esports uniform

esports uniform

Romania's far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on Saturday urged voters to go to polling stations despite the country's top court having scrapped the presidential elections over alleged irregularities amid claims of Russian interference. The court's shock ruling, coming just before the presidential run-off which had been due Sunday, opens the way for a new electoral process starting from scratch in the EU and NATO member state bordering war-torn Ukraine. The annulment follows a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency this week detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks. Georgescu -- who unexpectedly topped last month's first round of voting -- called for voters on Sunday "to wait to be welcomed, to wait for democracy to win through their power", said a statement from his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right," said the statement. "That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow." Georgescu himself would go to a polling station near Bucharest at 0600 GMT, said his team. Earlier Saturday, police raided three houses in Brasov city in central Romania as part of the investigation "in connection with crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, computer forgery". Among the houses searched was that of businessman Bogdan Peschir, a TikTok user who according to the declassified documents allegedly paid $381,000 to those involved in the promotion of Georgescu, Romanian media reported. Peschir has compared his support for Georgescu to the world's richest man Elon Musk's backing of US president-elect Donald Trump. Little-known outsider Georgescu, a 62-year-old former senior civil servant, was favourite to win the second round on Sunday against centrist pro-EU mayor Elena Lasconi, 52, according to several polls. But the constitutional court on Friday unanimously decided to annul the entire electoral process as it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation". President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that he had discussed with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and they agreed on the "need to strengthen the security of social media". The European Commission announced earlier this week that it had stepped up monitoring TikTok after Romania's authorities alleged "preferential treatment" of Georgescu on the platform -- a claim the company has denied. Following the court's decision, the United States said it had faith in Romania's institutions and called for a "peaceful democratic process". Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on X branded the vote's cancellation an "attempt at rigging the outcome" and "denying the will of the people". Georgescu called it "a formalised coup d'etat" and said democracy was "under attack". His team on Saturday declined to comment on the raids, saying they "will not comment or provide answers until we have exact data". Georgescu and another far-right party, the AUR, have said they plan to appeal the decision to stop the voting to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. A past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgescu, an EU and NATO sceptic, in recent days had reframed himself as "ultra pro-Trump," vowing to put Romania "on the world map" and cut aid for neighbouring Ukraine. In an interview with US broadcaster Sky News on Saturday, Georgescu said there were no links between him and Russia. Political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP that the annulment has "further polarised Romanian society". With trust in institutions and the ruling class already low, the vote's cancellation poses a "major danger that Romanians will think that it doesn't matter how they vote", Ciobanu added. Elsewhere in the EU, Austria annulled presidential elections in 2016 because of procedural irregularities. In Romania, a new government is expected to set another date for the presidential vote. In last weekend's legislative elections, the ruling Social Democrats came top. But far-right parties made big gains, securing an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in Ukraine. In a joint appeal on Wednesday, the Social Democrats and three other pro-EU parties -- together making up an absolute majority in parliament -- signed an agreement to form a coalition, promising "stability". bur-jza/jj

Whenever I'm asked what I do, I struggle to find a succinct way of saying I'm a journalist, writer, communications consultant and yoga teacher. I used to think all my work had to fit under one heading, but now I embrace my "portfolio career". It might seem unconventional, but I'm not alone in swapping the 9 to 5 for a more flexible and varied approach. But why are so many people choosing portfolio careers? Career consultant Lynda Barry says portfolio careers have become popular with people who want to use a wide range of skills. "People have realised that they have multiple variations of skills and knowledge, and also their interests have expanded," she says. Aoife Barry: journalist, writer, moderator and broadcaster. This variety and autonomy appeals to Aoife Barry, who is a journalist, writer, moderator and broadcaster. She released her first book, Social Capital, in 2023. "I can play to my strengths and do work that I am good at," says Aoife. "I love being my own boss as I don't have to ask anyone for permission - I'm free to do whatever work takes my interest and take time off when I need it." In March 2023, Aoife left The Journal after 12 years. Changes on a global and personal level made her realise it was time to move on. "I'd found the covid era very intense – there was absolutely no 'break' for news journalists globally," explains Aoife. "After experiencing two family bereavements in a very short space of time in 2022 I had a new outlook on my life – I knew it was time to leave hard news and work for myself." In some industries, rates of pay mean it's not realistic to have just one role. "Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since I was last freelance in 2010, which is a big part of why I have a portfolio career," says Aoife. Although it was a big transition, Aoife never looked back. "The Journal had been an amazing place to work and learn, so I was very lucky to immediately start picking up freelance work," she says. "It was...Belarus' strongman leader pardons 20 more prisoners, but rights groups say repression continuesMemphis vs. Mississippi State Basketball Tickets – Saturday, December 21Republicans gain temporary control of Minnesota House after Democrat decides not to appeal ruling

Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, listed as questionable due to a shoulder issue, is expected to play Monday night against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, NFL Network reported. McConkey missed practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday and Saturday. Star linebacker Khalil Mack, who was questionable because of a groin injury and was a limited participant, also is expected to play, according to the report. The Chargers (7-3) made several moves Monday ahead of the game against the Ravens (7-4), placing tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) on injured reserve, activating cornerback Deane Leonard (hamstring) off IR, signing cornerback Eli Apple from the practice to the active squad, and elevating linebacker Caleb Murphy and safety Tony Jefferson for game day. McConkey, 23, has started nine of 10 games and has 43 receptions on 63 targets for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The Chargers drafted the 6-foot, 185-pound McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Georgia. Mack, 33, is a three-time first-team All-Pro, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has started the nine games he has played and has 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season. For