BV Financial stock hits 52-week high at $17.49 amid growthSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — When Kenyan police arrived in Haiti as part of a U.N.-backed mission earlier this year to tackle gang violence, hopes were high. Coordinated gang attacks on prisons, police stations and the main international airport had crippled the country’s capital and forced the prime minister to resign, plunging Haiti into an unprecedented crisis. But the crisis has only deepened since the international policing contingent arrived. The main international airport closed for the second time this year after gangs opened fire on commercial flights in mid-November, striking a flight attendant. Gunmen also are attacking once-peaceful communities to try and seize control of the entire capital, taking advantage of political infighting that led to the abrupt dismissal of the prime minister earlier this month. Now, a new prime minister is tasked with turning around a nation that sees no escape from its troubles as Haitians wonder: How did the country reach this point? Bloody coups, brutal dictatorships and gangs created by Haiti’s political and economic elite have long defined the country’s history, but experts say the current crisis is the worst they’ve seen. “I’m very bleak about the future,” said Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia. “The whole situation is really collapsing.” The government is anemic, the U.N.-backed mission that supports Haiti’s understaffed police department lacks funding and personnel, and gangs now control 85% of the capital. Then, on Wednesday, another blow. Doctors Without Borders announced it was suspending critical care in Port-au-Prince as it accused police of targeting its staff and patients, including threats of rape and death. It’s the first time the aid group has stopped working with new patients since it began operating in Haiti more than 30 years ago. “Every day that we cannot resume activities is a tragedy, as we are one of the few providers of a wide range of medical services that have remained open during this extremely difficult year,” said Christophe Garnier, mission director in Haiti. Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, did not return messages for comment. Neither did officials with Kenya’s mission when asked about the surge in gang violence. In a recent statement, the Kenyan-led mission said it was “cognizant of the road ahead that is fraught with challenges.” But it noted that ongoing joint patrols and operations have secured certain communities and forced gangs to change the way they operate. André François Giroux, Canada’s ambassador to Haiti, told The Associated Press on Saturday that his country and others have been trying to bolster the Kenyan-led mission. “They’ve done miracles, I think, considering all the challenges that we’ve been facing,” he said. “What we have to keep in mind is that it’s still very much in deployment mode,” Giroux said. “There are not even 400 on the ground right now.” A spokesman for Haiti’s new prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, did not return messages for comment. In a statement Thursday, his administration said authorities were strengthening security along the capital’s main roads and had formed a special security council. “The prime minister renews his commitment to find lasting solutions to current problems,” it said. The statement was issued just days after gangs launched a pre-dawn attack Tuesday around an upper-class community in Haiti’s capital, forcing residents armed with machetes and guns to fight side-by-side with police to repel gunmen. At least 28 gang members were killed, but not before some reached an area near an upscale hotel long considered safe. “It tells you that there is no functioning authority in Haiti,” Fatton said. A main concern in the ongoing crisis is the temporary closure of the main international airport in Port-au-Prince. It means critical aid is not reaching those who need it the most in a country where nearly 6,000 people are starving and nearly half of the more than 11 million inhabitants are experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse. Gang violence also has left more than 700,000 people homeless in recent years . “We are deeply concerned about the isolation of Port-au-Prince from the rest of Haiti and the world,” said Laurent Uwumuremyi, Mercy Corps’ country director for Haiti. The aid group helps people including more than 15,000 living in makeshift shelters, but persistent gang violence has prevented workers from reaching a growing number of them in the capital and beyond. Basic goods also are dwindling as the suspension of flights has delayed imports of critical supplies. “Before, there were some neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince that we considered safe that the gangs had never reached, but now they are threatening to take over the control of the entire capital,” Uwumuremyi said. At least 150 people were reported killed in the capital and 20,000 forced to flee their homes in the second week of November alone. Overall, more than 4,500 people were reported killed in Haiti so far this year, the U.N. said. Jimmy Chérizier, a former elite police officer who became a gang leader known as Barbecue, warned that a gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm will keep attacking as they demand the resignation of a transitional presidential council tasked with leading the country along with the new prime minister. The council also is supposed to organize general elections for the first time in nearly a decade so voters can choose a president, a position left empty since President Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence in July 2021. The U.S. and other countries pushed for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti at a U.N. Security Council meeting this week. Only about 400 officers from Kenya have arrived, along with a handful of police and soldiers from other countries — way short of the 2,500 personnel slated for the mission. “This is not just another wave of insecurity; it is a dramatic escalation that shows no signs of abating,” Miroslav Jenča, U.N. assistant secretary general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, said Wednesday at the meeting. But Russia and China oppose a U.N. peacekeeping mission , leaving many to wonder what other options are left for Haiti. Giroux, the Canadian ambassador, said his country supports a peacekeeping operation “when the time is right.” “Everybody is looking at a peacekeeping mission as a silver bullet,” he said, adding that even if that were to happen, it wouldn’t be able to deploy for another six to 12 months. “We need to be realistic.” Giroux said he is hopeful that some 600 Kenyans will arrive in Haiti in upcoming weeks, but added that “none of this matters if the political elite doesn’t get its act together.” The nine-member transitional presidential council has been marred by accusations of corruption and infighting and was criticized for firing the previous prime minister. “I’m at a loss for any short-term solution for Haiti, let alone any long-term solutions,” Fatton said. “The gangs have seen that they shouldn’t be afraid of the Kenyan mission.” He said one option may be for the government to negotiate with the gangs. “At the moment, it is perceived as utterly unacceptable,” he said. “But if the situation deteriorates even more, what else are you left with?”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Another week, another pair of records for Miami quarterback Cam Ward — breaking 40-year-old marks by Bernie Kosar in both cases. Ward, Miami's Heisman Trophy contender who already holds the Hurricanes' single-season record for touchdown passes and is on pace to break the school mark for completion percentage, on Saturday eclipsed Kosar's school records for both passing yards in a season and completions in a season. Ward's 13-yard completion to Damien Martinez with 1:27 left in the second quarter gave him 3,643 yards for the season. Kosar's mark of 3,642 yards was set in 1984. Later Saturday, Ward threw a 15-yard pass to Xavier Restrepo for his 263rd completion of the year — topping Kosar's mark of 262, also set in 1984. “Congrats #CamWard,” Kosar posted on social media. “U R Awesome.” Ward is on pace to break Miami's single-season completion percentage mark of 65.8% set last year by Tyler Van Dyke. He also is on pace to top the Miami career mark — among those with at least 300 attempts — of 64.3% set by D'Eriq King in 2020 and 2021. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballTottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth as fans jeer PostecoglouA Member of the UAE Royal Family Joins the Color Star Family
Statistics after 11 gamesWASHINGTON (AP) — The acting director of the Secret Service said Thursday that the agency is “reorganizing and reimagining” its culture and how it operates following an assassination attempt against Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Members of a bipartisan House task force investigating the attempt on Trump's life pushed Ronald Rowe on how the agency’s staffers could have missed such blatant security vulnerabilities leading up to the July 13 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. At one point, the hearing devolved into a shouting match between Rowe and a Republican congressman. Rowe promised accountability for what he called the agency’s “abject failure” to secure the rally in Butler, where a gunman opened fire from a nearby building. Trump was wounded in the ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were wounded. Another assassination attempt two months later contributed to the agency’s troubles. That gunman waited for hours for Trump to appear at his golf course in Florida, but a Secret Service agent thwarted the attack by spotting the firearm poking through bushes. The task force has been investigating both attempts, but it was the July shooting that dominated Thursday’s hearing. Its inquiry is one of a series of investigations and reports that have faulted the agency for planning and communications failures. The agency’s previous director resigned, and the Secret Service increased protections for Trump before the Republican won the November election. Rowe was repeatedly asked by flabbergasted lawmakers how problems so obvious in hindsight were allowed to happen. Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said it was “just wild to me” that at a time of tech advances, the Secret Service was using text messages and emails to communicate in real time about threats. He also asked Rowe why so many things went wrong that day “yet nobody said anything.” Rowe said the agency used to have a culture where people felt comfortable speaking up. “I don’t know where we lost that,” he said. “We have to get back to that.” Rowe said the agency is putting a much stronger emphasis on training — something previous investigations found was lacking — and on doing more regular reviews of events to see what went right and where improvements can be made. “We are reorganizing and reimaging this organization," Rowe told lawmakers. He said the agency needs to identify possible leaders much earlier in their careers instead of just promoting people to command positions because they have been around a long time. The hearing was largely cordial, with members of Congress stressing the bipartisan nature of their work and praising Rowe for cooperating with their investigation even as they pushed him for explanations. But at one point, Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon, a Texas Republican, faced off — shouting over each other as other members pleaded for order. Fallon pulled out a photo of President Joe Biden, Trump and others at this year's Sept. 11 ceremony in New York and asked Rowe why he was at the event, suggesting it was to burnish his prospects at getting the director job permanently. Trump has not yet named his pick to lead the agency. “I was there to show respect for a Secret Service member that died on 9/11. Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes!” Rowe shouted. “You wanted to be visible because you were auditioning for this job that you’re not going to get!” Fallon later shot back. Rowe roared back: "You are out of line, Congressman. You are out of line!” “You're a bully,” Fallon said. This was the task force’s second public hearing and the first time that Rowe has addressed its members in public. The panel has until Dec. 13 to release its final report. Rep. Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, said the agency’s conduct during the July shooting seemed almost “lackadaisical.” He said some of the issues that went wrong that day were ”really basic things.” “It speaks of an apathy or a complacency that is really unacceptable in an organization like the Secret Service,” Green said. The task force conducted 46 transcribed interviews, attended over a dozen briefings and reviewed over 20,000 documents. Members also visited the site of both assassination attempts and went to the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to look at evidence. Rowe said Thursday that the agency's internal investigation , whose findings were released last month, identified failures by multiple employees. He noted that the quality of the advance work — the people who scope out event locations ahead of time — did not meet agency standards. He vowed accountability for those who fell down on the job. Many of the investigations have centered on why buildings near the rally with a clear line of sight to the stage where Trump was speaking were not secured in advance. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, climbed onto the roof of one of them and opened fire before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper. Rowe pointed to the failure to protect the building as the most glaring oversight that day. He also was asked about the morale of agents and new hires. Rowe said applications are actually up this year — the agency made a net gain of about 200 agents during the past fiscal year, meaning both new agents were hired and veteran agents retained.AGI presents not just a tool but a partner in reshaping how business, growth, and innovation are fundamentally conceived AGI offers startups the ability to pivot almost instantaneously in response to market changes or regulatory shifts It is less a tool and more an emergent collaborator, transforming what it means to build, innovate, and lead AGI, or artificial general intelligence , is on the brink of transforming the startup landscape in ways we’ve only glimpsed in science fiction. Where once “AI” was synonymous with smart automation, today’s AGI advancements push us beyond narrow applications into something closer to human-level intelligence. It’s no longer a matter of optimising processes or refining recommendations but of building systems with a depth of adaptability that mirrors human reasoning. For startups, the implications are as profound as they are daunting: AGI presents not just a tool but a partner in reshaping how business, growth, and innovation are fundamentally conceived.In India, where a startup culture has ignited over the last decade, the potential of AGI could be particularly catalytic. For a country producing an unparalleled number of engineers and data scientists, AGI offers more than efficiency; it introduces an era where technology doesn’t merely support human effort but actively collaborates in it. Already, several Indian startups are making headlines by integrating AGI to address the country’s unique challenges, from scaling healthcare solutions to transforming rural education. In the tech hubs of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and beyond, startups are using AGI models to design systems that don’t just execute commands but interpret and adapt, often outperforming traditional AI models that dominate the landscape. The implications for decision-making are remarkable. AGI’s potential to parse immense datasets, identify nuanced patterns, and suggest solutions in real-time could make today’s analytics tools look like relics. Consider an ecommerce startup: conventional AI can improve inventory predictions and user recommendations. AGI, however, could dynamically adapt to sudden market shifts, adjusting strategies based on real-world data and evolving customer behavior patterns. It’s the difference between a machine learning model that predicts the next purchase and an AGI system that predicts and adapts to the entire market’s mood swings. But it’s not just in practical applications that AGI promises transformation; it changes the speed and ambition of startup growth. In a competitive market, adaptability is a currency. AGI offers startups the ability to pivot almost instantaneously in response to market changes or regulatory shifts. With AGI, a financial technology startup navigating India’s strict compliance landscape could foresee potential regulatory shifts by analysing historical policy changes, international trends, and socio-political cues. This foresight doesn’t just save time; it provides an anticipatory advantage, allowing startups to innovate within compliance, often outpacing competitors still deciphering new regulations. However, the marriage of AGI and startup ambition also raises profound ethical questions. While AGI can analyse, predict, and even advise, it lacks the