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The 2024 GasGas MC 450F and 250F Factory Editions are complete departures from the standard models. While the standard 2024 GasGas MC 450F and 250F retain the older KTM chassis, the two factory additions are fully up to 2024 KTM spec. As a reminder to the uninitiated, GasGas is owned by Pierer Mobility AG, which also owns KTM and Husqvarna. Smartphone connectivity comes to GasGas. For the first time, GasGas MXers can pair to a smartphone thanks to the inclusion of the Connectivity Unit Offroad. The GASGAS+ app makes it easier to set up the bike. Put your parameters into the Engine and Suspension categories in the app, and it will suggest settings for the suspension and the best tuning for the engine—the engine map selection switch is standard. The Rider category keeps track of your lap times and helps you analyze the performance of the bike and rider during each race or practice session. A new front fender houses the GPS unit that the GASGAS+ app relies on. The 2024 MC Factory Editions get the same frame and motor mounts as the KTM motocrossers. According to GasGas, the frame is stiffer and lighter, with the goal of improved corner entry and overall better handling. The suspension on the Factory Editions is updated. The 450 and 250 continue to run WP suspension, as Pierer Mobility also owns WP. However, the Xact air fork gets new settings to match the new frame, and the rear linkage gets improved seals and a new linkage bolt. The fork is equipped with a WP Factory start device. An Akrapovič Slip On-Line titanium muffler reduces weight. The clutch cover is from Hinson Racing and has GasGas Factory Racing branding. A Golden chain sends power to the black rear sprocket. The front disc is semi-floating and gets a Factory guard. The engine is protected by a GasGas Factory skid plate. It’s also a glide plate for jumps. Dunlop Geomax MX34 tires grace the GasGas Factory editions. As the Factory Editions are focused on motocross and supercross, they get a smaller fuel tank. In addition to reducing weight, the smaller capacity of the tank increases airflow through the radiator so the motor runs cooler. GasGas has upgraded the rear brake pedal. The new pedal is designed to enhance the braking performance. The new frame protection kit improves grip for your legs and boots. Two materials are used for the proper grip in different areas of the frame. More traction is provided by a gripper seat cover. The black Neken handlebar gets soft ODI grips. The handlebar is bolted to CNC triple clamps that have two offset positions. It wouldn’t be a Factory Edition without replica graphics. The 2024 GasGas MC 450F and MC 250F Factory Editions will look very close to the bikes that Justin Barcia (#51 is included), Pierce Brown, and Ryder DiFrancesco will campaign for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas Factory Racing team. You’ll also see 2023 MXGP Champion Jorge Prado riding the bike at the first three rounds of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross series. The 2024 GasGas MC 450F and 250F Factory Editions land on showroom floors next month. Check with your dealer for pricing. https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/12/18/2024-gasgas-mc-450f-and-250f-factory-editions-first-look-15-fast-facts/

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group have finally agreed a deal to buy 25% of Manchester United. It is the first time since the Glazers assumed control of United in 2005 that any group outside the family has held such a significant stake. And while the club's US-based owners retain a majority shareholding and most of the voting power, Ratcliffe's Ineos Group will take control of football operations and he will be able to make the decisions he feels are best to get United back challenging for major titles. BBC Sport has been told it may be about 6-8 weeks before the shareholding is ratified and Ratcliffe can start to make his presence felt. Here we look at the areas he will be thinking about. How much to spend in the January transfer window? It will be February before the deal is complete, meaning next month's transfer window will be closed by the time Ratcliffe is officially involved. In the 18 years of Glazer control, United have spent 2.21bn euros in transfer fees - £1.94bn at the current conversion rate. That is the third most in Europe over that period behind Chelsea (£2.7bn) and Manchester City (£2.33bn). United could spend significantly more than they already have if the Glazers were willing to spend their own money on top of revenue generated by the business. It is often said that January is a difficult window to make quality signings, and it would seem certain Ten Hag will be asked to stick within budget and be creative with any changes. He acquired goalkeeper Jack Butland, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and striker Wout Weghorst on loan deals in January, and defender Sergio Reguilon and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat in the same manner on deadline day in September. United have already said they don't expect to be involved in extensive business next month, a situation only heightened by the complications over Jadon Sancho's future where selling the 23-year-old would incur a significant loss, and a loan is almost certain to involve subsidising his wages. Erik ten Hag's future There has been no indication during United's struggles on the pitch so far this season that manager Erik ten Hag's position is under threat. However, like any manager, the Dutchman stands or falls by results on the pitch, and United have more tricky games before their week off in January after what is now their worst start to a season since 1930 in terms of defeats, after Saturday's loss at West Ham. Despite taking the Premier League manager of the month award for November, United have only won one of their past seven games. In total, they have lost 13 out of 26 games in all competitions this season. Their Champions League and League Cup campaigns are already over. In the Premier League, United are eighth, 12 points off leaders Arsenal and eight points away from a top-four spot. United face top-four Aston Villa and Tottenham at home in their next three games, by which time, it should be clear whether they have any chance of finishing in the top four, although fifth may be enough for a Champions League spot. And, more importantly, it will be apparent whether the Dutchman has managed to mould together a convincing team after spending almost £400m in the three transfer windows he has been in place for. The Jadon Sancho issue One of the most pressing issues in the Ineos in-tray is the future of Jadon Sancho. In theory, if England winger Sancho were to offer a public apology for his now-deleted inflammatory "scapegoat" social media post in response to Ten Hag's explanation for why he was omitted from United's squad for the defeat by Arsenal on 3 September, he could return to the fold. In reality, so much time has elapsed with neither party backing down that some kind of split - either permanent or temporary - in January feels inevitable. And that will be costly. Ratcliffe and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford might find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to sanction either United subsidising a portion of Sancho's salary, or a mammoth hit on the £73m the club paid Borussia Dortmund for him in 2021, in order to deal with a problem Ten Hag has, so far, received 100% backing on. The Old Trafford stadium As part of the deal, Ratcliffe will provide $300m (£236m) for future investment into the club's Old Trafford stadium and infrastructure. However, it is accepted this figure - as big as it is - will not come close to funding the renovations required to bring it up to the standard demanded of a club of United's stature. What will be closely assessed is how further improvements are paid for. United fans have long argued the debt and associated costs incurred by the Glazer takeover - now estimated at more than £1bn - should have been spent on improving the team. However, there are virtually no examples of infrastructure projects of the size envisaged being completed without significant external funding - Tottenham's new £1bn stadium being a recent example. The cost of building works tends to be spread over an extended period of time, with the potential for repayment factored into the plans, through the creation of executive areas in many cases. Nevertheless, for a club already heavily in debt, the thought of taking on more will be difficult to swallow for some supporters. The United fanbase United's major fans' groups were unified in their stance that their preferred outcome of the 'review of strategic alternatives' when it was launched more than 12 months ago was for the Glazers to leave completely. That will not be happening - at least not soon. Nor will Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim be coming in to lavish billions on United as he promised if he was allowed to buy the club. Clearly, Sheikh Jassim's arrival would have created sportswashing concerns, just as Ineos have had to answer greenwashing claims. Now fans will want to know how the relationship between the Glazers and Ratcliffe will work. Ratcliffe's past business history suggests he will not be passive. The Glazers' work at United suggests they will not be rushed into anything. As one source who understands the mechanics of United told BBC Sport: "Jim Ratcliffe will underestimate the Glazers at his peril, but the Glazers will also underestimate Jim at their peril." Whenever Ratcliffe speaks to the media, he will have to navigate the tricky balance of accepting United have badly underperformed on the pitch for over a decade, while not pinning all the blame on the people who hold a majority of the shares. United's fans will need to at least feel as though Ratcliffe is working towards what was always his preferred outcome; that he gets control at Old Trafford. If they don't, the protests are likely to continue. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67468372

In Christmas message, Pope Francis says Israeli strikes are reaping an ‘appalling harvest’ of innocent civilians. Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is reaping an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians, Pope Francis said in his Christmas message. In his Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and world) address on Monday, the head of the Catholic Church also called the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas “abominable” and again appealed for the release of about 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, as he appealed for an end to hostilities. Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, the 87-year-old Francis called for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in places including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and he defended the rights of migrants around the world. “How, many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today,” he said. He gave particular attention to the Holy Land, including Gaza. Overnight on Christmas Eve, Israeli air raids killed at least 78 people in one of the besieged enclave’s deadliest nights of Israel’s 11-week-old battle with Hamas, according to Palestinian health officials. “May it [peace] come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land,” Francis said. ‘Puppet strings of war’ “I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid,” he said. Last week, a United Nations-backed body said in a report that the entire 2.3 million po[CENSORED]tion of Gaza was facing crisis levels of hunger and that the risk of famine was increasing every day. The Vatican, which has diplomatic relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, believes a two-state solution is the only answer to the long-running conflict. Francis called for “persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community”. Dedicating an entire paragraph of his message to the weapons trade, Francis said: “And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?” He called for more investigation of the armaments trade. “It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war,” he said. Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, killing at least 20,424 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,036 others, according to local health authorities. About 1,140 people were killed in Israel in the Hamas attack. The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory’s housing damaged or destroyed and nearly two million people displaced within the densely po[CENSORED]ted enclave amid shortages of food, clean water and medicines. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/25/pope-decries-gazas-appalling-harvest-of-civilian-deaths

In this week’s newsletter: Festive family PJs are Instagram friendly, celebrity endorsed and taking over the high street as jammies in the fam … Chelsea Peers. Fashion statement Christmas Why the matchy-matchy Christmas pyjama trend isn’t going anywhere In this week’s newsletter: Festive family PJs are Instagram friendly, celebrity endorsed and taking over the high street Don’t get Fashion Statement delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Chloe Mac Donnell Chloe Mac Donnell @tweetchloe Sun 24 Dec 2023 12.00 GMT Most families have an annual Christmas tradition. It could be a buck’s fizz in the morning, a post-lunch game of Scrabble or even that yearly heated political debate. But a new custom has entered the festive lexicon: family pyjamas. Everyone from grandparents to grandchildren and even fur babies are donning the same style of nightwear to create the ultimate family photo for social media. It’s a trend that started in the US, but homogenous pyjama dressing has taken off in the UK. On the high street M&S, John Lewis, Next and Primark all sell family pyjama sets. (Some even include matching jackets and bandanas for the family dog.) M&S were one of the earlier British retailers to adopt the trend, selling its first matching family sets in 2017. “They were an instant hit with customers and we’ve seen the demand grow ever since,” says Sarah Ayling, head of lingerie and sleepwear buying. This Christmas, the high street giant has six different designs ranging from traditional tartan prints to tropical jungle foliage. But its “disco Santa” motif is proving most po[CENSORED]r – so