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Maharashtra elections: BJP tightens grip on VidarbhaJimmy Carter biographer E. Stanley Godbold reflects on the life of former President Jimmy Carter on ‘Fox News Live.’ Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was long associated with peanuts — an enduring symbol of his humble beginnings and a testament to the values of hard work that he embraced during his lifetime. Before entering the political arena, Carter, who passed away at age 100 on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, managed his family's peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, according to the National Park Service (NPS). "The key to peanut harvest was the threshing machine, which we called a ‘picker’ because it picked the nuts from the vines ," said Carter, the NPS noted. JIMMY CARTER SPENT NEARLY 2 YEARS IN HOSPICE CARE BEFORE HIS DEATH "It was most often driven by a flat belt from the rear axle or wheel of a truck , and the dried stacks were hauled to it on wooden sleds, each pulled by a mule," Carter also said, the same source reported. He added, "This was a big and important operation and involved all the men on the place." President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Dec. 29, 2024, grew up on his family's peanut farm, eventually expanding it into a profitable business. (National Park Service) After his father passed, Carter resigned from the U.S. Navy in 1953. He saw fortune in expanding the three acres of peanuts on the farm. For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle Carter began growing peanut seeds himself, opening "Carter’s Warehouse," which sold seeds and shelling. President Carter was a peanut farmer in Georgia before entering the political arena. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) The agri-business also supplied corn, ginned cotton, liquid nitrogen, bulk fertilizer and lime. Carter’s connection to peanuts became a defining feature of his public image. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER It became a symbol for his White House bid, reflecting his dedication to representing everyday Americans. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign Committee even handed out bags of peanuts with "Jimmy Carter for President" during his run against Republican Gerald Ford. Carter's favorite crop followed him throughout his lifetime. (Smithsonian Institution) In Oct. 1977, President Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter hosted a Peanut Brigade Party. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The First Family hosted 500 Georgian supporters on the South Lawn for a barbecue and boiled peanuts , according to the White House Historical Association (WHAA).As AI and blockchain continue to merge, Lightchain AI (LCAI) is quickly gaining attention as a significant game-changer in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. Yes! Lightchain AI is available at a presale price of $0.003. This token combines cutting-edge blockchain technology with advanced artificial intelligence, delivering real-world utility and innovation. This makes it interesting to experts for having a strong roadmap, coupled with a distinct Proof of Intelligence consensus process believed to propel DeFi. Of note, Lightchain AI is also one token to watch because the cryptocurrency market changes daily. Why Lightchain AI is considered a potential game-changer in DeFi Lightchain AI (LCAI) is turning out to be a potential game-changer in the DeFi sector by integrating artificial intelligence with blockchain technology. Yes! Its innovative Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism enhances scalability and efficiency, which will address key challenges in the DeFi space. Now, LCAI offers early investors an opportunity to participate in a project that combines advanced technology with real-world utility with a presale price just at $0.003. Its strong roadmap and focus on AI-driven applications set Lightchain AI to significantly influence the evolution of DeFi, attracting attention from experts and investors alike. Innovative Integration of AI and Blockchain Lightchain AI fits together smart thinking with blockchain tech, making a divide system that enhances speed and size. Its Smart Thinking Virtual Machine lets tasks happen right away on the chain, helping tools like Tensor Flow and Pie Torch. This will enable smart solutions in different health, financial, and logistics sectors while providing safety, transparency, and fast AI-driven solutions. Its novel approach to bias, control, and accountability by the system will address and ensure fair AI decision making and thus guarantee trust with its mechanism. Unique Proof of Intelligence Consensus Mechanism Lightchain AI introduces the Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism, which rewards nodes for executing valuable AI computations like model training and optimization. This approach replacing traditional mining and staking, enhancing network security while advancing decentralized AI capabilities. By channeling computational power into meaningful AI tasks, the PoI mechanism promotes both sustainability and efficiency in the blockchain space. This forward-thinking and unique approach sets Lightchain AI at the forefront of combining AI with decentralized technologies, which set a new way of standard for innovation. Expert Opinions and Predictions Industry experts are more optimistic about Lightchain AI's potential to change the blockchain landscape. Also its innovative integration of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, particularly through its Proof of Intelligence mechanism, is seen as a key factor that could make it a significant player in decentralized intelligence. With all these growing factors, price predictions for Lightchain AI (LCAI) are notably bullish. Some predictions suggest that LCAI could undergo significant growth, with projections estimating a rise to $0.50 by 2025, representing substantial returns for early investors. These expert insights highlights the growing confidence in Lightchain AI's technological advancements and its potential impact on the future of decentralized finance and blockchain applications. Comparison with Existing DeFi Tokens A thing about Lightchain AI (LCAI) is its unique way of combining AI and blockchain, whereas many of its competitors are purely DeFi tokens. While traditional DeFi platforms have no innovative proof of intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism, with LCAI rewarding the nodes for doing valuable tasks in AI, it will significantly harden the security of the network while improving efficiency. For contrast, fully established DeFi coins include Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) in proof mechanisms including proof of stake and proof of history, where these cryptocurrencies put main emphasis on transaction velocity or scalability. Despite those features, they cannot make significant contributions in terms of what LCAI could contribute to the world. It therefore has its potential as a possible disruptor in this space where the current DeFi ecosystem stands and evolves. The Future of Lightchain AI in DeFi Lightchain AI (LCAI) is set to make a major impact on the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) by