Ducks starting to ‘play with an identity’ ahead of hosting Ottawafb777 ph 。

Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table

NoneNew buildings at Auckland Airport have been modified and new systems are in place after air traffic controllers’ views of parts of the airfield were obscured. Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIAL) has had to change the new domestic pier’s roofline to improve visibility but Airways NZ says it still has to adjust air traffic control procedures, including requiring more separation between planes. The ageing control tower will be replaced and, in a consultation document, Airways said the airport’s new terminal pier (Pier A1) would impact visibility from the current site. “In the short term, this risk can be mitigated by adjusting ATC [air traffic control] procedures, including increased separation standards, and using technology. AIAL is designing Pier A1’s roofline to provide the maximum visibility and implementing changes such as additional controllable stop bars, intermediate hold points and CCTV cameras to improve situational awareness.”

Speaking on 'The OGs' podcast, Miami Heat executive Pat Riley reflected on the night that LeBron James announced his decision to join the Heat. Riley remembers how much it impacted the city at the time and how people got out to celebrate in the middle of the streets. "I remember being at South Beach," said Riley . "I was at Red Steakhouse and I think Dwyane was out at Prime. And I'll never forget when he said 'I'm taking my talents to South Beach.' You could hear the whole place, the city was like, all of a sudden everybody's out in the streets yelling and screaming. I went out in the street and never forgot it." LeBron was the biggest young star in the league at the time and he had been with the Cavaliers for seven years leading up to the summer of 2010. So when he announced his move to the Heat on national television, it went viral across the media world in a historic moment that nobody will forget. Pat Riley says he knew what was going to happen ahead of time, even though it was technically still up in the air until his final decision. "I knew... there is no way he could go up there and say I'm gonna go to New York or Chicago. I had a good feeling that he was gonna come to Miami." LeBron changed the NBA forever that day. After joining the Heat and birthing a new dynasty in the East, LeBron won his first championship and went back-to-back in four straight trips to the Finals. In four seasons with the Heat, James had one of the best stretches by any player in basketball history with averages of 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game on 54.3% shooting. Of course, Pat Riley believes that James should have never left and that he could have won even more titles had he stayed in South Beach for a few more years with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh . Nevertheless, James made the most out of his time with the Heat and his decision to join in 2020 forever altered the course of basketball history. Today, LeBron and the Heat are still on good terms but both sides have long since moved on. As a Laker, LeBron no longer has any ties to the Heat and they've already found their new team leaders in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo . Together, they hope to take back the East and put the Heat in a position to make some noise in the playoffs. Meanwhile, LeBron is entirely focused on the championship pursuit this season and he has no plans of moving after establishing a permanent home for his family. So while Lebron may have no regrets over joining and winning with the Heat, he doesn't regret parting ways when he did, either. The series of events played a role in shaping the player he is today, which is one the greatest we've ever seen in NBA history. This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

In a GQ Sports interview last year, Justin Jefferson revealed that he calls his Mercedes the “Batmobile,” and it’s easy to see why. The all-black matte finish gives his car a unique look that only the caped crusader would want to replicate. But with his new and lucrative contract , Jefferson could be surprised by the variety of cool and iconic cars he can now afford. Even the actual “Batmobile.” It turns out that the real “Batmobile” from the Dark Knight trilogy is now up for sale. Recently, it was announced that Warner Bros. and a custom car maker have crafted 10 replicas of the iconic superhero car, and for the price of $3 million, Jefferson could own it — the real thing. With a signing bonus of $88.7 million, the car is well within the price range for the Minnesota Vikings WR. But of course, nothing in life is ever easy. The process of securing one of these replicas is arduous. A buyer must apply, gain approval, and pay a deposit in order to secure one. But it doesn’t stop there. The delivery process takes about 15 months, so Jefferson wouldn’t receive the vehicle until 2026. The real kicker is that while the vehicles are fully functional, they are not street-legal. So even if Jefferson were to secure one, he