ethical guardrails that are often integral to responsible decision-making. For Indian startups, especially those operating in sensitive areas like healthcare and finance, this introduces a moral weight. With AGI, a healthcare startup could scale diagnostics across rural clinics, yet it would also need to confront questions about accountability in life-and-death decisions. The moment AGI moves from supporter to decision-maker, the ethical stakes escalate sharply, and with that, the pressure on startups to embed ethical considerations within their technological DNA. The stakes are economic as well. While many predict that AGI will increase productivity, it could also concentrate power and capital in unforeseen ways. If the promise of AGI holds, it’s possible that a handful of AGI-powered firms might amass capabilities that dwarf those of traditional competitors, creating economic asymmetries that extend across borders. Indian startups, especially, will need to grapple with how to deploy AGI without allowing it to exacerbate inequalities. There’s a pressing need for regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with equity, ensuring that AGI’s benefits aren’t cornered by a few at the expense of many. This regulatory challenge is already prompting action. In the EU and the U.S., conversations around AGI’s oversight have shifted from abstract to immediate, with regulatory bodies beginning to draft policies aimed at keeping AGI’s capabilities within ethical and legal bounds. India, where the startup ecosystem is both vast and culturally unique, is likely to take a different regulatory path, one that prioritises localised concerns while remaining cognizant of global trends. Startups, in turn, are encouraged to participate in these regulatory discussions, not just as stakeholders but as innovators who can actively shape policies that safeguard AGI’s integration. And then there’s the cultural impact. For a country as diverse as India, AGI in startups represents an unparalleled opportunity to develop solutions rooted in local contexts. Traditional AI has often been accused of being blind to cultural nuance, applying uniform solutions to heterogeneous problems. AGI, with its capacity to learn and adapt in ways closer to human cognition, offers the potential for systems that are culturally aware and regionally specific. Imagine a language-learning app that understands not just Hindi or Tamil but the linguistic nuances of specific dialects, adjusting its approach to best serve users from different regions. This type of adaptation, tailored to India’s mosaic of cultures, is an exciting frontier AGI could enable. The dawn of AGI for startups isn’t just technological; it’s a redefinition of purpose. When a machine can adapt, respond, and reason, the role of human creativity shifts from direct command to collaboration, from building tools to partnering with them. As AGI continues to evolve, the distinction between “human” and “machine” contributions will blur, forcing founders and CEOs to consider not only how they use AGI but also how they coexist with it. In this new dynamic, Indian startups stand at the precipice of something remarkable: the opportunity to merge the technological with the human in a way that amplifies the best of both worlds, shaping not only the future of startups but perhaps the future of work itself. In exploring the reach and versatility of AGI within various industries, several startups illustrate its transformative potential in tangible ways. Take CureMetrix, which has pioneered AI tools like cmAssist to enhance breast cancer diagnostics. Studies published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology confirm that cmAssist boosts early detection rates by 27% and reduces false positives by 69%. This exemplifies how AGI-driven diagnostics are not only enhancing healthcare accuracy but also delivering critical efficiencies across medical workflows. Another health-focused player, Vara.ai, brings AGI to radiology, helping radiologists quickly analyse vast radiological data to highlight potential concerns. Its approach addresses a crucial gap in healthcare accessibility, particularly in regions where radiology expertise is scarce. By automating initial diagnostic reviews, Vara.ai exemplifies how AGI is improving healthcare scalability, accuracy, and access—a vision well-aligned with India’s healthcare goals. Beyond healthcare, Yellow.ai has established itself as a leader in customer service automation. By automating up to 90% of customer inquiries, their AGI-powered platform improves response times by nearly 50% and boosts customer satisfaction scores by around 40% . In an age where customer experience can make or break brand loyalty, Yellow.ai’s AGI solutions are helping enterprises optimise interactions at scale. Reflecting on AGI’s role in reshaping business interactions, Siddharth Kashiramka, Product Head, AGI at Amazon, observes, “We’re moving into a realm where AGI allows startups to ‘think’ in ways that aren’t just faster but fundamentally more intuitive, anticipating needs before they become obvious.” Adding another perspective, Anthropic is an AGI-centered venture formed by former OpenAI researchers. This startup is dedicated to developing AGI systems focused on safety and reliability, making its models particularly valuable in sensitive sectors like legal tech and customer support. As startups increasingly depend on AGI to manage complex, multi-step processes, Anthropic’s attention to safety is becoming a distinguishing factor, providing solutions that are as secure as they are powerful. In the foundational AGI research, OpenAI itself has transitioned from academic development to commercial deployment. By making its AGI models like ChatGPT widely accessible, OpenAI has enabled even small startups to