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2025-01-09   

super jili 4 A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the United States. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, its also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The US has said it's concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that's difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinises the video-sharing app's role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the US hasn't provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing's benefit in the US They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasised pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com .

Stanford takes aim at Andrej Stojakovic, Cal

SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan held a memorial ceremony on Sunday near the Sado Island Gold Mines , listed this summer as a UNESCO World Heritage site after the country moved past years of historical disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the mines' dark history. However, it has not offered an apology. At these mines, hundreds of Koreans were forced to labor under abusive and brutal conditions during World War II, historians say. Japanese officials at Sunday’s ceremony time paid tribute for the first to “all workers” including Korean laborers who died at the mines, without acknowledging they were forced laborers — part of what critics call a persistent policy of whitewashing Japan's history of sexual and labor exploitation before and during the war. The ceremony, supposed to further mend wounds, renewed tensions between the two sides. South Korea boycotted Sunday's memorial service citing unspecified disagreements with Tokyo over the event. “As a resident, I must say (their absence) is very disappointing after all the preparations we made,” said Sado Mayor Ryugo Watanabe. “I wish we could have held the memorial with South Korean attendees.” The Associated Press explains the Sado mines, their history and the controversy. The 16th-century mines on the island of Sado, about the size of the Pacific island of Guam, off the western coast of Niigata prefecture, operated for nearly 400 years, beginning in 1601, and were once the world’s largest gold producer. They closed in 1989. During the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868, the mines supplied gold currency to the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate. Today, the site has been developed into a tourist facility and hiking site where visitors can learn about the changes in mining technology and production methods while looking at the remains of mine shafts and ore dressing facilities. Critics say the Japanese government only highlights the glory of the mines and covers up its use of Korean victims of forced labor and their ordeals. The mines were registered as a cultural heritage site in July after Japan agreed to include an exhibit on the conditions of Korean forced laborers and to hold a memorial service annually after repeated protests from the South Korean government. A few signs have since been erected, indicating former sites of South Korean laborers’ dormitories. A city-operated museum in the area also added a section about Korean laborers, but a private museum attached to the main UNESCO site doesn't mention them at all. At the UNESCO World Heritage Committee July meeting, the Japanese delegate said Tokyo had installed new exhibition material to explain the “severe conditions of (the Korean laborers’) work and to remember their hardship.” Japan also acknowledged that Koreans were made to do more dangerous tasks in the mine shaft, which caused some to die. Those who survived also developed lung diseases and other health problems. Many of them were given meager food rations and nearly no days off and were caught by police if they escaped, historians say. But the Japanese government has refused to admit they were “forced labor.” South Korea had earlier opposed the listing of the site for UNESCO World Heritage on the grounds that the Korean forced laborers used at the mines were missing from the exhibition. South Korea eventually supported the listing after consultations with Japan and Tokyo’s pledge to improve the historical background of the exhibit and to hold a memorial that also includes Koreans. Historians say Japan used hundreds of thousands of Korean laborers, including those forcibly brought from the Korean Peninsula, at Japanese mines and factories to make up for labor shortages because most working-age Japanese men had been sent to battlefronts across Asia and the Pacific. About 1,500 Koreans were forced to work at the Sado mines, according to Yasuto Takeuchi, an expert on Japan’s wartime history, citing wartime Japanese documents. The South Korean government has said it expects Japan to keep its pledge to be truthful to history and to show both sides of the Sado mines. “The controversy surrounding the Sado mines exhibit underscores a deeper problem” of Japan’s failure to face up to its wartime responsibility and its growing “denialism” of its wartime atrocities, Takeuchi said. All workers who died at the Sado mines were honored. That includes hundreds of Korean laborers who worked there during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. At Sunday’s ceremony, four Japanese representatives, including central and local government officials and the head of the organizing group, thanked all mine workers for their sacrifice and mourned for those who died. None offered any apology to Korean forced laborers for the harsh treatment at the mines. Attendants observed a moment of silence for the victims who died at the mines due to accidents and other causes. The ceremony dredged up long-standing frustrations in South Korea. About 100 people, including officials from Japan’s local and central government, as well as South Korean Foreign Ministry officials and the relatives of Korean wartime laborers, were supposed to attend. Because of South Korea's last-minute boycott, more than 20 seats remained vacant. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday it was impossible to settle the disagreements between both governments before the planned event on Sunday, without specifying what those disagreements were. There has been speculation that the South Korean boycott might have been due to the presence of parliamentary vice minister Akiko Ikuina at Sunday's ceremony. In August 2022, Ikuina reportedly visited Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine , weeks after she was elected as a lawmaker. Japan’s neighbors view Yasukuni, which commemorates 2.5 million war dead including war criminals, as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Her visit could have been seen as a sign of a lack of remorse. Some South Koreans criticized the Seoul government for throwing its support behind an event without securing a clear Japanese commitment to highlight the plight of Korean laborers. There were also complaints over South Korea agreeing to pay for the travel expenses of Korean victims’ family members who were invited to attend the ceremony. Critics say Japan’s government has long been reluctant to discuss wartime atrocities. That includes what historians describe as the sexual abuse and enslavement of women across Asia, many of them Koreans who were deceived into providing sex to Japanese soldiers at frontline brothels and euphemistically called “comfort women,” and the Koreans who were mobilized and forced to work in Japan, especially in the final years of World War II. Korean compensation demands for Japanese atrocities during its brutal colonial rule have strained relations between the two Asian neighbors, most recently after a 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordered Japanese companies to pay damages over their wartime forced labor. Japan’s government has maintained that all wartime compensation issues between the two countries were resolved under the 1965 normalization treaty. Ties between Tokyo and Seoul have improved recently after Washington said their disputes over historical issues hampered crucial security cooperation as China’s threat grows in the region. South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol announced in March 2023 that his country would use a local corporate fund to compensate forced labor victims without demanding Japanese contributions. Japan’s then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later expressed sympathy for their suffering during a Seoul visit. Security, business and other ties between the sides have since rapidly resumed. Japan’s whitewashing of wartime atrocities has risen since the 2010s, particularly under the past government of revisionist leader Shinzo Abe . For instance, Japan says the terms “sex slavery” and “forced labor” are inaccurate and insists on the use of highly euphemistic terms such as “comfort women” and “civilian workers” instead. Takeuchi, the historian, said listing Japan’s modern industrial historical sites as a UNESCO World Heritage is a government push to increase tourism. The government, he said, wants “to commercialize sites like the Sado mines by beautifying and justifying their history for Japan’s convenience.” Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.

