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MUMBAI: The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) appears to have broken ranks with the opposition on the issue of alleged EVM manipulation during the recently concluded assembly elections. The party’s working president Supriya Sule stated on Wednesday that she had won four elections in Baramati with the EVM and did not find it appropriate to make allegations about tampering without concrete proof. Sule also said that she was the one who asked Yugendra Pawar, the NCP (SP) Baramati candidate, to withdraw his application asking to verify the burnt memory in the microcontroller of the EVMs. The MP’s statement is contradictory to the stand taken by the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT). The two parties have blamed EVM manipulation for their crushing defeat in the assembly elections. “It is either a technological issue or the voter list has been changed, I don’t know which,” Sule told reporters on Wednesday. “But I believe it is inappropriate to make allegations until we have concrete proof.” The MP, however, added that lots of changes had been made in the voter lists, which was pointed out by her colleagues and even by Arvind Kejriwal, AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister during her recent meeting. “Kejriwal was of the view that there is a disparity in the voter lists,” she said. “Major additions and deletions have been made in the lists between the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections, which is disturbing,” she said adding that she had received a letter from Biju Janata Dal leader Amar Patnaik, who had taken up the issue and pointed out discrepancies in the poll data in Orissa. “I have to look into it,” she said. However, not only Sule’s allies but NCP (SP) leaders too said that they did not agree with her views. MLA Jitendra Awhad responded, “Everyone has their own opinion. She may think otherwise but in my opinion EVMs have been tampered with in order to win the Maharashtra elections.” When questioned, Sule told HT, “My colleagues believe that EVMs have been tampered with, and I stand by them. But there could be several other reasons such as changes in the voter list. The poll numbers too are not matching, which is alarming.” The MP’s remarks have put the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on the backfoot, with the Congress pointing out what she really meant. “The crux of her statement was that some manipulation is on, and the BJP is winning because of that but she does not have any proof,” said Atul Londhe, the Congress’ chief spokesperson. “She mentioned that manipulation is happening in elections by referring to BJD leader Amar Patnaik’s letter.” The Shiv Sena (UBT) was cautious about commenting on Sule’s remarks. “I guess it was her individual stand, but as part of the MVA she has the same opinion that we all have,” said MLC Sachin Ahir. “Her remarks should not be taken against the spirit in which they were made. NCP (SP) leaders too are pursuing the EVM issue.” Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde taunted the opposition and Congress over Sule’s remarks and said that they should stop blaming EVMs only after losing the polls. “She was right,” Shinde told reporters in Delhi. “For the Lok Sabha elections and the state assembly elections held in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Telangana, where they won, EVMs were tamper-proof. They started blaming EVMs only when they were defeated.” Even allies of the Congress have asked the party to stop blaming EVMs, and Shinde referred to the statements made by Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah and Trinamool Congress MLA Abhishek Banerjee’s. Both have dismissed the Congress’ allegations of EVM-tampering.For two years, Colorado fans have been entertained with some of the best players to come through Boulder. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, and many others with the 20th-ranked Buffaloes (9-3, 7-2 Big 12), will wrap up their collegiate careers with a bowl game later this month and turn their focus to the NFL. Head coach Deion Sanders, his staff and Buff Nation, however, are already peeking ahead to 2025. On Wednesday, Coach Prime and his staff signed 14 high school players as the early, three-day signing period began. In the ever-changing world of college football, this is the earliest the signing period has ever been, more than two weeks earlier than last year (Dec. 20). It’s the first step in reshaping a CU roster without Shedeur at quarterback and Hunter at cornerback and receiver. According to 247Sports, the Buffs’ class, as of Wednesday, ranks 37th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Class size plays a role in those rankings and Coach Prime has never been one to build up a large class of prep recruits. In terms of average player rating (or the quality of the recruits), the Buffs lead the Big 12 and rank 21st nationally. The headliner of the class is Shedeur’s potential replacement, five-star quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis from Carrollton (Ga.) High School. With a .9831 rating on 247Sports.com, Lewis is the highest-rated high school quarterback to ever sign with the Buffs. Lewis was verbally committed to USC for 15 months before flipping to CU last month. Prior to Wednesday, Coach Prime could not talk about specific recruits. On Nov. 21, however, the day Lewis committed, Coach Prime had his coaches’ show and spoke about the