combining artificial intelligence with blockchain technology. Its unique Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism boosts both network security and efficiency, making it a strong contender to lead the DeFi space. The ongoing presale of LCAI tokens, priced at $0.003, has caught the attention of many investors, raising $2.2 million so far. This strong support shows that people believe in Lightchain AI’s innovative approach and its potential to transform DeFi protocols. As the platform continues to grow and expand, it's set to lead the next wave of innovation in decentralized finance, bringing exciting opportunities to the space. https://lightchain.ai https://lightchain.ai/lightchain-whitepaper.pdf https://x.com/LightchainAI https://t.me/LightchainProtocol Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.You might not have heard of Dr Ben Goertzel, the CEO of the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance, and founder of SingularityNET, the world’s first decentralized AI platform, but he’s on a mission to accelerate our progress towards the point in history that is popularly known as the singularity, when AI becomes so intelligent that it surpasses human intelligence and enters into a recursive sequence of self-improvement cycles that leads to the emergence of a limitlessly powerful superintelligence. The term AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) was invented to describe superintelligence by a group including Goertzel, Shane Legg and Peter Voss when they were thinking about a title for a book Goertzel was editing, in which Legg and Voss had authored chapters. The book came out in 2005 with the title Artificial General Intelligence , and then Goertzel launched the AGI conference series in 2006. (He later discovered that the physicist Mark Gubrud had used the term in an article in 1997, so while it was Goertzel who launched the term into the world and got it adopted, it had popped up online before.) Sam Altman of OpenAI , the makers of the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT , has predicted that humans will create superintelligence, or AGI, in "a few thousand days" , and Goertzel is equally ambitious. “I personally think that we’re going to get to human-level AGI within, let’s say, three to five years, which is around the same as Ray Kurzweil (author of the 2005 book The Singularity Is Near ), who put it at 2029," Goertzel told me on a video call from his home in Seattle. "I wouldn’t say it's impossible to make the breakthrough in one or two years, it's just that's not my own personal feel of it, but things are going fast, right?” 'I can’t say there’s a zero percent chance that leads to something that’s bad' Indeed they are. Once you get to a human-level AGI, things can advance quite rapidly, and in good or bad ways. We’ve all seen movies like The Terminator . What if AGI just decides it doesn’t need humans around and getting in the way, and wants to get rid of us? Goertzel continues: “Ray Kurzweil thought that we’d get to human equivalent AGI by 2029 and then massively superhuman AGI by 2045, which he then equated with the Singularity, meaning a point where technological advance occurs so fast that it appears infinite relative to humans, like your phone is making a new Nobel prize-level discovery every second. "I can’t say there’s a zero percent chance that leads to something that’s bad. I don’t see why a super AI would enslave people or use them for batteries or even hate us and try to slaughter us; but I mean, if I’m going to build a house I mow down a bunch of ants and their ant hills, I’ll put a bunch of squirrels out of their home; I can see an AI having that same sort of indifference to us as we have towards non-human animals and plants much of the time.” Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. Before you get too worried, Goertzel does see some room for optimism when it comes to the implications of AGI: “On the other hand I don’t see why that’s overwhelmingly likely, because we are building these systems, and we’re building them with the goal of making them help us and like us mostly, so there doesn’t seem a reason why as soon as they get twice as smart as us they’re suddenly going to turn and stop trying to help us and want to destroy us. "The best we can do, even if we’re worried about dangers, is direct AGIs towards being compassionate, helpful beings, right? And that leads into what I’ve been doing with SingularityNET.” Dr Ben Goertzel is on a mission to accelerate the emergence of human-level artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence for the benefit of all mankind. Goertzel has two big AGI projects that are coupled together. One is OpenCog Hyperone , which is an attempt to build AGI according to reasonable cognitive architecture that’s an embodied agent who knows who it is and who we are, and tries to achieve goals in the world in a holistic way. Some of the photos of Goertzel in this article show him sharing the stage with two robots created by Hanson Robotics – Sophia and Desdemona. Sophia, a 'social robot' who can mimic social behavior, has the bald head and Desdemona, also known as 'Desi', is the lead vocalist in a band that includes Goertzel on keyboards. Desi is wearing the cat ears and has three legs. The photos are from TOKEN2049, a 2024 cryptocurrency conference in Singapore, but these AI robots date back from much earlier and represent some of the early advances in AI, and robotics, before the emergence of the large language models (LLMs) we have today. In fact, Goertzel still sees value in their evolution, because they were created with something different in mind than today’s chatbots. “While ChatGPT (and other chatbots) have advanced a lot, they’re not embodied agents," he says. "ChatGPT, when you talk to it, doesn’t know who it is or know who you are, or try to create a bond with you. It totally objectifies the interaction. The goal with the AI behind these robots was starting from a different point. It was starting from having a sort of rich emotional or social relation with the person being interacted with, and that still seems like an important thing to be doing, even though some other aspects of AI have advanced so far with large language learning models and such. 'Don't worry, nothing is under control' "Large language models like deep neural nets can be part of an AGI, but I think you also want other parts so we have logical reasoning systems, we have systems that do creativity by evolutionary learning like a genetic algorithm. It’s a fairly different approach to AGI than the ChatGPTs of the world.” Goertzel's SignularityNET , is a platform designed to run AI systems that are decentralized across many different computers around the world, so they have no central owner or controller, much like the blockchain model. This is either very important for making AGI ethical, or very dangerous and terrifying, depending on your perspective. Goertzel is in the former camp. “Ram Dass, the guru from my childhood had this beautiful saying, ‘Don’t worry, nothing is under control’, so either you think that’s great and the way it has to be, or you think 'What’s going to happen? We need some fearless leader to direct things!' I’m obviously among those who think that if AI is controlled by one party as we get the breakthrough to AGI, it's bad because that party has some narrow collection of interests that will then channel the AGI’s mind in a very special way which isn’t for the good of all humanity. I would much rather see AGI developed in the modality of the internet, or the Linux operating system – sort of by and for everyone and no one, and that’s what platforms like SingularityNET and the ASI alliance platform allows.” Goertzel is putting his money where his mouth is. SingularityNET is offering more than over $1 million in grants to developers of beneficial AGI, but they need to apply before December 1 2024. 