Talk about tough ways to lose for the Commanders. Washington managed to score a late fourth-quarter touchdown with less than a minute on the clock to pull within one point of the Cowboys. But Austin Seibert shanked the extra point after a bad snap and rushed hold. Dallas returned an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to cap a crushing 34-26 loss for Washington at Northwest Stadium on Sunday. Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with wide receiver Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left on the clock, setting up Seibert with what should have been an easy extra point kick. Instead, a low snap was a precursor for the shanked kick that went wide left leaving the Commanders still trailing 27-26. Washington attempted the onside kick and it bounced right to Juanyeh Thomas, who took the ball right through a hole in the Commanders’ line for the 43-yard return to the end zone. The touchdown all but ended the Commanders’ hopes of staging another comeback attempt. The Cowboys’ win snapped a five-game losing streak and stunned plenty of prognosticators who had expected the Commanders, who have been chasing the NFC East lead, to come away with their eighth win of the year. The game had already been a bit of a bizarre afternoon for the Cowboys and Commanders, who had scored a combined 19 points through the first three-quarters of the game. Seibert had a forgettable day trying to kick, as he missed a field goal attempt earlier and missed on two extra point attempts. The missed extra point at the end drew plenty of reactions, including from former NFL star Shannon Sharpe. “You’ve got 2 be f-king kidding me. Commanders kicker f-king shanked a PAT,” he wrote on X. To make matters worse, Austin Ekeler was injured on a kick return in the game’s final seconds after taking a monster hit. We eventually was able to get up and walk off the field.Earnings week ahead: CRWD, DELL, ZM, WDAY, HPQ, M, BBY and more