far more than 500,000 sets have been sold. Elsewhere, sales are up 40% at Gap, with bestsellers including red- and green-check flannel sets. A spokesperson for the online nightwear shop Cyberjammies describes this year’s sales as “phenomenal”. Its cotton Whistler collection, featuring illustrations of skiers and fir trees, has consistently sold out since it launched in September. Some of Primark’s Grinch-themed sets, meanwhile, are selling for double the retail price on eBay. Check mates … M+S family pyjamas. Rather than tiger parents dictating what their children wear, the trend is being fuelled by gen Alpha and gen Z. On TikTok, the term Christmas pyjamas has almost 70m views, with tweens and teens forcing older family members to don a pair then lip-sync to Christmas songs or catwalk around the kitchen. “We like to identify with the people we love,” says Dr Sandra Wheatley, a clinical psychologist. “As a family, you are one unit, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Wearing matching pyjamas is akin to putting on a family uniform. It connects everyone.” It can also, she says, “level the playing field” for “blended” families: “It’s a way of saying we are all equal.” The coordinated pyjama trend dates back to 1950s America, when shopping catalogues ran images portraying nuclear families in “mini-me” matching sleepwear. In the modern day, it is celebrities who have catalysed the trend. The Kardashian-Jenners favour plaid styles (though Kim dressed her kids in all-red snowflakes this year), Diana Ross and her clan like candy-cane stripes, while the Beckhams’ annual embossed silky sets are said to be from Olivia von Halle, a luxury London-based pyjama-maker whose prices start from £320. If you would like to try it out but don’t think your family will go for all-out matching pyjamas, why not go for nightwear in similar colours? “It makes it a bit cooler,” says Tom Pyne of the UK pyjama and loungewear brand Chelsea Peers. “Plus, it’s more versatile. Our customers like to wear them each year, or even all year round. They are not bought for just one day.” https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/dec/19/fashion-statement-christmas-pajamas-family

Darwin the Corgi was seriously injured after an attack involving an XL Bully. Credit: BPM Media A Corgi has been left with life-threatening injuries, after being attacked by an "out of control" XL Bully in a Derby park. Hannah Smith, 33, from Sinfin, said she would usually walk her two Corgis with her four-week-old newborn around Redwood Park. But on Wednesday 13 December, she opted to stay at home and her mother offered to walk the two dogs - Monty and Darwin. She said: "The XL had spotted my mum and lunged from its walker, slipping the unsuitable lead before heading straight to Darwin and attacking him for 15 minutes. The dog walker just stood there screaming, they didn't know what to do and most definitely could not control the dog." Members of the public rushed to the incident to help Dawin the Corgi, with one person giving their child's pram to put the dog into so he could be pushed to the car and taken to the vets. Darwin suffered life-threatening injuries and spent the night in intensive care at the vets. She says her vets bill will total up to £20,000 and is now trying to contact the XL Bully owner. Hannah continued: "They didn't know if he was going to make it or not. By some miracle, he has and is currently classed as being stable. His brother Monty is very upset after seeing this." Darwin suffered life-threatening injuries and spent the night in intensive care at the vets. Credit: BPM Media Derbyshire Police said in a statement issued following the attack: "The force was called to reports of a dog having been attacked by another dog on Sinfin Moor Park. The attacked dog, a Corgi, suffered life-threatening injuries and is being cared for by vets. "The dog that was said to have attacked the Corgi, reported to have been an XL Bully type, was seized by officers and is now in a specialist kennel facility. The owner of the dog was spoken to at the scene and enquiries are ongoing into the incident. No arrests have been made." Hannah said that despite the traumatic events, she does not believe that the XL Bully is the only dog at fault, saying "it could have been any breed of dog". She added: "The biggest thing that I would love to come out of this horrible event is more awareness on how you should control your dog. The person walking the dog was in no way prepared to handle it, she had a flimsy lead and stayed on the sidelines as people rushed to help. "This incident was 100 per cent preventable if the owner was equipped and ready. It's all good saying that the dogs will need a muzzle but if owners are not ready to take care of the animals and pay the money for training and equipment then it will continue to happen. "The only advice that is available when it comes to breaking up a dog fight is 'never break up a dog fight', which I think is silly. These animals are our babies and we will always try to step in, but no one knows what to do in that situation." Hannah now finds herself trying to contact the owner as she is faced with a vet bill amounting to "between £10,000 and £20,000". She also commends the police for their help with the incident, thanking them for taking the case "very seriously". Earlier this year, the Government confirmed from December 31 2023, XL Bully types will be added to the list of dangerous dogs that are banned in the UK. Under the new rules, it will be illegal to breed, sell, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow the dogs to stray in England & Wales, the Government said. https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-12-15/dog-left-with-life-threatening-injuries-and-20k-vet-bill-after-xl-bully-attack

More than 100 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on the Maghazi refugee camp with families still trapped in rubble. Israel has intensified its assault on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 100 people at the Maghazi refugee camp, with Palestinian authorities reporting that 250 people have been killed in a wave of strikes over 24 hours. “My entire family is gone. All five of my brothers are gone. They didn’t leave me any brothers. … All of them!” a wailing woman said on Monday at the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinians lined up to touch the shrouded bodies of those killed in Israeli strikes on the camp in a funeral on Monday, commemorating dozens of people who were killed, many of them women and children. An Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza said the figure has now reached more than 100. The Government Media Office in Gaza said seven families were wiped out in the Israeli attack on a residential square in the camp. “The Israeli army doesn’t spare civilians,” Zeyad Awad, a resident of Maghazi, told Al Jazeera. “My child said to me, ‘Help me! What’s happening? I can’t breathe,’” he added. The night before Christmas in Gaza was marked by some of the most intense bombardments in the current round of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas with Israeli strikes levelling buildings and leaving families trapped beneath piles of rubble. “This