his career, Mack has 617 tackles, 106 sacks, 141 tackles for loss, 178 quarterback hits, three interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- 32 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries in 160 games (159 starts). He has played for the Raiders (2014-17), Chicago Bears (2018-21) and Chargers. Hurst, 31, has started two of seven games in his first season with the Chargers. He has seven receptions on 12 targets for 65 yards. A first-round pick (25th overall) by Baltimore in the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, Hurst has 202 receptions for 1,967 yards and 15 TDs in 86 games (41 starts) for the Ravens (2018-19), Atlanta Falcons (2020-21), Cincinnati Bengals (2022), Carolina Panthers (2023) and Chargers. Apple, 29, has two tackles in three games this season, his first with the Chargers. The 10th overall selection in the 2016 draft, Apple has 383 career tackles and six interceptions in 101 games (82 starts) for the New York Giants (2016-18), New Orleans Saints (2018-19), Panthers (2020), Bengals (2021-22), Miami Dolphins (2023) and Chargers. Leonard, who turned 25 last Tuesday, has four tackles in four games this season. His 21-day practice window on IR opened Wednesday. --Field Level MediaThanks to a test unit shared by the team at Xreal, I have spent the last few months dragging the Xreal Beam Pro handheld device and Air 2 Pro glasses along on my work travels. Xreal recently published a statistic that says the company has shipped the most AR headsets on the market, north of 400,000 units. That number—which is extremely small compared to, say, smartphones shipped by any significant maker—shows how nascent the AR market is. It’s also a reminder that Xreal (formerly nReal) has been around for a long time since it debuted with the complex and ambitious 6-degree-of-freedom design of the nReal Light glasses. Since then, the company has dialed back the vision a bit and tried to first nail the 3-DoF experience by using an AR head-mounted display that allows for virtual 2-D screens. In my opinion, of all the comparable products on the market, Xreal’s glasses have been the most reliable and easiest to pair with Android or iOS devices, as well as the best for leveling up the gaming experience on devices like a Switch or Steam Deck. The plug-and-play nature of Xreal’s glasses has made them invaluable for improving mobile experiences or even mirroring as a second display on a laptop; I have done the latter with multiple Windows PCs, including some of the new Copilot+ PCs. Xreal Beam Pro — Better Than A Phone Or Tablet For AR Before the Beam Pro handheld device, there was the Beam. The Beam’s job was to help connect third-party devices to the Xreal glasses to create a seamless experience, since not all devices can support the glasses natively and not all of them can render the virtual screen. Beam Pro builds on Beam’s capabilities—and levels them up considerably—by adding the full feature set of an Android device that can run all your streaming and Android gaming apps. It also allows you to add extra storage via a memory card to preload movies and TV shows without using up storage on your phone. The device comes with two USB-C ports, one for the glasses and one for power, so you can keep running it in perpetuity—for example if you’re on a long flight. When connected to Xreal AR glasses, the Beam Pro also acts as a touch controller for AR interfaces and a keyboard when you need to input text. The Beam Pro also has a pair of 50 MP cameras that are perfectly distanced from each other to mimic the distance between human eyes for 3-D photos and video. Most of the images I’ve captured look tremendous and build a sense of immersion that is hard to convey without seeing them in person. The fact that the Beam Pro has so many different capabilities drives up its value. Additionally, the Beam Pro spares you from drawing down your smartphone battery to watch TV or movies on the go. At $199, the Beam Pro is very reasonably priced, and it now accompanies my Air 2 Pro glasses anywhere I travel. (It works great with any of Xreal’s AR glasses.) This combination is also much more compact and accessible to transport than the Apple Vision Pro, even though I do think the Vision Pro has the absolute best TV and movie experience. I also have the option of leaving the Beam Pro at home and connecting the Air 2 Pro glasses to my phone. There are still some software stability issues with the Beam Pro; for instance, there have been many instances when I have wanted to show off a 3-D photo or video I’ve taken with the Beam Pro on the Air 2 Pro glasses, but the entire Nebula interface has crashed. Nebula is Xreal’s operating system for AR applications and the interface for spatial apps including the 2-D windows in 3-D space. My biggest complaint about the Beam Pro is a broader problem for the AR industry: there aren’t enough AR apps to make 3-D AR experiences particularly exciting. This is why I believe that Xreal has opted to deliver the most basic AR experience with a 3-DoF 2-D display. I do believe that Xreal wants to move towards more 6-DoF experiences; after all, the company has Air 2 Ultra AR glasses that could potentially enable that, but there aren’t many apps that could take advantage of it. I have a feeling that Google’s upcoming XR platform may help solve this problem by enabling more AR apps across the many different AR platforms that exist today. Air 2 Pro Glasses — High Definition, Limited Field Of View The Air 2 Pro glasses are a noticeable improvement over the Xreal Air glasses I had previously tested. Xreal has improved the weight—now only 75g—and incorporated a 500-nit, 120-hertz 1080P micro-OLED panel from Sony. The brightness and image quality are much improved, and the ability to dim the glasses with a simple button push was really enjoyable. I haven’t used these glasses much outdoors, and they aren’t really intended for that since you can’t really move around without 6-DoF tracking. The 46-degree field of view leaves me wanting more, although the Beam Pro does helps to maximize the experience through software. For true AR experiences, though, I could see this field of view being challenging. I have mostly used the Air 2 Pros on planes and in hotel rooms while traveling, and they have worked great for that purpose. I had no issues running them on the Xreal Beam Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 or my Galaxy S24 Ultra. While I do wish they had a wider field of view, they are limited by the birdbath optics that help keep them affordable. These glasses are currently selling on Amazon and the Xreal website for $399, and there are occasional bundle deals as well. I think they are fairly priced for what they deliver, although I do believe that if Xreal could get them down to $299, they would move a lot more units. The Next Phase Of AR Xreal has been teasing an in-house-designed X1 chip and a new product based on it, and while I don’t have any details about what that product might be, there are a lot of ways Xreal could go. There could be the addition of 6-DoF for true AR experiences, hand-tracking for more natural interfaces or even a standalone solution that doesn’t require a smartphone or any kind of computer at all. I believe the latter to be a bit of a stretch since I know Xreal isn’t in the business of making its own SoCs. After all, the Beam Pro uses a Snapdragon processor. This reminds me that I do think we’ll see Xreal included in Google’s XR platform announcement whenever it happens later this year, given Google’s relationship with Qualcomm. It’s clear that Samsung will own the standalone category with the MR headset it is building with Google and Qualcomm, but I believe that Google also wants another crack at AR. Partnering with Xreal could be one of the best ways for Google to attack that category and do it effectively.