newest commit, without mentioning his name. “It’s a great thing for the program,” he said. “We know that’s been in the working for quite some time. Great kid, great talent. I like the qualities and the home structure. I like all of that and I can’t wait to be a part of his life and coach him.” In recent years, Lewis has been close with former CU great quarterback Kordell Stewart, who is also a friend of Coach Prime. While securing one of the top quarterbacks in the country, the Buffs also put an emphasis on protecting him. Of the 14 players in the class, three are offensive linemen and two are tight ends. Two four-star linemen – Chauncey Gooden (Nashville, Tenn.) and Carde Smith (Mobile, Ala.) – lead the way up front. Combined, they had 73 scholarship offers. Smith, like Lewis, was committed to USC until recently, while Gooden was projected by some to go Clemson before committing to CU last summer. Three-star Jay Gardenhire is also joining the class as a 6-foot-8, 330-pound tackle from West Bloomfield, Mich. The Buffs also landed three receivers, all from Texas high schools: four-star prospects Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Adrian Wilson and three-star Quentin Gibson. Defensively, the Buffs have added two linemen, an edge rusher, a linebacker and a safety. The group is headlined by four-star edge London Merritt, who was committed to Ohio State before flipping to CU last week. As a new crop of Buffs prepares to come to Boulder, the outgoing seniors have expressed confidence that even with them gone, success will continue. “We definitely laid the foundation for the younger guys to come up and keep their foot on the gas pedal, keep going, keep playing, and just believe in coaching,” Hunter said recently. Senior safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig said that when he comes back to Boulder in a few years, he expects to see more trophies on display. “We’re gonna have 2025 trophies, 2026, 2027 trophies,” he said. “That’s the standard, to win, at the end of the day.” Shedeur, projected as a top-five selection in the 2025 draft, even said he’ll do his part by donating money to the NIL collective to ensure the Buffs’ success will continue. “My main thing is surround them and give them everything that I wish I could have had,” he said after the win against Oklahoma State. “So it’s basically set them up for success, and everything in my power, I personally could do, I’m gonna do. I’m gonna donate to the collective for sure. “I’ll make sure you have a super team next year. I’m just happy for the new guys coming in and that we paved away for them. They just got to take control. They just got to take over. We’re gonna make sure everything is good, how they need it.” CU did lose one commit on Wednesday, as four-star safety Alex Graham from Detroit flipped and signed with USC. He had been committed to CU since April. ... CU signed one in-state recruit, tight end Zayne DeSouza from Loveland High School. He’s just the second in-state recruit signed by Coach Prime in three recruiting cycles, with the other being current sophomore center Hank Zilinskas from the 2023 class. ... For decades, California was a recruiting hotbed for CU, but the Buffs haven’t signed any players from the Golden State in the last two classes.bet 88.ph 。

By MATTHEW BROWN and JACK DURA BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Donald Trump assigned Doug Burgum a singular mission in nominating the governor of oil-rich North Dakota to lead an agency that oversees a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore: “Drill baby drill.” That dictate from the president-elect’s announcement of Burgum for Secretary of Interior sets the stage for a reignition of the court battles over public lands and waters that helped define Trump’s first term, with environmentalists worried about climate change already pledging their opposition. Burgum is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur who grew up on his family’s farm. He represents a tame choice compared to other Trump Cabinet picks. Public lands experts said his experience as a popular two-term governor who aligns himself with conservationist Teddy Roosevelt suggests a willingness to collaborate, as opposed to dismantling from within the agency he is tasked with leading. That could help smooth his confirmation and clear the way for the incoming administration to move quickly to open more public lands to development and commercial use. “Burgum strikes me as a credible nominee who could do a credible job as Interior secretary,” said John Leshy, who served as Interior’s solicitor under former President Bill Clinton. “He’s not a right-wing radical on public lands,” added Leshy, professor emeritus at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. The Interior Department manages about one-fifth of the country’s land with a mandate that spans from wildlife conservation and recreation to natural resource extraction and fulfilling treaty obligations with Native American tribes. Most of those lands are in the West, where frictions with private landowners and state officials are commonplace and have sometimes mushroomed into violent confrontations with right-wing groups that reject federal jurisdiction. Burgum if confirmed would be faced with a pending U.S. Supreme Court action from Utah that seeks to assert state power over Interior Department lands. North Dakota’s attorney general has supported the lawsuit, but Burgum’s office declined to say if he backs Utah’s