is a three-story building that was targeted, and another house here and another house here. According to the family, he told me that five of his family members are still under the rubble,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary reported from Maghazi, adding that one of those trapped is a baby. “He also told me that there has been no ambulances or civil defence since yesterday and he can’t do anything about it. He’s trying to dig with his own bare hands,” she added. Israeli strikes also killed scores of people in areas such as Khan Younis, Bureij and Nuseirat. About 500 people have been injured by Israeli strikes over the past day. Reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said the death toll in the Maghazi strike had risen to 106. In Christmas remarks on Monday, Pope Francis said children being killed in wars, including those in Gaza, are “little Jesuses of today” and Israel’s assault has reaped an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians. More than 20,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza since October 7. In the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, where the Bible says Jesus Christ was born, the normally jubilant Christmas celebrations have turned solemn, and Israeli forces have carried out raids. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/25/israel-intensifies-gaza-strikes-killing-250-palestinians-in-24-hours

Music title: Maroon 5 - Sugar (Official Music Video) Signer: Maroon 5 Release date: 2015/01/14 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: COLORADO Action Movie 2023 full movie english Action Movies 2023 POWERFUL HD Time: Green Movie Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2 Hours - 4 min Trailer:

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Don’t tell me, I’ve got this one: it’s the answer to ‘what do you get if you cross a GT3 RS with a suction cup?’ Got it in one. This semi-squished frog is the 911 GT3 R, Porsche’s latest, greatest full house racing 911. And it’s a bit of a pussycat. Didn’t expect that. In its first season of racing this year, it’s built to compete in global GT3 championships against cars such as the Corvette C8.R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Aston Martin Vantage AMR and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. And from next year, GT3 cars are eligible for Le Mans for the first time. There’s a big, juicy target to aim for. I’m confused, doesn’t Porsche build, like, a dozen different racing 911s? No, it only builds two: this, and the entry-level GT3 Cup. That’s the one that’s less modified from the road car and used mainly for one-make championships. The GT3 R is the one that fights other marques on track. And costs a fair bit more. A Cup car will set you back £225,000 (plus tax), for an R you’re looking at £511,000 before tax. However, for straight line speed there’s almost nothing in it. The Cup mostly uses the 4.0-litre flat six from the road car, so has about 510bhp and weighs around 1,240kg. The R has 565bhp courtesy of a bigger 4.2-litre nat-asp motor, but is a little heavier and has significantly more drag. On the main straight at Estoril, each would just top 260kmh (162mph) before needing to brake (very late) downhill into turn one. The last genuinely quick car I drove round here, a McLaren Senna, was much quicker, hitting 280kmh (174mph) before braking – and you needed to have nailed the pedal at least 30 metres earlier. Hang about, lots to unpack here. Let’s start with cost – why is the R so much more expensive? Because of the extra level of modifications. To keep Cup costs down relatively few mods are made over the road car, but to follow current GT3 regulations and be competitive calls for vastly more invasive surgery. All told it takes five times longer to build the R than the Cup. While the latter mostly come down the Zuffenhausen production line with the road cars, the R’s are built in separate racing bays. I won’t get too in depth on this or we’ll be here all day, but here’s a couple of examples. The R uses the road car engine block, and the cheaper way of modifying it for more power would be to give it a longer stroke. But that didn’t give the power characteristics Porsche wanted, so the engine block is bored as well as stroked so needs new everything. Up front the centrally mounted radiator (the GT3 RS also has this, which is why it has no frunk) has been pushed further back. Not to help centralise the weight, but to make it less vulnerable in a shunt. Inside, the seat position is fixed with pedals and steering moving, but this has a unique steering adjustment lever that protrudes from the dash. Why? Two reasons. Firstly, it’s easier to reach from the fixed chair, but secondly and mainly, when you release the lever the steering wheel springs in and up so it’s out the way, which makes driver changes easier. Amongst all this it’s hardly surprising to learn that Porsche has tilted the engine 5.5 degrees. Why on earth would they tilt the engine? Because the most important facet of performance is aero, and tilting the engine allows Porsche to open out the diffuser more and create extra downforce. They obviously won’t talk exact numbers because that might give their rivals too much information, but they do point out that although the Cup and the R have similar power-to-weight ratios, the R is around four seconds faster around Estoril than the Cup. And it’s a short lap, under 100 seconds. Hold on, wasn’t there a mid-engined Porsche 911 racer? There was, the 911 RSR. Back in 2016 Porsche realised that to be competitive with the WEC and IMSA regulations of the time they needed to mount the engine – or at least most of it – in front of the rear axle. This helped weight distribution and – as with the new car’s tilted engine – allowed the diffuser to grow into the vacated area. It’s all a question of existing FIA regulations though, and for this 992-generation car the engine is back where it belongs, aft of the axle. And if you’re thinking the GT3 R tag sounds familiar, well, that’s been used before as well – and again on a more radical car. Back in 2010 Porsche developed a flywheel hybrid system that was eligible for some series. It was mounted where the passenger seat should be and delivered 163bhp to a pair of electric motors – one for each front wheel. So this isn’t actually a very advanced racing Porsche? As ever all racing cars have to abide by regulations and various balance of performance elements to ensure no-one has an unfair advantage. But yeah, this is actually quite a simple car, but also, as one of the mechanics tells me, a completely extraordinary one. It’s all about the design and development work you can’t see. One of the mechanics tells me the team used to run Audi R8s before this 911, and how much simpler, quicker and more logical this is to work on and fix: “everything is on quick releases, even the brake hoses. We can change an entire front wheel assembly, including the brakes, in 90 seconds”. There’s also little notches on the rear wing stays so the bootlid can be lifted off and attached there rather than put on the floor of the garage for people to trip over, and a button that engages the power steering when the engine is off