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Brace for turbulence: Lessons from a bumpy 'super year' of global elections

It was a murder case almost everyone had an opinion on. O.J. Simpson ‘s “trial of the century” over the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend bared divisions over race and law enforcement in America and brought an intersection of sports, crime, entertainment and class that was hard to turn away from. His death in April brought an end to a life that had become defined by scrutiny over the killings. But he was just one of many celebrities who died in 2024. The music industry lost a titan in producer Quincy Jones , who died in November. His many contributions included producing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album and working with hundreds of other musicians over a long and storied career. Other artists and entertainers who died this year include: actors James Earl Jones, Chita Rivera, Donald Sutherland, Gena Rowlands, Louis Gossett Jr., Shelley Duvall, Kris Kristofferson, Carl Weathers, Joyce Randolph and Shannen Doherty; musicians Sergio Mendes, Toby Keith, Phil Lesh, Melanie and Frankie Beverly; filmmakers Roger Corman and Morgan Spurlock; authors Faith Ringgold and Nikki Giovanni; TV fitness guru Richard Simmons; and sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, to name a few. We also lost celebrities with strong ties to Chicago, including comedian/TV icon Bob Newhart, talk show host and TV pioneer Phil Donahue, beloved children’s music icon Ella Jenkins, radio disc jockey legend Dick Biondi, and rock underground musician/producer Steve Albini. Here is a roll call of some notable figures who died in 2024: JANUARY Glynis Johns, 100. A Tony Award-winning stage and screen star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim. Jan. 4. David Soul, 80. The actor-singer was a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” and topped the music charts with the ballad “Don’t Give Up on Us.” Jan. 4. Joyce Randolph, 99. A veteran stage and television actor whose role as the savvy Trixie Norton on “The Honeymooners” provided the perfect foil to her dimwitted TV husband. Jan. 13. Mary Weiss , 75. The lead singer of the 1960s pop group the Shangri-Las, whose hits included “Leader of the Pack.” Jan. 19. Charles Osgood, 91. He anchored “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades, was host of the long-running radio program “The Osgood File” and was referred to as CBS News’ poet-in-residence. Jan. 23. Melanie, 76. The singer-songwriter who rose through the New York folk scene, performed at Woodstock and had a series of 1970s hits including the enduring cultural phenomenon “Brand New Key.” Jan. 23. Herbert Coward, 85. He was known for his “Toothless Man” role in the movie “Deliverance.” Jan. 24. Chita Rivera, 91. The dynamic dancer, singer and actress who garnered 10 Tony nominations, winning twice, in a long Broadway career that forged a path for Latina artists and shrugged off a near-fatal car accident. Jan. 30. FEBRUARY Carl Weathers, 76. A former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore.” Feb. 1. Toby Keith, 62. A hit country crafter of pro-American anthems who both riled up critics and was loved by millions of fans. Feb. 5. Henry Fambrough , 85. The last surviving original member of the iconic R&B group The Spinners, whose hits included “It’s a Shame,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “The Rubberband Man.” Feb. 7. Richard Lewis , 76. An acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain.” Feb. 27. MARCH Eric Carmen , 74. The singer-songwriter fronted the power-pop 1970s band the Raspberries and later had soaring pop hits like “All by Myself” and “Hungry Eyes” from the hit “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack. March 11. Louis Gossett Jr., 87. The first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots.” March 28. Chance Perdomo, 27. An actor who rose to fame as a star of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “Gen V.” March 29. Julius Russell , 53. The Chicagoan quit a career in sales to pursue his dream of being a chef. He started his own company and named it A Tale of Two Chefs, offering catering and his services as a private chef. He developed a long list of well-known clients that included Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Juanita Vanoy, Michael Jordan’s ex-wife. March 30. Barbara Rush , 97. A popular leading actor in the 1950s and 1960s who co-starred with Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman and other top film performers and later had a thriving TV career. March 31. APRIL O.J. Simpson , 76. The decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial. April 10. Robert MacNeil , 93. He created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s and co-anchored the show with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades. April 12. Faith Ringgold, 93. An award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling. April 12. Dickey Betts, 80. The guitar legend who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” April 18. Sir Andrew Davis , 80. The acclaimed British conductor was music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and orchestras on three continents. In 2020, during his final season with Lyric, Davis told the Chicago Sun-Times he had “a wonderful time” working with Lyric’s orchestra, which he called “second to none on the international scene.” April 20. Duane Eddy, 86. A pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as “Rebel Rouser” and “Peter Gunn” helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless others. April 30. MAY Jeannie Epper , 83. A groundbreaking performer who did stunts for many of the most important women of film and television action