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was taken to a hospital for a neck injury after landing on his head while making a catch late in the first half of Sunday's 30-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. As Sanders was brought down near the sideline after a 10-yard reception, he was flipped upside down and landed directly on the top of his helmet as he went out of bounds on the tackle by cornerback Trent McDuffie. After receiving attention from the team's medical staff, Sanders was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field on a cart with 40 seconds remaining in the half. He was taken to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for observation and later released Sunday afternoon, according to the team. On the CBS broadcast following halftime, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Sanders had movement in all his extremities, while extreme precaution was taken because of back tightness. CBS reported he was being examined for a concussion before later amending that to a neck injury. The 21-year-old rookie out of Texas had a team-leading three receptions for the Panthers at the half for 49 yards. In 11 games this season, Sanders has 29 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown. Sanders was a fourth-round selection in the NFL draft in April. --Field Level MediaWilson stays red hot as Solano College men’s basketball team beats American RiverFAIRFIELD – Justiz Wilson was hitting from the corner. He was hitting from the top of the key. He was hitting with the shot clock winding down. He was hitting with plenty of time on the clock. Maybe most importantly, the Solano Community College guard kept making those shots in clutch situations against visiting American River of Sacramento on Thursday. Fueled by Wilson’s 33 points, the Falcons outlasted the Beavers, 73-62, as they evened their preseason record at 3-3. The Vanden High grad is having quite a week. He poured in 38 points in a win over Cañada just two days earlier. “My mindset has changed,” said Wilson, who was 11 of 25 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point land. “I had a few rude awakenings this season. People are really gunning for me, so I’ve had to really lock in with God and talk to him. I’ve had to listen to my pops a little bit more. He just told me to stay aggressive.” The Beavers (4-6) closed to within one point a handful of times in the game but never tied or took the lead. The final time came at 60-59 with 6:56 left in the second half. Wilson, however, calmly landed a turnaround jumper on the other end of the court. That began a 13-3 spurt to finish the game as Wilson had 11 of those points. While Wilson was sensational, he had sturdy help from fellow backcourt mate Nicko Ignacio, who added 20 points. The freshman from Fairfield High was 9 of 13 from the field. “The last two games, we’ve had Nicko back, and obviously we’re performing better. It’s no coincidence,” said Solano head coach John Nagle. “It’s a two-headed monster for those positions so (opponents) have to pick their poison.” Wilson had seven points and two assists in a 15-5 run for the Falcons to start the game as American River was forced to call timeout. The Beavers slowly got back into the game with the help of hulking center Max Manfredi, who led American River with 19 points and eight rebounds. The Beavers finally got hot midway through the first half as a Zach Cannon 3-pointer ignited a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 29-28 with 6:21 left. However, two clutch foul shots from Wilson kept Solano in the lead. American River was down just 35-33 with 2:33 left in the half before a drive to the hoop from Ignacio began a 9-1 spurt to give the Falcons a 44-34 lead going into the locker room. Wilson held for the final shot and nailed a 3-pointer to put an exclamation point on his first half. Manfredi continued to get his points in the second half, but Solano sophomore Jeremiah Cardwell (five points, 10 boards) did not make things easy as the two battled physically against one another. Manfredi had four personal fouls – two of those on the offensive side. “He battled,” Nagle said of Cardwell. “He is all heart. He just gets out there and sacrifices for the team.” Solano still has some work to do on several fronts as it continues the preseason. The Falcons made just eight of 20 from the foul line for the contest. Also, Wilson and Ignacio accounted for 53 of the team’s 73 points as no one else had more than seven. “I think we still need to fully trust each other,” Wilson said. “We have new people on the team. We have a lot of players back, but I think we’re still trying to mesh together and trying to figure out our identity. I think we’ve had some amazing practices this week with coach Nagle though. I think we’re coming together.”

Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change, Environment, Civil Service, Information, Public Enterprises and Veteran Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka will officially open the Top Executive Conference 2024 at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau in Nadi this morning. The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation’s (FCEF) premium business conference is being attended by 400-plus delegates representing a wide range of sectors. FCEF president Vinay Narsey said this year’s theme – ‘Collaborative Action for Sustainable Growth: Delivering On Our 2030 Commitment – underscored their obligation as Fiji’s leading employer organisation and to address local and global business concerns. “It presents an invaluable opportunity for us to learn from real-world experiences and insights on relevant and timely issues,” Mr Narsey said. This year’s conference features 10 sessions with 23 speakers. That will include three distinguished international presenters: Mark McCrindle – social researcher, best-selling author and TEDx speaker; Sadhana Mohan – Private Sector Coordination Specialist Asia and Pacific, Connecting Business Initiative (CBI); and Alex Teh – CEO of multi-vendor powerhouse Chillisoft in Auckland, New Zealand. Day one will feature sessions on the next generation leadership, steering through economic challenges and seizing opportunities, powering progress in sustainable leadership, and leveraging human capital in labour markets and the private sector.

By Noam N. Levey, KFF Health News Worried that President-elect Donald Trump will curtail federal efforts to take on the nation’s medical debt problem, patient and consumer advocates are looking to states to help people who can’t afford their medical bills or pay down their debts. “The election simply shifts our focus,” said Eva Stahl, who oversees public policy at Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that has worked closely with the Biden administration and state leaders on medical debt. “States are going to be the epicenter of policy change to mitigate the harms of medical debt.” New state initiatives may not be enough to protect Americans from medical debt if the incoming Trump administration and congressional Republicans move forward with plans to scale back federal aid that has helped millions gain health insurance or reduce the cost of their plans in recent years. Comprehensive health coverage that limits patients’ out-of-pocket costs remains the best defense against medical debt. But in the face of federal retrenchment, advocates are eyeing new initiatives in state legislatures to keep medical bills off people’s credit reports, a consumer protection that can boost credit scores and make it easier to buy a car, rent an apartment, or even get a job. Several states are looking to strengthen oversight of medical credit cards and other financial products that can leave patients paying high interest rates on top of their medical debt. Some states are also exploring new ways to compel hospitals to bolster financial aid programs to help their patients avoid sinking into debt. “There’s an enormous amount that states can do,” said Elisabeth Benjamin, who leads health care initiatives at the nonprofit Community Service Society of New York. “Look at what’s happened here.” New York state has enacted several laws in recent years to rein in hospital debt collections and to expand financial aid for patients, often with support from both Democrats and Republicans in the legislature. “It doesn’t matter the party. No one likes medical debt,” Benjamin said. Other states that have enacted protections in recent years include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. Many measures picked up bipartisan support. President Joe Biden’s administration has proved to be an ally in state efforts to control health care debt. Such debt burdens 100 million people in the United States, a KFF Health News investigation found . Led by Biden appointee Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made medical debt a priority , going after aggressive collectors and exposing problematic practices across the medical debt industry. Earlier this year, the agency proposed landmark regulations to remove medical bills from consumer credit scores. The White House also championed legislation to boost access to government-subsidized health insurance and to cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, both key bulwarks against medical debt. Trump hasn’t indicated whether his administration will move ahead with the CFPB credit reporting rule, which was slated to be finalized early next year. Congressional Republicans, who will control the House and Senate next year, have blasted the proposal as regulatory overreach that will compromise the value of credit reports. And Elon Musk, the billionaire whom Trump has tapped to lead his initiative to shrink government, last week called for the elimination of the watchdog agency . “Delete CFPB,” Musk posted on X. If the CFPB withdraws the proposed regulation, states could enact their own rules, following the lead of Colorado, New York, and other states that have passed credit reporting bans since 2023. Advocates in Massachusetts are pushing the legislature there to take up a ban when it reconvenes in January. “There are a lot of different levers that states have to take on medical debt,” said April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, which has helped lead national efforts to expand debt protections for patients. Kuehnhoff said she expects more states to crack down on medical credit card providers and other companies that lend money to patients to pay off medical bills, sometimes at double-digit interest rates. Under the Biden administration, the CFPB has been investigating patient financing companies amid warnings that many people may not understand that signing up for a medical credit card such as CareCredit or enrolling in a payment plan through a financial services company can pile on more debt. If the CFPB efforts stall under Trump, states could follow the lead of California, New York, and Illinois, which have all tightened rules governing patient lending in recent years. Consumer advocates say states are also likely to continue expanding efforts to get hospitals to provide more financial assistance to reduce or eliminate bills for low- and middle-income patients, a key protection that can keep people from slipping into debt. Hospitals historically have not made this aid readily available, prompting states such as California, Colorado, and Washington to set stronger standards to ensure more patients get help with bills they can’t afford. This year, North Carolina also won approval from the Biden administration to withhold federal funding from hospitals in the state unless they agreed to expand financial assistance. In Georgia, where state government is entirely in Republican control, officials have been discussing new measures to get hospitals to provide more assistance to patients. “When we talk about hospitals putting profits over patients, we get lots of nodding in the legislature from Democrats and Republicans,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy nonprofit. Many advocates caution, however, that state efforts to bolster patient protections will be critically undermined if the Trump administration cuts federal funding for health insurance programs such as Medicaid and the insurance marketplaces established through the Affordable Care Act. Trump and congressional Republicans have signaled their intent to roll back federal subsidies passed under Biden that make health plans purchased on ACA marketplaces more affordable. That could hike annual premiums by hundreds or even thousands of dollars for many enrollees, according to estimates by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank. And during Trump’s first term, he backed efforts in Republican-led states to restrict enrollment in their Medicaid safety net programs through rules that would require people to work in order to receive benefits. GOP state leaders in Idaho, Louisiana, and other states have expressed a desire to renew such efforts. “That’s all a recipe for more medical debt,” said Stahl, of Undue Medical Debt. Jessica Altman, who heads the Covered California insurance marketplace, warned that federal cuts will imperil initiatives in her state that have limited copays and deductibles and curtailed debt for many state residents. “States like California that have invested in critical affordable programs for our residents will face tough decisions,” she said. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Dell Technologies who were slammed recently by one of Australia’s top reviewers of notebooks has seen their shares fell sharply after the US PC maker delivered a slump in revenues. Consumer revenue fell 18% to US$2B as the Company struggled to deliver new cutting-edge notebooks. Dell stock was down more than 11% in after-hours trading following the report having fallen 24.9% during the past six months. Revenue was hurt by a performance in the company’s client solutions group, which includes PCs and laptops, saw revenue fall 1% to $12.1B year-on-year in Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, Dell forecast revenue between $24 billion and $25 billion, missing the average analyst projection of $25.57 billion, according to LSEG data. Commenting on the report, Deutsche Bank analysts believe Dell’s weaker Q4 guide comes mainly due to delays in AI server sales and PC refresh activity. Nick Ross a leading reviewer of PC’s the owner of ‘High Performance Laptops web site, recently called for a boycott of Dell and Alienware claiming that the Companies actions “Almost killed him.” His comments kicked off a debate about how PR Companies are paid to milk exposure from tech writers and tech media sites in an effort to get a favourable review or story without any contribution “or very little” contribution to the originators of the content. And when they don’t like a story, or a negative review believe that ‘black banning” a media organisation’ actually works when in reality the pen is mightier than the sword as Dell is finding out after Ross called for a boycott of the big PC brand. The slump in Dell stock and the fall in consumer PC revenue follows the exit of Dells Alienware range from JB Hi Fi. Both Dell Technologies and HP are forecasting lower-than-expected earnings for the current quarter, due in part to lack of demand for AI notebooks which are being sold at a premium price. The shares of both companies have fallen on average 12%, while pacing what would be HP’s worst day in more than three years. Yesterday HP’s shares dipped to just over $34, putting the stock on track for its worst loss since March 2020, when shares fell by more than 14% in a single day. Dell—whose fourth quarter began Nov. 2—expects revenue to fall between $24 billion and $25 billion with adjusted earnings of $2.50 per share, below the $25.5 billion in revenue and $2.65 per share in earnings projected by analysts, according to FactSet. Meanwhile, HP projected earnings per share to fall between 70 cents and 76 cents for a first quarter that started Nov. 1, compared to the 85 cents per share projected by analysts. The AI market is a “robust opportunity” for Dell with “no signs of slowing down,” Jeff Clarke, Dell’s COO, said in the company’s report, though he noted on Wednesday that Dell’s AI business “will not be linear” as customers navigate a “changing” market. HP personal systems, which includes personal computers which makes up the bulk of overall growth, saw net revenue rise 9% to US$11.5B year over year. Printing net revenue rose 1% to $4.5B, while personal systems revenue rose 2% to $9.6B in Q4 year on year. Bernstein analysts said HP’s guidance pointed “to an unusually back-half loaded year, which appears predicated on continued strong IPG margins and strong PC growth/upgrade cycle.” “We don’t have high conviction in either and end up slightly below the midpoint of HPQ’s guidance range,” analysts led by Toni Sacconaghi commented. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analysts voiced similar comments, noting that an in-line full-year guide and a sub-seasonal Q1 outlook “means 2025 will be more back-half loaded than ever before.”

Donald Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, revived calls to buy Greenland and joked about annexing Canada -- leaving the world guessing once again whether he is serious or not. By challenging the sovereignty of some of Washington's closest allies four weeks before he even returns to the Oval Office, the U.S.-president elect has underscored his credentials as global disruptor-in-chief. His comments have renewed fears from his first term that Trump will end up being harsher on U.S. friends than he is on adversaries like Russia and China. But there are also suspicions that billionaire tycoon Trump is looking for leverage as part of the "art of the deal" -- and that the former reality television star is grabbing headlines to look strong at home and abroad. "It's hard to tell how much of this he really wants, and how much is the latest soundbite that will be heard around the world," said Frank Sesno, a professor at George Washington University and former White House correspondent. "He puts other leaders in position of having to figure out what is literal and what is not," he told AFP. The idea of buying Greenland is not a new one for Trump. He also raised the prospect of purchasing the vast strategic island, a Danish territory, during his first term in office. He revived his push over the weekend when naming his ambassador to Copenhagen, saying the "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for U.S. national security. But he received the same answer this time as he did then, with Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede saying on Monday that the resource-rich island was "not for sale." Yet his most headline-grabbing remarks have been on Panama, as he slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through and threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal be returned to Washington. Trump said on Sunday that if Panama did not agree "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America -- in full, quickly and without question." He also hinted at China's growing influence around the canal, which was built by the United States in 1914 to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was returned to Panama under a 1977 deal. Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino dismissed Trump's threats, saying that "every square meter" of the canal would remain in Panamanian hands. Trump responded on TruthSocial: "We'll see about that!" Trump also teased neighboring Canada last week that it would be a "great idea" to become the 51st US state -- but against a dark backdrop of threatened tariffs. Sesno said it was hard for other countries to know how to deal with Trump's comments. "Well, it's clearly a joke. Or is it? said Sesno. "Imagine if you're the president of Panama, how do you react to something like that? You can't ignore it and your country will not let you. So the ripple effect of these comments is extraordinary." Trump's harsh treatment of U.S. allies also stands in stark contrast to his repeated praise for the leaders of U.S. foes -- including Russia's Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in 2022 in a bid for a land-grab. But there is still likely to be method behind Trump's rhetoric. "Maybe the message is for China" when Trump talks about buying Greenland, said Stephanie Pezard, senior political scientist with the Rand Corporation. Just as Trump expressed concern about Beijing's influence in Panama, China's growing presence in the Arctic and its ties with Russia were "something that the U.S. is really worried about," Pezard told AFP. But there could also be a signal to Denmark that 'If you're too friendly with China, you'll find us in your way" -- even though Denmark and Greenland had been "very good NATO allies." And perhaps Trump knows the reality. Any U.S. plan to "buy" Greenland would be unfeasible "not just in international law but more broadly in the global order that the U.S. has been trying to uphold," she said.None