claims. U.S. Justice Department attorneys on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reject Utah’s lawsuit. They said Utah in 1894 agreed to give up its right to the lands at issue when it became a state. Trump’s narrow focus on fossil fuels is a replay from his 2016 campaign — although minus coal mining, a collapsing industry that he failed to revive in his first term. Trump repeatedly hailed oil as “liquid gold” on the campaign trail this year and largely omitted any mention of coal. About 26% of U.S. oil comes from federal lands and offshore waters overseen by Interior. Production continues to hit record levels under President Joe Biden despite claims by Trump that the Democrat hindered drilling. But industry representatives and their Republican allies say volumes could be further boosted. They want Burgum and the Interior Department to ramp up oil and gas sales from federal lands, in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Alaska. The oil industry also hopes Trump’s government efficiency initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk can dramatically reduce environmental reviews. Biden’s administration reduced the frequency and size of lease sales, and it restored environmental rules that were weakened under Trump . The Democrat as a candidate in 2020 promised further restrictions on drilling to help combat global warming, but he struck a deal for the 2022 climate bill that requires offshore oil and gas sales to be held before renewable energy leases can be sold. “Oil and gas brings billions of dollars of revenue in, but you don’t get that if you don’t have leasing,” said Erik Milito with the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore industries including oil and wind. Trump has vowed to kill offshore wind energy projects. But Milito said he was hopeful that with Burgum in place it would be “green lights ahead for everything, not just oil and gas.” It is unclear if Burgum would revive some of the most controversial steps taken at the agency during Trump’s first term, including relocating senior officials out of Washington, D.C., dismantling parts of the Endangered Species Act and shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah designated by former President Barack Obama. Officials under Biden spent much of the past four years reversing Trump’s moves. They restored the Utah monuments and rescinded numerous Trump regulations. Onshore oil and gas lease sales plummeted — from more than a million acres sold annually under Trump and other previous administrations, to just 91,712 acres (37,115 hectares) sold last year — while many wind and solar projects advanced. Developing energy leases takes years, and oil companies control millions of acres that remain untapped. Biden’s administration also elevated the importance of conservation in public lands decisions, adopting a rule putting it more on par with oil and gas development. They proposed withdrawing parcels of land in six states from potential future mining to protect a struggling bird species, the greater sage grouse. North Dakota is among Republican states that challenged the Biden administration’s public lands rule. The states said in a June lawsuit that officials acting to prevent climate change have turned laws meant to facilitate development into policies that obstruct drilling, livestock grazing and other uses. Oil production boomed over the past two decades in North Dakota thanks in large part to better drilling techniques. Burgum has been an industry champion and last year signed a repeal of the state’s oil tax trigger — a price-based tax hike industry leaders supported removing. Burgum’s office declined an interview request. In a statement after his nomination, Burgum echoed Trump’s call for U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. The 68-year-old governor also said the Interior post offered an opportunity to improve government relations with developers, tribes, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts “with a focus on maximizing the responsible use of our natural resources with environmental stewardship for the benefit of the American people.” Related Articles National Politics | Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusual National Politics | Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad National Politics | Trump’s team is delaying transition agreements. What does it mean for security checks and governing? National Politics | Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now National Politics | Republicans scramble to fill JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat Under current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the agency put greater emphasis on working collaboratively with tribes, including their own energy projects . Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico, also advanced an initiative to solve criminal cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and helped lead a nationwide reckoning over abuses at federal Indian boarding schools that culminated in a formal public apology from Biden. Burgum has worked with tribes in his state, including on oil development. Badlands Conservation Alliance director Shannon Straight in Bismarck, North Dakota, said Burgum has also been a big supporter of tourism in North Dakota and outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. Yet Straight said that hasn’t translated into additional protections for land in the state. “Theodore Roosevelt had a conservation ethic, and we talk and hold that up as a beautiful standard to live by,” he said. “We haven’t seen it as much on the ground. ... We need to recognize the landscape is only going to be as good as some additional protections.” Burgum has been a cheerleader of the planned Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. Brown reported from Billings, Montana.South Korea’s Jeju Air crash: The most pressing questions facing investigators

Tweet Facebook Mail The search for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in western Pennsylvania has become a recovery effort after two treacherous days of digging through mud and rock produced no signs of life, authorities said on Wednesday. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani said during a news conference that authorities no longer believe they will find 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard alive, but that work to find her remains continues. "We've had no signs of any form of life or anything" to make rescuers think they should "continue to try and push and rush and push the envelope, to be aggressive with the potential of risking harm to other people," Limani said. READ MORE: Disgusting discovery at Aussie beach sparks warning to dog owners Rescue workers continue to search on Wednesday for Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have disappeared in a sinkhole while looking for her cat. (AP) He noted that oxygen levels below ground were insufficient. Emergency crews and others have been trying to locate Pollard for two days. Her relatives reported her missing early Tuesday and her vehicle with her unharmed 5-year-old granddaughter inside was found about two hours later, near what is thought to be a freshly opened sinkhole above a long closed, crumbling mine. READ MORE: CEO killed in 'brazen, targeted attack' outside New York Hilton Pennsylvania State Police shows the top of a sinkhole in the village of Marguerite. (AP) "We feel like we failed," Limani said of the decision to change the status of the effort from a rescue to a recovery. "It's tough." Limani praised the crews who went into the abandoned mine to help remove material in the search for Pollard in the village of Marguerite, about 65 kilometres east of Pittsburgh. "They would come out of there head to toe covered in mud, exhausted. And while they were getting pulled up, the next group's getting dropped in. And there was one after the next after the next," Limani said. Authorities had said earlier that the roof of the mine had collapsed in several places and was not stable. "We did get, you know, where we wanted, where we thought that she was at. We've been to that spot," Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha, the incident's operations officer, said earlier Wednesday. "What happened at that point, I don't know, maybe the slurry of mud pushed her one direction. There were several different seams of that mine, shafts that all came together where this happened at." Searchers were using electronic devices and cameras as surface digging continued with the use of heavy equipment, Bacha said. READ MORE: Two more Melbourne school children targeted in 'white van' kidnapping attempts Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have disappeared in a sinkhole while looking for her cat. (AP) In the coming days, they plan to greatly widen the surface hole, with winter weather forecast in the region. Sinkholes occur in the area because of subsidence from coal mining activity. Rescuers had been using water to break down and remove clay and dirt from the mine, which has been closed since the 1950s. Crews had lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole, but it detected nothing. Another camera lowered into the hole showed what could be a shoe about 9 metres below the surface, Limani said Tuesday. Searchers also deployed drones and thermal imaging equipment to no avail. Pollard's family called police at about 1 am on Tuesday to say she had not been seen since going out at about 5 pm Monday to search for Pepper, her cat. The temperature dropped well below freezing that night. Limani said the searchers met with her family before announcing the shift from rescue to recovery. "I think they get it," Limani said. Pollard's son, Axel Hayes, described her as a happy woman who liked going out to have fun. READ MORE: Scorching heat, afternoon thunderstorms and showers: What the weather on Christmas Day is forecast to be in your city She and her husband adopted Hayes and his twin brother when they were infants. She used to work at Walmart but recently was not employed. Hayes called Pollard "a great person overall, a great mother" who "never really did anybody wrong". He said at one point Pollard had about 10 cats. "Every cat that she's ever come in contact with, she has a close bond with them," Hayes said. Police said they found Pollard's car parked behind Monday's Union Restaurant in Marguerite, about 6 metres from the sinkhole. Hunters and restaurant workers in the area said they had not noticed the manhole-size opening in the hours before Pollard disappeared, leading rescuers to speculate that the sinkhole was new. Pollard lived in a small neighbourhood across the street from where her car and granddaughter were found, Limani said. The young girl "nodded off in the car and woke up. Grandma never came back," Limani said. The child stayed in the car until two troopers rescued her. It's not clear what happened to Pepper. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .

Nation Mourns: Remembering Manmohan Singh's LegacyMarian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes renewed their vows as they marked their 10th wedding anniversary on Monday. On his Instagram Stories today, the Kapuso Primetime King shared heartfelt snaps from the ceremony, including a tearful Marian walking down the aisle. She wore a white dress and held a bouquet of white flowers. Other photos include the priest praying over DongYan as their kids Zia and Sixto look on, the couple sharing a sweet kiss, and a family photo. Earlier today, the Marian and Dingdong made separate posts on social media in celebration of their 10th anniversary, sharing some photos from their prenuptial photoshoot with photographer Mark Nicdao 10 years ago. The couple first met when they starred in GMA Network's remake of the Mexican series " Marimar " in 2007. The series went on to become the highest-rated primetime show on Philippine television, launching DongYan's career as the network's Primetime King and Queen. The rest, as they say, is history. They got engaged in 2012 privately, and Dingdong proposed to Marian a second time , which aired on GMA's dance show "Marian" in August 2014. The couple tied the knot on December 30, 2014 . They have two kids, Zia and Sixto , who turned nine and five this 2024. Happy anniversary, DongYan! A post shared by Dingdong Dantes (@dongdantes) — CDC, GMA Integrated News

Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’

Jimmy Carter's India Connection: This Haryana Village was Named 'Carterpuri' in His Honour

Man denies drugs charges after raid in affluent Wellington suburbTrae Young collected 34 points and 10 assists and the visiting Atlanta Hawks never trailed en route to a 136-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Reserve De'Andre Hunter added 22 points for the Hawks, who have won four games in a row. Jalen Johnson chipped in 15 points, six steals and one block. Onyeka Okongwu returned after missing five games due to a knee injury and scored 15 points off the bench, Zaccharie Risacher contributed 14 points and Clint Capela had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Scottie Barnes had 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Raptors, who have lost 10 straight games. RJ Barrett added 17 points, and Jakob Poeltl (groin injury) was back in the lineup after missing four games and had 13 points. Bruce Brown made his season debut and scored 12 points off the bench for Toronto, which committed 31 turnovers. Atlanta led 35-25 after one quarter, taking advantage of 10 Toronto giveaways. Toronto started the second quarter with a 6-2 run, but Young's 3-pointer bumped Atlanta's lead to 14 points, 47-33, with 8:36 to play in the frame. The Raptors then used an 11-2 surge to cut the margin to five with five minutes remaining. However, the Hawks stayed in control before settling for a 64-58 lead at the break after the Raptors' Chris Boucher canned a 31-foot 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. Atlanta shot 43.8 percent from the field in the first half and had nine turnovers. Meanwhile, Toronto shot 57.9 percent overall during the first two quarters while committing 17 turnovers. Atlanta was up 76-64 with 9:21 left in the third quarter after Risacher's dunk following Young's steal. A 7-0 rally extended Atlanta's lead to 17 with 5:41 remaining in the frame, and Hunter's 3-pointer stretched the gap to 21 points, 99-78, with 2:53 to go. Atlanta had a 104-82 cushion after three quarters and saw its advantage reach as many as 31 in the fourth. --Field Level Media/Reuters

ROSEN, TRUSTED INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages WM Technology, Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel ...Japanese steakhouse/sushi bar Wu’s House opens in Naperville, coffee/pastry shop settling into Route 59 locationBoxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.

Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.For Jimmy Carter, the presidency was prologue

Godaddy director Brian Sharples sells $98,885 in stockBy William Pesek William Pesek Yoon Suk Yeol doesn’t reference Donald Trump when he spins theories about election interference to the South Korean masses. But the U.S. president-elect’s obsession with voter fraud seems written between the lines in bold font. Newly impeached Yoon is struggling to explain his baffling Dec. 3 martial law decree. So much so that he is serving up scenarios of Cold War era intrigue ripped from the pages of Tom Clancy and John le Carré novels. Yoon claims he acted out of deep concern about the integrity of Korea’s voting system. Part of the urgency, he claims, stemmed from the National Intelligence Service’s cybersecurity checkup conducted last year. The report, Yoon asserts, uncovered signs that the National Election Commission’s (NEC) platforms are vulnerable to cyberattacks and hacking attempts. This, he says, means the NEC’s “capability of managing elections is questionable.” Fair enough. Name a democracy anywhere that doesn’t live in constant fear of election meddling, be it domestic or foreign. But what’s really questionable is the reckless manner in which Yoon and his supporters are going about it. The martial law stunt was so wildly over the top that it has credit rating companies scrutinizing Korea. Troops being dispatched to election facilities is the stuff of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, not a proud paragon of democratic principles. You don’t restore trust in elections with a bizarre power grab that taints the credibility of an entire governmental system. And if you have proof — real evidence — that vote tabulations are suspect, show it. Trafficking in conspiracy theories and vague chatter about “anti-state” forces sympathetic to foreign governments, and North Korea perhaps, helps no one. Least of all Yoon, who’s looking more like a hapless villain in a Robert Ludlum spy novel than a truth-teller. Yoon is also looking more Trumpian than many Koreans might want to admit. Full disclosure: I write these words with a tinge of sheepishness, given the anti-democratic upheaval shocking my native U.S. The same goes for the last 20-plus years I’ve spent living in Asia, writing about illiberal turns by governments around the region. I’ve covered Indonesia’s evolution from military-led basket case to thriving investment destination and innovative upstart. I’ve chronicled Thailand’s coups , Malaysia’s struggles to dismantle a kleptomaniac system stymying competitiveness and India’s ricocheting back and forth from socialism and capitalism. And the Philippines’ ordeal with family dynasties squandering its future. It never occurred to me that the U.S. could find itself faced with all these threats at once — and others for which we Americans lack the imagination — even before Trump’s second term begins on Jan. 20. The conspiracy-packed Trump 1.0 era from 2017 to 2021 left American voters deeply distrustful of governing institutions, even before COVID-19 and his Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on Capitol Hill. A Trumpian haze of misinformation and disinformation began right after Trump first took office. Though Trump staged a technical Electoral College win, he lost the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 3 million . Embarrassed, Trump cried fraud and set up a commission to prove he won more votes than Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton. Even though the effort failed, Trump stuck to his “stolen election” talking points, setting the stage for the violence to come in 2021. Believing Trump’s election fantasies, millions of Americans were ready to believe Joe Biden had rigged the November 2020 election. That primed thousands to attack the Capitol building in Washington two months later. Trump’s superpower is creating his own reality apart from facts. For four years, Trump failed to offer evidence that paper ballots had been manipulated in 2020. Or that voting machines had been tampered with in ways that might have altered the national vote. Or that the “deep state” at home or state actors abroad conspired to defeat him. Nor did Trump need it. The absence of proof was overwhelmed by Trump’s megaphone, amplified by right-wing media platforms, social media algorithms and sycophantic Republican lawmakers placing tribalism over the good of the nation. Unfortunately, Trump’s gambit went global. In January 2023, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro tried to repeat Trump’s rigged election playbook — only to face federal and state charges. The other way it’s gone international is by trashing America’s reputation as a stable, rule-of-law-based economy protected by robust checks and balances against political corruption. Many worry even the oldest democracy might fail as Trump 2.0 does