of the 1970s and ’80s, including star Lynda Carter on TV’s “Wonder Woman.” May 5. Bernard Hill, 79. An actor who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and went down with the ship as the captain in “Titanic.” May 5. Steve Albini, 61. An alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more. May 7. Roger Corman , 98. The “King of the Bs” helped turn out such low-budget classics as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and gave many of Hollywood’s most famous actors and directors early breaks. May 9. Dabney Coleman, 92. The mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie.” May 16. Morgan Spurlock, 53. The documentary filmmaker and Oscar nominee whose most famous works skewered America’s food industry and who notably ate only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet. May 23. JUNE Janis Paige , 101. A popular actor in Hollywood and in Broadway musicals and comedies who danced with Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope and continued to perform into her 90s. June 2. Anouk Aimée , 92. The radiant French star and dark-eyed beauty of classic films including Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and Claude Lelouch’s “A Man and a Woman.” June 18. Donald Sutherland, 88. The Canadian actor whose wry, arresting screen presence spanned more than half a century of films from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games.” June 20. Bill Cobbs , 90. The veteran character actor became a ubiquitous and sage screen presence as an older man. June 25. Dick Biondi , 90. Influential in advancing the careers of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis, among many others, Biondi — Chicago’s definitive voice of Top 40 radio —was the first disc jockey to play the Beatles on American radio. June 26. Martin Mull, 80. His droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development.” June 27. JULY Joe Bonsall , 76. A Grammy award winner and celebrated tenor of the country and gospel group the Oak Ridge Boys. July 9. Shelley Duvall, 75. The intrepid, Texas-born movie star whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” July 11. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, 96. The diminutive sex therapist became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics. July 12. Shannen Doherty , 53. The “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were roiled by illness and tabloid stories. July 13. Richard Simmons , 76. He was television’s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better. July 13. James Sikking , 90. He starred as a hardened police lieutenant on “Hill Street Blues” and as the titular character’s kindhearted dad on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” July 13. Cheng Pei-pei , 78. A Chinese-born martial arts film actor who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” July 17. Bob Newhart, 94. The deadpan accountant-turned-comedian became one of the most popular TV stars of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album. July 18. Abdul “Duke” Fakir , 88. The last surviving original member of the beloved Motown group the Four Tops, which was known for such hits as “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love.” July 22. AUGUST Jack Russell, 63. The lead singer of the bluesy ’80s metal band Great White, whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me,” and who was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island. Aug. 7. Wallace “Wally” Amos , 88. The creator of the Famous Amos cookie empire went on to become a children’s literacy advocate. Aug. 13. Gena Rowlands , 94. She was hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes. She later charmed audiences in her son’s tear-jerker “The Notebook.” Aug. 14. Peter Marshall , 98. The actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares.” Aug. 15. Alain Delon , 88. The internationally acclaimed French actor embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world. Aug. 18. Phil Donahue , 88. His pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others. Aug. 18. Mickey Loewenstein , 90. As the WTTW set designer for Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s TV series, one colleague noted Lowenstein “was a master of forced perspective, a technique he used to make the Sun-Times and Tribune film critics look as if they were offering up movie reviews from the balcony of a large movie theater instead of inside tiny TV studio.” Aug. 20. John Amos , 84. He starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots.” Aug. 21. Leonard Riggio , 83. A brash, self-styled underdog who transformed the publishing industry by building Barnes & Noble into the country’s most powerful bookseller before it was overtaken by the rise of Amazon.com. Aug. 27. Jack Conaty, 77. The Fox Chicago political reporter was a high school English teacher before switching gears and pursuing journalism. The educational background, colleagues said, allowed him to deliver complex news stories in a way that was concise and easy to understand. Aug. 28. Fatman Scoop , 56. The hip-hop artist topped charts in Europe with “Be Faithful” in the early 2000s and later lent his distinctive voice and ebullient vibe to hits by artists including Missy Elliott and Ciara. Aug. 30. SEPTEMBER Eric Gilliland, 62. Gilliand grew up in Glenview and was head writer for the TV series “Roseanne.” Sept. 1. James Darren, 88. A teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget.” Sept. 2. Sergio Mendes , 83. The Grammy-winning Brazilian musician whose hit “Mas Que Nada” made him a global legend. Sept. 5. James Earl Jones , 93. He overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen, eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader. Sept. 9. Frankie Beverly, 77. With his band Maze, he inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go.” Sept. 10. Jim Sasser , 87. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate and six years as ambassador to China. Sept. 10. Chilli Pepper. The entertainer, who was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2007, was a guest on shows such as “Donahue” and “Oprah,” where she spoke with dignity and clarity and helped educate millions of viewers about drag as an art form, the gay community and AIDS. Sept. 11. Tito Jackson , 70. One of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5. Sept. 15. John David “JD” Souther, 78. A prolific songwriter and musician who helped shape the country-rock sound that took root in Southern California in the 1970s with his collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. Sept. 17. Nick Gravenites, 85. The musician penned “Born in Chicago” and fostered blues revival. From the Southwest Side son of Greek immigrants to beatnik to bluesman — Mr. Gravenites’ journey was singular. Sept. 18 Kathryn Crosby , 90. She appeared in such movies as “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad”, “Anatomy of a Murder,” and “Operation Mad Ball” before marrying famed singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby. Sept. 20. Cat Glover, 62. The dancer from Chicago who performed with Prince, made it her goal to meet the superstar when she was a dancer working at clubs in Chicago. She went on to perform on his “Sign o’ the Times” and “Lovesexy” tours. Sept. 24. John Ashton , 76. The veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films. Sept. 26. Maggie Smith, 89. The masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for the 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. Sept. 27. Kris Kristofferson , 88. A Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor. Sept. 28. Drake Hogestyn , 70. The “Days of Our Lives” star appeared on the show for 38 years. Sept. 28. Gavin Creel, 48. A Broadway musical theater veteran who won a Tony Award for “Hello, Dolly!” opposite Bette Midler and earned nominations for “Hair” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Sept. 30. Ken Page , 70. A stage and screen actor who starred alongside Beyoncé in “Dreamgirls,” introduced Broadway audiences to Old Deuteronomy in “Cats” and scared generations of kids as the voice of Oogie Boogie, the villain of the 1993 animated holiday film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Sept. 30. Artie Baldacci , 73. The drummer was the throbbing heart of Heartsfield, a band formed by a group of Chicago South Side rockers in 1970 that opened for some of the biggest names in music, including Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers, the Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Kiss and the Marshall Tucker Band, among others. Sept. 30. OCTOBER Cissy Houston, 91. A two-time Grammy-winning soul and gospel artist who sang with Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and other stars and knew triumph and heartbreak as the mother of singer Whitney Houston. Oct. 7. Liam Payne, 31. A former One Direction singer whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans. Oct. 16. Mitzi Gaynor , 93. The effervescent dancer and actor starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Oct. 17. Phil Lesh , 84. A classically trained violinist and jazz trumpeter who found his true calling by reinventing the role of rock bass guitar as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. Oct. 25. Teri Garr, 79. The quirky comedy actor rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star in such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie.” Oct. 29. NOVEMBER Quincy Jones, 91. The multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists. Nov. 3. Elwood Edwards, 74. He voiced America Online’s ever-present “You’ve got mail” greeting. Nov. 5. Tony Todd , 69. An actor known for his haunting portrayal of a killer in the horror film “Candyman” and for roles in many other films and television shows. Nov. 6. Judith Jamison , 81. The transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance helped make the company one of the most successful and critically acclaimed in the U.S. Nov. 9. Ella Jenkins, 100. The beloved “first lady of children’s music” Chicagoan Jenkins traveled the world, performing for generations of kids who never forgot listening to and performing with her. She has a Grammy Award, and her music is in the Library of Congress. Nov. 9. Arthur Frommer , 95. His “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” guidebooks revolutionized leisure travel by convincing average Americans to take budget vacations abroad. Nov. 18. Kris Vire, 47. The Chicago theater writer and critic was staunch supporter of the city’s vibrant stage community. “Advocating for storefront and independent theaters, that’s his legacy, it’s what got him out of bed in the morning,” a former colleague said. Nov. 16. Chuck Woolery , 83. The affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19. Nov. 23. Barbara Taylor Bradford , 91. A British journalist who became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the saga “A Woman of Substance” and wrote more than a dozen other novels that sold tens of millions of copies. Nov. 24. Silvia Spinal, 93. The “last great diva” of Mexican cinema. As her star status began to cross borders, Pinal cemented her international acclaim with a trilogy of films by surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Nov. 28 DECEMBER Nikki Giovanni , 81. The poet, author, educator and public speaker who rose from borrowing money to release her first book to decades as a literary celebrity sharing her blunt and conversational takes on everything from racism and love to space travel and mortality. Dec. 9. George Joseph Kresge Jr. , 89. He was known to generations of TV watchers as the mesmerizing entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin. Dec. 10. Rodessa Barrett Porter , 94. Mrs. Porter was one of a handful of people with direct ties to Thomas A. Dorsey, the father of gospel music. She and her sisters used to listen to him at Chicago’s Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. Dec. 16.