would only be able to drive it on backlots and private locations. What’s the point of owning a $3 million car if you can’t even show it off on the streets? Fans reacted with some hilarious and genuine questions regarding the vehicle. All good questions that may come up during the application process. It’s hard to sell people luxury items that they can’t get any actual use out of. Nevertheless, it would be fitting if Jefferson pursued purchasing the vehicle. And if he could work something out with the city of Minneapolis to legally drive it occasionally, it would make for some great gameday arrival content on social media. Jefferson’s Mercedes-AMG GT comes with a hefty price tag of $150,000, and it’s one of the things the star WR can’t live without, claiming his life would be hectic without it. However, he did openly admit during the GQ interview that he’s keeping his options open for new cars. Specifically, he’s eyeing the Presidential Maybach, a car with a starting price of $200,000.The couple have supported each other since meeting in high school and now share 4 kids, though they keep their lives off social media – but Charlamagne made headlines for his appearance on The View In early December, ABC’s all-women panel talk show The View hosted a heated debate about whether anybody is “above the law”. On the show, radio host and comedian Charlamagne tha God – born Lenard McKelvey – went head-to-head with host Whoopi Goldberg over Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son, Hunter. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Charlamagne tha God speaks during the Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park in September. Photo: EPA-EFE","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/13/44a2807c-dc99-4b9d-a3cb-edfa9af96b0a_1353fe8b.jpg"} Charlamagne tha God speaks during the Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park in September. Photo: EPA-EFE Hunter Biden , who was facing felony tax and gun charges and was potentially looking at up to 42 years in jail, was granted a “full and unconditional pardon” by his father on December 1. In doing so, the outgoing president reneged on his promise to not intervene with his son’s legal charges. Advertisement The abrupt U-turn was widely condemned by both Democrats and Republicans, which Charlamagne argued was “valid”. In his opinion, Biden had repeatedly stated that he would “respect the jury’s decision in regards to my son”, which apparently turned out to be a “lie to begin with”. Goldberg interrupted at this point, saying that Charlamagne didn’t “actually know if ‘it was a lie’ or why the president reversed course regarding the pardon”, and that Biden had probably “changed his mind because he got sick of watching everyone else get over”. The debate got heated when Charlamagne called her opinion “ridiculous”, which the Sister Act actress misheard as a direct insult to her. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Whoopi Goldberg performs onstage during WorldPride 2019 at New York’s Barclay’s Center. Photo: AFP","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/13/e8ebde7c-233d-47f0-abeb-29465ff4c794_eee40472.jpg"} Whoopi Goldberg performs onstage during WorldPride 2019 at New York’s Barclay’s Center. Photo: AFP Fortunately, the two reconciled when Charlamagne clarified his comment, remarking, “I didn’t say you were ridiculous Ms Goldberg ... I would never.” Charlamagne tha God has made a name for himself as an opinionated co-host on the syndicated morning radio show The Breakfast Club , but what do we know of his wife of 10 years, Jessica Gadsden? Read on to find out. Jessica Gadsden is highly educated {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Jessica Gadsden attends a session about the impact of the Black Effect: Diversity & Representation in Media and Marketing. Photo: Getty Images","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/12/13/24137f16-c64a-437b-8ee4-2e6686c9100a_d8df3c70.jpg"} Jessica Gadsden attends a session about the impact of the Black Effect: Diversity & Representation in Media and Marketing. Photo: Getty Images

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes paced up and down the Chiefs’ sideline, yelling toward everyone yet no one in particular. His first-half pep talk, a waste. His body, bruised. His frustration, public for all to see. If you didn’t know any better — if you didn’t check the date on this column — you might have guessed I ripped the scene from Christmas Day a year earlier. Except for just one tiny detail. The Chiefs won. They beat the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Friday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, and for all of the close, funky conclusions that have defined this season, we have a masterpiece: a botched snap. A year after the Raiders robbed the Chiefs of a Christmas Day celebration, they gifted them a victory when center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball before quarterback Aidan O’Connell expected it. Nick Bolton pounced on it. That’s how the Chiefs just beat the worst team in football. Look, the Chiefs are still