to make it easier for the mechanics to wheel around the garage. Likewise a lot of the work has been done to make it easier and more flattering to drive, better suited to the gentlemen drivers who often race this alongside professional team mates. That would be you, would it? I’m no-one’s idea of a gentleman. Except possibly my mother’s. But I have to say that driving the Cup and R back-to-back, the R was easier, more stable, fluent and predictable than the Cup. Some of this is down to the aerodynamics, which sit the GT3 R so securely on the tarmac, and some to the astonishing damping, which allows you to take utter liberties with Estoril’s kerbs and not upset the car’s balance at all, and some to the other raft of changes made, such as the 60mm added to the wheelbase and the wider track widths of this carbon bodied monster. It's not overly fast in a straight line – GT3 cars rarely are. Above 100mph a regular cooking 911 Carrera GTS is probably as fast. But what’s bonkers is everything else – particularly the braking and turning into corners and the traction out. The Cup car was a little twitchy, playing around in the margins of understeer and oversteer. It was trustworthy, but moved around. The R was unshakeable. Braking and turning at the same time should have the rear engine behaving like a pendulum, but it didn’t. And pushing out of corners, the rear-biased weight distribution should cause the lighter nose to push wide. It didn’t. I could get on the power way earlier than I anticipated and that double wishbone front suspension would faithfully hang on to its line. Anything that unnerved you? The steering weight to start with. It was very light in both cars with little feedback. I was told that’s how the young drivers prefer it; “yeah, the older guys often want it heavier”, one of the race engineers tells me. Point taken. I also found the brakes a bit disconcerting. You wallop them with everything you’ve got and there’s a fractional delay, presumably while the ABS does some calculations, before you get maximum retardation. I also found the pedal a little soft and long. Just me, being old school. A lot of these guys grew up on sim rigs and they just want something that’s not going to tire them out in multi-hour races. Bet the flat six sounds awesome? It’s absolutely corking from outside, a proper hard rasp that forces every pitlane conversation to pause when a car rips by on the main straight. From inside, you’re less aware, but then you’ve got other things to focus on. I’m sure the wheel buttons and screen info become second nature after a while, and luckily I barely needed to worry about any of them. But while the Cup has a foot clutch, this one uses a – well, not exactly a hand clutch – more an electronic one, that you activate with a button and then it takes over as soon as you’re rolling. Come on then, overall impressions? Two main things: firstly, the astonishing engineering detail and thoughtfulness that’s gone into the whole car, and secondly, how flattering it is to drive. This is a car you can quickly get into a rhythm with, that works with you, not against you. In that way it has plenty in common with the GT3 RS road car – another winged monster that looks like it wants to string you up, but actually wants to give you a hug. I also happen to think the GT3 R looks utterly spectacular. https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/porsche/911/gt3-r

Jurgen Klopp ordered Liverpool's fans to bring the noise and give Arsenal a "proper Anfield experience" at the place where their nerve has so often failed them in past. Arsenal have not won at Anfield since September 2012 and visits into this hothouse atmosphere are always used as a gauge for the Gunners' title-winning temperament and credentials - or lack of them. It was in April, with Arsenal were cruising at 2-0, that Granit Xhaka unwisely infuriated Liverpool fans in a spat with Trent Alexander-Arnold, firing up Anfield to the extent that Mikel Arteta's side ended up so ragged that they were fortunate to escape with a draw. This was the moment the rot set in last season, the start of the late collapse that eventually saw the long-time leaders overhauled by eventual champions Manchester City. The same litmus test was being prepared here, especially after Klopp took it upon himself to criticise the Anfield atmosphere after Liverpool thrashed West Ham United 5-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-final in midweek. To many observers, including this one, it appeared to be a rather confected 'criticism' specifically designed to whip Liverpool's fans into a frenzy before Anfield's biggest league game of the season against opponents who have cracked in this environment before. Liverpool manager Klopp's words worked on one level as Anfield was at full volume, raucous and hostile before kick-off, but if this was also a ploy designed to put Arsenal to the test, they passed in an impressive demonstration of their growing maturity. Arsenal and Arteta would have loved to get the win that would not only have been three points but arguably the biggest psychological lift they could get. This did not happen and the final scoreline of 1-1 will suit the pursuing new Club World Cup champions Manchester City more than the two teams on show here. City and Pep Guardiola would have been concerned that the victor here could steal a march while they celebrated their triumph in Saudi Arabia - but this was the result they would have wanted. Liverpool, justifiably, will argue they had the better of the chances as substitute Harvey Elliott grazed the outside of a post in the second half and Alexander-Arnold wasted the best chance to win the game when he thrashed a finish against the bar late on. They will also be puzzled how a clear handball by Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in the first half was missed by the officials and VAR. In the final reckoning, however, Arsenal will take a point with satisfaction despite having been pegged back by Mohamed Salah's 29th-minute thunderbolt after defender Gabriel had headed Arsenal in front after only four minutes. If we are using that old Anfield measure, then their performance here showed an Arsenal team more measured and mature than last season, tough to break down and with a stronger temperament when then going gets tough and the Kop's decibels rise, as they did in the second half. Liverpool had stellar performers in defenders Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez but two Arsenal standouts produced the best evidence that they are in good shape for another tilt at the title. Declan Rice was a guarantee of quality and influence, even at £105m when signed from West Ham United, and proved it again here from before the first whistle to the last. Rice, it was, who delivered strong messages to his Arsenal team-mates in the pre-match huddle before producing the performance of a thoroughbred. The midfielder's game awareness was peerless, cleaning up danger, picking passes and acting as a constant source of guidance to his team-mates throughout. Rice barely wasted the ball and his presence acts as a source of calm, ideal on the occasions when the storm raged. William Saliba took the honours along with him for a magnificent performance in defence but this was no rearguard action by Arsenal, whose clear intent was to win this game and they had it under control until Salah's brilliant finish from Alexander-Arnold's raking pass. Yes, they had to suffer but this was not a timid performance. Arsenal were brave and willing to attack when the chance presented itself. There was no doubt who was happiest at the final whistle, even though the door has now been left ajar for City, who next play at Everton on 27 December. Liverpool manager Klopp, despite his frustration, was equally impressed by Arsenal when he said: "Oh my God. How strong are they? The good news is we are good as well." And Klopp is not wrong, although he would have hoped for a better haul than two points from home games against Manchester United and the Gunners. It is the first time Liverpool have two gone successive Premier League games at Anfield without winning since October 2021, but it is a testament to their character that they have recovered 19 points from losing positions in the title race this season, more than any other side. They have lost just one league game in 2023-24 despite falling behind in 10. For Arsenal, this was a test in a wider context. History shows this particular game is examined for flaws in the Gunners' mental and footballing make-up. There were not too many on show here as they left Anfield with an important point and showed they will be right in the Premier League title race once more. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67814111

Israel has intensified attacks on Gaza since Friday’s UN resolution and the US claims to have shot down Houthi drones – here are other major updates. The latest developments The United States said Iran launched a drone from its soil that struck a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also said it downed several drones launched at vessels from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The Houthis also fired two antiship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea, but no ships were hit. Pro-Palestinian marches continued in cities across the world, with some of the latest protests in Australia, Germany and Turkey. Heavy raids by the Israeli army continued in the occupied West Bank. A convoy led by bulldozers entered Tulkarem in the early hours of Sunday, and raids have also been reported in Bethlehem, the town of Beita just south of Nablus, and the towns of Sa’ir and Karma near Hebron. The representative for Hamas in Beirut, Osama Hamdan, said Israel has failed in its stated goal of “destroying” the group, and that it will have to stop the war if it wants the captives released. Human impact and fighting Thousands of Palestinians were again forced to flee their homes, this time after the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the central Gaza Strip. Since a United Nations Security Council resolution was passed on Friday without a clear call for a ceasefire, there has been a surge in aerial bombardments in central Gaza. Israeli air raids killed more than 400 people in Gaza in the past 48 hours. Gaza’s Government Media Office said more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The death toll from Hamas’s attack on Israel stands at nearly 1,140, revised from 1,400. At least 101 journalists have been killed since October 7, according to the Government Media Office, which also said more than 50 media offices have been completely or partially destroyed by Israeli attacks. Al Jazeera Arabic’s cameraman Samer Abudaqa was among those killed in Israeli strikes. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it continues to operate at its medical point in Jabalia, northern Gaza, despite incessant shelling of the area. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said on X: “As the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. We will not give up.” Diplomacy Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, Israel’s current and former defence ministers, respectively, who, along with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu make up the Israeli war cabinet, visited northern Gaza and promised that more attacks would be forthcoming despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire. US President Joe Biden had a “private” phone conversation with Netanyahu. He told reporters after that he “did not ask for a ceasefire”. Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said the UNSC resolution for humanitarian relief would only result in a “drop in the ocean of suffering” in Gaza. She said the White House “holds the key” for putting an end to the carnage. During a meeting in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed the war in Gaza and called for an end to Israeli attacks. The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is set to give his third speech since the start of the war in the coming days to mark the January 3 assassination of Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, by the US. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/24/israel-hamas-war-list-of-key-events-day-79

ACOLMAN, Mexico (AP) — María de Lourdes Ortiz Zacarías swiftly cuts hundreds of strips of newsprint and colored crepe paper needed to make a piñata, soothed by Norteño music on the radio while measuring pieces by feel. “The measurement is already in my fingers,” Ortiz Zacarías says with a laugh. She has been doing this since she was a child, in the family-run business alongside her late mother, who learned the craft from her father. Piñatas haven’t been displaced by more modern customs, and her family has been making a living off them into its fourth generation. Ortiz Zacarías calls it “my legacy, handed down by my parents and grandparents.” Business is steady all year, mainly with birthday parties, but it really picks up around Christmas. That’s because piñatas are interwoven with Christian traditions in Mexico. There are countless designs these days, based on everything from Disney characters to political figures. But the most traditional style of piñata is a sphere with seven spiky cones, which has a religious origin. Each cone represents one of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Hitting the paper-mache globe with a stick is a symbolic blow against sin, with the added advantage of releasing the candy within. Piñatas weren’t originally filled with candy, nor made mainly of paper. Grandparents in Mexico can remember a time a few decades ago when piñatas were clay pots covered with paper and filled with hunks of sugar cane, fruits and peanuts. The treats were received quite gladly, though falling pieces of the clay pot posed a bit of a hazard. But the tradition goes back even further. Some say piñatas can be traced back to China, where paper-making originated. In Mexico, they were apparently brought by the Spanish conquerors, but may also replicate pre-Hispanic traditions. Spanish chronicler Juan de Grijalva wrote that piñatas were used by Augustine monks in the early 1500s at a convent in the town of Acolman, just north of Mexico City. The monks received written permission from Pope Sixtus V for holding a year-end Mass as part of the celebration of the birth of Christ. But the Indigenous po[CENSORED]tion already celebrated a holiday around the same time to honor the god of war, Huitzilopochtli. And they used something similar to piñatas in those rites. The pre-Hispanic rite involved filling clay jars with precious cocoa seeds — the stuff from which chocolate is made — and then ceremonially breaking the jars. “This was the meeting of two worlds,” said Walther Boelsterly, director of Mexico City’s Museum of Po[CENSORED]r Art. “The piñata and the celebration were used as a mechanism to convert the native po[CENSORED]tions to Catholicism.” Piñatas are also used in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, mainly at children’s parties. The piñata hasn’t stood still. Po[CENSORED]r figures this year range from Barbie to Spider-Man. Ortiz Zacarías’ family makes some new designs most of the year, but around Christmas they return to the seven-pointed style, because of its longstanding association with the holiday. The family started their business in Acolman, where Ortiz Zacarías’ mother, Romana Zacarías Camacho, was known as “the queen of the piñatas” before her death. Ortiz Zacarías’ 18-year-old son, Jairo Alberto Hernández Ortiz, is the fourth generation to take up the centuriesold craft. “This is a family tradition that has a lot of sentimental value for me,” he said. https://apnews.com/article/mexico-pinatas-tradition-christmas-aea87fa66c7263c467559baa8090b77e

Retrieving isn't just for dogs, but the emerging science of cat play can't fully explain the feline phenomenon. Growing up, James Serpell had a cat named Mungo with a penchant for pencils. "If a pencil or pen was on the floor, the cat would bring them to us," he says. Then Mungo would sit and wait, hoping for a toss. "If you picked up the pencil and threw it across the room, he would run and bring it back. He would go on like that for quite a long time," says Serpell, a professor emeritus of animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania. He is far from the only cat owner to have encountered a fetching feline. A new study published on Thursday in Scientific Reports suggests that many cats run and retrieve in bouts of fetch. The research, an analysis of online survey responses from nearly 1,000 pet owners, sheds light on the often murky, understudied world of cat play and behavior. "As far as I know, it's among the first published studies that have tried to quantify and qualitatively describe this type of fetch interaction between people and cats," says Serpell, who wasn't involved in the new study. And it has revealed some interesting possible patterns: when it comes to fetch with humans, cats might be the ones calling the shots. The study authors distributed their survey through social media and directed it specifically to owners of fetching cats. In the 924 complete and usable answers the team got, more than 94 percent of respondents reported that their cats' retrieving behavior emerged spontaneously — without any deliberate training — usually when the pet was a kitten less than a year old. In some instances, owners described a scenario in which they dropped or accidentally launched an object, and their cat spontaneously fetched it. In other accounts, domestic felines simply brought their owners a cat toy or other random item, which the human then tossed aside — and a throw-and-retrieve cycle began. "We had an overwhelming number of people say their cat was not trained to do this behavior," says Jemma Forman, lead study researcher and a Ph.D. student at the University of Sussex in England. "We even had some people say that their cats had trained them to play fetch." As a caveat, Serpell says humans are likely giving cats unconscious reinforcement by engaging with them in throwing an object in the first place, providing interaction and social reward. Contrary to po[CENSORED]r sentiment, domestic cats are, in fact, very much attuned to their humans. The survey also found that cats initiate and end fetching sessions more often than their owners do. It additionally revealed that the animals often only retrieve in certain places or with certain people and that they strongly prefer playing with some objects over others. Like Mungo, the cats in the survey weren't just interested in retrieving their toys — they also went for everyday objects such as crumpled paper, elastic hair ties, bottle caps, and more. Most of the cats seemed to get bored with the game quickly, usually fetching fewer than 10 times in a session. Some owners described their pets as losing interest in fetch altogether as the animals aged. In other words, fetching cats play on their own terms Anecdotal reports and past studies suggest cat enthusiasts have long observed fetch-like behavior. A small study of cat behavior by animal behaviorists Victoria L. Voith and Peter L. Borchelt that appeared in their 1996 book Readings in Companion Animal Behavior reported that about 16 percent of surveyed cat owners included "fetching" among the tricks their pets could perform. Internet forums and cat fancier sites are littered with individual accounts of cats that fetch — especially Siamese and Bengal breeds. What the new survey data provide are clarity and details about how our feline companions come to retrieve. What science doesn’t yet offer is an explanation for why they do so. Retrieving behavior in dogs is generally assumed to be the result of selective breeding and social tendencies rooted in their wolf origins. Humans have taken advantage of dogs' propensity to bring prey back to the pack and have heightened it in hunting dogs — which might, for example, be bred to retrieve ducks shot down in a marsh. Yet domestic cats "are not heavily selected for anything except physical features," says Mikel Delgado, co-founder of the cat behavior consulting business Feline Minds, who has a Ph.D. in psychology, with a focus on animal behavior, and wasn't involved in the new study. Cats are anecdotally known to bring their owners found objects or animals they've killed or collected outdoors, and it's possible fetching is an extension of this behavior. But how that instinct itself arises is unclear, Delgado and Serpell say. Mother cats will bring their kittens prey items, but both male and female cats seem to play fetch. Unlike dogs, house cats are not descended from pack animals, so these cats aren't generally considered innately social. But breed tendencies do seem to suggest there might be a genetic component to fetching felines. The new study is a "nice dipping of the toe into this topic" but leaves a lot unresolved, Delgado says. She's trying to address some of the still-open questions in her own follow-up work. And Serpell has been passively collecting data on cat behavior for years through an online survey called the Feline Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire, which has yielded thousands of responses and includes a question about fetching. He has passed along his raw data to Delgado, who is working to establish just how common fetching is among all pet cats. By Serpell's early rough estimates, more than a quarter of cats might be retrievers. https://www.livescience.com/animals/cats/some-cats-spontaneously-start-playing-fetch-and-we-have-no-idea-why