Give Lou Carnesecca an assist. Sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher, the highest-rated recruit to pick St. John’s since Rysheed Jordan in 2013, said a meeting with the legendary late coach helped convince him to be a Johnnie. Last spring, when Wilcher was visiting St. John’s, he met Carnesecca. The Hall of Fame coach sat down with Wilcher and his family and spoke about his St. John’s experience. “That had a crazy impact,” Wilcher said after St. John’s topped Kansas State, 88-71 , in its first game since Carnesecca’s passing last Saturday. Wilcher, a Plainfield, N.J. native who starred at local powerhouse Roselle Catholic, was adamant that Carnesecca played a role in his decision. “Just to try to be a part of something,” said Wilcher, who had 11 points and four rebounds in the win. “His legacy is going to live forever here, and to just be a part of that is something I wanted to do.” Wilcher’s father, Sergio, grew up a St. John’s fan, attending games when Carnesecca was still the coach. His favorite player as a kid was Walter Berry and one of Wilcher’s older brothers is named after the late Malik Sealy. It was a thrill for the entire family to meet Carnesecca. “He didn’t lose anything one bit. He was still the slickest guy I ever met,” Wilcher said. “He was talking to me about games in the ’50s and ’60s, when he started coaching, and he was telling me about players he recruited. It was crazy to have that moment with him and be there with him. “It was an honor to be able to meet him before he passed away.” Deivon Smith returned after he was suspended for the win over Harvard a week ago. The senior guard made a difference, notching five points, nine rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench. Smith was benched in the second half of a loss to Georgia in The Bahamas and reacted poorly. Coach Rick Pitino has said he wanted the team to decide when Smith would return to the court. “I told him, ‘Look, I’ve got the shortest memory in the world. Everybody makes mistakes,’” Pitino said. “‘It’s what you do after you make mistakes that counts.’ I said, ‘You’re a big part of this team, you’re going to help us win.’ You learn valuable lessons from making mistakes. I wanted the team to decide, not me, and I wanted them to talk to him because it’s their locker room.”Macron, Trump, Zelenskyy discuss 'crazy' world in Paris

Thursday, December 26, 2024 Facebook Instagram Twitter WhatsApp Youtube Personal Finance Education Entertainment Jobs Alert Sports Hindi Technology Complaint Redressal. Fact-Checking Policy Correction policy Authors and Team DNPA Code of Ethics Onwership and Funding Cookie Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Contact US About Us More Search Home Personal Finance Post Office Scheme: Deposit 5000 rupees every month and become owner of... Personal Finance Post Office Scheme: Deposit 5000 rupees every month and become owner of 8,54,272 on maturity By Shyamu Maurya December 26, 2024 0 11 Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Post Office Scheme: Deposit 5000 rupees every month and become owner of 8,54,272 on maturity Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme: This government small savings scheme operated by the post office offers interest at the rate of 6.7 percent, the maturity period for investment in this is fixed at five years. Post Office Scheme: Post Office’s small savings schemes are preferred for giving safe investment as well as great returns. One such popular scheme is Post Office RD which is a scheme to make a millionaire. By investing a fixed amount every month in this, you can deposit a fund of more than Rs 8 lakh in 10 years. Let’s understand the complete calculation... This much interest in this scheme of Post Office Saving schemes are being operated in the post office according to every age group, be it children, old or young. The Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme included in these has emerged as a best option for investment. The maturity period in this scheme has been fixed for 5 years, which can be extended to 10 years. Last year in 2023 itself, the interest rate on investment in it was increased from 6.5% to 6.7%. You can open an account with just Rs 100 You can open an account in Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme by going to any nearest Post Office. Investment can be started from Rs 100 in this, while no limit has been fixed for maximum investment. The maturity period of this scheme is five years. An account can also be opened in the name of a minor in Post Office RD. However, in this, parents are also required to give their name along with the document. Loan facility with pre-mature closure If you have opened an account in Post Office RD Scheme and are thinking of closing it due to some problem, then the facility of pre-mature closure is also given in this scheme of Post Office. Yes, if you want, you can close the account before the maturity period is over. Loan facility is also given in this. However, after the account is active for one year, only up to 50 percent of the deposit amount can be taken as loan. Talking about its interest rate, it is 2 percent more than the interest rate you are getting This is how you will collect more than 8 lakh rupees in 10 years If we calculate the investment and interest in Post Office RD, then if you invest Rs 5,000 every month in this scheme, then in its maturity period i.e. five years, you will deposit a total of 3 lakh rupees and Rs 56,830 will be added to the interest rate at the rate of 6.7 percent. After this, your total fund will be Rs 3,56,830. Now if you extend this account for another five years, then the amount deposited by you in 10 years will be Rs 6,00,000. Along with this, the interest amount on this deposit at the rate of 6.7 percent will be Rs 2,54,272. In this way, your total fund deposited in a period of 10 years will be Rs 8,54,272. Keep in mind here that TDS is deducted on the interest earned on investment in Post Office RD Schemes, which is refunded as per the income after the investor claims ITR. 10 percent TDS is applicable on the interest earned on RD. If the interest earned on RD is more than Rs 10,000, then TDS will be deducted. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Previous article Pension New Rules: Government issues new guidelines for senior citizens employees regarding pension Shyamu Maurya Shyamu has done Degree in Fine Arts and has knowledge about bollywood industry. He started writing in 2018. Since then he has been associated with Informalnewz. In case of any complain or feedback, please contact me @informalnewz@gmail.com RELATED ARTICLES Personal Finance Pension New Rules: Government issues new guidelines for senior citizens employees regarding pension December 26, 2024 Personal Finance Passport Application New Service: Passport applicants will now be able to get their passport made sitting at home, new service launched December 26, 2024 Personal Finance Banking Rules: Cash deposit and withdrawal limit in savings account as per Income Tax, know the rules of IT department December 26, 2024 - Advertisment - Most Popular Pension New Rules: Government issues new guidelines for senior citizens employees regarding pension December 26, 2024 Passport Application New Service: Passport applicants will now be able to get their passport made sitting at home, new service launched December 26, 2024 Banking Rules: Cash deposit and withdrawal limit in savings account as per Income Tax, know the rules of IT department December 26, 2024 Income Tax Notice: Income Tax Department will now send notice to these people regarding tax refund, strict action will be taken? December 26, 2024 Load more Recent Comments Gul Mohiudin on Kavita sister-in-law wore a sari without a blouse, seeing the pictures you will also be... Venkatesh on Urfi Javed crossed all limits, wore a front open hoodie top without inner, see photos and videos Gul Mohiudin on Malaika Arora came out in a backless strappy dress late at night, someone had to handle the gown and someone held her hand Gul Mohiudin on Priyanka Chopra reached award function without bra, shame had to be saved repeatedly in open jacket Venkatesh on Disha Patani shared a bo*ld picture while taking a bath, seeing Tiger Shroff’s heart beat will increase EDITOR PICKS Pension New Rules: Government issues new guidelines for senior citizens employees regarding pension December 26, 2024 Passport Application New Service: Passport applicants will now be able to get their passport made sitting at home, new service launched December 26, 2024 Banking Rules: Cash deposit and withdrawal limit in savings account as per Income Tax, know the rules of IT department December 26, 2024 POPULAR POSTS Pension New Rules: Government issues new guidelines for senior citizens employees regarding pension December 26, 2024 Passport Application New Service: Passport applicants will now be able to get their passport made sitting at home, new service launched December 26, 2024 Banking Rules: Cash deposit and withdrawal limit in savings account as per Income Tax, know the rules of IT department December 26, 2024 POPULAR CATEGORY Personal Finance 18110 Entertainment 17065 India 4552 News 3785 Technology 2263 Jobs Alert 792 Travel 652 Education 451 ABOUT US INFORMALNEWZ brings the Latest News & Top Breaking headlines on Politics and Current Affairs. Up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by informal Newz. Find latest news coverage of breaking news events, trending topics, and compelling articles. Contact us: informalnewz@gmail.com FOLLOW US Facebook Instagram Twitter WhatsApp Youtube © - 2024 - informalnewz | Izon web Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us - Izon Web Pvt. Ltd. Hno. 789, Basement, Dlf Phase 4 Sector 43, Gurgaon, Haryana -122009, Call: +91-9110801499, 0124-4941700 Home Privacy Policy Authors and Team About Us Contact US Cookie Policy Disclaimer DNPA Code of Ethics Onwership and Funding Terms of Service Complaint Redressal. Fact-Checking Policy Correction policy हिन्दीCheck out more of the year's best tech in our PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024 coverage. It's been one more full revolution around the sun and—guess what—we're back here again. As we survey a year of ups and downs, it'd be impossible to recount every beat. Instead, we've let you call the shots. Below, we take a look back at the stories that piqued your interest, the headlines you just had to share, and wonder just where the time went over the last 12 months. While I try in vain to avoid confronting the merciless passage of time, take a peep below at the biggest hardware stories of 2024. News from January to March The top stories: Elon Musk claims Tesla could build a silicon foundry and make its own chips, but says 'I sure hope we don’t have to' Microsoft's current OS has been shrunk to a ridiculous 100MB in size, but only by getting rid of windows from Windows Researchers have developed a Very Big DiscTM that can store up to 200 terabytes of data and may represent a return to optical media for long term storage The Chinese government is phasing out Intel and AMD CPUs and Microsoft's Windows OS because they don't fit its new 'safe and reliable' guidelines Valve explains how it built an orb out of Steam Deck OLED prototypes rather than making Half-Life 3, vowing 'we will construct an orb at any opportunity' The president of Sony Honda is allowed to drive an electric car on-stage with a DualSense yet I'm not allowed to play games while I drive. Typical Intel CEO admits 'I've bet the whole company on 18A' Meta's experimental 'neural' wristband controller will be a real product that lets you type just by thinking because Zuck doesn't want 'a chip that you jack into your brain' Sony's reportedly stopped making any more PS VR2 headsets until it can figure out a way of shifting a pile of unsold VR goggles Pursuing self-improvement is such a January cliche; you don't need a new year to herald a whole new you. Still, that didn't stop NTDEV from shrinking down Windows 11 to the slimmer, trimmer tune of 100 MB . Granted, as Nick notes in his piece, such a light install package means it's basically Windows without the all important windows, making one wonder if this isn't a simple case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' Along similar lines, Sony capped off their CES 2024 presentation by steering a car on stage with a DualSense controller, or at least conjured the illusion . Talking about turning circles, February brought us big discs—specifically, the news that researchers at the University of Shanghai had crafted optical media that can store a whopping 200 TB . When it comes to the file storage wars, these surprisingly stable, long-lasting discs spin to win. Alright, to save us going around in circles, I'll dispense with the puns. February also saw a surprising amount of candor from big tech CEOs. First, Mark Zuckerberg threw Meta's wristband into the neural interface ring , alongside the two cents that the company is exploring this route because he "wouldn't want to use version one of [a chip you jack into your brain.]" On that point at least, we can agree. Then, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger came right out and said, "I’ve bet the whole company on 18A." It's arguably not been Intel's year , and though the company more recently stated, "18A is powered on, healthy and yielding well," a piece from South Korean outlet Chosun Daily suggests the bigger picture may not be so straightforward, claiming the yields are only 10% . Though Gelsinger has since departed the company , he took to X to argue this wasn't an appropriate way to frame the subject, writing, "Anyone using % yield as a metric for semiconductor health [...] doesn't understand semiconductor yield. " The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Putting a dampener on such fighting spirit, in March the Chinese government announced plans to ban the use of both Intel and AMD chips in computers used by "State-owned enterprises" amid safety and privacy concerns. Talk about never catching a break. Now, must we discuss Musk? As far as March is concerned, we must. After literally just covering how hard the chip game is, it's perhaps understandable why the Tesla CEO is reluctant to wade in—though he was quick to assure that Tesla could totally do it, guys . Tesla, the company promising big with self-driving cars that may never materialise , that Tesla? Uh-huh. The year's pendulum will swing back to Musk in due time, so let's get on with the rest of March. Valve's contemplation of the Steam Deck OLED orb was a brief bright spot (never believe me when I say I'm done with puns). But another story that turned heads in March was the broken promise of Sony's PS VR2 . An expensive niche on top of an already pricey console , it's perhaps no wonder Sony has struggled to shift their VR headsets. As you saw, they're not the only ones, ahem, taking stock either. News from April to June The top stories: An AI-controlled F16 has performed its first ever dogfight with a human pilot, coming within 2,000 feet of each other at 1,200 miles per hour Is Apple feeling OK? Reports indicate it's suspending work on the Vision Pro 2 to focus on making—wait for it—a cheaper version Having built 500+ PCs in my time I can say this with confidence: Building is fun and rewarding but ironing out those inevitable BIOS, CPU, memory kinks is unbearable Apple reportedly slashes Vision Pro headset production and cancels updated headset as sales tank in the US Self-taught hardware engineer discovers that GPUs really are ridiculously complex and hard to design after all US Commerce Secretary says if China seized TSMC it would be 'absolutely devastating' to the US economy, as it buys 92% of its cutting-edge chips from the Taiwanese manufacturer Intel claims its optical interconnect chiplet technology is 'like going from using horse-drawn carriages to using cars and trucks' Avengers, assemble—Google, Intel, Microsoft, AMD and more team up to develop an interconnect standard to rival Nvidia's NVLink A Windows XP machine's life expectancy in 2024 seems to be about 10 minutes before even just an idle net connection renders it a trojan-riddled zombie PC Case in point as we get to April, Apple pumped the brakes on all things Vision Pro in an alleged bid to course correct from overprojected demand. I can't imagine reports about the $3,500 headset's lacking build quality helped either. Pressing the pause button on production sounds almost sensible—psyche! In June, rumours began to surface that Apple were actually instead shifting gears to create a cheaper version of the mixed reality goggles . Doesn't that just make your head spin? Also making me queasy in April was the news of AI's potential military applications—not so much gently dizzying as violent whiplash, I know. In a 'test' dogfight, an AI-controlled F16 fighter jet went head to head with a human and, regardless of the actual victor in this demonstration, it doesn't feel like there are any winners here. Right, let me get off my soapbox, and instead dive into some PC guts. Building your own desktop tower offers many trials and tribulations, as Nick's in-depth feature goes to show . Picked up two fans because you thought they'd fit in your case, only to realise you forgot to factor in the radiator? Mate, we've all been there, and there's no shame in a bit of on-the-fly problem solving as even the most experienced PC tinkerer will tell you. You know what else is tricky? Building a GPU from scratch —the more you know. As interesting as self-taught hardware engineer Adam Majmudar's pursuit of hardware knowledge is, this is a back-to-basics approach that's definitely not for the faint of heart. Later that same month, there was also the pulse-dropping claim from US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo that it would be "absolutely devastating" if, hypothetically speaking, TSMC semiconductor foundry was to be seized by antagonistic forces. She elaborates, "Right now, the United States buys 92% of its leading edge chips from TSMC in Taiwan. " As if I didn't need another dreaded hypothetical to keep me up at night. From worst case scenarios to straight up facts, no hardware is safe from hackers—least of all a virtual machine instance of Windows XP in this here year of our gourd, 2024. Without even clicking on an ill-advised link, a YouTuber merely left the internet-connected virtual machine unattended for 10 minutes, only to find a suspicious process running in Task Manager. After catching a whiff of Windows XP's blood in the water, the virtual machine became a feeding frenzy for hackers. Anyway, speaking of mosh pits I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of, big tech is forming a megazord to beat Nvidia at its own AI game . AMD, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, and Broadcom are joining forces to forge a new interconnect standard that can compete with Nvidia's NVLink interconnect tech for AI accelerator chips. What I wouldn't give for some mighty morphin' folks with attitude right about now...however, we've got a fair few AI stories to get through still, so I'll check mine for the time being. To badly paraphrase a certain memeified boyband song, that was definitely May. The hits continued into June, with Intel coming in swinging with the claim that their optical interconnect chiplet technology is such a leap that it's like going from horse-drawn carriages to cars and trucks. It's not been the company's year, but you could say that Intel is very much still in the running. News from July to September The top stories: 8 years after declaring it took 'courage' to remove the iPhone's headphone jack, Apple has finally decided buttons and ports are cool again Internet speed record of 402,000,000 Mbps achieved using standard optic fibre cabling, fast enough to download Baldur's Gate 3 in less than four milliseconds 'I'm still amazed that it all came together and actually works': YouTuber spends 14 months building a glorious gaming laptop from desktop parts Las Vegas' dystopia-sphere, powered by 150 Nvidia GPUs and drawing up to 28,000,000 watts, is both a testament to the hubris of humanity and an admittedly impressive technical feat This 3D printed laser chip-hacking device uses a $20 laser pointer, costs $500 to build, and was developed so that 'people can do this in their homes' Logitech's 'forever mouse' could mean peripherals go the way of coffee beans, TVs, and printer ink