'Well the end of aging and death wouldn’t be bad' I’m left feeling slightly apprehensive about the future of, well, everything. Is there anything Goertzel can do to reassure me that there’s some benefit to AGI for humanity? Can he give me some examples of good things that could happen? “Well the end of aging and death wouldn’t be bad," he suggests. "If you could cure all diseases and end involuntary death and allow everyone to grow back their body from age 20 and keep it there for as long as they wanted... I mean that would mean getting rid of cancer and dementia and mental illness. That would be a significant plus. Or let’s say having a little box air-dropped by a drone in everyone’s backyard, that would take a verbal instruction and 3D-print you any form of matter that you wanted, like a molecular nano assembler... that would be highly advantageous.” I realize at this point that he’s talking about the replicators from Star Trek . “You probably want some guard rails on there”, he adds, almost casually. “If you look at the environment and global warming and such, more efficient ways of generating power from solar, geothermal and water. No doubt AGI would be able to solve those faster than us. I mean, the upside is pretty significant.” Well, that’s one way of putting it. At this point my head is spinning with possibilities. “Even setting aside the crazier stuff like brain-computer interfacing, I mean, you could upgrade your own brain," Goertzel continues. "You could fuse your mind with the AGI to whatever level you felt was appropriate. If you did too much you could sort of lose yourself, which some people might not mind, but if you did just a little, you could, say, learn to play a musical instrument in half an hour instead of 10 years, right?” 'Just put them in space, to cool things down' It seems that the possible upsides of AGI are obvious to anybody who has read a lot of science fiction. But I wonder if we have enough resources to make all this happen on Earth, since even our current AI chatbots need to consume vast amounts of resources in order to perform relatively simple work. I should probably have anticipated Goertzel's answer: “Well, there’s a lot we don’t know how to mine on the planet, but AGI would," True, but what about the amount of water AI requires for cooling? “Just put them in space, to cool things down," he says. "Put the AGI on satellites in space, using solar energy and resources from mining the moon and asteroids. Once you have something that’s multiple times smarter than humans, it doesn’t have to be bound by the constraints that bind us in practice. There’s so much we don’t understand that a system even twice as smart as us would understand. We don’t know what the constraint would be.” I leave my talk with Goertzel trying to imagine what constraints could possibly apply to minds beyond the human level. All I can think of are the words of William Blake on describing the face of a tiger, the natural world's most fearsome predator: “What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” I’m still unsure if AGI will be a force for good or ill, or if those are just concepts that apply to lesser mortals, and not to the superintelligence gods to come; but right now we still have a degree of control over the direction AGI takes, and it’s reassuring to know that there are people like Ben Goertzel in the world, pushing for an ethical and compassionate AGI in the new world to come. The need to seek return on investment on AI What role will blockchain play in securing the future of AI-driven infrastructure? I cloned my voice with AI and even my wife can’t tell the difference

NATO chief discusses ‘global security’ with Trump

No game Wednesday at The Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St., off Exit 1 of the I-190, because of the New Year’s Day holiday. Otherwise, the club offers a regular schedule of in-person and online games five days a week, with special games on the weekends, unusually one each month. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-424-0014. The Bridge Center reminds members that dues for 2025 are $80 and can be paid now, cash or check. Fee for games beginning Jan. 1 will be $8 for members and $12 for non-members. In case of heavy snow, the club abides by what the Buffalo Public Schools do. If the schools close, the club will be closed. Lessons for beginners are being held at the Buffalo Bridge Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays. For more information, call Ruth Nawotniak at 716-949-7574 or email ruth2250@outlook.com . Don’t want to clean up the house for kitchen bridge? The Bridge Center also hosts a social game in its lessons room on Tuesday mornings during the regular 10:30 a.m. game. Players can go at their own speed and style. Fee is $5 to cover expenses. In-person games: Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. For players with fewer than 1,600 points. Simultaneous game for players with fewer than 99 points if there are enough tables. Free lesson at 10. Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Open to all players. Simultaneous game for players with fewer than 99 points if there are enough tables. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Upgraded to now include players with up to 2,000 points. Simultaneous game for players with fewer than 99 points if there are enough tables. Free lesson at 10. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Open to all players by pre-registration only. Call 716-424-0014. Virtual games on Bridge Base Online: Mondays, 7 p.m. For players with fewer than 750 points. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Delaware Wednesday game for players with fewer than 2,000 points. For info on this game, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com . • • • More access to virtual games on Bridge Base Online is being offered by the Airport Bridge Club, which currently is not holding face-to-face games. It has affiliated with a new group of clubs, the SE Club of Clubs Online Bridge Collective, where most games are $5. For more info, click this link . The Airport Club also continues to be part of the Alliance Bridge Club, which offers more than a dozen games every day. Anyone who has played at the Airport Club is automatically a member. For more info, visit alliancebridgeclub.com or call Airport Club manager Bill Finkelstein at 716-603-6943. • • • The East Aurora Bridge Club begins play at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora. Attendance is generally three or four tables. For more info, email director Dave Larcom at dmocral@verizon.net . • • • The Bridge Centre of Niagara (BCON) in St. Catharines, Ont., offers a mix of online games and in-person games at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue. Face-to-face games open to all players are offered at 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is also a face-to-face game for 499ers (players with fewer than 500 points) at 1 p.m. Monday and Friday, a beginner game with a mini-lesson at 6 p.m. Monday, mentoring at 1 p.m. Tuesdays (register by 9 p.m. Sunday), a 299er game at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (pre-registration requested); and a 999er game at 1 p.m. Thursday. The club currently hosts two virtual games on Bridge Base Online. There’s one for players with fewer than 750 points at 10 a.m. Tuesdays, and an open game at 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more info, click here . BCON also has begun an affiliation with SE Club of Clubs Online Bridge Collective, which appears as SE Carolina on Bridge Base Online. Games run throughout the day. A full lineup of games can be seen at SE Carolina On-line Bridge . • • • Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered at the Tonawanda Senior Center on Wednesday afternoons and at the Amherst Senior Center on Monday and Friday afternoons. The Tonawanda Senior Center will not have a game on New Year's Day. • • • Tournament calendar 2025 Toronto Non-Life Master Regional – Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Next Friday, Jan. 3, to Sunday, Jan. 5. For more info, click this link . Toronto New Year's Sectional – Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. NextFriday, Jan. 3, to Sunday, Jan. 5. For more info, click this link . Cleveland Rock & Roll Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio. Wednesday, Jan. 8, to Sunday, Jan. 12. For more info, click this link . Niagara Sectional – Holiday Inn & Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Friday, Feb. 7, to Sunday, Feb. 9. Buffalo Spring Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St., Buffalo. Friday, March 28, to Sunday, March 30. Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, April 15, to Sunday, April 20. For more info, click this link . Finger Lakes Regional – Louis Wolk Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Ave., Rochester. Tuesday, June 9, to Sunday, June 14. Cleveland All-American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 29. For more info, click this link . South Western Ontario Regional – St. George Banquet Hall, 665 King St. North, Waterloo, Ont. Tuesday, July 1, to Sunday, July 6. For more info, click this link . Buffalo Summer Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St., Buffalo. Friday, July 11, to Sunday, July 13. Niagara 499er Sectional – Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Center, 14 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Friday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 17. Pittsburgh Labor Day Regional – Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center, 3579 Masonic Way, Pittsburgh, Pa. Wednesday, Aug. 27, to Monday, Sept. 1. Great Lakes Sectional – Erie Bridge Club, 1221 Grant Ave., Erie, Pa. Saturday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 7. Buffalo Fall Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St., Buffalo. Friday, Sept. 12, to Sunday, Sept 14. Buffalo Regional – Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga. Tuesday, Oct. 21, to Sunday, Oct. 26. Niagara Regional – Holiday Inn & Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Tuesday, Nov. 11, to Sunday, Nov. 16. • • • Bridge club websites: Click names for links. Bridge Center of Buffalo . Western New York Unit 116 . The Airport Bridge Club, which continues to be on hiatus, does not have a website. For info, call 716-603-6943. • • • Duplicate scores from ACBL Live for Clubs Week of Dec. 16 to Dec. 22 ACBL Affiliated Clubs Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game online. Fran Schmidt and Richard McGowan, 66.67%; Karen Dearing and Joyce Frayer, 62.04%; Fran Holmes and Leslie Deich, 59.26%. Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,600 game. Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 67.20%; Ilene Rothman and Carol Licata, 57.20%; Jeannine Dupuis and Joyce Frayer, 53.40%; Brian Fleming and Dennis Daly, 52.50%; (tie) Betty Metz and John Brennan, Judy Zeckhauser and Pat Haynes, 50.80%. Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-2,000 game. Maryann Szafran and Pat Haynes, 62.50%; (tie) Joanne Nover and David Schott, Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 60%. Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. Jay Costello and Bud Seidenberg, 63%; Judy Graf and Mike Ryan, 57%; Davis Heussler and Fred Yellen, 51%. Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Open game. Mary Terrana and Gordon Crone, 56.55%; Maureen Cancilla and Kathy Donnelly, 55.95%; Linda and Paul Zittel, 55.36%. Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game online. Richard Berger and Richard Burkhart, 64.44%; Richard McGowan and Bill Rich, 59.44%; Wendy Zimman-Smith and Cookie Melanson, 56.11%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 55.56%. Other clubs Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 68%; Joe Huber and Fritz Schweiger, 52%; east-west, Nancy Wolstoncroft and Pat Radtke, 61%; Dan Blatz and Bruce Brown, 59%. Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 57%; Nancy Wolstoncroft and Rolene Pozarny, 54%; east-west, Ruth Nowatniak and Bill Rogers, 63%; Karen Synor and Jeff Peters, 56%. Tonawanda Senior Center Wednesday afternoon – Ed and Mike Rupp, 65.2%; Judy White and Fritz Schweiger, 58.3%; Rose Bochiechio and Edna Fill, 51.4%. • • • Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Play in All Venues Jan. 1, 2024, to Nov. 30, 2024 0-5 Points – Mike Rupp, 7.32; John Brennan, 3.09; Alice Cooley, 2.56; Cathy Hetzler, 2.02; Elaine Rinfrette, 0.66;Maxine Seller, 0.59. 5-20 Points – Zakie Nohra, 14.89; Dennis Daly, 13.37; Fran Holmes, 6.91; Anthony Girasole, 6.38; Jeannine Dupuis, 4.44; Barbara Kaye, 3.43; Devon Marlette, 3.07; Joan Nigrelli, 1.84; Chris-Elaine Santilli, 1.79; Bill Duax, 1.65; Shrikant Joshi, 1.12; (tie) Melanie Skalski, Carol Li, 0.92; Marie Aaron, 0.90. 20-50 Points – Brian Fleming, 31.80; Ilene Rothman, 26.74; Michel Dupuis, 12.64; Molly Morris, 10.34; Donna Starnes, 8.73; Pepe Justicia-Linde, 7.97; Kathleen Voigt, 6.35; Phyllis Stasiowski, 5.53; Gini Sicignano, 5.48; Maxine Johnson, 4.83. 50-100 Points – Maria Schory, 34.71; Howard Epstein, 28.93; Mike Meacham, 19.32; John Houghtaling, 17.96; Susan Cardamone, 16.26; Gary Keenan, 15.52; Maureen Cancilla, 13.63; Mike Metzger, 12.90; Cynthia Tashjian, 12.24; Candace Graser, 10.48. 100-200 Points – Carol Licata, 39.65; Jim Hassett, 20.47; Joan Ciszak, 15.04; Fran Schmidt, 13.62; Betty DeFeo, 13.49; Judith McDermid, 11.64; Jim Greno, 9.04; Susan Levy, 7.72; Betsy Greno, 7.09; Janet Desmon, 3.95; Tiger Li, 3.82. 200-300 Points – Maria Amlani, 58.13; David Whitt, 29.94; Ethan Xie, 17.98; Laura Houghtaling, 17.96; John Scott, 5.25; Judy Babat, 5.15; Barbara Scott, 3.47; Laurie Foster, 3.32; Patty Porter, 1.68; Stuart Caswell, 0.75; John Fiegl, 0.58. 300-500 Points – Pat Haynes, 91.53; David Schott, 91.95; Joanne Nover, 65.70; Jim McClure, 31.30; Linda Milch, 29.89; Kusum Phadke, 29.43; Ruth Nawotniak, 23.77; Bob Ciszak, 23.11; Margaret Zhou, 21.39; Maryann Szafran, 19.12. 