incorporate AGI into customer service, R&D, and data analysis—domains once dominated by larger corporations. Startups in India are especially capitalising on OpenAI’s models, using them to create intuitive, data-driven interactions that rival those of global brands. Reverie Labs brings AGI into the world of biotech, focusing on the rapid simulation of molecular interactions for drug discovery. Reverie Labs’ platform allows for faster, more precise testing of drug viability, a process that traditionally consumes both significant time and resources. By accelerating drug discovery timelines, AGI from startups like Reverie Labs is not only driving innovation but potentially transforming life-saving treatments. Echoing the significance of responsible AGI implementation, Sivadeep Katangoori, an AI expert and angel investor, stresses, “AGI, while powerful, is a double-edged sword for startups. Yes, it opens avenues we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago, but it also demands a level of responsibility that many aren’t prepared for. AGI can’t replace judgment or empathy, and that’s where founders must draw the line.” “We’re moving into a realm where AGI allows startups to ‘think’ in ways that aren’t just faster but fundamentally more intuitive, anticipating needs before they become obvious,” says Siddharth Kashiramka, Product Head, AGI at Amazon. “This isn’t incremental innovation; it’s a new rhythm for startup growth.” Together, these startups embody the broad and growing influence of AGI across sectors, demonstrating how adaptable intelligence is evolving from a research dream to a practical tool. Each of these players, from CureMetrix in healthcare to OpenAI’s foundational models, brings unique strengths that underscore AGI’s vast potential in addressing industry-specific needs while redefining the operational capabilities of modern startups. AGI in startups transcends mere technical evolution; it’s a recalibration of intelligence, intertwining computational precision with human adaptability in an unprecedented dance of progress. We can’t be certain of anything but with how it’s going, the startup world will be revolutionised inevitably. As this synthesis deepens, we aren’t merely refining productivity but re-engineering the very cognitive fabric of enterprise. Indian founders, standing at this fulcrum of AI-human convergence, now face decisions that will shape not just market trajectories but societal futures. In this excellently profound shift, AGI is less a tool and more an emergent collaborator, transforming what it means to build, innovate, and lead. Let’s see what the future holds. Step up your startup journey with BHASKAR! From resources to networking, BHASKAR connects Indian innovators with everything they need to succeed. Join today to access a platform built for innovation, growth, and community.
US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. TikTok's future uncertain after appeals court rejects its bid to overturn possible US ban A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January - is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Stock market today: Wall Street drifts around its records after a solid jobs report NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting around their records after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Friday and was just above its all-time high set on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 108 points, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%. Expectations rose among traders that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again at its next meeting in two weeks after the jobs report showed stronger hiring than expected but also an uptick in the unemployment rate. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass NEW YORK (AP) — In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. And experts say the task of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them is getting more difficult. One of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to decide what represents a real threat. Gunman's steps after killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO gives police new clues in hunt for the killer NEW YORK (AP) — Police hunting the gunman who killed the head of the largest U.S. health insurer are piecing together new surveillance video from across New York City and evidence left behind by the shooter. Three days after the ambush, the gunman’s whereabouts and identity are still unknown, as is the reason for the killing. A law enforcement official says police have obtained surveillance images of the suspect on the subway system and visiting local establishments. The official who was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend A message left at the scene of an insurance executive’s fatal shooting echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the ammunition used to kill UnitedHealthcare's CEO. That's according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday. The words are similar to the phrase “delay, deny, defend.” That's how attorneys describe insurers denying services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book critical of the industry. Police haven’t officially commented on the words. But Thompson’s shooting and the messages on the ammunition have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of getting care. Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats in Michigan are pressing to pass reproductive health care legislation before the party loses its majority with the new legislative session next year. A bill to protect digital reproductive health data including data logged on menstrual cycle tracking apps is a Democratic priority as lawmakers meet this month. Democratic women and supporters of the legislation say they are acting with new urgency before President-elect Donald Trump takes office because they don't believe his campaign promise to leave abortion to the states. The rush is also a reaction to Republicans taking control of the state House in January. Democrats kept control of the state Senate in the November election. Japan's Nippon Steel sets sights on a growing overseas market in its bid to acquire US Steel KASHIMA, Japan (AP) — The signs at Nippon Steel read: “The world through steel,” underlining why Japan’s top steelmaker is pursuing its $15 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel. Japan's domestic market isn't growing, so Nippon Steel has its eyes on India, Southeast Asia and the United States, where populations are still growing. Nippon Steel gave reporters a tour of one of its plants in Japan on Friday. The bid for U.S. Steet is opposed by President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and American steelworkers. If the deal goes through, U.S. Steel will keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but become subsidiary of Nippon Steel. China's ban on key high-tech materials could have broad impact on industries, economy BANGKOK (AP) — China has banned exports of key materials used for a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, radar systems and CT scanners, swiping back at Washington after it expanded export controls to include dozens of Chinese companies that make equipment used to produce computer chips. Both sides say the controls are justified by national security concerns. Analysts say they could have a much wider impact on manufacturing in many industries and supply chains, depending on the ability of each side to compensate for loss of access to strategically important materials, equipment and components. Here's why this could be a tipping point in trade conflict between the two biggest economies. The EU makes an urgent TikTok inquiry on Russia's role in Romanian election turmoil LONDON (AP) — The European Union has sent TikTok an urgent request for more information about Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow coordinated influencers on its platform to promote an election candidate who became the surprise front-runner in the nation’s presidential election. The vote resulted in far-right populist Calin Georgescu coming from out of nowhere to take top spot in the first round of voting. But the election was thrown into turmoil after the country’s top court annulled results from the first round of voting. European Commission officials said Friday that they asked the video sharing platform to comment on the files and to provide information on actions that it’s taking in response.Spain, Germany hail Mercosur deal but France and EU farmers fume
Fans Cannot Keep Calm As Destiny's Child Reunite, Kelly And Beyoncé Attend Opening Night Of Michelle's Death Becomes Her
Manchester City, Arsenal, and now Tottenham. The list of top Premier League teams beaten at Bournemouth this season is growing. Dean Huijsen took advantage of Tottenham’s weakness at set pieces to head home a 17th-minute winner in Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory on Thursday. After the game, some Spurs fans appeared to vent their frustration at manager Ange Postecoglou when he went over to the away contingent following his team's insipid display. “They are pretty disappointed, rightly so, and I got some pretty direct feedback as to how we are going,” the Australian coach said, “and that's fair enough.” Bournemouth climbed to ninth — a point and a place above Tottenham in the standings — and underlined its penchant for surprising high-profile visitors to Vitality Stadium. Man City’s remarkable four-game losing run in the Premier League started with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, while fellow title contender Arsenal’s first loss of the season also came at the Vitality, 2-0 on Oct. 19. This was Spurs' sixth defeat of the campaign. They now have as many wins as losses, highlighting the inconsistency blighting their season, and their seven away results so far make remarkable reading: aside from a 3-0 win at Manchester United and a 4-0 thrashing of Man City, Tottenham has lost four and drawn the other at relegation candidate Leicester. “We've got to get out of this space we're in at the moment where we're just not able to get a real grip on our season,” Postecoglou said. An inability to defend set plays continues to hurt Postecoglou’s team. A week after Roma scored twice from them in a 2-2 draw in the Europa League, Huijsen roamed free in the area at a corner and headed home unmarked. Postecoglou said in May said he “wasn’t interested” about his side’s fallibility while defending set pieces, and said after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in September — after a goal from Gabriel at a corner — that “it’s my burden to carry and I’m happy to do that.” “We started well and conceded a really poor goal," Postecoglou said after the Bournemouth game. “It’s a difficult place to come when giving the opposition the opportunity to play in the manner they want.” IWOBI DOUBLE Alex Iwobi scored goals early and late in the game to lead Fulham to a 3-1 win over Brighton. The Nigeria winger intercepted a stray pass out from the back by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and slotted into an unguarded net for the opener in the fourth minute and curled home Fulham’s clinching goal in the 87th. Carlos Baleba equalized for Brighton in the 56th before Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley – a former Fulham academy player – deflected the ball into his own net from a corner to put the home side back in front. Fulham climbed to sixth in the standings, a point and a place behind Brighton. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest