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By Scott McLean and Umut Sevdi Tangor, CNN 5 minute read Published 8:55 AM EST, Wed December 20, 2023 CNN — More than a week after Turkish professional soccer was suspended following the violent assault of a referee by a club president, matches resumed on Tuesday only for the Süper Lig to immediately became embroiled in more controversy. İstanbulspor president Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu withdrew his players from the pitch after his team was denied a penalty call midway through the second half against Trabzonspor, resulting in the match being abandoned. The last-placed Boğalar had clamored for a penalty after a collision between Trabzonspor’s Batista Mendy and İstanbulspor midfielder Florian Loshaj, but play went on. The visitors then quickly scored to go 2-1 up in the 68th minute thanks to a Paul Onuachu header, leading Sarıalioğlu to come onto the pitch and demand his team walk off in the 73rd minute. After punching referee in the face, former president of Turkish soccer club is banned for life İstanbulspor defender Simon Deli was seen on one knee pleading with Sarıalioğlu to let the team play the game out, but ultimately, the players followed the club president’s orders and went into their dressing room, with the referees soon following suit. According to Turkish state news agency Anadolu, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will have to decide what happens next. “A team that leaves a competition will be declared a loser by default, and in addition, the number of points awarded in case of victory will be deducted from its existing points,” according to TFF rules. İstanbulspor is currently bottom of the table and five points behind 19th-placed Pendikspor and what happened on Tuesday could significantly endanger the club’s hopes of avoiding relegation. “It is a sad day for football … We will wait for the football federation’s decision [on what happens with the result],” Trabzonspor head coach Abdullah Avcı said after the game. Earlier, across the city, the first match to kick off on Tuesday after the Süper Lig’s suspension had Başakşehir hosting Sivasspor in a mostly-empty stadium in an outer suburb of Istanbul. Flowers were presented to referees before the match by children wearing shirts bearing the Turkish word for “respect.” The home team’s manager, Çağdaş Atan, was absent from the sideline after having been suspended for a series of yellow cards in prior matches, while referee decisions had a impact on the match: two penalty kicks were awarded to Başakşehir – both hammered home by Polish striker Krzysztof Piątek – and a goal in the 62nd minute by the Boz Baykuşlar was initially ruled offside, but was then given following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. “A team that leaves a competition will be declared a loser by default, and in addition, the number of points awarded in case of victory will be deducted from its existing points,” according to TFF rules. İstanbulspor is currently bottom of the table and five points behind 19th-placed Pendikspor and what happened on Tuesday could significantly endanger the club’s hopes of avoiding relegation. “It is a sad day for football … We will wait for the football federation’s decision [on what happens with the result],” Trabzonspor head coach Abdullah Avcı said after the game. Earlier, across the city, the first match to kick off on Tuesday after the Süper Lig’s suspension had Başakşehir hosting Sivasspor in a mostly-empty stadium in an outer suburb of Istanbul. Flowers were presented to referees before the match by children wearing shirts bearing the Turkish word for “respect.” The home team’s manager, Çağdaş Atan, was absent from the sideline after having been suspended for a series of yellow cards in prior matches, while referee decisions had a impact on the match: two penalty kicks were awarded to Başakşehir – both hammered home by Polish striker Krzysztof Piątek – and a goal in the 62nd minute by the Boz Baykuşlar was initially ruled offside, but was then given following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. After the match, Piątek told CNN – with a smirk – that the quality of officiating “could be better, but it was OK.” Sivasspor manager Servet Çetin also had his say on refereeing in the Süper Lig when asked by CNN if Turkish soccer culture has a problem with respect for officials. “We try to approach all referees with respect and love,” Çetin said in a post-match press conference. “Sometimes, we get angry. But this comes and goes. “Today, for example, I hope the referees were correct in their decisions because, otherwise, they’ll get a reaction from Sivasspor fans. This accumulates. This turns into anger,” he added. “There are mistakes made in our country that are not made in Europe.” Criminal charges Murat Fevzi Tanırlı, a former Turkish pro referee-turned sports columnist and commentator, told CNN that “Turkey is incomparably worse when it comes to respect [for referees] in the world.” That view seemed to be borne out last week when then Ankaragücü club president Faruk Koca stormed onto the pitch and punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face, leaving him with a black eye and a slight fracture to his skull, according to Turkish Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç. At least two other people kicked the referee when he was down and three people were arrested by Turkish authorities, including Koca, following the incident. Koca, however, has refuted the claims of punching Meler, saying he only “slapped” the referee in the face, but he resigned from his position as club president on December 12, saying he wanted to “avoid any further harm to the Ankaragücü club, Ankaragücü fans, the community I am in.” Koca is now amongst those facing criminal charges and a possible prison sentence. The Turkish Professional Football Disciplinary Board has also banned him from the sport for life, fined his former club around $69,000 (2,000,000 Turkish lira) and ordered Ankaragücü to play five home games without any fans in attendance. On Wednesday, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet published a lengthy interview with Meler. “I will never forgive those who did it or those who provoked it,” he told the newspaper. On Saturday, he gave his first public statement on the incident; “I want those responsible and perpetrators of the incident to be punished in the most severe way,” he wrote, according to Anadolu Agency. ‘Verbal abuse and attacks will continue’ The TFF has promised a broader crackdown – and tougher penalties – for bad behavior towards referees. Tanırlı told CNN that those decisions, which are expected next month, will determine whether any change will be lasting. “Will this impact only Ankaragücü? Because right now, the matches will start this week and the same verbal abuse and attacks will continue. That’s why the federation needs to make the penalties for this behavior tougher,” said Tanırlı. Before the matches kicked off on Tuesday, fans were united in condemning Koca’s violent attack but were divided on whether broader reforms were needed. “No matter how harsh the punishment will be [for Koca], ultimately the problem starts with the fans. We need to educate ourselves first. Only after that, will the changes they make have an impact,” Başakşehir fan Ceyhun Coban, who was attending the match with his son, told CNN. İstanbulspor players leave the field after their president Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu called them off the pitch in protest of not getting penalty. Serkan Hacioglu/Dia Images/AP Fatih Ates, another Başakşehir supporter, agreed that harsher punishment was needed for offenders but said there should be no broader sanctions against fans or teams for the behavior of one person. “We should know that this is a football match, and we are here for entertainment, not war,” Ates told CNN. Back in the stadium, Piątek doesn’t think major changes are needed to prevent violent incidents in the future. “I think we are all humans. Football is emotional, we need to keep calm sometimes and I think this cannot happen again,” he said. “We have conversations always in the game with the referees and sometimes we need to have more respect.” However, with the latest incident involving İstanbulspor and its club president, the spotlight will likely remain on the Turkish game and its love-hate relationship with referees for the foreseeable future. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/20/sport/istanbulspor-president-turkish-soccer-referee-spt-intl/index.html

Ford is the most recalled brand for the third straight year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through December 20, Ford has issued 54 recalls potentially affecting 5,692,135 vehicles in 2023, the most of any automaker. This year marks the third year in a row Ford has held the top spot for recalls in the United States. Going strictly by vehicles affected, Ford had nearly twice as many as second-place Kia at 3 million, the bulk of which came through a single recall for leaking brake fluid leading to a fire risk. If you go by total recalls, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles USA was second to Ford with 45, affecting 2.7 million cars. BMW had 29 recalls, Mercedes-Benz had 27, and Nissan rounds out the top five for automakers at 22. Ford's numbers are down from 65 recalls affecting 8.5 million cars in 2022 but it's still way ahead of other automakers. Things have improved roughly 30 percent over last year per Ford, which offered the following statement to Motor1: "We’re constantly working to improve vehicle quality and deliver the best experience for our customers. Voluntary recalls are one of the ways we proactively protect customers from experiencing an issue. Our initial quality is improving and customers with our latest vehicles are benefiting from it. Compared with 2022, about 30% fewer Ford customers were affected by safety related recalls in 2023." The surprise recall story for 2023 is actually Volkswagen. You may recall the German brand holding the number two spot behind Ford for 2022, clocking 45 recalls affecting 1 million vehicles. Imagine our surprise when VW didn't show up on NHTSA's pie chart for 2023, which only shows 12 brands. We thought perhaps data wasn't available, but searching specifically for the company reveals a total of 18 recalls for 332,700 cars. That's considerably lower than last year. We contacted VW to see what kind of magic they're working these days, and if we get some answers we'll jump in with an update. While Ford still leads for recalls, Tesla takes the dubious honor of having the largest single recall for automakers in 2023 over its Autopilot driver-assist system. This one is likely fresh in your memory as it occurred in early December, affecting 2,031,220 vehicles. That's pretty close to every Tesla the company built for the US market, but it likely won't be a costly recall for the automaker. NHTSA determined that Autopilot doesn't do enough to prevent misuse, which Tesla plans to remedy with an over-the-air software update. https://www.motor1.com/news/701756/ford-most-recalled-brand-america/

Hamas says it will not enter negotations over releasing captives until Israel ends its war on Gaza. 19 Dec 2023 Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said his country is willing to agree a new temporary truce with Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of more captives held by the Palestinian group. “Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages,” Herzog told a gathering of ambassadors on Tuesday. The comments come amid growing international pressure on Israel to pause its assault on Gaza and to allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. A previous Israel-Hamas agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt led to a week-long truce at the end of November during which Hamas released 86 women and children it was holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails. Hamas also released 24 foreign nationals during the pause in fighting. Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as the Gulf state’s foreign minister, Mossad Director David Barnea and CIA Director Bill Burns held talks in Poland on Monday to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and a humanitarian pause in the fighting. “The talks were positive with negotiators exploring and discussing different proposals in an attempt to progress on negotiations,” a source briefed on the diplomatic efforts told the Reuters news agency. “An agreement is not expected imminently, however.” Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it rejects any forms of negotiations about prisoner exchanges “under the continuing Israeli genocidal war.” The Palestinian group said it is open to any initiative that contributes to “ending the aggression” and opening border crossings “to bring in aid and provide relief to the Palestinian people.” Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said the statements from Herzog and Hamas on Tuesday indicate some progression towards a potential truce. “The question will be whether it is just that, a pause – a humanitarian pause – as the Israelis would call it, or a full ceasefire,” Smith said, reporting from Tel Aviv. The war has flattened large parts of northern Gaza and driven most of the po[CENSORED]tion to the southern part of the besieged territory, where many are in crowded shelters and tent camps. Some 1.9 million Palestinians – about 90 percent of Gaza’s po[CENSORED]tion – have fled their homes. At least 19,667 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza since, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel launched the assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters from the territory stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 others hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel is facing growing international pressure to scale back its offensive as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to soar. France, the United Kingdom and Germany on Sunday added their voices to calls for a ceasefire, while US President Joe Biden last week called the bombing “indiscriminate”. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected to vote later on Tuesday on a resolution calling for a halt to the fighting in Gaza. Earlier, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the war in Gaza is a “moral failure” of the international community, calling on Israel and Hamas to reach a new truce to halt the fighting. “I have been speaking of moral failure because every day this continues is a day more where the international community hasn’t proven capable of ending such high levels of suffering and this will have an impact on generations not only in Gaza,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric told journalists in Geneva following trips to the Gaza Strip and Israel. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/19/israel-signals-readiness-for-new-temporary-truce-in-gaza-as-pressure-mounts

Garment from royal tour of Italy in 1985 fetches more than 11 times the estimate at US auction Diana, Princess of Wales wearing the Jacques Azagury evening dress in 1985. Photograph: Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images An evening dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1985 has sold at a Hollywood auction for almost $1.15m – more than 11 times its estimate and a record price for one of her dresses. The black and blue ballerina-length velvet evening dress by the Moroccan-British fashion designer Jacques Azagury was sold at Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood for a total of $1,148,080 (£907,000). The Jacques Azagury ballerina-length evening dress that was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales The garment, which Diana wore at a dinner at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence while on a royal tour with her then husband, Charles, had been expected to sell for $100,000. The outfit, which came complete with shoulder pads, a blue organza skirt, a large bow and a sash, is now by far the most expensive dress worn by the late royal sold at auction. The previous record holder, a 1991 velvet gown by Victor Edelstein, fetched $604,800 in January. The identity of the buyer of the Azagury dress, which came with a matching illustration, is unknown. Diana wore the dress at a dinner hosted by the mayor of Florence in April 1985, and again to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1986. The ballerina skirt was considered, according to the auctioneer, as a “nod to Diana’s love of dance and her being a patron of the English National Ballet”. It was sold at an event on Sunday night titled Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies Present: Hollywood Legends. The catalogue described it as a “beautiful, romantic ballerina-length evening dress”. It said: “With padded shoulder pads features a black velvet bodice with embroidered stars in metallic thread made from Jakob Schlaepfer fabric with a two-tier royal blue organza skirt with a sash and bow. Diana would wear numerous dresses and gowns by Azagury, one of her favourites was an ice blue silk georgette minidress worn 3 June 1997 to Royal Albert Hall for a performance of Swan Lake.” The Jacques Azagury ballerina-length evening dress that was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales Photograph: Valérie Macon/AFP/Getty Images https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/18/dress-worn-by-diana-sells-for-record

The cat family has an amazing array of eye colors stemming from one unusual ancestor. How cat eye color evolved has been discovered by scientists. (Image credit: Getty Images) The evolution of eye color in cats has been mapped for the first time, and researchers found that one unusual ancestor is responsible for the feline family's dazzling variety of peepers — from yellow-eyed tigers to blue-eyed snow leopards. In the new study, scientists identified different eye colors in living cats and used a computer model to predict where they evolved on the feline family tree. Their model found that the ancestor of all cats must have had gray and brown eyes, and the gray enabled other colors to later emerge. Cats' closest living relatives, including linsangs, hyenas and genets, all have brown eyes, suggesting the common ancestor of all these groups had brown eyes too. But something changed with the arrival of the cat (Felidae) family millions of years ago, evident in the variety of eye colors we see today. "Suddenly, you see an explosion of [eye color] diversity," lead author Julius Tabin, a graduate researcher and doctoral student at Harvard University, told Live Science. "You get blue eyes and green eyes and yellow eyes all popping up." Tabin posted his findings on the preprint database bioRxiv on Oct. 9, which means they haven't been peer-reviewed. However, other researchers have reacted positively to the study so far. Related: Cats have nearly 300 facial expressions, including a 'play face' they share with humans "I love this paper," Juan Negro, an evolutionary biologist at the Doñana Biological Station in Spain who was not involved in the study, told Science earlier this month. "Eye coloration in cats is something that, surprisingly, hasn’t been approached by scientists before." Close up of snow leopard at zoo. (Image credit: Ellen van Bodegom via Getty Images) Tabin and his co-author documented the eye colors of more than 40 cat species by looking at cat images online. They then combined this data with what is already known about the evolutionary relationships between living and extinct cats to predict the eye color of the first cats using a statistical model. The images of the living cats revealed that excluding selectively bred domestic cats, there are five major eye colors in the Felidae family today: Brown, gray, yellow, green and blue. Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis), rusty-spotted cats (Prionailurus rubiginosus), southern African wildcats (Felis lybica cafra) — a subspecies of the Afro-Asiatic wildcat, which is the ancestor of domestic cats — and two species of lynx can have up to four different eye colors, while most others have two or three. The presence of two pigments called eumelanin and pheomelanin determines what eye color a cat gets, according to the study. Brown eyes have more eumelanin; yellow eyes have more pheomelanin; and gray eyes have moderate amounts of both but not enough of either to become another color. Blue and green eyes have lower levels of both. Tabin and his co-author concluded that gray eyes emerged because of a random mutation in the ancestor of all cats — which they did not identify — that reduced eumelanin, and this became a stepping stone between brown eyes and the other colors. However, what drove the other colors to emerge is an open question. Tabin said they didn't find convincing correlations between eye color and other physical characteristics, behaviors or habitat to explain the different colors, so he suspects it's related to mate choice preference — some researchers argue that this sexual selection is the reason humans have different eye colors. "It doesn't seem like it's a lifestyle thing, and so that's why I fall back on sexual selection," Tabin said. However, researchers not involved in the study have suggested different possible explanations. Shu-Jin Luo, an evolutionary geneticist at Peking University in China, told Science that eye color could be a "side effect" of selection for coat color, while Rosalyn Price-Waldman, an evolutionary biologist and doctoral candidate at Princeton University, suggested that as long as the eye colors aren't detrimental to the cats, they could evolve randomly. https://www.livescience.com/animals/cats/cats-dazzling-eye-colors-may-come-from-1-unusual-ancestor

By Philippa Roxby Health reporter A sub-variant of the Omicron strain of coronavirus has been classified as a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization, because of "its rapidly increasing spread". JN.1 has been found in many countries around the world, including India, China and the United States. The risk to the public is currently low and current vaccines continue to offer protection, the WHO says. But it warns Covid and other infections could rise this winter. Respiratory viruses such as flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and childhood pneumonia are also on the rise in the northern hemisphere. The virus which causes Covid is constantly changing over time and sometimes this leads to new variants developing. Omicron has been the globally dominant variant for some time. The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently tracking a number of variants of interest linked to Omicron - including JN.1 - although none of them are deemed to be concerning. JN.1 is currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, accounting for 15 to 29% of infections. The UK Health Security Agency said JN.1 currently made up around 7% of positive Covid tests analysed in a lab, and it would continue to monitor all available data on this and other variants. Winter surge JN.1 is spreading fast in all regions, probably because it has an additional mutation in the spike protein compared to the BA.2.86 variant from which it's descended. "It is anticipated that this variant may cause an increase in Sars-Cov-2 [coronavirus] cases amid a surge of infections of other viral and bacterial infections, especially in countries entering the winter season," the WHO's risk assessment says. There is still limited evidence on how capable JN.1 is of getting round the immunity offered by vaccines, the WHO says. There are no reports of people becoming more ill with this variant than previous ones. But more studies are needed to work out the health impact, the WHO says, as the number of countries reporting data on people admitted to hospital with Covid has dramatically reduced. To prevent infections and severe disease, the WHO advises: wear a mask in crowded, enclosed areas cover up coughs and sneezes clean your hands regularly stay up to date with Covid and flu vaccinations, especially if vulnerable stay home if ill get tested if you have symptoms https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67772390

Music title: Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj - Medley (Live on NBA All Star Game Half Time Show) HD Signer: Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj Release date: 2023 / 09 / 22 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: Crated (2020) Time: May 25, 2020 Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 66 Mins Trailer:

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This replacement for the McLaren GT will do 0-124 mph in just 8.9 seconds and offer daily-driver comfort The latest McLaren is here and it’s simply called the GTS. Built to take over for the outgoing GT, this new supercar weighs less and makes more power. Here’s a deeper dive into the new “super-lightweight” GTS. The McLaren GT was perhaps the most friendly and understated car in its family tree. The new GTS aims to capture a little more aggression and performance without losing its daily drivability. To that end, it features a slew of new tricks up its carbon fiber sleeves. For starters, it gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that makes 626 horsepower (467 kW / 635 PS). That’s 14 hp (10 kW) more than the outgoing car. The GTS also weighs just 3,351 pounds (1519 kg) or about 22 lbs (9.97 kg) less than the GT. More power and less weight are sure to aid in producing an engaging driving experience. In fact, it accelerates to 124 mph (200 km/h) in just 8.9 seconds and to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.1 seconds, ever so slightly outperforming the GT. This everyday cruiser can reach 203 mph (327 km/h) too. It doesn’t stop there though. The carbon fiber monocoque chassis leverages what McLaren calls Intelligent adaptive suspension to provide an optimal ride. It also gets an optional front axle lift system that’s more than twice as fast as the outgoing GT, taking just 4.0 seconds to fully raise or lower the nose. Buyers also have the opportunity to personalize the car with more options than before including Lava Grey paint and unique GTS Turbine forged alloy wheels. “The new McLaren GTS offers an unmatched blend of McLaren driving dynamics and performance, with refinement and practicality. When you want a true supercar driving experience, the GTS delivers that; when you want to relax on a longer journey of with luggage for a weekend away, the GTS is an ideal companion. This is a car that is true to McLaren’s racing DNA but with multiple layers of ability.” said Michael Leiters, CEO, McLaren Automotive Those interested can order a McLaren GTS right away and expect a 2024 delivery. Don’t worry either that this is some soft straight-line machine. It does indeed have a track mode. Hooray for supercars that are capable of daily driving duty. https://www.carscoops.com/2023/12/new-mclaren-gts-features-more-power-less-weight-and-extra-practicality/

WBA light heavyweight champion lit up Abu Dhabi in a one-sided title fight in November 2022. He takes on IBO belt-holder Lyndon Arthur in Saudi Arabia on December 23 It was one of the most one-sided title fights in recent memory. When Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez touched down in Abu Dhabi ahead of their light-heavyweight title fight in November 2022, they did so with unblemished pro records. Bivol, the WBA (Super) champion boasted a perfect 20-0 record and was coming off a landmark win in which he completely outclassed a Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez generally regarded as one of the best boxers of all time, albeit one biting off more than he could chew by stepping up so many weight classes. Ramirez had fought more than twice as many times as Bivol, with an enviable 44 victories in as many bouts. A classy practitioner and former world super middleweight champion, the Mexican was aiming to disrupt the light heavyweight ranks dominated by Bivol and his fellow Russian Artur Beterbiev. While the now customary barbs common before a title fight were traded by both boxers pre-fight, it was for the most part respectful. When the first bell sounded and the action got under way at Etihad Arena, Ramirez's words would have stung Bivol more than his actions as the Russian put on another masterclass. For 12 rounds Bivol went through his full repertoire of skills: slick combinations, feints and dips, breaking the will of his opponent. It was complete ring control for the full 36 minutes and brought to mind Joe Calzaghe's total domination of Jeff Lacy in their super middleweight title fight in 2006. The bout marked the first high-profile title fight on these shores with the promise of more to come. And while the UAE is ready and willing to host its next championship fight, the boxing world turns its focus to neighbouring Saudi Arabia this week. Billed as the “Day of Reckoning”, Bivol returns to the ring for the first time since schooling Ramirez 13 months ago on the undercard of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder's co-main events. The 32-year-old defends his WBA strap for the fifth time since being elevated to “Super” status in October 2019 (Bivol also defended the regular WBA belt five times) against Lyndon Arthur. Ranked eighth by the WBA, Arthur has won 23 of his 24 pro bouts and will put his IBO title on the line. And while a record of 16 wins by knockout suggests Bivol should have a healthy respect for his opponent, few observers believe the Briton will pull off an upset against a boxer with legitimate claims as one of the best pound-for-pound punchers around. “I have just recently come back from a great event in Saudi Arabia and now I will have the opportunity to fight there,” Bivol said, referring to his attendance at October's clash between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. “I am excited and looking forward to fighting Lyndon, his record and his belt are a motivation for me.” With the greatest respect to Arthur, boxing fans know the one true test for Bivol lies in the shape of Beterbiev. The 38-year-old, who fights out of Canada, has packed much into an unbeaten 19-fight career that only saw him turn pro in 2013. He won his first world title in 2017 and has since added the IBF and WBC belts to sit alongside his WBO light heavyweight title. Beterbiev faces a mandatory title defence of his WBC strap against Callum Smith on January 13 and it will require that organisation playing ball with the WBA and the various promoters to set up a unification bout against Bivol. They say you should never mix sport and politics, but it is an unavoidable traffic jam in navigating boxing's myriad alphabet organisations. But that's not to say it's an obstacle that can't be overcome. Money talks and in boxing it positively screams. Saudi Arabia has shown a determination to rival boxing's traditional heartlands of New York and Las Vegas in hosting major title fights and would no doubt be in the bidding to host a Beterbiev-Bivol winner-takes-all showdown in the light heavyweight division. https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/combat-sports/2023/12/18/day-of-reckoning-bivol-returns-to-the-ring-but-beterbiev-is-the-fight-fans-want-to-see/

By Lora Jones Business reporter, BBC News Oil giant BP will pause all shipments of oil through the Red Sea after recent attacks on vessels by Houthi rebels. The firm blamed the "deteriorating security situation" in the region as Iran-backed Houthis target ships they believe are bound for Israel. Many freight firms have suspended journeys as the attacks continue. Following BP's announcement the US said it would lead an international naval operation to protect ships along the route. Countries joining the security group include the UK, Canada, France, Bahrain, Norway and Spain. In a statement, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said: "The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law." BP said it would keep its "precautionary pause under ongoing review" and monitor the region. Analysts suggested that if other large oil firms follow suit, oil prices could rise.Oil prices were higher on Monday, with international benchmark Brent trading up 2.6% to almost $79 a barrel. "Right now it's unclear how significant the impact will be," said Gregory Brew, an oil historian and analyst at Eurasia Group. "Though if more shipping companies divert their traffic, and if the disruption lasts more than a week or two, prices are likely to climb further." The Red Sea is one of the world's most important routes for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, as well as for consumer goods. Analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence found that nearly 15% of goods imported into Europe, the Middle East and North Africa were shipped from Asia and the Gulf by sea. That includes 21.5% of refined oil and more than 13% of crude oil. "Consumer goods will face the largest impact, though current disruptions are occurring during the off-peak shipping season," said Chris Rogers from S&P Global Market Intelligence. On Monday, one of the world's largest shipping firms said it would no longer carry Israeli cargo via the Red Sea. In an update seen by the BBC, Evergreen Line, said: "For the safety of ships and crew, Evergreen Line has decided to temporarily stop accepting Israeli cargo with immediate effect, and has instructed its container ships to suspend navigation through the Red Sea until further notice." The Houthi rebels are targeting ships travelling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait - also known as the Gate of Tears - which is a channel 20 miles (32km) wide, and known for being perilous to navigate. The rebels have declared their support for Hamas and have said they are targeting ships travelling to Israel, using drones and rockets against foreign-owned vessels. Instead of using the Bab al-Mandab Strait, ships will now have to take a longer route navigating around southern Africa, potentially adding about 10 days to the journey and costing millions of dollars. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following the 7 October attacks by Hamas that killed 1,200 people. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 18,700 have been killed since the start of the war. It is not clear if all the ships Houthi rebels have attacked were actually heading to Israel. In the most recent reported assault, the owner of the MT Swan Atlantic said the ship was hit by an "unidentified object" on Monday while in the Red Sea off Yemen despite there being no links to Israel. Inventor Chemical Tankers said: "For the record, there is no Israeli link in the ownership (Norwegian), technical management (Singapore) of the vessel nor in any parts of the logistical chain for the cargo transported." Attacks on ships have intensified in recent days, leading to shipping firms suspending travel through the strait which sits between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast. It is the route by which ships can reach the Suez Canal from the south - itself a major shipping lane. Maersk, the world's second-biggest shipping firm, described the situation as "alarming" on Friday after a "near-miss" incident involving Maersk Gibraltar and another attack on a container ship. It was followed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's largest shipping group, which said it would also divert its ships from the area. Its container ship, MSC PALATIUM III, was attacked on Friday as it was transiting the Red Sea. There were no injuries to the crew, but the ship has been taken out of service. CMA-CGM has also stopped shipments through the region, and Reuters has reported that Belgian oil tanker firm Euronav and Norway-based tanker group Frontline would both avoid Red Sea routes. On Monday, Inventor Chemical Tankers confirmed that the MT Swan Atlantic was targeted while travelling from France to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The company said there were no injuries to its Indian crew, adding that the "crew and the ship are now assisted by the US navy and will be brought to safety under protection by naval forces". Germany's Hapag-Lloyd said it was re-routing several ships via the Cape of Good Hope, until passage through the Red Sea "will be safe again for vessels and their crews". Evergreen Line said that any container ships on longer journeys between Asia and the Mediterranean, Europe or the east coast of the US would also be diverted around the Cape of Good Hope. Peter Sand, chief analyst at freight rate data company Xeneta, said shipping firms would now be contacting customers to let them know that cargo was being delayed, adding that there was "definitely a price to pay for a situation like this". He said the industry would also face knock-on effects such as higher insurance premiums, but he said that it was in a much better position to deal with an unfolding crisis than it was when the huge Ever Given ship blocked the Suez Canal in 2021, with Covid-related supply chain issues having eased up. Sue Terpilowski of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport also pointed out that in addition to extra fuel costs and time, the war-risk insurance costs are going up "exponentially", with customers facing higher prices being passed on to them too. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67748605

Using reminders on your smartphone to prompt you to get moving during the day could help you reduce the amount of time you spend sitting, a new study suggests. The researchers found that people in the study who used such smartphone reminders spent 3 percent less time sitting per day, on average, compared with people who did not receive the frequent reminders. This translated into about 25 minutes more time spent moving instead of sitting per day. "We really didn't do an elaborate intervention here," said study author Darla E. Kendzor, a clinical psychologist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. And, since many people already have smartphones, applying this type of intervention in everyday life would be feasible, she said. Previous research has linked sedentary lifestyles to a number of health problems, including an increased risk of breast, colorectal, ovarian, endometrial, and prostate cancers, as well as weight gain, higher BMI and obesity, the researchers said. Adults in the United States spend about 8 hours per day sitting, on average. [5 Tips for Sitting Less During Your Work Day] In the new study, the researchers set out to see whether an intervention involving smartphones could help reduce the amount of time people spent sitting each day. However, the researchers did not look at whether the smartphone intervention had any effect on the people's health outcomes. The researchers asked 107 people to wear accelerometers (for measuring their activity) and carry smartphones for a week. At the beginning of the study, the people received a handout that described the importance of limiting their sedentary time and tips on how to reduce the amount of time spent sitting and spend more time moving. During the week of the study, the people also received messages on their smartphones, reminding them about the negative health effects linked to having a sedentary lifestyle. The prompts encouraged the people to stand up right away, and move around for 5 minutes. The messages included in the prompts also encouraged the people to make an effort to stand up and move every half hour during time spent sitting. The study also included a control group of 131 people, who did not receive handouts or smartphone prompts. One of the limitations of the study was that it was short, and more research is needed to confirm the findings, the researchers said. Still, simple smartphone prompts seem to be a promising strategy for reducing the amount of time people spend sitting, they said. The new study was published Monday (Jan. 25) in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/53525-smartphone-less-sedentary-more-active.html

The near-complete remains of a never-before-seen mosasaur that dominated the ancient Pacific Ocean have been unearthed in Japan. The great white shark-size creature is unlike any other aquatic animal, dead or alive. Mosasaurs are a group of apex marine predators that ruled the oceans toward the end of the Cretaceous period. Unlike the mosasaur illustrated here, the "blue dragon" had unusually large rear flippers and a dorsal fin. (Image credit: Getty Images) Scientists in Japan have unearthed the near-complete remains of an ancient, great white shark-size sea monster that likely terrorized the ancient oceans it used to inhabit. The prehistoric predator, which researchers have named "blue dragon," has an unusual body plan that sets it apart from its extinct relatives and is unlike any living creature. The exceptional fossils, which are around 72 million years old, were discovered along the Aridagawa River in Wakayama Prefecture on Honshu island. They belong to a never-before-seen species of mosasaur — a group of air-breathing aquatic reptiles that were apex marine predators during the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago). The "astounding" remains are the most complete mosasaur fossils ever uncovered in Japan and the northwest Pacific, researchers wrote in a statement. In a new study published Dec. 11 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, researchers named the new mosasaur Megapterygius wakayamaensis. The new genus Megapterygius translates to "large-winged" after the creature's unusually large rear flippers, and the species name wakayamaensis recognizes the prefecture where it was found. The team nicknamed the creature the Wakayama Soryu — a soryu is a blue-colored aquatic dragon from Japanese mythology. Mosasaurs share a similar body plan and there is very little variation among species. But M. wakayamaensis is something of an outlier, which has surprised scientists. "I thought I knew them [mosasaurs] quite well by now," study lead author Takuya Konishi, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Cincinnati, said in the statement. But "immediately, [I knew] it was something I had never seen before." Related: Oldest 'fish-lizard' fossils ever found suggest these sea monsters survived the 'Great Dying' M. wakayamaensis had a dorsal fin and large rear flippers, which are both unique among mosasaurs. (Image credit: TAKUMI) Like other mosasaurs, M. wakayamaensis had a dolphin-like torso with four paddle-like flippers, an alligator-shaped snout and a long tail. But it also had a dorsal fin like a shark or dolphin, which is not seen in any other mosasaur species. However, what confused researchers the most was the size of the new mosasaur's rear flippers, which were even longer than their front flippers. Not only is this a first among mosasaurs but it is also extremely uncommon among all living and extinct aquatic species. Almost all swimming animals have their largest flippers toward the front of their bodies, which helps them steer through the water. Having larger flippers at the rear of the body would be like driving a car by steering the rear wheels instead of the front ones, which would make it much harder to turn quickly. "We lack any modern analog that has this kind of body morphology — from fish to penguins to sea turtles," Konishi said. "None has four large flippers they use in conjunction with a tail fin." The researchers suspect that instead of using the rear flippers to turn, M. wakayamaensis angled them upward or downward to quickly dive down or ascend through the water column, which may have helped make them adept hunters. The dorsal fin could have made it easier for the creature to turn, which may have counteracted the extra drag from the rear flippers, they added. "It opens a whole can of worms that challenges our understanding of how mosasaurs swim," Konishi said. M. wakayamaensis was about the same size as great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), which grow to around 16 feet (4.9 meters) long. But other species could grow up to 56 feet (17 m), which is longer than a school bus. Mosasaurs emerged around 100 million years ago and died off around 66 million years ago along with the nonavian dinosaurs after a massive asteroid struck Earth. During the last 20 million years of their existence, the terrifying sea lizards were the aquatic equivalent of Tyrannosaurs rex and sat at the top of the food chain, thanks in part to the disappearance of other top marine predators such as ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs, the researchers wrote. https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/72-million-year-old-blue-dragon-unearthed-in-japan-is-unlike-anything-weve-ever-seen-experts-say

