rookie season behind Blake Bortles and Chad Henne as a third-string quarterback and did not play. He was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 and played behind Jared Goff and Sean Mannion before being signed by the Denver Broncos in 2019. Allen won his first start against Cleveland 24-19 in Week 9 of that season, passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Allen signed with Cincinnati in 2020, spent time on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster in November. Subbing for Joe Burrow, Allen had his career-best game, passing for 371 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 win. Allen is 2-7 as an NFL starter with 1,611 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 78.0 passer rating. 3. Signing with the 49ers Allen became a 49er on May 8, 2023, signing as a free agent. The 49ers, who up to that point seldom kept a third quarterback on the 53-man roster, kept Allen as a No. 3 all season behind Purdy and Sam Darnold after the previous year’s injuries to Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, and finally Purdy in the NFC Championship Game. Allen did not take a snap. 4. Installed as No. 2 QB Allen signed another one-year contract with the 49ers for one year and $1.21 million (which is more than the $985,000 that Purdy makes on his rookie deal). The 49ers also signed Joshua Dobbs to a one-year, guaranteed $2.35 million contract. Allen and Dobbs competed throughout training camp, with Allen earning the nod from coach Kyle Shanahan. “You’ve got to make a decision. Usually I don’t want to have to make it,” Shanahan said. “I want it to be that obvious, let it play out. Brandon had the head start just being here. I thought he did some better things in practice.” 5. Familiarity with the system While in Denver, Allen’s offensive coordinator was Rich Scangarello, who was the quarterbacks coach under Shanahan in 2017-18. In Los Angeles, the head coach was Sean McVay and the offensive coordinator was Matt LaFleur, both of whom run variations of the Shanahan offense. In 2018, Zac Taylor was his quarterbacks coach with the Rams. Taylor, upon being hired as head coach in Cincinnati, signed Allen to back up Burrow.
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LG’s new lamp puts a mini garden inside your homeKYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. escalating the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. People are also reading... 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Police, sheriff talk about what Trump's mass deportation plan could mean for Tulsa James Franco visits Outsiders House Museum Mike Gundy preparing to send Ollie Gordon, Nick Martin, Collin Oliver to NFL Draft Video: Stephen Colbert counts Ryan Walters among 'far-right weirdos' Trump could hire Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia will launch production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said. “Sooner or later, other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. “We have this system now,” he added. “And this is important.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He said the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who said it's not the first time such a threat has been received. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad.