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Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes officeKENSINGTON, P.E.I. — A feud over proposed pickleball courts in Prince Edward Island has prompted a longtime mayor to throw in the towel. Rowan Caseley says there was lots he still wanted to accomplish as mayor of Kensington, P.E.I., but he felt he had to resign Monday after the town council voted to build six pickleball courts Caseley says the community can't afford. He was mayor for about 10 years and a councillor for five years before that. "As mayor, one of the things I'm required to do is defend the decision of council, and I couldn't," Caseley said in an interview Wednesday. "It just went totally against my principles." He said his opposition is not meant as a critique of the local pickleball community, about a dozen of whom filled council chambers as the vote took place. The growing town simply has more pressing needs to tend to. Pickleball is much like tennis, but players hit a hollow perforated plastic ball, rather than a rubber tennis ball. The balls make a resonant popping sound when players hit them with their rackets, and the noise from pickleball courts has irritated neighbours and drawn complaints across the country. There are already several pickleball courts in Kensington, which is home to about 2,300 people, Caseley said. But at the urging of some councillors, the town put together a proposal for six new courts, a bathroom and a gravel parking lot, and submitted it to the 2023 Canada Games Legacy Fund, established after the province hosted the Games. When the fund said it would cover just 55 per cent of the $500,000 price tag, Caseley said he and senior staff members recommended that council abandon the project. But on Monday, Coun. Ivan Gallant put forward a motion to proceed with a scaled-down version of the project that would leave the town on the hook for roughly $20,000, said Geoff Baker, Kensington's chief administrative officer. The motion passed 3-2. Caseley said he interpreted it as a vote of non-confidence. Gallant is a member of the local pickleball community, though he denied urging fellow players to fill the chamber for the vote. "Anybody in our community is eligible to come to our meetings, they're open to the public," Gallant said in an interview. Caseley argued that even the scaled-down plan with the smaller price tag would still eat up staff time and operating costs. That time and money would be much better spent on projects to support the community's growing population, such as expanding its waste treatment system, the ex-mayor said. "Staff are going to have to drop other things that were a higher priority to deal with this," he said. "It's not in the best interest of the residents, the taxpayers or the town of Kensington. It's a want and not a need." Caseley said he wasn't yet sure what he would do with his new-found free time, but he has no interest in taking up pickleball. "I'm 77 years old, so I'm probably just going to sit back and read books," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Pressslotvip link 。

Finnish police say they found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometres along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor. or signup to continue reading The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police and coast guard officials on Thursday and sailed into Finnish waters where the crew of the impounded tanker is being questioned. Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region. A break in the 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia occurred at midday on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 linking the two countries, grid operators said. They said Estlink 2 might not be back in service before August. Finnish police suspect the Eagle S caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed. Investigators have identified a "dragging track" but have yet to find a missing anchor, Sami Paila, tactical leader and detective chief inspector of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement. "The track is dozens of kilometres in length," Paila said. Photos taken of the Eagle S on Friday showed the vessel missing its port side anchor. Finland's customs service believes the ship is part of a "shadow fleet" of ageing tankers being used to evade sanctions on exports of Russian oil. The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland's seizure of the ship was of little concern to it. Russia has denied involvement in any of the previous Baltic infrastructure damage incidents. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementAs the case of Sarah Johnson's murder continues to unfold, the arrest of John Smith serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of seeking justice in the face of senseless violence. It is a sobering reminder that no one is above the law and that the pursuit of truth and accountability is essential in upholding the values of justice and integrity in society.

Defensively, Manchester City has also been rock-solid, with the likes of Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker providing stability and assurance at the back. The team's ability to control possession, dictate the tempo of the game, and smother opposition attacks has been a hallmark of their success this season.

In light of the aforementioned myths, it is crucial to rely on scientific evidence and expert advice when evaluating health-related claims. Misconceptions about pneumonia treatment and food safety can have serious implications for individuals' well-being and should be addressed with accurate information.2. Phil Jones - The English defender has struggled with injuries and has found playing time hard to come by at United.

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At least three people died and four others were injured after a bus ferrying tourists from Singapore and other nationalities crashed in northern Norway on Dec. 26, local police said. Image from @ScandinaviaWind/X The bus ran off the E10 highway in stormy weather at around 1:30pm (local time) and ended up partially submerged in the Åsvatnet lake near the Rafsundet strait, Norwegian media reported. It is a major road that links Norway's mainland to the Lofoten archipelago, a popular tourist spot to catch the aurora borealis. Police said the bus was believed to have been carrying 58 people at the time, BBC reported. Bus carried tourists from 8 countries, 3 dead so far Bent Are Eilertsen, chief of staff in the Nordland police district, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the bus was carrying passengers from eight countries: China, France, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and South Sudan. Eilertsen said three deaths have been reported so far. Four people were assessed to have slight to serious injuries, police told Norwegian newspaper VG . A total of 11 people from the accident were subsequently conveyed to Stokmarknes hospital, nine by ambulance and two by helicopter. The Norwegian Red Cross, various emergency services and several rescue helicopters were activated to the scene. Reports of heavy snowdrifts and strong winds in the area have complicated rescue efforts, according to BBC . Tragic Bus Accident in Norway: Three Dead After Vehicle Skids Into Lake A bus carrying around 60 passengers veered off a highway and plunged into a lake in Norway, leaving three people dead, according to NRK reports. The accident has shocked the nation, with emergency services... pic.twitter.com/Q4itPRd6fX — Ali Shunnaq (@schunnaq) December 27, 2024 At least 5 S'pore passengers on bus: Shin Min A passenger claiming to have been a doctorate student in Singapore wrote in a Xiaohongshu post that he had been on the bus with his wife as the cruise they booked had been cancelled due to bad weather, Shin Min Daily News reported. The user wrote the bus had been driving at a fast speed in "heavy rain and snow" conditions prior to the accident. He indicated that after exiting a tunnel, the bus lost control and skidded, before hitting the side of the road. It then flipped, fell down the slope and into the icy lake. "People started screaming in the bus. After checking that my wife and I were unhurt, we made our way out of the bus through broken glass," the user wrote. He added that they made it safely to a hotel, along with other travellers. At least five from Singapore are believed to have been on the bus, based on messages posted to social media, Shin Min reported. Two reportedly sustained minor injuries in the crash. Our thoughts are with those affected: Norway PM Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on national television that his thoughts were with those who were affected by the accident. “It’s a very serious accident with many involved, some killed or seriously injured.” he told NRK . Investigations into the cause of the accident are underway. Mothership has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for more information. Top image from @realzaidzayn/X

Vincerx Pharma Enters into a Binding Term Sheet for a Strategic Merger with Oqory, Inc.Felix Okpara had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Volunteers (7-0). Zakai Zeigler added 11 points and nine assists, and Igor Milicic had 13 rebounds and nine points. The Skyhawks (2-5) were led by Josu Grullon's 15 points. Lanier scored 11 points in the first half as Tennessee built a 35-20 lead at the half. Grullon had 10 for UT Martin. UT Martin: Dropped its fifth straight after two opening wins under first-year coach Jeremy Shulman. After 21 wins last year, the Skyhawks brought in 16 newcomers this season. They are picked to finish 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tennessee: After receiving the news that 6-foot-9 sophomore J.P. Estrella will miss the entire season with a foot injury, the Vols have had to go back to the drawing board to determine their rotation on the front court. Estrella had been coming off the bench with Cade Phillips to spell Igor Milicic and Felix Okpara. What that big man rotation looks like will be interesting. From late in the first half to early in the second half, Tennessee scored 14 straight points and turned a 10-point lead into a 44-20 advantage. Zakai Zeigler had five of those points. UT Martin committed 18 turnovers. Five of those were shot-clock violations. Tennessee scored 24 points off the turnovers. UT Martin will be at Charleston Southern next Tuesday. Tennessee will host Syracuse next Tuesday in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees last week that "the stakes are high" for 2025, as the company faces increased competition and regulatory hurdles and contends with rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are At a 2025 strategy meeting on Dec. 18, Pichai and other Google leaders, donning ugly holiday sweaters, hyped up the coming year, most notably as it pertains to what's coming in AI, according to audio obtained by CNBC. "I think 2025 will be critical," Pichai said. "I think it's really important we internalize the urgency of this moment, and need to move faster as a company. The stakes are high. These are disruptive moments. In 2025, we need to be relentlessly focused on unlocking the benefits of this technology and solve real user problems." Some employees attended the meeting in person at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, and others tuned in virtually. Pichai's comments come after a year packed with some of the most intense pressure Google has experienced since going public two decades ago. While areas like search ads and cloud produced strong revenue growth, competition picked up in Google's core markets, and the company faced internal challenges including culture clashes and concerns about Pichai's vision for the future. Additionally, regulation is now heavier than ever. In August, a federal judge ruled that Google illegally holds a monopoly in the search market. The Justice Department in November asked that Google be forced to divest its Chrome internet browser unit. In a separate case, the DOJ accused the company of illegally dominating online ad technology. That trial closed in September and awaits a judge ruling. That same month, Britain's competition watchdog issued a statement of objections over Google's ad tech practices, which the regulator provisionally found are impacting competition in the U.K. "It's not lost on me that we are facing scrutiny across the world," Pichai said. "It comes with our size and success. It's part of a broader trend where tech is now impacting society at scale. So more than ever, through this moment, we have to make sure we don't get distracted." A Google spokesperson declined to comment. Google's search business still has dominant market share, but generative AI has served up all sorts of new ways for people to access online information, and has brought with it a host of new competitors. OpenAI's ChatGPT kicked off the hype cycle in late 2022, and investors including Microsoft have since propelled the company to a $157 billion valuation. In July, OpenAI announced it would launch a search engine of its own. Perplexity is also promoting its AI-powered search service and recently closed a $500 million funding round at a $9 billion valuation . Google is investing heavily to try and stay on top, principally through Gemini, its AI model. The Gemini app gives users access to a number of tools, including Google's chatbot. Pichai said "building big, new business" is a top priority. That includes the Gemini app, which executives said they see as Google's next app to reach half a billion users. The company currently has 15 apps that have hit that mark. "With the Gemini app, there is strong momentum, particularly over the last few months," Pichai said. "But we have some work to do in 2025 to close the gap and establish a leadership position there as well." "Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest focus next year," Pichai later added. At the meeting, Pichai showed a chart of large language models, with Gemini 1.5 leading OpenAI's GPT and other competitors. "I expect some back and forth" in 2025, Pichai said. "I think we'll be state of the art." He acknowledged that Google has had to play catchup. "In history, you don't always need to be first but you have to execute well and really be the best in class as a product," he said. "I think that's what 2025 is all about." Executives took questions that were submitted by employees through Google's internal system. One comment read aloud by Pichai suggested that ChatGPT "is becoming synonymous to AI the same way Google is to search," with the questioner asking, "What's our plan to combat this in the upcoming year? Or are we not focusing as much on consumer facing LLM?" For the answer, Pichai turned to DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, who said that teams are going to "turbo charge" the Gemini app and that the company has seen progress in the number of users since launching the app in February. He said "the products themselves are going to evolve massively over the next year or two." Hassabis described a vision for a universal assistant that "can seamlessly operate over any domain, any modality or any device." Project Astra, Google's experimental version of a universal assistant that the company announced in May, will be updated in the first half of the year. Another employee question asked whether Google will be able to get AI products to scale without charging $200 a month "like other companies." "Right now, we don't have any plans for this kind of subscription level," Hassabis responded, adding that he thinks the $20 monthly charge for Gemini advanced is a good value. "I wouldn't necessarily say never but there are no plans for that at the moment." Toward the end of the meeting, Google welcomed to the stage Josh Woodward, the head of Google Labs. He took the microphone as the Zombie Nation song "Kernkraft 400" played loudly in the background. "I'm going to try to do six demos in eight minutes," said Woodward, who's known for his high level of energy. Woodward started by showing off Jules, a coding assistant that's in a trusted tester's program. He said, "It's where the future of software development is headed." Woodward then shifted to AI notetaking product NotebookLM, which featured a series of updates in 2024, including a podcasting tool. Woodward demonstrated how the company is trying a new feature that allows the user to "call in" to a podcast. He then moved onto Project Mariner, an AI-powered multi-tasking Chrome extension. Woodward asked it to add the top restaurants from Tripadvisor to the Maps app. After a brief pause, the demo successfully worked, leading employees in attendance to erupt in applause. Throughout the meeting, Pichai kept reminding employees of the need to "stay scrappy." Google has gone through an extensive phase of cost cutting that included eliminating about 6% of its workforce in 2023 and a continued focus on efficiency. As of the end of the third quarter, Alphabet had 181,269 employees, down about 5% from the end of 2022. At one point, Pichai referenced Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin , who started the company 26 years ago, long before cloud computing or AI tools existed. "In early Google days, you look at how the founders built our data centers, they were really really scrappy in every decision they made," Pichai said. "Often, constraints lead to creativity. Not all problems are always solved by headcount." WATCH: Will AI stocks push higher in 2025?Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management Market Growing Trends, Business Growth, Size, Future Scope, Segmentation, Dynamics and Forecast to 2028