The RSF is on the verge of capturing Wad Madani, a city that has hosted hundreds of thousands of war-displaced people. People and activists fear that harrowing abuses could follow. On December 15, Sudanese civilians woke up to sounds of gunfire and explosions in Wad Madani, a city under army control that hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the capital Khartoum and nearby towns. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had attacked the city, raising fear that the group would loot homes, kill men and rape women if they captured it. “They rape [women] to break the spirits of men,” Omonia Kheir*, a Sudanese woman from Wad Madani, told Al Jazeera. “That’s why people here are not scared of dying or getting shot, because then you die as a martyr. But everyone is scared of [women in their families] getting raped.” After eight months of war, the RSF is on the verge of capturing Wad Madani, the second-largest city in the country’s heartland, in what will mark a major turn in the conflict. Just last week, RSF leader Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo agreed to meet top army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan later this month under the auspices of the East African bloc IGAD. But even as RSF commanders call for an end to the war with foreign leaders, their fighters are instigating a new humanitarian catastrophe on the ground. “My mother and I were shocked,” said Kheir, on Sunday. “In every neighbourhood we saw 10 or 20 families leaving [town]. People were walking, going in cars, lorries and on donkeys.” Losing faith in the army While the RSF has reportedly invaded the city and looted banks and shops, the army has responded with air strikes, even as its foot soldiers retreat. Most residents support the army, yet few believe they’ll regain control of the city. “People are already heavily criticising the military,” said Kheir. “Wad Madani is the second-biggest city in Sudan and it hosts the largest number of displaced people…everyone expected that the army would protect it [from the RSF].” “People are now losing faith and hope. Everyone is just hysterical,” she added. Most aid groups and UN agencies have also evacuated foreign staff and closed operations in Wad Madani, said Will Carter, the country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Sudan. He told Al Jazeera that aid groups did not want to get trapped in a situation where the RSF captured the city, prompting the army to respond with heavy and indiscriminate air strikes. Carter added that the RSF has “shaken” the already hampered humanitarian response, which operates almost entirely out of the army’s de facto capital in Port Sudan. “Wad Madani was a gateway to reach three or four other nearby cities with aid,” he said. “But if the RSF sweeps Wad Madani, then it really sweeps Sudan’s heartland. Logistically, it will make things quite difficult [for aid agencies] and the question then becomes where the RSF will go next if the army can’t shore up a defence.” Unlawful arrests and killings? During the first two days of the offensive, rumours circulated that the RSF had sleeper cells in Wad Madani, prompting the army to unlawfully arrest dozens of young men suspected of cooperating with the group. Residents say that those detained were targeted based on their accent or ethnicity, which hints that they’re from traditionally neglected regions like Darfur – an RSF stronghold. In one video circulating over social media platform X, and which Al Jazeera could not independently verify, a young man has both knees on the ground and is surrounded by a crowd of people. He is then interrogated about his job, origins and if he had been recruited by the RSF. The young man denies any involvement. In a second video that Al Jazeera did manage to verify, corpses of dozens of young men in civilian clothes are strewn on the street of Wad Madani. An army soldier can be heard gloating over what appeared to be an extrajudicial killing. Justice Amad, a Sudanese activist in Australia, believes that most of the young men who were targeted were non-combatants working low-wage jobs. He added that his close friend was nearly killed after he was arrested and questioned by the army in Wad Madani. When he was released, military intelligence and allied gangs abducted him. “[My friend] told me that right after he got out of the army’s hands, [he and other detainees] were grabbed and thrown into a Toyota Hilux. As soon as the [Toyota] took off, the kidnappers started hurting [people] and yelling at everyone,” Amad told Al Jazeera. “[My friend] and a few others risked [escaping] and jumped out while the truck was moving. He thinks two people got hit by bullets when they did that.” Al Jazeera asked army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah about the reported arrests and killings of unarmed young men, but he did not respond before publication. Local relief As more people flee the city, Sudanese volunteers are mobilising to help the most vulnerable among them. Many are members of the resistance committees — neighbourhood groups providing life-saving relief to their communities since the start of the war. The resistance committee in Wad Madani are buying fuel on the black market to evacuate women, children and men who are too poor to afford a bus ticket out of town, according to Ahmad al-Hassan, an activist. “The resistance committees are mainly trying to help transfer people out of the area and to nearby towns,” he told Al Jazeera. “We are helping most people reach Sinnar city.” Sinnar is south of Wad Madani and has absorbed thousands of displaced people over the last four days. Mohamad al-Gaali, who was living in Khartoum before the war, passed through with his two sisters and their children before reaching Gadarif, a city near the Ethiopian border. Al-Gaali told Al Jazeera that aid agencies were slow to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Sinnar. “Aid groups have not really started to help there, but there were local initiatives trying to provide us with food and shelter,” he said. “Those people were just locals trying to help us, but there were no contributions from [international aid groups].” Despite local efforts, Kheir believes that no amount of generosity can save the city and its inhabitants from the RSF. After already being uprooted from Khartoum earlier in the war, she said that her family doesn’t have the resources to relocate again. “We lost our cars, apartments and all our valuable belongings [to the RSF] when we fled the first time,” she said. “We used all the money that we had left to come here.” https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/19/losing-hope-sudan-civilians-terrified-as-rsf-attacks-second-biggest-city

Music title: Mariah Carey - "All I Want For Christmas Is You [2023 Billboard Music Awards]" Signer: Mariah Carey Release date: 2023/11/20 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: American Fiction Trailer #2 (2023) Time: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2 min - 25 sec Trailer:

I'm In - 7aMoDi By Water Colors ❤️