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The rise of political movements inspired by the recently concluded American and Ghanaian elections offers a glimmer of hope for the opposition, ISMAEEL UTHMAN writes In the wake of the American and Ghanaian presidential elections, several political movements have emerged in Nigeria, each aiming to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. In both the United States and Ghana, the opposition defeated the ruling parties in landslide victories. In the US, former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party defeated Kamala Harris, the incumbent Vice President and candidate of the Democratic Party, in the November 5 election. Similarly, Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, lost to the National Democratic Congress’s candidate, John Mahama, in the December 7, 2024 elections. Following Trump’s election, opposition parties expressed hope that they could replicate the US and Ghanaian political trajectories in Nigeria. The outcome of the Ghanaian election has injected a renewed sense of optimism among opposition parties, as they step up their political games towards significant political realignment. On November 26, it was reported that the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had concluded plans to form a new political party or adopting an existing one to form a coalition ahead of 2027. After the report, Obi and Atiku met again in Adamawa, Yola State, on November 30, but the two camps of the political leaders denied having discussions for a joint ticket ahead of the 2027 election. However, Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, later revealed that the two political leaders had been engaging in discussions to form a united front against the APC. Ibe, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on December 10, said, “The truth of the matter is that Atiku Abubakar has promoted opposition parties to work together, to come together; that is the only way they can kick out this incompetent and clueless government. And I believe that discussions have been going on.” This was as the Peoples Redemption Party and African Democratic Congress confirmed that they had initiated discussions with each other on a potential merger ahead of the elections. Similarly, some parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties and the Social Democratic Party had also expressed readiness for talks of a possible alliance, saying the country needed more than just a coalition of only Atiku and Obi. Also, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, last Saturday, hosted former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. According to Kwankwaso, the discussions centred on “significant national issues, including the future of politics and governance in Nigeria.” A former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, in an open letter titled, ‘Satanic Leadership and Nigeria’s Boiling Point,’ on Monday, called on Obasanjo to lead efforts to unify opposition parties to challenge Tinubu in 2027. Lukman warned that disunity within opposition parties would make it easier for President Tinubu to secure a second term. He called on Obasanjo, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), Gen. Ibrahim Babangida(retd), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar(retd), Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari to lead efforts to rally opposition parties. While the rise of these political movements brings hope, it also presents significant challenges. The political landscape in Nigeria is complex. In Nigeria’s recent political history, only once has an opposition party defeated a ruling party. In 2015, Buhari of the APC defeated Jonathan of the PDP. Buhari had contested and lost three presidential elections before his party, Congress of Progressives Change, the Action Congress of Nigeria, and a faction of the PDP (new PDP) merged in 2013 to form the APC. The merger provided a bigger platform to achieve his presidential ambition in 2015 and for his re-election in 2019. If the coalition of major opposition leaders works out (like that of the APC in 2013), it will pose a serious challenge to President Tinubu, who won his first election with a 1.8 million vote margin. In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu polled 8,794,726 (36.61%) to defeat the runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, who secured 6,984,520 (29.07%). Obi, the LP candidate, had 6,101,533 votes (25.40%) while Kwankwaso, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, polled 1,496,687 (6.40%). Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso’s votes totalled 14,582,740. Beyond the coalition of these individuals, many analysts believe that President Tinubu would face the challenge of convincing people for his re-election because of his economic crisis, which the opposition has already capitalised on to discredit his government. Analysts argue that a similar scenario won the election for Ghana’s opposition leader, John Mahama, as the country’s economy plummeted, went through a debt crisis, default, and currency devaluation. Analysing why the opposition won the Ghanaian election, the Guardian Weekly, an international news magazine based in London, said, “Economic hardship was a major factor: at one point, inflation was as high as 50% and the cedi plummeted to historic lows while the number of taxes increased. A banking sector purge that was hailed by economists but led to thousands of job losses also angered voters, as did a bloated government in which several relatives of the president and ruling party members served.” Currently, Nigeria’s inflation is at 34.6 per cent while the country’s debt stands at N134.3tn. The rise in inflation is largely driven by food price increases, which continue to