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This is part of the COMMODITIES 2025 series where our reporters bring to you key themes that will drive commodities markets in 2025. Australia is poised see a year-over-year jump in wheat production in the 2024-25 marketing year (October-September) following excellent weather on the East Coast and improved showers across Western Australia. Market participants estimate a 4 million mt increase year over year for the wheat crop to top 30 million mt. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics has pegged Australia’s wheat production in MY 2024-25 at 31.9 million mt, up 23% year over year. However, concerns remain over quality downgrades as heavy rainfall in late November delayed harvest and impacted parameters such as test weight. “The situation isn’t as bad in Western Australia, but the East Coast got pretty big rain events [in late November],” a trade source based in Australia said. “At the time of the rain interruptions, we estimated there was still 5-6 million mt of grain unharvested across southern New South Wales, Victoria and southeast South Australia,” said Rod Baker, agricultural analyst at Australian Crop Forecasters. Initial trade estimates indicated downgrades of 3-4 million mt wheat, primarily in Victoria and southern New South Wales. IKON Commodities expects a smaller downgrade of 2-3 million mt. However, a resumption of harvest in mid-December suggested that the impact could be lower than anticipated, trade sources reported. In Western Australia, farmers are grappling with lower-than-expected protein in the state’s crop. “Pricing for better protein and quality grades seem to hold better or remain firm [ in Western Australia],” a Perth-based trade source said. Expectations of significant improvement in protein levels as the harvest moves down south have not materialized, and average crop protein levels are generally expected to remain lower year over year, sources added. Australia’s crop profile will greatly improve its relevance in feed wheat markets in Asia, though fierce competition is still anticipated from feed corn. Its competitiveness in the milling wheat market, however, will likely be restricted. “With a slow start to the export marketing year along with subdued international demand our export estimate currently sits at 21.5 million mt,” Baker said. However, Baker noted that Australia could end up shipping out 23.0-23.5 million mt wheat. According to trade participants, Australia is expected to export between 22-23 million mt. The ABARES has estimated Australia to export 20.9 million mt in MY 2024-25, as against 22.5 million mt in the previous year. Asian demand remained largely subdued during most of 2024, led by China’s absence from the global markets. China returned to the market in October 2024, booking Australian and Canadian wheat for the first quarter in 2025. China’s return along with easing global wheat prices has encouraged regional buyers in Asia to improve their purchases and temporarily abandon their largely hand-to-mouth procurement strategy throughout much of 2024. On top of competitive feed corn prices pressuring feed wheat demand in most Asian destinations, mounting expectations of a larger-than-anticipated feed wheat production from Australia has also kept some buyers on the sidelines in hopes of cheaper prices. “Our projections continue to point to a slowdown in While trade participants are keeping a close watch on potential Sino-US trade conflicts ahead of Donald Trump’s impending presidency, most believe wheat markets are unlikely to see direct impacts. “China has been reducing its dependency on US wheat and should be able to comfortably do so in 2025, thanks to high production from Canada and Australia,” said a grains trader based in Singapore. India has been absent from the global wheat market, due to a ban on exports and high import tariffs but rising domestic prices have kept the market on its feet through the year. Currently, wheat prices across key markets of India are around Rupee 28,000/mt ($330.07/mt) to Rupee 28,500/mt, up nearly 12% since the beginning of 2024. Traders believe prices will drop in coming months on expectations of higher output. Trade participants expect higher yield due to adequate soil moisture in key wheat growing states following robust rainfall during the monsoon season. Traders also expect a higher wheat acreage on expectations of better remuneration. So far, farmers have planted wheat across 23.9 million hectares, up 2.3% year over year, according to the agriculture ministry. In MY 2023-24 (April-March), India harvested 113.2 million mt wheat, 2.4% higher year over year, the ministry said. “Wheat output is likely to increase due to the anticipated rise in area and better yields in northern states,” said Dipanshi Agarwal, agricultural economist at S&P Global Commodity Insights. Some in the trade circles have been seeking a reduction in import duties for wheat from the current 40% to ease the supply tightness. However, the government has ruled out allowing cheaper imports. Instead, the government has initiated measures, including selling wheat from government stocks at the open market sales scheme and imposing several stock holding norms. Despite the expected rise in production in MY 2024-25, India is likely to remain absent from the global exports market as the government