by pushing a subscription 'We can't do computer graphics anymore without artificial intelligence. We compute one pixel, we infer the other 32': Jensen thinks AI is integral to next-gen graphics tech If you put hot dogs and pickles against an AM radio tower, they act as speakers. Also, don't do that Can my 14-year-old gaming PC, loaded with the one-time most powerful graphics card in the world, still deliver a good PC gaming experience in 2024? July began with a hopeful vision of the future for anyone who has ever had to contend with a miserable download speed. Engineers at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology achieved a data transmission speed of 402 TBps . That's like downloading Baldur's Gate 3 quicker than you can mentally conjure that pale elf's visage. Don't jump for joy just yet, Astarion fans though; while the test didn't use much specialised equipment—the researchers were able to achieve that impressive speed over 50 km of the same optical fibre you could pick up yourself—even a top of the line rig would still present a serious hardware bottleneck. Guess we'll just have to make do with pondering Las Vegas' massive Nvidia-powered orb instead. The orb alongside the ever encroaching threat of subscription-based hardware hardly leaves one glowingly optimistic about the future. But it wasn't all dystopic deployment of tech this year. For instance, our readers loved this story about an open source, 3D printable laser-hacking tool , with August offering plenty more weird and wonderful builds to boot. You know me, I love a questionable laptop build , and judging by the attention this YouTuber's attempt to forge one from desktop parts got, so do you. The 14-month endeavour proved a project absolutely not for less-than-confident tinkerers, requiring motherboard desoldering to save space. Still, one can't help but be a little inspired by such determination. Inspiration can take many forms, though I feel like the idea to use hot dogs and pickles as flaming speakers is a fairly singular vision, to say nothing of actually putting that incendiary idea to the test. From small creator creativity, to big tech backtracking, remember when Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7? Remember those ridiculous USB-C to aux adapters? Well, after eight years, the jack is back for the iPhone 16 —and our most widely read hardware story from September. Perhaps pointedly, I'm following up with another head-turning headline from when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed, "We can't do computer graphics anymore without artificial intelligence." Okay, in the context of graphical gains, perhaps I'm being needlessly grumpy about AI—computing one pixel and inferring the other 32 with AI upscaling is definitely a big win when it comes to limiting the load on your GPU. This wasn't the only September story that made us all think about how far PC gaming has come either. Case in point, the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5970 4GB dual-GPU graphics card was an impressive bit of kit once upon a time in the distant realm of 2009. It would appear yesteryear's hardware still has a surprising amount to offer now in 2024 if our reader's response to Rob's feature is anything to go by. News from October to December The top stories: Elon Musk shows off bartending robots at a recent Tesla event, but some attendees say the automatons were being controlled by people Google to sell Chrome AND be banned from re-entering the browser market for five years, recommends US Department of Justice 'I was hopeful': one lucky shopper ordered an RTX 4070 Super from Amazon for $40 and it wasn't just a rock in a box Couple spends almost $1,000,000 building a family home 'optimized for LAN parties,' and the result is definitely living that dream 'We had a very big debate, and I showed him. He was silent. He doesn't know how to make a battery': The founder of the world's biggest battery company apparently had a lesson or two to give Elon Musk The official Nintendo Museum appears to be emulating SNES games on a Windows PC, which is slightly embarrassing Windows 11 24H2 is finally here and Microsoft's calling it a 'full OS swap', it's just a shame the new Windows update still has Recall Break out the world's tiniest violin: PS5 Pro scalpers are having a tough time reselling units because it's in stock basically everywhere As Microsoft rolls out its Windows 11 24H2 update, owners of certain Western Digital SSDs have been greeted with constant Blue Screens of Death October offered plenty more servings of humble pie. First, eagle-eyed visitors to the official Nintendo museum noted that interactive SNES game exhibits may be being emulated on PC . Considering how hard Nintendo tends to go after developers that try to emulate their hardware , this was at best a hypocritical look. Then, it was Microsoft's turn. When the Windows 11 24H2 update rolled out earlier this year, Jacob was far from a fan of Recall's inclusion just for a start. Then, the blue screens began for those using certain Western Digital SSDs, and I also wrote about a startling audio bug resulting from the update . The issues continued past October, with Microsoft electing to halt the update's rollout on machines with certain Ubisoft titles installed . As of December, Ubisoft has since fixed some of the issues affecting players of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws—though problems may still persist if you have either Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Valhalla, or Origins installed. Our most read story in October by far was about Elon Musk and his really not that impressive robots . The hardware horde was unveiled at Tesla's We, Robot event, though even at the time these robos were widely suspected to in fact be controlled by boring old humans—how very Wizard of Oz. Speaking of men behind the curtain, November offered another exposing story when Elon Musk got into it with Robin Zeng, the founder of the biggest EV battery manufacturer in the world CATL. Reflecting on an earlier conversation about the Cybertruck's cylindrical battery, Zeng said, "We had a very big debate, and I showed him. He was silent. He doesn't know how to make a battery. " 'Humbling,' perhaps doesn't even begin to cover it. But the year wasn't yet done cutting giants of tech down to size, with the US Department of Justice filing a number of recommendations for remedying Google's monopoly over search. These included but were not limited to the proposed selling off of Chrome and a five year ban from re-entering the browser arena . These suggested remedies could have far-reaching repercussions, but until a judge rules on which courses of action to take some time next year, we can't yet say for certain how the chips will fall. But don't you worry—there was still plenty of room for a little schadenfreude in November, as it turns out PS5 Pro scalpers are struggling to shift their hastily bought hardware . Hear that? It's the tiniest violin you ever did hear. Alright, let's end this retrospective on the stories we can all agree are wins, like this amazing family home " optimized for LAN parties ." Costing in the region of a seven-figure sum, Kenton Varda and Jade Wang "built the house from scratch starting from an empty lot," and the project's final form really is a thing to behold (in fact, hundreds of thousands of readers did just that). With the pipedream of one's perfect PC gaming paradise in our rearview mirror, let's close out our look-back on something a little more achievable: a good deal on a graphics card. On very rare occasions, a cheap card on Amazon isn't too good to be true as this lucky Reddit user picked up a RTX 4070 Super for $40. Unlike the contents of that box, we can all agree this story rocks.

Calling all beauty fans. Boots has kicked off one of its biggest sales of the year, offering up to 60% off bestselling products. If you fancy bagging popular buys for less or want to stock up on future gifts for loved ones, the Big Boots Sale includes thousands of items from brands like Estee Lauder, Sol de Janeiro, No7, Dyson and Oral-B. The deals can be found both in stores and online , while stocks last. The high street retailer is usually extremely generous with its offers and there are now plenty of savings to be had on beauty sets. This includes 50% off the No7 Ultimate Beauty 9 Piece Collection - now £42.50, was £85. The set is worth a whopping £136, containing 9 No7 must-haves. Read more: Victoria Beckham's 'amazing' concealer that 'doesn’t settle into fine lines' Read more: 'I'm a beauty writer and my curls last for days using this Remington hair tool now £17' The Ultimate Beauty Collection features a whole host of much-loved favourites, including a full-size No7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream. There's also a mini Future Renew serum to help reverse visible signs of skin damage. Need to upgrade your toothbrush? A huge price drop sees the Oral-B Pro 3 3500 down from £100 to just £35 - an incredible saving of £65. With built-in gum pressure control, this toothbrush claims to help you brush for two minutes with a timer and notifies you every 30 seconds to change the area you are brushing. Boots has also majorly reduced the price of Remington's Shine Therapy Hair Straightener S8500 . Normally retailing at £79, this top-rated hair tool is down to £21.45 as part of Boots' epic sale event, which is an amazing saving of more than £57. With a 4.6 average star-rating, the Remington straightener is already a hit among shoppers, with many saying they are "better" than pricier ghd versions. A delighted customer raved: "These are the best straighteners I’ve ever had! I’ve been buying ghds for around 20 years and these are better, they were a bargain when they were on offer so I've bought another pair to keep as a spare." But despite the glowing reviews, some beauty fans weren't pleased with their results, with comments such as: "Does not add any shine, just another basic iron. Does not do what it's supposed to." If you're after a bargain, this Dove Pamper Bodywash Collection Gift Set is now £5, down from £10. It includes two bottles of body wash in shea butter and vanilla scents and a luxury shower puff. You can check out all deals in the Big Boots Sale online , where prices start from as little as 50p. Elsewhere, LookFantastic has major offers available on beauty products - including Benefit Cosmetics . While Sephora is also running a huge sale with up to 30% off items.TORONTO (AP) — Britta Curl-Salemme and Michaela Cava each scored twice and the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 6-3 on Saturday in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Curl-Salemme gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead at 6:29 of the third period. Cava scored the final two goals, the last into an empty net. Claire Butorac and Dominique Petrie also scored and Maddy Rooney stopped 21 shots to help Minnesota improve to 2-0-1. Daryl Watts, Victoria Bach and Jesse Compher scored for Toronto. The Sceptres are 1-2-0. Minnesota beat Toronto for the fourth straight game dating to last season’s playoffs. The Frost won the final three games of a best-of-five semifinal after dropping the first two. Takeaways Frost: Defender Maggie Flaherty served the first game of a two-game suspension for a headshot on Boston’s Alina Mueller, with Mae Batherson taking her place for her PWHL debut. Batherson is the younger sister of Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson. Sceptres: Rylind MacKinnon is one of only two Canadian university players in the PWHL, with New York’s Emmy Fecteau from Concordia the other. MacKinn, a former University of British Columbia defender, has two assists this season. Up next Toronto is at New York on Wednesday night. Minnesota host Ottawa on Thursday night. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

By JILL COLVIN and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Vance is taking on an atypical role as Senate guide for Trump nominees The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump’s first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president’s transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can’t get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he’s kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Mar-a-Lago scene is a far cry from Vance’s hardscrabble upbringing Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It’s a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy.” His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a U.S. Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates’ pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray , as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he’d missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time “with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.” “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that’s just me.” Vance is making his voice heard as Trump stocks his Cabinet While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence , a powerful position that sits atop the nation’s spy agencies and acts as the president’s top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services , a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump’s “border czar.” In another sign of Vance’s influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump’s legislative affairs director. Allies say it’s too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son’s Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump’s most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president’s nominees usually visit individual senators’ offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance will draw on his Senate background going forward Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump’s first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I’ve ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They’ll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. ′′He doesn’t have the long relationships,” he said. “But we all like people that have done what we’ve done. I mean, that’s sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he’s not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.2025 could be a busy year for young people in Burk’s Falls. Several Burk’s Falls residents, including parents, have created a youth centre proposal designed for 12- to 18-year-olds. Barry Burton of nearby Ryerson Township proposed the concept at the Burk’s Falls Dec. 17 meeting and received positive responses. According to the 2021 census, 20 per cent of Burk’s Falls population was made up of people under 20, and Burton says that the youth population has increased since that time. Burton adds that according to a Government of Canada State of Youth Report from 2021, many young people face issues like cyber bullying, social exclusion and mental health challenges. He adds the “numbers are staggering” because we have 53 per cent of young people aged 15 to 18 who struggle with depression and mental health. “And suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people in Canada,” Burton told town council. The proposed Burk’s Falls Youth Centre would be drug-free and bully-free and provide a safe environment. Burton says with the help from guest speakers and instructors, the centre would provide guidance and mentorship and leadership skills and explain the dangers of substance abuse. At the same time, the young people would be exposed to various programs, including the arts, music and technology, and learn the value of cooking one’s own meals. Burton is no stranger to helping to start a youth centre. In 2014, he was the deputy mayor of Clearview Township near Barrie, which includes the rural community of Stayner. Burton told Almaguin News Stayner “is very similar to Burk’s Falls” and there wasn’t much for young people to do. During an all-candidates debate in 2014, the people running for town council were asked by young people what their plan was for the youth of the township. Once elected, Burton and council set out to create the Stayner Youth Centre and raised $100,000 in three months, including $20,000 from the United Way, in addition to corporate grants and money from all three government levels. “We started with 12 young people coming in on a regular basis five days a week and now there are more than 200 youth who are part of the centre,” Burton said. Burton left Clearview Township two years ago for Ryerson Township in the Almaguin Highlands. He was at a local historical society meeting in 2023 when people began talking about the lack of things for young people to do. Burton told the group he could help thanks to his recent experience in Stayner. During 2023 and into 2024, parents and adults interested in ensuring young people have things to do began meeting, and the ad hoc group was formed. One of those parents who is part of the group is Mary Thomson, who has 10- and 12-year-old boys and also lives in Ryerson. “They’re excited,” Thomson said about her boys’ reaction upon learning there might soon be a youth centre in Burk’s Falls. “There are no hubs for them. They can just go to their friends’ homes.” Thomson understands what her sons experience because she grew up in Burk’s Falls and also faced the age-old question of what to do in a small, rural community. “It could be boring and you would get into trouble,” Thomson said, adding she wasn’t one of the trouble makers. Corinne Penstone is a Burk’s Falls mother with twin 12-year-old boys and a seven-year-old daughter. Penstone says one thing the group wants to do is go into the schools and ask the students themselves what they need. “We want to involve them in this,” Penstone said. “My boys are pumped that we care about what they want.” Penstone adds that assuming the youth centre becomes reality, the committee would like to see some of the students become volunteers and act as the bridge between the committee and the young people at the centre. Burton says the local group has created a $93,030 budget, with $18,000 of that paying for rent and a further $43,680 covering the salary of a youth engagement co-ordinator. Volunteers would help the co-ordinator. The group has looked at three sites in downtown Burk’s Falls, but has made no commitments. Burton doesn’t find the task of raising close to $100,000 daunting. “I have experience getting this kind of thing off the ground,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but we have a great committee that is ready to go.” Burton says $3,200 is already in place “and we haven’t even started yet.” Burton says there are federal, provincial and corporate grants available, and one simply has to know how to go about accessing those funds. What he and the committee are requesting of the council is that the youth centre group become a committee of council. “This opens the doors to municipal resources for us,” he said. Burton said the committee could apply to become a non-profit organization, but the paperwork to launch and maintain that status eats up money that could be applied to the youth centre. As a committee of council, Burton explained, the mechanism already exists for the municipality to provide donation receipts to people and businesses who contribute to the centre. During the school year, the centre would operate weekdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Burton says a different format would be needed if the facility is also open on weekends and during the summers. Burton says the group has been asked to draw up terms of reference for council’s consideration and formally elect officers as council members discuss his request for the group to become a committee of council. Burton says he’s optimistic that council will agree to the request, and that word of that agreement could come early in the new year. Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Morning Mail: big tech pushes back on ban bill, hope for Lebanon ceasefire, prosecutors drop charges against TrumpHe's been helping Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks try to win confirmation in the Senate.

Tevogen Bio to Host Panel Discussions "AI In Biopharma: Next Frontier of Medical Innovation" and "Pioneering the Economics of Health: Balancing Access and Outcomes" During J.P. Morgan Healthcare ConferenceNoneZanu PF Infighting Escalates with Suspensions of Chiwenga Supporters in Harare ProvinceJimmy Kimmel reveals the Christmas tradition he hopes his kids have outgrown: 'We resent it!'