place a strain on Nigerian households. Commenting, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, expressed optimism that there would be a replica of the US and Ghanaian elections in Nigeria, considering the similarities in the two countries’ economies. But Ologunagba said the replica could only be achieved if the Independent National Electoral Commission allowed elections to be free and fair and respected the people’s will. He said, “You will see the replica if INEC allows the election to be free and fair. The American and Ghanaian elections reflect the will of the people, and you have independent electoral bodies that are willing to respect that will. “The challenge of elections in Nigeria is not just the people. Yes, the APC has promoted poverty as an act of governance that has impaired the capacity to make rational decisions. But beyond that, even when the people make a decision and vote, INEC does not allow the people’s will to prevail as expressed in the ballot. “INEC has been the major challenge for the electoral process, and so the issue of the opposition party winning will be a mirage, except INEC is informed, and INEC leadership is certain that it allows the will of the people to prevail. But there is a snag here, and that is a caution for the country.” He warned of grievous consequences if the will of the people was not allowed to prevail. “When you don’t allow the will of the people to prevail, the consequences for democracy can be grave,” Ologunagba stated. Related News 2027: APC, opposition differ on calls to end defections APC chieftain urges Bago to pull out of AEDC APC denies internal rumblings after Obasa’s 2027 gov comments as opposition watches closely The PDP spokesperson said the Ghanaian election gave hope to the Nigerian opposition for the 2027 presidential election. “The Ghanaians were angry because of the ill-advised policies of the government in that country, and the people expressed it. “In Nigeria, you can feel the economic hardship. You know that the twin policy of irresponsible floating of the naira, and withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products without any cushioning effect, is what brought us to this level. “So, when you have a government that does not respect the will of the people, and how the welfare of the people matters under the constitution, what happened in Ghana is the consequence of such behaviour.” Similarly, the NNPP also stated that the Ghanaian election had increased the opposition’s hope of winning the 2027 presidential election. “The Ghanaian election has given us confidence as opposition parties that we just have to keep working,” said the spokesman for the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson. However, Johnson maintained that for Nigeria to have a replica of the Ghanaian election, the institutions must allow the will of the people to prevail. He said, “The Ghanaian election has increased our hope. We hope that Nigerians, especially those in authority, like INEC, the police, and others see that the will of the people must be allowed to prevail. That is the key to it. “We need stronger institutions in Nigeria. Our institutions are weak. A lot of the people in our institutions wrongly feel that they owe a sense of duty to either the president or the governor or local government chairman or whoever appointed them. Meanwhile, their duty is to the constitution and to the commonwealth and the well-being of the people of Nigeria. “The moment public servants start to feel that they owe a duty to an individual, then democracy is gradually being eroded. Once we get to that stage, once there is reasonably a level playing ground, then the will of the people will come through.” Johnson said the opposition parties were hopeful that the wind of change in Ghana would extend to Nigeria. “When you see the system of one of your neighbouring countries improving, you always hope that the wind of improvement and positive change will blow your way. Things tend to influence each other, and that was why when there was a coup in Niger, a lot of people were panicking in Nigeria, because we all know that at times, the wind blows from area to area, country to country. “The Ghanaian election has given us confidence as opposition parties that we just have to keep working. We just have to keep talking to Nigerians and make them understand that when someone is giving you palliatives, it means that the government is not working properly,” he added. Johnson said the NNPP was open to coalition because the party believed in good governance and it wanted the best for Nigeria. “If we need to enter into a partnership, into a coalition, into a merger, to bring about a government that will help move this country forward, salvage this country, and move it forward, then so be it,” he stated. But the APC said it was not frightened by the political movements of the opposition figures, describing the participants as enemies of the country. Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Oyo State, Olawale Sadare, said there was no serious opposition currently in Nigeria that could threaten President Tinubu’s re-election. “They have every right to be optimistic, but the fact is that winning an election goes beyond mere wishes. They need to work for it. As it stands now, we do not even have any opposition at the federal level. My fear is that we may not even have anything called PDP or Labour Party in 2027,” said Sadare. According to him, discerning minds would support Tinubu in 2027 because of his performance and pedigree. “President Bola Tinubu is not resting on his oars; he is performing, and the 2027 election will be determined on account of pedigree and performance. When we move closer to 2027, every discerning mind in Nigeria will queue behind the president. So, in APC, we don’t have any cause to panic. “Why should we be frightened by the opposition’s political movements or realignments? They are a bunch of clowns. They just want to remain in the heart of the media. These are known enemies of the country. You talk about a former president or his co-travellers. So, we are not bothered. They can afford to meet on an hourly basis. It is none of our business.” Also, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, described the political movements and optimism of the opposition parties as wishful thinking that would not materialise. Oladejo said those involved in political realignment were those who had failed the country at one time or the other. He stated the political and economic situations of the US and Ghana were not the same as Nigeria’s, promising that whatever seemed to be hardship now in Nigeria would no longer be in place in 2027. The Lagos APC spokesperson said, “The opposition has been busy daydreaming in recent times, and for reasons that are known to them, they are drooling over the results of the election in Ghana and the US. One could wonder if they have been able to situate those results properly. But the truth of the matter is the situations in Ghana and the US are not exactly the same as Nigeria’s. “The only thing that would be comparable would be that Nigerians will vote for good governance, being put across by APC at different levels in 2027. There is nothing in the camp of the so-called opposition parties to elicit the confidence of Nigerians to entrust them with the mantle of leadership. They are daydreaming. “I can assure you that before 2027, a lot of things that have been put in place in terms of the reforms would have started yielding fruits. The ruling APC government means well for all.”‘Slowly became sex thing’: First generation of girls to grow up on social media reveals its scarring effects

Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weightRajiva Wijesinha on Ranil Wickremesinghe

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Professor Farooq Kperogi has criticised President Bola Tinubu's appointments, accusing him of ethnic favouritism in the NNPCL by appointing "Yoruba people" to prominent positions Kperogi drew parallels between Tinubu's alleged actions and former President Muhammadu Buhari's "Arewacentricity" during his tenure In response, Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna state, said, "two wrongs do not make a right" and advocated for "sensible inclusion" over "arrogant exclusion" CHECK OUT: Learn at Your Own Pace! Our Flexible Online Course allows you to fit copywriting skills development around your busy schedule. Enroll Now! Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai , former governor of Kaduna state, has weighed in on Professor Farooq Kperogi’s recent criticism of alleged ethnic favouritism in President Bola Tinubu's appointments. In an article titled " Tinubu 's Buharisation of the NNPC," Kperogi accused President Tinubu of appointing "Yoruba people" to significant positions at the NNPC . He said an anonymous source claimed that a certain Bayo Ojulari is “being proposed as GMD after Mele Kyari’s term expires” in early 2024. “I haven’t independently confirmed these claims,” Kperogi wrote, “but the proximity of the source to power circles makes it unwise to dismiss them outright.” Read also NNPCL reacts as Kperogi accuses Tinubu of appointing Yoruba people to top positions in oil company PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! Tinubu repeating what Buhari did - Kperogi Kperogi drew parallels between Tinubu 's alleged "Yorubacentric" appointments in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the "Arewacentricity" he criticised during former President Muhammadu Buhari's tenure. “Tinubu is doing in the economy what Buhari did in security,” Kperogi stated. He added that the concentration of Yoruba figures in critical economic roles, including the minister of finance and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), represents "state-sanctioned ethnocentric domination of a critical segment of national life." Two wrongs do not make a right: Nasir El-Rufai reacts Reacting to Kperogi's article on X, El-Rufai said two wrongs do not make a right. His words: “Two wrongs do not make a right. Sensible inclusion always trumps arrogant exclusion!” Kperogi's allegations: NNPCL reacts Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the NNPCL debunked allegations of ethnic bias in its leadership structure, stating that employment decisions are based solely on merit. Read also Reno Omokri tells Northerners what to do about Niger Republic allegations In a statement made available to Legit.ng on Saturday, December 28, Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPC Ltd., addressed concerns raised in Kperogi's article. Soneye clarified that the NNPC's leadership structure is guided by business requirements, expertise, and merit rather than ethnicity, tribe, religion, or political affiliation. He said the NNPCL prides itself on being a professional organisation with a diverse leadership lineup, including individuals from various parts of the world. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ng“Talk to me before you believe anything!”, Thomas Cromwell (played by Mark Rylance) tells his monarch and master Henry VIII (played by Damien Lewis) in a pivotal scene in the penultimate episode of the BBC adaptation of The Mirror and the Light, the 900-page third act in Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed Tudor drama. It is the last of their candid exchanges before the criticism from his enemies becomes deafening and Cromwell is seized, stripped of his offices of state and taken into custody. For nearly a decade, Cromwell, has strived to speak the truth to his all-mighty monarch. It has set him apart from all those packed into the palace antechambers and pitching for a seat on the king’s council: aristocrats who were there by hereditary right, churchmen because of their office and favourites whose rise invariably was as fast as their fall. Shrewd realpolitik was why Cromwell’s assent to the top seemed unstoppable and the reason Henry grew to like him. “By St Loy, this man has stomach, this man has gall!,” the now-ailing king recalls, in Peter Straughan’s script, of his first impression. Establishing the facts of the matter, however uncomfortable for whichever party, remained this self-taught lawyer’s stock-in-trade. But by 1540 Henry lacked the bodily strength and mental self-assurance to accept them anymore. “I have changed, Thomas. You, not so much.” Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here . “To retrieve history,” Mantel argued in her 2017 Reith lecture , “we need rigour, unsparing devotion and an impulse to scepticism.” Stomach and gall. Enough, Mantel urged, to unsettle the stereotypes, even to “de-centre” the “grand narrative”. The determination Mantel found in Cromwell’s letters, to “decipher the bottom of their heart ... if by any wisdom it may be drawn out” to politician Sir Thomas Wyatt in 1537 suggested that he could be a fresh guide to this period of Tudor history, long distorted by caricature and cliché. As sharp as the dagger secreted in his doublet and an outsider on the inside, through Cromwell’s eyes it might be refocused. Mantel believed the novelist could best evoke an alternative point-of-view. “The records do ... throw up some facts but they are not the whole truth.” Lived experience, she argued, lies in the “gaps, the erasures and silences” of the documented past, speeches unrecorded, thoughts unspoken. Fiction breathes them back into life, lifting the veil from the “vital”, “interior” view of lives long past. Mantel’s conviction was so strong that she was inclined to criticise readers for clinging to “the first history they learn” and for their “unreasonable” refusal to commit to the novelist’s telling of it until they can be sure of its reliability. “I report the outer world faithfully,” she explained “but my chief concern is the interior drama of my characters’ lives.” In their adaptation Straughan and director Peter Kosminsky have followed Mantel’s manifesto to the letter. They present the “outer world” with precision. Unlike any of his predecessors, Kosminky has taken immense pains to locate the action in landscapes and environments which the historical figures would have recognised. His choices are clever, including Gloucester Cathedral, surely the most complete and unaltered Benedictine cloister in Britain, standing in for the lost abbey of Shaftesbury and Horton Court in Gloucestershire for Cromwell’s city of London chambers at the Austin Friary, which, in spite of its religious status, is known to have looked like a cluster of town houses. Casting director Robert Sterne has peopled the scene with performers uncannily close in age and aspect to the figures they play. Thomas Brodie Sangster (Rafe Sadler) and Harry Melling (Thomas Wriothesley), both in their 30s, capture their subjects perfectly. Damien Lewis still seems to walk in Henry’s now halting footsteps, although the hiatus since the 2015 series means he is three years the king’s senior. Only Timothy Spall (Thomas Howard) is jarring. He is 67, as Howard was in 1540, but squat, jowly and with a one-note anger, which makes him less like a noble duke and more like Alice through the Looking Glass’s Queen. But in spite, or perhaps because, of the studied skill of this practised team, this visualisation does expose the tensions – in fact, downright contradictions – in Mantel’s treatment of the past. In her Reith Lectures she declared: “Don’t lie, don’t go against known facts. Historical truth cuts against the storyteller’s instinct. Your characters are never how or where you’d like them to be.” Yet Straughan’s adept précis of the 900-page book shows how often she shrugged off her own counsel. The visible, vocal presence of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (Jonathan Pryce), dead a full six years before the events of episode one unfolded, is conspicuously clumsy, muddling any viewer confronting the subject for the first time. Of course, it is a device, but if the “outer world” seems unstable how can they make sense of the “interior drama”? In Cromwell’s marriage proposal to the cardinal’s cast-off daughter, Dorothy Clancy (episode two) Mantel places her characters where she would like them to be and to say what she would like them to say. Her “going against known facts” is less troubling than her narrow line-of-sight, which the clipped script and slick camerawork set in sharp relief. The historical dramas of Cromwell’s last years in power were armed rebellion (the Pilgrimage of Grace) and the greatest displacement of people and livelihoods since the Norman Conquest (the dissolution of the monasteries), a stop-start process which de-stabilised the Tudor regime as much as its subjects. In Mantel’s story, they are little more than noises out of frame. The climate in court and country became so febrile in the face of these episodes because positions on them in every part of society were uncertain even, perhaps especially, in the mind of the king himself. Thomas Cromwell knew this better than any other contemporary witness. Mantel, whatever she claimed to the contrary, maintained the “grand narrative” of Catholic versus Protestant, traditional aristocrat versus modernising commoner. Like King Henry, she did not keep listening to her subject for long enough. James Clark receives funding for historical research from the Arts & Humanities Research Council and consults on and collaborates in research and visitor engagement for the National Trust. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It’s a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It’s all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person’s response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn’t happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It’s not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn’t respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I’m hoping it’s slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press

