LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — CJ Luster II's 20 points helped Stony Brook defeat Rider 72-55 on Saturday. Luster shot 7 for 11, including 6 for 9 from beyond the arc for the Seawolves (3-7). Joseph Octave scored 14 points, shooting 5 for 12 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. Ben Wight shot 5 of 7 from the field to finish with 12 points. The Seawolves snapped a five-game losing streak. Jay Alvarez led the Broncs (4-7) in scoring, finishing with 13 points and two steals. Rider also got 13 points, four assists and two steals from Aasim Burton. Tariq Ingraham also had seven points. Stony Brook took the lead with 4:48 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Luster led their team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them up 34-24 at the break. Stony Brook extended its lead to 50-33 during the second half, fueled by a 12-0 scoring run. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

By FATIMA HUSSEIN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members and several other countries have expressed interest in joining. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system . Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy.” At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.” “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. Trump said there is “no chance” BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen “should wave goodbye to America.”Japan’s famous sake joins UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, a boost to brewers and enthusiastsUS senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be 'shot down, if necessary'Cousins Properties Announces Pricing of Senior Notes Offering

I have always thought of elections as messy stories: big, sprawling narratives with plots and subplots and thousands of characters, told in bits and pieces by narrators far from omniscient — never unified, scattered across media platforms, history books, and the vagaries of memory. Journalists piece together such stories. With visuals, out in the field, in newsrooms, and in broadcast studios. Their storytelling often borrows from fiction to add depth and nuance. But today, journalism stands on the brink of something stranger... something perilous but also potentially richer: the creative possibilities offered by AI. What do I mean by that? AI is no longer merely a tool for automation. It is emerging as a canvas for journalistic creativity, offering ways to tell stories we hadn’t quite imagined. What if journalism could wear a digital face? Or sing? These are no longer fanciful questions. During the recent US election, I worked with a team of young multimedia journalists at Bournemouth University exploring how AI might enhance storytelling. We called it Project L. We tested digital avatars — animated versions of real experts delivering sharp, engaging election commentary that felt at home on social media. We used AI-generated music to report on the tension in the swing states and the resumption of polling after bomb scares in Georgia and Michigan. Trump’s victory speech and Kamala Harris’s concession? We turned those into animated music videos, blending verse and visuals. (See an overview of Project L here.) This is where you might be wondering: why? Why go to such lengths? These experiments weren’t about jumping onto the grand bandwagon of gimmicks that accompany every disruptive technology. Nor were they about producing more content. Project L was about creating different content — stories designed to resonate, connect, and reach audiences in ways traditional formats may not. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on automating news production to cut costs, we wanted to explore how this disruption could reimagine storytelling itself. AI doesn’t just change how stories are told; it redefines what they can be. But there’s a catch. Isn’t there always? Every technological disruption brings opportunities and challenges. With AI, the most immediate concern is job displacement — automation that replaces, rather than enhances, human storytellers. Take the AI avatars we experimented with. In theory, their use democratises production: no studio, no expensive equipment. Just a good script and a laptop. A small team can create quality visual content, in multiple languages, at a fraction of the cost. But this efficiency carries a risk: content fatigue. There’s only so much of content a viewer, an audience segment, can consume—a threshold that AI provides us the capability to surpass all too easily. But just because we can produce more content doesn’t mean we should. The real challenge lies in using AI to create meaningful, resonant stories—not adding to the noise. So, how do we ensure AI enhances storytelling in journalism rather than diluting it? The answer lies in purpose, the why of our journalistic content. AI shouldn’t be a replacement for human creativity; it should be a tool for enhancement. By taking over repetitive tasks, it frees journalists to focus on imagination, nuance, and connection—the things machines cannot quite replicate. This liberation allows us to ask: what stories could we tell if we weren’t bound by traditional formats and constraints? How might we leverage avatars, music, or interactive narratives, or investigative opportunities, or personalisation possibilities to connect with audiences in ways we’ve never tried before? That’s the potential AI offers. Used responsibly, guided by ethics and a sense of purpose, it can be a powerful tool to enhance creativity. Journalism has never been just about delivering information. It’s about forging connections: telling stories that challenge us, inspire us, and remind us of our shared humanity. The question isn’t whether AI can help us tell stories—it most certainly can—but whether we use it to tell the ones that truly matter, in ways that remain unmistakably, defiantly human. (Chindu Sreedharan is the Professor of Journalism and Innovation, and the course director of MA Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth University, U.K.) Published - December 15, 2024 02:37 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditBig Ten Signing Day: Late flips push Oregon ahead of Ohio State and Michigan in rankingsCousins Properties Announces Pricing of Senior Notes Offering