a very good team, but with the record of a very great team requesting to be judged on the curve of the very best teams the league has to offer. That’s not some unfair grading system we invented for them — it’s how they judge themselves. Been that way for a while now. And about the only positive thing I can offer from Friday’s game — other than, you know, the win — is to wonder if perhaps the outcome will convince Raiders owner Mark Davis that head coach Antonio Pierce is a good fit for the job. The Chiefs’ offense gained just 4.9 yards per play, the third-worst mark among the 12 teams to play the Raiders this season. The Chiefs defense allowed 6.9 yards per play, 1.3 more yards per play than anyone had allowed the Raiders this year. Chiefs coach Andy Reid botched a fourth-down decision in which he elected to put the end of the game in the hands of that defense, rather than his quarterback. Everyone shared some blame. But for all of that, there are no bigger concerns than the root of Mahomes’ outburst. Left tackle. For the third time this year, Reid benched his left tackle in-game, enacting a full-on state of emergency that sent Joe Thuney, an All-Pro guard, to protect Mahomes’ blindside. To hell with it, Reid apparently said, and who could blame him? Starting left tackle Wanya Morris, who doubles as the replacement for the first guy KC benched this season, allowed 11 pressures and a career day not from Maxx Crosby, but from K’Lavon Chaisson — who had eight pressures, per Next Gen Stats. A ticket-taker slows traffic more efficiently than Morris slowed the Raiders’ navigation to his quarterback. On three occasions, Chaisson reached Mahomes is less than 2 1/2 seconds. Those plays were over before they started. “He’s playing against a couple of good players,” Reid said of Morris. “But you gotta do better than what we did there.” At one point, visibly frustrated, Mahomes stretched out both arms from his sides and turned his palms skyward, as if to ask the very question that will hover over the rest of the Chiefs’ quest for the NFL’s first three-peat: What now? Well, it sure seems like one of the most important players to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes just became someone who hasn’t put on a football uniform in more than 11 months — someone who has never put on a Chiefs uniform. D.J. Humphries, you’re up. After spending the past 11 months out of football — not even a practice since his ACL injury with the Arizona Cardinals last December — the Chiefs have little choice but to ask Humphries to step into one of the most important jobs in the sport. A risky solution. I’ll listen for others. The Chiefs have survived subpar left tackle play in this era. They’re almost stuck with it, given the constraints of their salary cap paired with their draft position falling at the end of every round. Donovan Smith was below average a year ago, even if time has elevated that memory. Heck, Cam Erving protected Mahomes at one point. They’ve managed. This is different. They aren’t even giving Mahomes a chance. Before the season, I could not offer you a single example of a left tackle flat-out whiffing on an edge rusher. I’m sure it’s happened. I don’t remember it. Today, if asked for that example, I would reply with a question: Which one? Morris continually elected to just try to punch at Chaisson. He came about as close as a 58-year-old boxer on Netflix. To Morris’ credit, and this will be dismissed more quickly than it should, he remained by his locker as media entered the room after the game. He took every last question he was asked. “There’s no better time to learn than when you get your (rear-end) beat,” Morris told me, and he did not say rear-end. “It sucks to get your (rear-end) beat, but when you get your (rear-end) beat, you can have two responses: You can lay down, or you can get back up and try something new. I’m going to get back up and try something new.” What’s becoming obvious: The Chiefs cannot afford him that chance. They cannot afford their second-round pick, Kingsley Suamataia, that chance, either. A year ago, the Raiders supplied the Chiefs a wake-up call: They’d better take the rest of the season seriously if they intended to make another Super Bowl run. This year, the wake-up call is how drastically one position can derail their plans. On a first-half drive Friday, Mahomes completed a no-look pass to tight end Noah Gray for 26 yards. A few plays later, tight end Travis Kelce lateraled a ball to running back Samaje Perine for a first down. Three more plays later, Mahomes absorbed a shot to the chest but managed to somehow flick a pass to receiver Justin Watson, who made a contested catch for a touchdown. A no-look. A lateral. A contested catch, which this team almost never makes. That once comprised the look of a team showing off. On Friday, it comprised the requirements for scoring. It was the recipe for the only time the Chiefs reached the end zone. Those plays I glossed over? They were interrupted by the constant pressure. Even the touchdown should have been interrupted by the pressure. A miraculous throw, really. But the Raiders — and that outburst — illuminated something in the process. Even a franchise savior has a limit. ©2024 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Article content DUBLIN (AP) — Vote counting was underway Saturday in Ireland’s national election after an exit poll suggested the contest is a close-fought race among the country’s three largest political parties. Recommended Videos Election officials opened ballot boxes at count centers across the country, kicking off what could be several days of tallying the results. If the exit poll is borne out, that could be followed by days or weeks of negotiations to form a coalition government. The exit poll suggested voters’ support is split widely among the three big parties — Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein — as well as several smaller parties and an assortment of independents ranging from the left to the far right. The poll said center-right party Fine Gael was the first choice of 21% of voters, and another center-right party, Fianna Fail, of 19.5%. The two parties governed in coalition before the election. Left-of-center opposition party Sinn Fein was at 21.1% in the poll. Pollster Ipsos B&A asked 5,018 voters across the country how they had cast their ballots. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points. The figures only give an indication and don’t reveal which parties will form the next government. Ireland uses a complex system of proportional representation in which each of the country’s 43 constituencies elects several lawmakers and voters rank candidates in order of preference. As a result, it can take some time for full results to be known. Fianna Fail politician Michael McGrath, a former finance minister and now a European Union official, said “a number of different parties and groups will have to be involved” in forming a government. “I hope it is a stable government that has the prospect of lasting the five years because of the challenges we are facing in Ireland and throughout the European Union,” he told the PA news agency at a count in Cork, southwest Ireland. “Let’s allow the picture to emerge over the days ahead.” The result will show whether Ireland bucks the global trend of incumbents being ousted by disgruntled voters after years of pandemic, international instability and cost-of-living pressures. The cost of living — especially Ireland’s acute housing crisis _ was a dominant topic in the three-week campaign, alongside immigration, which has become an emotive and challenging issue in a country of 5.4 million people long defined by emigration. The outgoing government was led by the two parties that have dominated Irish politics for the past century: Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. They have similar policies but are longtime rivals with origins on opposing sides of Ireland’s 1920s civil war. After the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat, they formed a coalition. Before polling day, analysts said the most likely outcome was another Fine Gael-Fianna Fail coalition. That remains a likely option. The front-runners to be the next taoiseach, or prime minister, are current Taoiseach Simon Harris of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin — despite their parties’ relatively lackluster showing. The two parties would need the support of smaller groups or independents to achieve a majority in the 174-seat Dail, the lower house of Parliament. The Green Party, which held 12 seats in the last parliament and propped up the governing coalition, acknowledged that it was headed for a disappointing result. Among a large crop of independent candidates was reputed organized crime boss Gerry “the Monk” Hutch, who has seen a groundswell of support since he was bailed on money-laundering charges in Spain this month in order to run for election. Early results suggested he stood a good chance of winning a seat in Dublin. Sinn Fein achieved a stunning breakthrough in the 2020 election, topping the popular vote, but was shut out of government because Fianna Fail and Fine Gael refused to work with it, citing its leftist policies and historic ties with militant group the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. Though Sinn Fein, which aims to reunite Northern Ireland with the independent Republic of Ireland, could become the largest party in the Dail, it may struggle to get enough coalition partners to form a government. During the election campaign, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail maintained they would not go into government with it. A Sinn Fein-led government would shake up Irish politics — and the future of the United Kingdom. The party is already the largest in Northern Ireland, and a Sinn Fein government in the republic would push for a referendum on Irish reunification in the next few years. The party, which had urged people to vote for change, hailed the result after the exit poll was released. “There is every chance that Sinn Fein will emerge from these elections as the largest political party,” Sinn Fein director of elections Matt Carthy told broadcaster RTE on Friday night.