looks to contain rising domestic prices. Source:The UK government is taking a tougher stance on protecting children online, threatening tech platforms to introduce stricter regulation unless they introduce measures that will keep kids away from harmful content. Developers of age assurance technology should play a part in that, according to UK’s Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. The Online Safety Act should be implemented “as quickly and effectively as possible,” according to a new document released last Wednesday by the UK Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Draft Statement of Strategic Priorities outlines the government’s key focus areas for online safety. The new document is a part of the Technology Secretary’s drive to ensure tech companies will comply with the Online Safety Act, last year. The regulation requires companies to keep children away from harmful and age-inappropriate content, including pornography, violence, hate, bullying, content supporting suicide, self-harm or eating disorders and others. Since the introduction of the new regulation, however, have been brewing that the Act may not live up to its expectations. Kyle, who was appointed as head of the by the new Labor government in July, is hoping to disprove this. Enforcement of the regulation falls on the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom which has the power to fines tech firms of up to 18 million pounds (US$22.6 million) or 10 percent of their annual global turnover for non-compliance. The Secretary told the media last week that he wants the agency to take a stricter stance toward policing social media companies that have been operating in a “gray area.” “Some of these companies are spending more on R&D than the British state is in total. So don’t tell me you can’t throw some resources together and have a conversation about how things like age verification can be made more robust, and that safety can’t be built in,” Kyle said in an with The Telegraph. Ofcom’s tasks include publishing Codes of Practice and providing guidance on how companies can comply with their duties. The first edition of the Illegal Harms Codes of Practice and the illegal content risk assessment guidance is expected to be made public in December 2024. The Draft Statement of Strategic Priorities places effective age assurance among its key focuses. “Services should take advantage of the technologies that are already available to identify child users and ensure that they cannot access harmful content on their services,” says the draft. “Age assurance should be deployed consistently, effectively and fairly to users from all backgrounds and age ranges.” The document also notes that the government has been supporting the development of third-party solutions for online harm through funding grants, hackathons and innovation challenges. This will help Ofcom outline ambitious recommendations for adopting technologies for online services. “The UK safety tech sector has an important role to play by developing innovative solutions to support platforms, improve online safety outcomes and enable agile regulation,” says the document. The strategy also outlines focuses such as safety by design or preventing online harm, increasing transparency and accountability of online platforms maintaining regulatory agility to keep pace with changing technology and behavior as well as building an inclusive and resilient online society. According to the Technology Secretary, tech firms have been claiming that age verification technology cannot yet provide the highly effective age checks required to enforce restricting social media use for children under the age of 13. However, companies already have the technology to understand people’s personalities which means they can understand a person’s age “with some precision,” he notes. Kyle explained that the government is reluctant to introduce new regulations before it sees the effects of the Online Safety Act. But he also promised the country would not hesitate to introduce more strict solutions to keep children safe online, including legislation similar to Australia. Last week, the country a bill in parliament that aims to ban social media for children under 16. For now, the Online Safety Act is proving effective at least for some tech firms, he adds. Instagram has been rolling out , including verifying users’ age by using Yoti’s facial age estimation or by uploading an identity document. Online gaming platform Roblox also this month that it plans to limit children under 13 from messaging other users. The decision was welcomed by Ofcom. | | | | | | | | | |Former Trump envoy to India says the new administrations will push hard on Iran sanctions, China challenge India should expect raised tariffs, and a renewed push to get a Free Trade Agreement finalised from the United States as Donald Trump gets set to begin a second term in office, said former Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu via videoconferencing from New York, Mr. Juster, a former U.S. department of Commerce official who was appointed by Mr. Trump to India in the first term (2017-2021) said that the first tenure and Mr. Trump’s campaign pronouncements were indicators that the second term would see a further strengthening of India-U.S. ties , but certain irritants in ties, such as over high tariffs , market access in areas like “agricultural exports from United States to India and the IT (information technology) equipment sector and medical devices”, and differences over Iran policy could also return. In Mr. Trump’s first term, the U.S. had withdrawn India’s GSP status for exporters, and forced India to cancel all oil imports from Iran. Mr. Juster pointed out that Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominees thus far