NoneFalcons QB Cousins is looking to avoid interceptions, have bounce-back game in Minnesota homecoming

Astro Bot Shocks the World, Stealing Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024

Donald Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC nations

Fortunately for income investors, they have a lot of options to choose from on the Australian share market. So many it can be hard to decide which ones to buy over others. To help narrow things down, let's look at a three ASX dividend shares that analysts rate as buys. Here's why they could be top options next week: ( ) If you are not averse to investing in the mining sector, then mining giant BHP could be an ASX dividend share to buy. That's the view of analysts at Goldman Sachs, which believe the miner is well-positioned to benefit from a copper bull market. They said: We remain bullish on copper due to ongoing supply side challenges and increasing demand and expect BHP's copper EBITDA to increase by ~US$3bn to ~US$10bn by FY26E (~45% of group EBITDA). Under our base case, copper EBITDA is expected to reach US$14bn by FY35E and ~US$19bn with all copper growth, at GSe long run copper of US$4.44/lb (real $, from 2028). Goldman Sachs expects this to underpin fully franked dividends of 99 US cents (~A$1.54) per share in FY 2025 and US$1.08 (~A$1.68) in FY 2026. Based on BHP's current share price of $40.70, this implies of 3.8% and 4.1%, respectively. Goldman Sachs has a buy rating and $47.40 price target on its shares. ( ) Another ASX dividend share that could be a buy is Smartgroup. It is an industry-leading provider of employee benefits, end-to-end fleet management, and software solutions with over 400,000 salary packages and 64,000 novated leases under management. Bell Potter likes the company due to its defensive business, favourable tailwinds, and attractive valuation. It said: SIQ looks well priced given a fwd P/E of ~14.5x, a defensive client base, earnings tailwinds from the Electric Car Discount Bill (exempts low or zero emission vehicles from Fringe Benefits Tax), an ROE of ~30% and a strong balance sheet. In respect to dividends, the broker is forecasting fully franked dividends of 53.3 cents in FY 2024 and then 59.7 cents in FY 2025. Based on its current share price of $8.17, this would mean dividend yields of 6.5% and 7.3%, respectively. Bell Potter has a buy rating and $10.00 price target on its shares. ( ) Another ASX dividend share that has been given a buy rating is telco giant Telstra. Goldman Sachs thinks income investors should invest due to its defensive earnings, positive growth outlook, and asset monetisation opportunities. It said: We believe the low risk earnings (and dividend) growth that Telstra is delivering across FY22-25, underpinned through its mobile business, is attractive. We also believe that Telstra has a meaningful medium term opportunity to crystallise value through commencing the process to monetize its InfraCo Fixed assets – which we estimate could be worth between A$22-33bn. As for dividends, Goldman is forecasting fully franked dividends of 19 cents per share in FY 2025 and then 20 cents per share in FY 2026. Based on the current Telstra share price of $3.99, this represents dividend yields of 4.75% and 5%, respectively. The broker has a buy rating and $4.35 price target on its shares.CHICAGO (AP) — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern 38-28 on Saturday to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season. Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter as Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) struck for touchdowns just over 4 minutes apart early in the third quarter to open a 28-10 lead in what had been a tight game. Bryant's 10th receiving touchdown tied a school record. Altmyer, who threw for 170 yards, had a TD himself on a keeper from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. David Olano added a field goal in the fourth to cap Illinois' scoring. Laughery, a sophomore running back, rushed for a career-best 172 yards and topped 100 for the first time. He entered with only one TD this season and two for his career. He had a career-long 64-yard run for a score early in the second half. Coach Bret Bielema said he wasn't surprised by Laughery's explosive performance as the Gibson City, Illinois product rounded back into form after being hampered by a hamstring injury earlier this season. “I thought today would be a day that could happen,” Bielema said. “Today some of those turned into big home run hits we've kind of been waiting on all year.” Laughery said he's been prepping for this kind of game, when he carried the ball 12 times for an average of 14.3 yards. “Finally, the opportunity was there,” said Laughery, who got the game ball. “You know you gotta' hit one and it came together today.” He credited the Illini offensive line with opening space for his breakout performance. “Those guys were covering them (Northwestern's defense) all day long,” Laughery said. “It was awesome running behind the looks we were getting” Northwestern’s Devin Turner intercepted Altmyer twice, including for a 13-yard touchdown return late in the first quarter. Thomas Gordon caught Jack Lausch's 15-yard TD pass with a minute left, then the Wildcats added a two-point conversion to complete the scoring. Northwestern (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) didn’t pack it in as hosted its second game this season at Wrigley Field, this time on a breezy sunny day with game-time temperature of 20 degrees. It looked like the Illini might run away after Bryant’s 10th receiving touchdown 4:52 into the third. He entered tied for the Big Ten lead. But Luke Akers kicked his second field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, with 5:35 left in the third quarter to cut it to 28-13. Lausch led the Wildcats on their next possession and finished it with an 11-yard touchdown toss to A.J. Henning to narrow the Illini lead to 28-20. Then Mac Resetich intercepted Lausch’s pass 50 seconds into the fourth quarter. Laughery powered up the middle for 31 yards and his third TD about two minutes later to quell the Wildcats' momentum. Northwestern dominated in possession time — 34:32 to 25:28 —and plays — 90 to 53. The margin was even more pronounced in the first half, but the Wildcats settled for a 13-yard touchdown return on Turner’s second pick of the game with 2:14 left in the first quarter and Akers’ 21-yard field goal that opened the scoring 6:29 in. Illinois led 14-10 at the half on Laughery’s 30-yard TD run midway through the first quarter and Altmyer’s keeper 1:39 into the second. Akers missed wide to the right on a 44-yard attempt as time ran out in the half. Wide receivers down Both teams’ leading pass receivers were injured. Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a lower-body injury after two receptions that upped his total yards to 598. Illinois’ Bryant went to the locker room with about 5 minutes left in the first half after Turner collided with him as he plucked his second interception. Bryant returned, however, for the second half. The takeaway Illinois: Is in line for a prestigious bowl game appearance and a chance to tie the school record of 10 wins, most recently set during their 2001 Sugar Bowl season. “We wanted to put ourselves in a good position on this day to get to nine wins and see where it can go,” Bielema said. “Just a fun day overall. I don't know what the future holds. It think we're a team that can play with anybody in the country.” Northwestern: Finished its second season under coach David Braun at 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats dropped their final three and five of the last six. Up next Illinois is headed to a bowl game. Northwestern opens its 2025 season at Tulane on Aug. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