Drake eases by Stetson 49-10 to secure a second straight outright Pioneer Football League titleThere's nothing worse than buying a new piece of tech and realizing that it did not come with the necessary charger. That's why it's always a good idea to have extra on hand. For just $13 with an Amazon Black Friday deal , you can get two 5-foot Anker USB-C chargers and cables, equivalent to 32% off retail price. However, to get this price, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member . Getting just a single charger and cable at this price would be a decent deal, so getting two is impressive. Each charger has a 20-watt USB-C port, which is enough for fast-charging the latest iPhones or Android devices . A legacy USB-A port is also included for folks who need it, meaning you can charge more than one device at a time. The two included USB-C cables are 5 feet long. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money . This deal is available in both white and black finishes, so make sure to pick the one you like best before adding your new chargers to your cart. Looking for more tech deals? CNET's roundups of the best Black Friday discounts on Apple products , laptops , tablets and more guarantee incredible savings on the best tech. These roundups are constantly updated, so keep checking back regularly if you're on the hunt for a good deal. Why this deal matters These chargers don't get discounted very often. The last time we saw them on sale was during the October Prime Day sale event. Even though this is only a $6 savings, it brings the chargers from more than $9 a pop to just over $6 each. Since you can never have too many chargers, we think it's a good idea to take advantage of deals on these essential devices whenever they come along. Since we're officially in the holiday shopping season , it's worth noting that they also make a practical stocking stuffer or a thoughtful add-on if you're gifting someone a new tech device this year.Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride At Disneyland Resort 'Briefly Closes' | Here's Why

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Jacob Hutson's 20 points helped Northern Iowa defeat Southern Illinois 78-67 on Sunday. Hutson shot 7 of 10 from the field and 5 for 7 from the line for the Panthers (8-5, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Tytan Anderson added 15 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line while he also had 10 rebounds. Max Weisbrod went 4 of 7 from the field (2 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. Jarrett Hensley finished with 20 points and six rebounds for the Salukis (5-8, 0-2). Ali Abdou Dibba added 10 points for Southern Illinois. Drew Steffe had eight points. Northern Iowa took the lead with 1:02 remaining in the first half and never looked back. Hutson led his team in scoring with 10 points in the first half to help put them ahead 38-34 at the break. Northern Iowa turned a 13-point second-half lead into a 27-point advantage with a 14-0 run to make it a 73-46 lead with 8:38 left in the half. Hutson scored 10 second-half points in the matchup. Both teams next play Wednesday. Northern Iowa hosts Belmont and Southern Illinois takes on Evansville at home. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Sport Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News. Outspoken former finalist Simona Halep has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open because of injury, delaying her return to the majors after a two-year absence following a doping ban. The Romanian, who made the Australian Open final in 2018 before going on to win Wimbledon that year then the French Open in 2019, had been given a wildcard entry into the qualifying event for the first Grand Slam of 2025. But she announced on her social media accounts that she had been forced to delay her comeback after aggravating some niggling injuries while playing in an exhibition event in the Middle East earlier this month. “After playing in Abu Dhabi, unfortunately, I felt pain in my knee and shoulder once again,” Halep posted. Simona Halep of Romania reacts as she plays against Daria Snigur of Ukraine during their 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on August 29, 2022. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) “After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season. It’s not what I wanted but I would like to thank the tournament organisers in Auckland and Australia for the wildcards, and I’m sorry I won’t be able to take them this time.” Halep, 33, joins a long list of players in recent years, who have pulled out of the Australian Open, which is often played in scorching Summer heat. Instead, she said she was now hoping to start her season at the Transylvania Open in her homeland in early February. “I will rest up and intend for my next event to be Cluj, where I can’t wait to play in front of the amazing Romanian fans,” she said. Although they won’t dare say it publicly, tennis officials may well breathe a sigh of relief that Halep is skipping the Australian Open. Simona Halep is on the comeback trail from a ban related to doping offences. Picture: Getty Initially banned for four years over two doping offences she has always maintained she was innocent of, Halep succeeded in having her