its worst to distort the lines between fact and fiction. Korea must learn from these mistakes. The cost of Yoon’s election fraud theories could be the loss of Koreans’ confidence in their government and global investors’ belief the economy deserves an upgrade to developed nation status. What Yoon did on Dec. 3 was put Korea in league with other modern-day martial law declarers like Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. To be sure, few in Seoul are colored in glory here. The NEC has done itself no favors by appearing to silence valid questions about cracks in its cybersecurity capabilities. If there’s nothing to hide, top NEC officials should be bending over backward not just to answer questions but to reassure a perplexed nation. The U.S., for all its problems, had Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia. As U.S. special counsel, Mueller, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation director, looked into foreign influence in the 2016 election. A similar probe, endowed with expansive investigative powers, is needed in Korea. This would make it harder for the NEC and National Assembly to avoid scrutiny. It would be difficult to deflect questions about everything from fraud to cyber readiness. At the same time, it’s a useful way to dispense with conspiracy theories. Korea can devise its own mechanism to shine daylight on Yoon’s talk of shadowy plots and vague schemes to undermine his People Power Party. It should do so urgently, transparently and credibly to ensure Korea emerges from this political nightmare with its national reputation somewhat intact. So far, Yoon has failed to put country over base politics. No one likes losing an election, whether it’s a presidential or National Assembly contest. But unless there’s clear evidence something is amiss, accept your comeuppance from voters and try harder next time. With his approval ratings under 20 percent even before Dec. 3, it’s quite possible that Yoon just isn’t very good at this president thing. Since then, Yoon, with his election interference talk and selfish actions, continues to prove it, a bit more each day. William Pesek is a longtime Asia opinion writer, based in Tokyo. He is a former columnist for Bloomberg and Barron’s and author of "Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan’s Lost Decades."The anger among students against the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has escalated as they are demanding the cancellation of the exam conducted on December 13. However, the commission has outrightly rejected the demand. On Sunday, police in the state capital Patna used water cannons and mild force on protesting students, further fueling their anger. In response, students have announced a statewide bandh (shutdown) and road blockade in Bihar on Monday, with political parties extending their support to the movement. The CPI-ML (Communist Party of India – Marxist-Leninist) has announced its support for the December 30 road blockade called by students and youth. MLA Sandeep Saurabh has written to Chief Minister , urging a re-examination. He has demanded that the entire exam be cancelled and conducted afresh, citing widespread irregularities and malpractices. Meanwhile, CPI-ML State Secretary Kunal criticised the government’s repressive and obstinate approach towards the ongoing student protests. The party has demanded immediate cancellation of the Preliminary Test (PT) and assured its support for the December 30 blockade. So far, there has been no official announcement on what will remain open or closed during the Bihar shutdown. However, public transport, including rail and bus services, is likely to be disrupted as protestors may target major transportation facilities. Meanwhile, emergency services such as hospitals and ambulances will remain operational during the shutdown. As of now, the government has not issued any directives to shut down banks or government offices, which are expected to remain open on Monday. The candidates have been protesting for more than a week seeking the cancellation of the 70th Integrated Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination (CCE), 2024 conducted by the BPSC over allegations of question paper leak. The protesters have been staging a dharna at Gardani Bagh for several days. They contend that cancellation should be ordered across the board since re-examination for just one centre would go against the principle of "level playing field". It should be noted here that the 70th BPSC Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination was held on December 13 which will recruit candidates for Group A and B posts. Around five lakh candidates appeared for the exam, which was conducted across 925 centres. The BPSC also clarified that no 'normalisation process' would be followed in the exam for which students were protesting.

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