Fearing for his life, Josue Chube Choque remembers shouting that he was a journalist as protesters attacked him in Bolivia last month. The reporter was working for TV station Unitel, covering widespread protests by supporters of Bolivia’s former president as they blocked roads across the country. Choque said he received multiple hits to his body and face after being ambushed while covering confrontations between the police and protesters in the town of Mairana. “At some point we saw people coming from every side of the road. We were being ambushed — the police, other colleagues and me,” he told VOA, adding that he was prevented from leaving. “All I did was cover my face, eyes, nose, pray to God.” Choque identified himself multiple times as a journalist but, he said, “No one paid attention to what I was saying, and protesters continued hitting me.” The reporter was held against his will for several hours, and his equipment was taken. Finally, with the assistance of some women in the community, he was able to leave. The journalist is one of around two dozen media workers attacked while covering the protests. Their cases reflect a worsening environment for the press in Bolivia, according to analysts who say verbal attacks from officials, physical assaults and withholding of advertising revenue are making journalism more challenging. Zulema Alanis Bravo, president of the National Association of Journalists in Bolivia, said that journalists are being attacked more frequently. She referenced the latest report of the Human Rights Observatories in Bolivia, which says that on average, a reporter is attacked every three days in the country. “Unfortunately, in none of the cases we have seen a transparent investigation, a reparation and no justice,” said Bravo. “Belligerence against journalists and the media has increased in recent years.” An independent investigation commissioned by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights earlier this year found that in Bolivia, “there are worrying conditions of threats and extreme risks for journalistic work.” The country fell seven points on the World Press Freedom Index. It currently ranks 124 out of 180, where 1 shows the best media environment. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the index, has documented at least 25 cases of reporters being attacked while covering last month’s protests. A VOA crew was among those harassed, while working in the town of Parotani. Raul Penaranda, who in 2018 co-founded the independent news outlet Brujula Digital, said the environment for journalists has worsened amid a political crisis. Former President Evo Morales is calling on his supporters to protest the current government, which leaves journalists caught in clashes between protesters and police. During his presidency and since leaving office, Morales regularly targeted the press and singled out individual journalists and their outlets, including Penaranda. Morales has “constantly [been] against journalists and their work,” Penaranda said. But under President Luis Arce, Penaranda said, the allocation of state advertising is a tool of “reward and punishment,” with media perceived to be aligned with the government being favored. Meanwhile, media viewed as critical miss out on funds and potential sponsors. The government “pressures the private sector not to advertise,” Penaranda said. The adversarial rhetoric from political leaders has a knock-on effect. “There is a lot more challenges nowadays to work as a journalist,” said Choque. “It looks like there is a similar motto around the country. Colleagues have heard in multiple places while covering protests that people who are supporters of the former president scream at reporters, ‘Let’s burn them alive.’” Arce’s media team did not respond to VOA's request for comment. VOA attempts to reach a current spokesperson for Morales and to reach a legislator who worked for his party were unsuccessful. When it comes to physical attack, Bravo said that a lack of justice, coupled with journalists being wary of reporting incidents to authorities, combine to make the situation worse. In Choque’s case, he says he reported the incident to police. But after receiving multiple threats, he left the country while an investigation takes place.Jacksonville defeats East Tennessee State 60-52WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge terminated the gun case against Hunter Biden on Tuesday after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika closed the case the week before Hunter Biden was to be sentenced. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison, though as a first-time offender he likely would have gotten far less time or avoided prison entirely. Prosecutors opposed dismissing the case, arguing in court documents that a pardon shouldn't wipe away the case “as if it never occurred." Hunter Biden was convicted on three felonies after he lied on a federal form to purchase a gun in Delaware by saying he wasn’t a drug user in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged being addicted. The judge's order ends the case but does not toss out the conviction. The Justice Department special counsel is also opposed to dismissing a case filed in California after Hunter Biden failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes . U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in Los Angeles indicted he would dismiss the case once the pardon is formally received. Still, Scarsi was critical of the president's assertion that his son was singled out for political reasons, saying two judges had rejected similar arguments from his defense attorneys. The president's Sunday decision to go back on previous pledges and issue his son a blanket federal pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, drawing criticism from many Democrats as well as Republicans and threatening to cloud Biden’s legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20. Hunter Biden was originally supposed to strike a plea deal with prosecutors last year that would have spared him prison time, but the agreement fell apart after Noreika questioned unusual aspects of it. This story was first published Dec. 3, 2024. It was updated Dec. 4, 2024, to explain that the case was terminated, which ends the case but doesn’t toss out the conviction.

Encore Capital Management's Condominium Hotel in Kissimmee, first to carry Hilton's Embassy BrandLUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity." At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-monthlong process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan's broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake's image as Japan's premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” Takehiro said of the UNESCO designation. "This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” Also, Japanese breweries have expressed hope that the listing could give a little lift to the country's export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, a trade group. Japan's delegation appeared ready to celebrate on Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite.

Magnetically controlled kirigami surfaces move objects: No grasping needed