Young men are grabbing weapons to fight with the army, defend their cities, raising fears of deepening ethnic conflict. By Mat Nashed Published On 24 Dec 2023 24 Dec 2023 When the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) called on young men to enlist last June, Zakariya Issa* went to the nearest recruitment centre. He was one of thousands of young people who trained for 10 weeks in Wad Madani, a city just south of the capital Khartoum. In September, he was deployed with 500 people to fight the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group stronger than the army and backed by the United Arab Emirates. Many of his friends and peers were killed or wounded within a couple of weeks. “I lost five of my friends,” Issa, 20, told Al Jazeera from Saudi Arabia, where he now lives. “They were more than friends. They were my brothers.” The Sudanese army and allied groups are relying on young men with little or no military training to fight as foot soldiers against the RSF. Over the past week, recruitment has picked up across River Nile State since the RSF captured Wad Madani, Sudan’s second-largest city. River Nile state is a traditionally privileged region that has produced many of the political and military elites in Sudan’s modern history. But now, army officers and figures from Sudan’s political Islamic movement, which ruled for 30 years under former autocratic president Omar al-Bashir, are calling on young men from this region to thwart the RSF. New recruits told Al Jazeera that they are motivated to pick up weapons due to the risk that the RSF could attack their cities, loot their belongings and subject women to sexual violence. Most view the RSF – which is primarily made up of tribal nomadic fighters from Sudan’s neglected province of Darfur – as invaders and occupiers. While the group has evicted thousands of people from their homes, army supporters are also exploiting ethnic undertones to recruit young men. “I picked up a gun to defend myself, my ethnic group and my homeland,” said Yaser, 21, from Shendi, a city in River Nile State where thousands of people have reportedly picked up weapons in recent days. “The RSF are not just at war with the army. They are at war with civilians,” he told Al Jazeera. ‘Cannon fodder’: Civilians arming themselves After Wad Madani fell to the RSF, civilians across eastern and northern Sudan were devastated. The city was a haven for internally displaced people who fled Khartoum and surrounding towns earlier in the war. They are now on the move again. “People mostly think that the army can’t protect them now,” said Suleiman al-Sadig,* a lawyer from Atbara, a city in River Nile State. Recent RSF advances have compounded the panic. Photos and videos surfacing across social media show what appear to be children and young men arming themselves in River Nile State. According to residents and journalists, some of those recruits have gone to Wad Madani to fight the RSF, while others are staying behind in case of an attack. “The calls to get armed are not coming from the army. They’re mostly coming from civilians themselves,“ al-Sadig, told Al Jazeera. Sulieman Baldo, the founder of the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker think tank, believes arming young men is irresponsible. “For me, these young recruits are really cannon fodder for ideological reasons,” he told Al Jazeera. “Sudan’s [political] Islamic movement is pushing for this kind of mobilisation in areas that are beyond the RSF’s control.” In one photo on social media, which Al Jazeera could not independently verify, one of the young recruits is seen captured by the RSF and tied to the windshield of a car. A former soldier, who is in close contact with officers in the army, added that new recruits are often the first people to die in battle. “They have no combat or military background and they just carry weapons. They die quickly,” he told Al Jazeera. Ethnic targeting Over the last two decades, River Nile State has attracted many young men from Arab and non-Arab tribes in search of work and stability. Many were uprooted by the state-backed Arab tribal militias – later repackaged as the RSF – which crushed a mostly non-Arab rebellion in Darfur in 2003. These young men are now being accused of spying on behalf of the RSF based on their ethnicity and tribal affiliations. According to local monitors, many have been arrested, tortured and even killed by military intelligence and by civilians carrying arms in northeastern cities. On December 19, Zeinab Noon* spoke with her male cousins who are all between the ages of 16 and 20. They told her that they captured RSF spies in Shendi. “[They said] they’re torturing them, so there is a sense of paranoia,” Noon, who lives outside of Sudan, told Al Jazeera. “I don’t think they know [for sure if they’re really spies].” The Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR), a local monitoring group, said in a statement that these attacks are “linked to incitement to ethnic violence” in River Nile cities. Jawhara Kanu, a Sudanese expert with the United States Institute for Peace, said that the ethnically targeted attacks risk pushing vulnerable people from Darfur and Kordofan, a province in central Sudan, into the arms of the RSF. “These people are going to find themselves in a situation where they are going to be tortured [by parties aligned] with SAF unless they choose to join the RSF for protection.” Ending the war Despite growing calls to bear arms, some activists are pushing for an end to the war and for young men not to fight. So far, their efforts appear to be in vain, according to al-Sadig from Atbara. He said that there was a protest held in his city on December 23. Young men were demanding that the governor arm them, so that they could defend their city and join the army in battles across the country. RSF abuses in Wad Madani are also fuelling calls for mobilisation. More than 300,000 people are fleeing the city, mostly on foot. RSF fighters are also reportedly looting cars, hospitals, homes and markets, adding to a hunger crisis. In one video circulating on social media and which Al Jazeera could not independently verify, an RSF fighter declares that it is “his right” to rape women in cities he conquers. Al-Sadig says that news of abuses travels wide and is terrifying civilians in the River Nile region. “Every single day, young men are being told by people in their community that the RSF is going to come and get you and that they will take your homes, kill your children and rape your women,” he told Al Jazeera. Non-violent activists like al-Sadig hope that the war will stop soon. On December 22, local media reported that top army chief Abdel Fatah al-Burhan had agreed to sit down with RSF leader Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo. While an agreement could spare Sudan further bloodshed, al-Sadig is waiting to see where the RSF attacks next. He told Al Jazeera that he will pick up a weapon if he has to. “I don’t want to pick up arms. But if the RSF targets my home, or my children or my wife, then of course I will defend them,” he said. *Some names have been changed for safety reasons. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/24/sudans-civilians-pick-up-arms-as-rsf-gains-and-army-stumbles