Amid Nigeria’s security struggles, expert advocates peace through amnestyJimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency of anyone to hold the office, and one of the most active. Here is a look back at his life. 1924 — Jimmy Carter was born on Oct. 1 to Earl and Lillian Carter in the small town of Plains, Georgia. 1928 — Earl Carter bought a 350-acre farm 3 miles from Plains in the tiny community of Archery. The Carter family lived in a house on the farm without running water or electricity. 1941 — He graduated from Plains High School and enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus. 1942 — He transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. 1943 — Carter’s boyhood dream of being in the Navy becomes a reality as he is appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 1946 — He received his naval commission and on July 7 married Rosalynn Smith of Plains. They moved to Norfolk, Virginia. 1946-1952 — Carter’s three sons are born, Jack in 1947, Chip in 1950 and Jeff in 1952. 1962-66 — Carter is elected to the Georgia State Senate and serves two terms. 1953 — Carter’s father died and he cut his naval career short to save the family farm. Due to a limited income, Jimmy, Rosalynn and their three sons moved into Public Housing Apartment 9A in Plains. 1966 — He ran for governor, but lost. 1967 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s fourth child, Amy, is born. 1971 — He ran for governor again and won the election, becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on Jan. 12. 1974 — Carter announced his candidacy for president. 1976 — Carter was elected 39th president on Nov. 2, narrowly defeating incumbent Gerald Ford. 1978 — U.S. and the Peoples’ Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations. President Carter negotiates and mediates an accord between Egypt and Israel at Camp David. 1979 — The Department of Education is formed. Iranian radicals overrun the U.S. Embassy and seize American hostages. The Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty is signed. 1980 — On March 21, Carter announces that the U.S. will boycott the Olympic Games scheduled in Moscow. A rescue attempt to get American hostages out of Iran is unsuccessful. Carter was defeated in his bid for a second term as president by Ronald Reagan in November. 1981 — President Carter continues to negotiate the release of the American hostages in Iran. Minutes before his term as president is over, the hostages are released. 1982 — Carter became a distinguished professor at Emory University in Atlanta, and founded The Carter Center. The nonpartisan and nonprofit center addresses national and international issues of public policy. 1984 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes, until 2020. He also taught Sunday school in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains from the mid-’80s until 2020. 2002 — Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 2015 — Carter announced in August he had been diagnosed with melanoma that spread to his brain. 2016 — He said in March that he no longer needed cancer treatment. 2024 — Carter dies at 100 years old. Sources: Cartercenter.org, Plains Historical Preservation Trust, The Associated Press; The Brookings Institution; U.S. Navy; WhiteHouse.gov, Gallup

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Column: Embracing innovative tech can make communities saferVillage level politics are believed to have forced an 86-year-old man to end his life, after the Gram Panchayat built a wall cutting off way to his house in Kondareddypally village. Interstingly, the deceased person P Sai Reddy, a former Sarpanch of the village, accused the brothers of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of harassing him by getting the wall constrcuted in front of his home to cut off passage to his house. Incidentally, Kondareddypally is the native village of the Chief Minister. The suicide of the octagenarian had political ripples as the letter written Telugu purportedy by Sai Reddy went viral on social media platforms. In the letter, Sai Reddy maintained that he contructed the house and was living in it for the last forty years. A small dried up well in front of the house was filled up and a passage was created to approach the house. “However, the Chief Minister’s brothers bore a grudge against me and got a veterinary hospital constructed in front of my house. Yet, I did not object as they assured (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); to leave some space next to the hospital for passage to my house,” Sai Reddy said in the note. “After accusing me of having political affiliations, they tried to get a wall constructed cutting off my house. I do not belong to any party and I belong to God’s party. I never thought that approach to my house would be denied like this. Hence, I am committing suicide,” Sai Reddy wrote in the letter which was titled by him as ‘Death Note”. The 86-year-old former sarpanch from Vangur mandal in the district is learnt to have consumed pesticide at Kalwakurthy and collapsed near auto stand around 5.30 p.m. After noticing him, passersby rushed him to the government hospital in Kalwakurthy where doctors declared that he was dead. After the incident, Kondareddypally residents were panicked. Despite media persons and others trying to enquire about the reasons behind Sai Reddy’s death, his family members, including his brother Madhava Reddy, did not share any details.

Ohio State Athletic Director Declines Comment on Postgame Brawl