had very strongly pro-India positions, and that they also saw China as the U.S.’s “major strategic challenge”, pointing in particular to NSA-designate Michael waltz , currently co-chair of the India Caucus in the House of Representatives, whom External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met in Washington last week. Mr. Juster said that it was unlikely the Department of Justice indictments in the Pannun case and against the Adani group would have “any substantial effect on the broader US-India relationship”. When asked about a possible invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Trump inauguration on January 20, Mr. Juster pointed out that foreign leaders have not traditionally attended the inauguration, but that the two leaders share a close personal relationship from Mr. Trump’s previous term. With the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States for the second time just weeks away, New Delhi stepped up its outreach to the incoming administration with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri both spending the year-end week in Washington. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu over a video conference from New York, Mr. Trump’s last envoy to India (2017-2021) Kenneth Juster spoke about what to expect from his next tenure in office. Broadly, how do you think President Trump will approach India, given your experience of the ties during his previous tenure? I think there’s going to be a very strong U.S.-Indian relationship during the second term of the Trump presidency, and I base that on what happened during the first term. U.S.-India relations were among the highlights of the Trump administration’s foreign policy. President Trump was the first U.S. President to label China as a strategic challenge to the United States and to popularize the concept of the Indo Pacific, which strategically links the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean regions. It was a concept that was pioneered by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, but the United States really enhanced it by its own activities, and soon the entire region and world was speaking of the Indo Pacific. Under the Trump administration, we also revived the Quad, the grouping among the United States, India, Japan and Australia, which has continued to thrive under the Biden administration. We enhanced our defence cooperation significantly, signing three major foundational agreements, increasing the number of military exercises and having the first ever tri-services exercise. We increased energy exports to India of all types, clean coal, natural gas, oil and renewables, and worked closely with India on those issues. There was also a very strong people-to-people relationship. There was a Howdy Modi event in Houston with over 50,000 people that President Trump was at. And then there was a Namaste Trump event in February of 2020, that had over 100,000 people in Gujarat. So, there’s a very strong relationship between the President and the Prime Minister, and the United States really provided very critical and important assistance to India when China came across the Line of Actual Control into disputed territory in 2020. What should one make of Trump nominees thus far, including Rubio, Hegseth, Gabbard, Ramaswamy and Hegseth, all of whom have been positively disposed towards India? Let me also mention Representative Michael waltz, who’s going to be the incoming National Security Advisor, who is currently co-chair of the India Caucus in the House of Representatives. And yes, I think the appointees by and large will be furthering the strength of the US-India relationship that we saw in the first term of the Trump administration. Senator Rubio, who’s the nominee to be Secretary of State, had introduced legislation that would treat India as equivalent to an ally for purposes of technology transfers and provide a variety of other positive elements to the US-India relationship. But in addition, these advisors see China as the major strategic challenge that the United States faces. And in that sense, I think there’s a certain strategic clarity between the United States and India as to what some of the challenges will be in the Indo-Pacific region. What about the unusual and special relationship with Elon Musk, who has been trying to bring in companies like Tesla and Starlink to India, but asking for more concessions, tax waivers. Do you think India should be prepared to give more when it comes to business? Well, that’s going to be a business decision for India. India made concessions to bring Apple into India, and that’s been a great success in terms of its manufacturing operations there. And the government of India will have to decide whether the concessions being sought by Mr. Musk relative to Tesla and Starlink, and I don’t know all the specifics of that, make sense from its perspective or not. But given Mr. Trump’s threats of the past on India being a “tariff abuser” and how India lost its GSP status for exporters, should India expect more of such shock therapy? Look, the President has been clear that he believes India should lower tariffs and is too protectionist, and he bases this on both the levels of tariffs, which the real tariff level in India is high, and the trade deficit that exists between the United States and India. And he had this opinion during the first term. I don’t think it’s correct to say that the GSP issue was shock therapy. There’s a statute that provides the generalized system of preferences benefits to countries, which gives tariff free entry to hundreds and even thousands of products into the United States. But the statute also requires that the beneficiary country increase its own market access to US products. There were complaints filed by the medical