500-1,000 Points – Larry Himelein, 152.79; Martha Townson, 105.11; Terry Hamovitch, 71.66; Bram Hamovitch, 70.34; Joyce Frayer, 62.52; Linda Zittel, 53.02; Paul Zittel, 52.31; Mary Terrana, 46.83; Andrei Reinhorn, 43.89; Gordon Crone, 42.11. 1,000-1,500 Points – Jim Lanzo, 200.25; Kamil Bishara, 151.45; Vic Bergsten, 75.50; Mary Ball, 61.34; Betty Metz, 48.72; (tie) Marilyn Wortzman, Jim Easton, 47.72; Sue Neubecker, 44.45; Terry Fraas, 43.69; Joanne LaFay, 36.68. 1,500-2,500 Points – David Colligan, 89.59; John Bava, 57.27; Tova Reinhorn, 48.90; Pinky Regan, 50.21; Paula Kotowski, 46.92; Walt Olszewski, 36.79; Joyce Greenspan, 27.89; Sandi England, 27.17; Rajat Basu, 24.69; Judy Kaprove, 12.89. 2,500-3,500 Points – Linda Burroughsford, 193.33; Fred Yellen, 90.81; Art Morth, 31.42; Bill Rushmore, 21.95; Dale Anderson, 20.52; David Turner, 10.54; Mike Silverman, 9.07; Elaine Kurasiewicz, 6.05; Pat Rasmus, 1.89; Joanne Kelley, 1.71. 3,500-5,000 Points – Davis Heussler, 256.89; John Ziemer, 88.99; Donna Steffan, 82.54; Judy Graf, 69.64; Judy Padgug, 56.53; Chongmin Zhang, 51.97; Martha Welte, 49.31; Jim Gullo, 42.19; Mike Ryan, 36.31; Brian Meyer, 7.88. More than 5,000 Points – Saleh Fetouh, 960.74; Jay Levy, 159.73; Chris Urbanek, 156.62; Glenn Milgrim, 141.78; Dian Petrov, 112.58; Bud Seidenberg, 104.96; Jay Costello, 80.69; Kathy Pollock, 64.27; Sharon Benz, 27.77; Dan Gerstman, 7.88. • • • The Duplicate Bridge column is compiled weekly by Buffalo News Staff Reporter Dale Anderson. The print version stopped appearing Saturdays in The News in March 2020 when the pandemic forced local bridge clubs to halt face-to-face play. These days you can find it in two places online. Google “Duplicate Bridge” plus the current Saturday date and that should bring up a link to it on buffalonews.com , the Buffalo News website. Another place to find it is on Dale Anderson’s bridge blog at http://newsdupli.blogspot.com/ Deadline for submission of scores and notices is Tuesday night. Email danderson@buffnews.com or dahotwings@aol.com . Office phone is 716-849-4420. • • • A Gold Life Master , Dale Anderson has a career total of more than 2,980 master points. He occasionally writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here . Email danderson@buffnews.com . Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Jeddah: The Jeddah Book Fair concluded on Saturday, attracting thousands of visitors with local and international booksellers. Held from Dec. 12-21 under the slogan “Jeddah Reads,” the fair featured more than 450 pavilions and showcased works from 1,000 publishing houses across 22 countries. Mohammed Alwan, CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, said that the fair displayed nearly 400,000 titles, selling more than 450,000 books in various genres. The event hosted workshops, seminars, panel discussions and book signings led by experts in literature, arts and sports. A dedicated children’s section featured animation, educational books and advanced learning tools. One pavilion highlighted the cultural significance of camels, using modern technology to explore their history, types, and related poetry. Arabic manga publications targeting youth were also a key attraction, alongside interactive displays and models of famous characters, offering a blend of entertainment and education.CHANDLER, Ariz. — History has been made as the St. Mary's Knights have become the first-ever champions of the 4A conference in girls flag football. This has been an incredible season for the No. 1 seed Knights, who defeated No. 2 Prescott, 10-7, in the state championship game. The Knights finished the season 13-0 after dominating their competition from the beginning of the season to the end. St. Mary's scored an average of 28.46 points per game, kept opponents from scoring eight times and only gave up more than seven points once, in their regular-season finale against Mesquite. Once the playoffs arrived, St. Mary's showed they wanted to raise the golden football with a 19-7 win over No. 16 Arcadia, 33-0 win over No. 9 Eastmark and 20-3 win over No. 5 Scottsdale Christian. The Knights were tested in the title game, however. After opening the scoring against Prescott with a touchdown late in the first half, the Badgers responded to tie the game right before halftime. The teams would play a scoreless second half until St. Mary's was able to make a field goal with 46.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give them the state championship. St. Mary's now goes down in the history books as the first team to ever win a state championship in 4A, as the conference was newly added this year. >> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone. Watch 12News+ for free You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app! The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV . 12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives. Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX." 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NEW YORK — The holiday shopping season is about to reach full speed with Black Friday, which kicks off the post-Thanksgiving retail rush later this week. The annual sales event no longer creates the midnight mall crowds or doorbuster mayhem of recent decades, in large part due to the ease of online shopping and habits forged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoping to entice equivocating consumers, retailers already have spent weeks bombarding customers with ads and early offers. Still, whether visiting stores or clicking on countless emails promising huge savings, tens of millions of U.S. shoppers are expected to spend money on Black Friday itself this year. Industry forecasts estimate that 183.4 million people will shop in U.S. stores and online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation and consumer research firm Prosper Insights & Analytics. Of that number, 131.7 million are expected to shop on Black Friday. At the same time, earlier and earlier Black Friday-like promotions, as well as the growing strength of other shopping events (hello Cyber Monday), continue to change the holiday spending landscape. Here's what you need to know about Black Friday's history and where things stand in 2024. Black Friday falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving each year, or Nov. 29 this year. The term "Black Friday" is several generations old, but it wasn't always associated with the holiday retail frenzy that we know today. The gold market crash of September 1869, for example, was notably dubbed Black Friday. The phrase's use in relation to shopping the day after Thanksgiving, however, is most often traced to Philadelphia in the mid-20th century — when police and other city workers had to deal with large crowds that congregated before the annual Army-Navy football game and to take advantage of seasonal sales. "That's why the bus drivers and cab drivers call today 'Black Friday.' They think in terms of headaches it gives them," a Gimbels department store sales manager told The Associated Press in 1975, while watching a police officer try to control jaywalkers the day after Thanksgiving. Earlier references date back to the 1950s and 1960s. Jie Zhang, a professor of marketing