Bryce Thompson scored 17 points and achieved a milestone as Oklahoma State defeated Miami 80-74 on Friday afternoon in a Charleston Classic consolation game in Charleston, S.C. Thompson made 6-of-14 shots from the floor, surpassing 1,000 points for his career at Oklahoma State (4-1), which also got 15 points from Marchelus Avery. The Cowboys won in large part thanks to their impressive 3-point shooting (10-for-22, 45.5 percent). Oklahoma State backup guard Arturo Dean, a Miami native, posted eight points and one steal. He led the nation in steals last season while playing for Florida International. Miami (3-2) has lost two straight games in Charleston, failing to take a lead at any point. They will play on Sunday against either Nevada or VCU. The Hurricanes on Friday were led by Nijel Pack, who had a game-high 20 points. Brandon Johnson had a double-double for Miami with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Matthew Cleveland scored 11 points and Lynn Kidd and Paul Djobet added 10 points apiece for Miami. Miami, which fell behind 7-0 in Thursday's loss to Drake, got behind 9-0 on Friday as Abou Ousmane scored six of his eight points. Oklahoma State stretched its lead to 18 before settling for a 43-27 advantage at the break. Pack led all first-half scorers with 10 points, but Miami shot just 29.6 percent from the floor, including 3-of-13 on 3-pointers (23.1). Oklahoma State shot 48.4 percent, including 8-for-15 on 3-pointers (53.3 percent) before intermission. The Cowboys also had a 14-8 edge in paint points. In the second half, Miami closed its 20-point deficit to 55-42 with 12:12 left. Miami got a bit closer as two straight short jumpers by Kidd, trimming the deficit to 73-62 with 3:25 to play. The Hurricanes cut it to 77-70 on Pack's 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, but the Cowboys hit their free throws to close out the win. --Field Level MediaUMass 62, Harvard 54

Japan holds first memorial for 'all workers' at Sado gold mines but blurs WWII atrocity. Why?18,658 Shares in Clover Health Investments, Corp. (NASDAQ:CLOV) Acquired by KBC Group NV

How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Thursday, November 28Cruise into this holiday season with a non-traditional vacation

Giants' 10th straight loss showed once again that they need a young QBNone

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