suspension reduced to nine months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed that “on the balance of probabilities” she had not taken any banned substances intentionally. Despite being cleared to return Halep has been outspoken about the way other players have received more lenient penalties, notably Iga Swiatek, a five-time major winner and one of the favourites to win the women’s title at Melbourne Park. In a recent interview with the British press, Halep, without naming Swiatek, questioned why Swiatek was banned only for a month after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ). “The woman player – I don’t want to give name, you know about who I’m talking about – she had the three-week suspension, then she played two events, and then she gets again suspension. What is this? I mean, I don’t understand. So I feel it is not fair,” Halep said. With anti-doping issues set to dominate Melbourne Park after the defending Australian Open men’s champion Jannik Sinner escaped a ban after testing positive, Halep’s outspoken criticism has divided the sport. While many support her grievances, others, including Australia’s multi Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs, believe the Romanian’s complaints should be aimed elsewhere. “She’s obviously angry, but her ire should be directed at the system, not at Iga. There are numerous players who channel their frustration toward another player, but they should be mad at the system,” Stubbs said on her podcast. “It’s not the players’ fault; they play by the rules. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be competing.” More Coverage Stosur: The ‘Demon’ has exactly what he needs to take on the AO Rebecca Williams ‘Never know the truth’: Sabalenka weighs in on Tennis’ doping cloud Callum Dick Originally published as Former world no.1 Simona Halep withdraws from Australian Open as drugs comeback hits hurdle Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories Sport New details on Sydney to Hobart tragedy Organisers have vowed the Sydney to Hobart yacht race will continue after two sailors died and another was flung overboard on its first night. Read more Other Sports ‘HEARTBREAKING’: Two dead as tragedy, carnage rocks Sydney to Hobart Two sailors have died in separate incidents in the Sydney to Hobart race. Read morePralhad Joshi Slams Congress Over Playing Politics Over Cremation Of Former PM Manmohan SinghSrinagar, Dec 28: BJP Media Incharge Kashmir, Sajid Yousuf Shah, praised the people of Kashmir for their kindness in helping tourists who got stranded due to the ongoing snowfall, which has caused many difficulties across the region. In a statement, Shah highlighted the strong tradition of hospitality in Kashmir, where locals opened their homes and mosques to provide shelter, food, and warmth to those in need. Despite the challenges of heavy snow, as well as water and power shortages, the people of Kashmir have shown great generosity, making the region proud, he added. Shah also shared videos on his social media showing how local residents and mosque committees have been helping the stranded visitors.

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (NYSE:REXR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from BrokeragesAs President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term, his approach to technology policy is becoming clearer, with significant implications for major tech companies and apps used daily by millions. Trump has long promised to crack down on big tech companies, filling his staff with individuals who share this vision. However, in recent weeks, Trump has been building relationships with industry leaders he has criticized for years. His inaugural fund has received million-dollar donations from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Elon Musk of X has even referred to himself as Trump’s “first buddy.” “I want to get ideas from them. Look, we want them to do well,” Trump said, indicating a willingness to engage with tech giants. Tech companies, particularly social media platforms, are aware of the potential challenges ahead. Trump has accused them of censoring conservative speech, and concerns over privacy and child safety are bipartisan issues in Congress. Scrutiny of the tech industry is expected to intensify. Brendan Carr, Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, has expressed a desire to change how the FCC operates. “For too long, you know, Republicans just sat by and said if a large corporation wants to do something, who are we to stand in the way? And Democrats said, well, they’re ideologically aligned with us, we’ll let them get away with it. I think that era is over,” Carr said. Carr has advocated for making it easier to sue social media companies over content moderation, a move platforms argue could force them to either moderate nothing or everything, drastically altering the internet landscape. TikTok also faces uncertainty, with its future in the U.S. potentially hinging on a Supreme Court decision unless President Joe Biden delays its sale deadline from its Chinese parent company. Trump has hinted at a possible reprieve, saying, “You know I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that.” Google and Apple are also under scrutiny, with Gail Slater nominated to lead the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Slater is expected to continue ongoing cases against these companies, which the DOJ claims engage in anti-competitive practices. When nominating Slater, Trump said, “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” As Trump’s administration takes shape, the tech industry is left to wonder whether he will follow through on his plans to crack down on big tech or if collaboration with top executives will prevail.

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