at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, points to a 1951 mention of "Black Friday" in a New-York based trade publication — which noted that many workers simply called in sick the day after Thanksgiving in hopes of having a long holiday weekend. Starting in the 1980s, national retailers began claiming that Black Friday represented when they went from operating in the red to in the black thanks to holiday demand. But since many retail companies now operate in the black at various times of the year, this interpretation should be taken with a grain of salt, experts say. In recent decades, Black Friday became infamous for floods of people in jam-packed stores. Endless lines of shoppers camped out at midnight in hopes of scoring deep discounts. But online shopping has made it possible to make most, if not all, holiday purchases without ever stepping foot inside a store. And while foot traffic at malls and other shopping areas has bounced back since the start of the pandemic, e-commerce isn't going away. November sales at brick and mortar stores peaked more than 20 years ago. In 2003, for example, e-commerce accounted for just 1.7% of total retail sales in the fourth quarter, according to Commerce Department data. Unsurprisingly, online sales make up for a much bigger slice of the pie today. For last year's holiday season, e-commerce accounted for about 17.1% of all nonadjusted retail sales in the fourth quarter, Commerce Department data shows. That's up from 12.7% seen at the end of 2019. Beyond the rise of online shopping, some big ticket items that used to get shoppers in the door on the Black Friday — like a new TV — are significantly cheaper than they were decades ago, notes Jay Zagorsky, a clinical associate professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. "There is less need to stand in line at midnight when the items typically associated with doorbuster sales are now much cheaper," Zagorsky told The Associated Press via email. He pointed to Bureau of Labor Statistics data that shows the average price for a TV has fallen 75% since 2014. While plenty of people will do most of their Black Friday shopping online, projections from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights indicated that a majority of Black Friday shoppers (65%) still planned to shop in stores this year. It's no secret that Black Friday sales don't last just 24 hours anymore. Emails promising holiday deals now start arriving before Halloween. "Black Friday is no longer the start of the holiday shopping season. It has become the crescendo of the holiday shopping season" during what now feels like "Black Friday month," Zhang said. Some retailers have updated their official marketing to refer to "Black Friday week." Retailers trying to get a head start on the competition and to manage shipping logistics helps explain the rush, Zhang said. Offering early holiday deals spreads out purchases, giving shippers more breathing room to complete orders. Zhang therefore doesn't expect the five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year to cause significant strain because retailers would have taken them into account. Linking pre-Thanksgiving sales with Black Friday is also a marketing technique since it's a name consumers recognize and associate with big, limited-time bargains, Zhang said. Multiple post-Thanksgiving sales events keep shoppers enticed after Black Friday, including Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, which the National Retail Federation's online arm designated in 2005. U.S. consumers spent a record $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday in 2023, and $15.7 million per minute during the day's peak sales hour, acccording to Adobe Analytics. On Black Friday, they spent $9.8 billion online, Adobe Analytics said. Enough people still enjoy shopping in person after Thanksgiving that the activity is unlikely to become extinct, Boston University's Zagorsky said. While Black Friday's significance "is being slightly diminished" over time, the shopping event is still "a way to connect with others," he said. "This social aspect is important and will not disappear, ensuring that Black Friday is still an important day for retailers."Liverpool leads as the class of the Champions League this season, dumping title holder Real Madrid into an almost unbelievable 24th place in the 36-team standings. No one felt the embarrassment of Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Anfield more than Kylian Mbappé, the superstar added in the offseason by the storied club that also was European champion against Liverpool in the finals of 2022 and 2018. Mbappé had a penalty saved in the second half and was earlier dumped on his behind by Conor Bradley’s perfect tackle in an instant viral moment. Monaco missed a chance to go second in the table, giving up a lead playing with 10 men from the 58th minute in a 3-2 loss at home to Benfica. Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni scored the winning goal in the 88th. Borussia Dortmund, the beaten finalist against Madrid in May, is up to fourth place after beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-0. Champions League standout Jamie Gittens now has four goals in five games, curling a rising shot in the 41st to open the scoring. The best comeback was at PSV Eindhoven, where the home team trailed Shakhtar Donetsk by two goals in the 87th minute before a 3-2 win was sealed by United States forward Ricardo Pepi’s goal deep in stoppage time. US defender Cameron Carter-Vickers scored an embarrassing own goal for Celtic — playing a no-look pass far beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel — in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge. Liverpool’s stand-in right back Bradley was a standout Wednesday, playing a key pass that set up Alexis Mac Allister to score the opening goal in the 52nd. After Mbappé’s penalty was pushed away by goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 61st, Liverpool star Mo Salah missed with his spot-kick in the 70th, before substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win with a header in the 77th. Madrid now has lost three of five games after defeats at Lille and at home to AC Milan. The record 15-time European champion has another tough trip next, at fifth-place Atalanta on Dec. 10. Congo teammates Ngal’Ayel Mukau and Silas impressed in wins for Lille and Red Star Belgrade. Mukau scored twice in 12th-place Lille’s 2-1 win at Bologna and Silas leveled for Red Star in a 5-1 rout of Stuttgart, though he barely celebrated his goal. Silas is on loan with the Serbian champion from Stuttgart. Aston Villa drew 0-0 with Juventus. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

RUBEN AMORIM is certainly not stupid and he can read the room at Old Trafford. Although, in his previous appearance at the Theatre of Dreams, this also saw him witness a leaking roof in his post-match press conference... which sums up the state of Manchester United right now. Yet the Portuguese coach knows all about the importance of having a connection with supporters and he can clearly see Red Devils’ fans are all “tired” with the situation at their shambolic club. Amorim has only been at United just over a month but the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Wolves was his fifth in seven games since taking charge in the wake of Erik ten Hag’s sacking. And now he must prepare for Monday’s visit of in-form Newcastle . The former Sporting Lisbon chief, 39, has a contract until 2027 and maintains that is enough time for him to be judged. Read More on Man Utd He is not being helped by arriving in such a toxic situation with fans disillusioned at the way United have been run on and off the pitch. Yet Amorim ’s problem is that, over the last few weeks, the team has gone BACKWARDS . United’s last home game was Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Bournemouth — which is when the roof started leaking on him . Incredibly, it was the club’s fourth Prem defeat at Old Trafford this season. Most read in Football BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER S Eddie Howe’s team will arrive on a run of four successive wins, so a game against Newcastle is the last thing United need. Yet Amorim insisted: “We have to fight against everything because our supporters are always there, but they are tired of this moment. “It’s part of football to have these difficult moments. I already knew that it was going to be tough. “You expect to win more games, to have players with more confidence to sell the idea and to work and improve things. “At this moment it’s really hard. We have to survive to have time and then to improve the team.” Amorim cannot be faulted for his honesty. He also conceded that the mood at Old Trafford could be tense whenever Newcastle attack. He added: “We have to expect that any play from Newcastle near our box is going to make the stadium nervous and our players have to cope with that. “It’s a very strong team with a lot of pace, with a lot of time working with the same coach. We want to be competitive and try to win the game, that’s all.” 'Worst Man Utd in half a century' This is currently the worst United team in half a century — which is incredible when you consider how much money has been spent in recent seasons. It is not just the absence of quality, either. There is a lack of belief and energy and the team is so predictable. There is no reason why United cannot beat Newcastle. But equally, it would not be a surprise if they were crushed 4-0. After the loss against Wolves, Amorim admitted that the side had to “survive” in the Premier League as they sit 14th in the table, eight points off the relegation zone. Another worry is that United are struggling at corners and free-kicks. They have conceded ten goals from set-pieces this term — five of them coming under Amorim’s command. Goalkeeper Andre Onana was beaten by Matheus Cunha’s corner at Molineux seven days after Tottenham’s Son Heung-min did the same to Altay Bayindir in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. Set-piece problem The fact that Wolves had practised trying to score direct from corners during the week showed there is an issue as Onana is not being protected by his defenders. Amorim admitted: “Set-pieces are becoming so important. We have to learn, even with the small guys.” United’s new coach was also asked whether Red Devils’ fans can play a part against Newcastle by ramping up the atmosphere on Monday. But he said: “I would not dare to ask anything of our fans. They give us everything: a full stadium, they’re always supporting, clapping loss after loss. “I just want to give something to the fans, not ask something of them.” Fernandes walking disciplinary tightrope United will be without captain Bruno Fernandes after his red card at Wolves . Although the Portuguese playmaker’s dismissal at Spurs in September was overturned, he continues to walk a disciplinary tightrope and cannot be trusted. Asked if former skipper Harry Maguire could be reinstated, Amorim said: “He will have to wait until the game. READ MORE SUN STORIES “He works really well. He’s focused on the job, not what people say. He does not make excuses, even if he had some tough moments. “I think in that department he is an example, so he is there to play to help the team. He’s trying to do that.” By Ken Lawrence WOLVES landed a shock Boxing Day knockout as Manchester United's struggles continued. The 2-0 defeat means Ruben Amorim has won just two of the seven Premier League games he has taken charge of. United find themselves 14th in the table and today were not helped by Bruno Fernandes' red card and Andre Onana letting one in direct from a corner. Here is how SunSport rated the performances... ANDRE ONANA: 4 He needed to make an agile save from Jorgen Strand Larsen in the first half, but badly misjudged the flight of Cunha’s corner for the opening goal - his claim that he was obstructed by Matt Doherty was rejected. LENY YORO: 5 Recalled but booked after only four minutes for a foul on Cunha, so he was walking on eggshells and was tested by Wolves throughout. Subbed just after the hour mark. HARRY MAGUIRE: 6 The England defender did his best to keep United in the game when they were under pressure for long periods - at least he helped to stem the tide until the dying seconds and had a header on target in stoppage time. LISANDRO MARTINEZ: 6 Teamed up well with Maguire to stop Wolves from winning this more easily, he stood his ground and produced some important challenges in the latter stages before Wolves caught him on the break with the last action of the game. NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI: 5 Tenacious and determined, but was one of several players given a torrid time by the best player on the pitch - Cunha. MANUEL UGARTE: 5 Dispossesed too easily at times, struggled against a lively Wolves attack and was eventually taken off as one of Amorim’s subs following Fernandes’ red card. KOBBIE MAINOO: 5 Looked a threat early on, created some good openings, but he was booked after the break as United looked short on ideas. Faded and was subbed. DIOGO DALOT: 6 Brought a tremendous save from Jose Sa in the first half in what was a rare bright spot for United - but he had no major influence on a poor team display. AMAD DIALLO: 5 Lacked awareness of his team-mates sometimes and looked a shadow of the player who turned the Manchester derby around less than two weeks ago. BRUNO FERNANDES: 3 Sent off early in the second half for a second yellow after a challenge on Nelson Semedo, but the captain had cut a frustrated figure before that. RASMUS HOJLUND: 5 Became visibly annoyed at times at a lack of service from his team-mates, he had no joy up front and was subbed with 10 minutes left. SUBS Casemiro (for Mainoo, 63 mins): 6 Christian Eriksen (for Ugate, 63 mins): 6 Antony (for Yoro, 63 mins): 6 Alejandro Garnacho (for Amad, 79 mins): 5 Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 79 mins): 5China’s AIMA brand electric motorbike is now in Bangladesh

The US State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation”, according to a statement. The designation of Mr Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has placed on Georgian politicians and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in US jurisdictions or that might enter US jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia.” Mr Ivanishvili is a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBT+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, fuelling further public outrage.

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Investors are buzzing about Lightchain AI (LCAI), a project that’s redefining the boundaries of blockchain and artificial intelligence. With its presale price set at an enticing $0.003, this innovative token isn’t just another crypto trend—it’s a bold step toward real-world utility and technological evolution. As momentum builds, Lightchain AI’s unique features and ambitious vision position it as a serious contender for long-term success. Dive into the future of crypto innovation at lightchain.ai . Transforming Blockchain with Intelligent Technology Block chain tech is changing fast, and the mix of smart machines is making a path for a new time of change. Lightchain AI is at the fr͏ont of this shift, joining the spread out strength of block chain with clever automation to fix old problems. This link is opening doors that were once thought too hard to touch, from better deals to growable fixes Lightchain AI's way sets a new level for how blockchain can change to meet today’s needs. Yes! By using smart AI methods, it boosts data handling, keeps things safe, and makes performance better, building a system that is not only strong but also ready for what comes next. This change is changing the story of blockchain and opening up ways to new chance in the digital eco-system. Revolutionary Features Setting Lightchain AI Apart Lightchain AI is seeing itself as a standout player with its Proof of Intelligence consensus, offering a very different approach to blockchain validation. This unique feature makes sure unparalleled efficiency and scalability, setting it apart from traditional consensus mechanisms. The way of its integration of AI improves decision-making processes, making the network smarter and more adaptive to user needs. Beyond efficiency, Lightchain AI’s decentralized governance empowers the community, ensuring transparency and inclusivity. Coupled with its Artificial Intelligence Virtual Machine (AIVM), the platform fosters real-world utility, positioning it as a leader in blockchain innovation. Opportunities Created by Early Investment While leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin posing difficulties for beginners, the early investment in Lightchain AI offers a unique opportunity to capitalize on its new innovation at a presale price of just at $0.003. With this, investors have access to the project that is holding real-world utility, a strong roadmap, and cutting-edge technology, positioning themselves for significant growth as the platform disrupts the blockchain landscape. Investors are optimistic about Lightchain AI's potential for long-term success and its ability to deliver real-world solutions. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, Lightchain AI is well-positioned to lead the way and drive innovation forward. Why Investors See Long-Term Value in Lightchain AI Since AI technology is booming and integrating with blockchain technology, investors are attracted to Lightchain AI for its long-term growth, fueled by its unique Proof of Intelligence mechanism and real-world applications. Unlike many speculative tokens, Lightchain AI focuses on creating sustainable value via advanced technology and decentralized governance, which is making it a standout choice in the growing cryptocurrency market. As Lightchain AI available at a price of just $0.003 in presale , it presents a significant opportunity for early investors. Further, its strong roadmap and commitment to innovation to ensure a solid foundation for growth, making it a significant player in blockchain and AI integration. https://lightchain.ai https://lightchain.ai/lightchain-whitepaper.pdf https://x.com/LightchainAI https://t.me/LightchainProtocol Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.Brazil's top court takes on regulation of social mediaLifetime Pet Insurance Market Likely to Boost in Future: Petplan, ASPCA, Embrace

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Ronaldo's Saudi title hopes hurt by AubameyangLeading industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Sunday urged the government for lowering the excise duty on fuel to boost consumption in the forthcoming budget for 2025-26, especially at the lower income level, arguing that fuel prices significantly drive inflation. Besides, the industry chamber also called for reducing marginal tax rates for personal income up to Rs 20 lakh per annum, saying that this would help trigger the virtuous cycle of consumption, higher growth and higher tax revenue as inflation has reduced the buying power of lower and middle-income earners. “The central excise duty alone accounts for approximately 21 percent of the retail price for petrol and 18 per cent for diesel. Since May 2022, these duties have not been adjusted in line with the approximately 40 per cent decrease in global crude prices. Lowering excise duty on fuel would help reduce overall inflation and increase disposable incomes,” the industry body said. “Domestic consumption has been critical to India's growth story, but inflationary pressures have somewhat eroded the purchasing power of consumers. The government’s interventions could focus on enhancing disposable incomes and stimulating spending to sustain economic momentum. Persistent food inflationary pressures also impinge upon low-income rural households who allocate a larger share to food in their consumption basket,” CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee, said. Banerjee further said that while recent quarters have shown promising signs of recovery in rural consumption, targeted government interventions, such as increasing per unit benefit under its key schemes like MGNREGS, PM-KISAN and PMAY, and providing consumption vouchers to low-income households, can further enhance the rural recovery. In its pre-budget proposals, the CII has also recommended an increase in the daily minimum wage under the MGNREGS from Rs 267 to Rs 375 as suggested by the ‘Expert Committee on fixing national minimum wage' in 2017, with the industry body estimating that this will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 42,000 crore. “The government should raise the annual payout under the PM-KISAN scheme from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000. Assuming 10 crore beneficiaries, this will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore,” it said. Meanwhile, ahead of the budget, the CII has launched the second part of its landmark manufacturing competitiveness Study, focusing on the transformative impact of smart technologies on India’s manufacturing sector. The industry body also highlighted in a report that the sector’s ongoing digital transformation and its critical role in achieving the ambitious goal of increasing the manufacturing GDP share to 25 per cent in the near future. The report showcases how cutting-edge technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotics, and automation are reshaping the manufacturing landscape, driving optimisation, innovation, and global competitiveness. “High-capital industries like semiconductors, aerospace, and automotive are leading the charge in adopting these technologies, while traditional sectors like textiles and food processing are gradually transitioning towards digitalisation,” it said.