devices industry and the dairy industry that they were not getting access to India. So, the US Trade Representative’s Office undertook a full investigation. They felt that there were other industries, including the IT services industry, that also were not getting sufficient access. But instead of withdrawing GSP right away, the US government undertook an extensive negotiation with the Government of India to try to reach some resolution of this issue. The negotiations lasted for over one year. The US government felt that they were coming close to an agreement, but it could never get concluded. And finally, under the statutory requirement, they were compelled to have to terminate GSP, and yet still continued negotiations after that to try to reinstate GSP, to get some market opening measures. Regrettably, that was still not possible. I think by the time President Trump came to India in February of 2020, it looked like the Indian side was willing to close the deal, but at that point the President was seeking a bigger deal. We have to remember that part of the effort in putting tariffs on a country is to try to get a negotiation to increase market access for the United States. So, the President-elect has indicated that he will slap tariffs of 10 to 20% on most countries around the world, and I think that would probably include India. But I also think that could be the beginning of a negotiation to open markets a bit and, from India’s perspective, to try to lock down the benefits of its largest trade partner, the United States, in both goods and services. And one should think expansively in terms of what other issues of concern, whether it be in technology, in energy, or elsewhere, where the two sides could do some horse trading and reach a broader trade and economic agreement. Will reopening FTA talks be a priority for the Trump administration, as when the Biden administration came in it made it clear it wasn’t a priority? Well, to be fair, the Biden administration chose not to move forward in the free trade agreement area and, instead, launched a different initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. President Trump, despite being known as someone who loves tariffs, also negotiated several trade deals during his first term, including with Mexico and Canada and with Japan as well. And I think he would want to do so in the second term with India. Some of the areas that were sticky were in some agricultural exports from United States to India and the IT (information technology) equipment sector and medical devices. And I would hope that we could get beyond those issues, reduce tariffs there, and then look at other broader measures that could be addressed to enhance our economic relationship. One strategic reason for doing this is that China really dominates the Indo Pacific region with its economic strength, and if the United States and India were to strike a larger trade and economic agreement, that would begin to counter some of China’s enormous presence in the region. Also, we should work out an understanding on the digital economy, because so much data flows back and forth between our two countries. Both of our technology sectors are critical to our economies and are leading technology sectors of the world. Do you think the ease of doing business in India is now better in these last four years? Yes, I think the ease of doing business in India has certainly improved, although I think there could still be further improvements. We’ve seen enormous investments by the government in infrastructure, whether it be airports, seaports, roads or highways. We’ve seen efforts to attract investors through a variety of different incentives, and certainly India is on the radar screen of most major US and other international companies that are looking for a major market to invest in. I still hear, though, from US companies that they find the regulatory framework can be a bit slow and burdensome, and that at times there’s regulatory uncertainty. My concern at times about some of the high barriers to trade -- not to investment, but to trade -- is that this may dissuade some companies that want to move goods in and out of India from making it the supply chain hub that India would like to be. Like with the GSP removal, the feeling in India is that the Trump administration strong-armed India- the US insisted that India must zero out Iran oil import. It’s interesting that despite many requests from the Biden administration, India did not actually reduce its oil intake from Russia. What would the expectations be from India in the next four years? I don’t think we strong armed India on trade, because we never changed the situation. So, it was a negotiation that was unable to be concluded. Yes, you are correct on Iran, the Trump administration had a maximum pressure campaign, which I think may well get reinstituted in this next term. India was treated like every other country, which meant you needed to zero out oil imports from Iran. And India complied with that. I think on Russia, there is an understanding of the long historical relationship India has had. And in the previous term of the Trump administration, there were not ultimatums put on India with regard to Russia. As you know, there was an S-400 sale. There was talk of potential sanctions under CAATSA, but that never was implemented. I think Russia is a fluid issue, and it may well depend on how negotiations go between Russia and Ukraine. But I think Iran is one area where the administration has shown a very consistent and tough position in terms of seeking to economically isolate the Iranians. Delhi has also been shocked by US Department of Justice investigations and indictments- first in the Pannun assassination plot case, and then against the Adani group. Do you think a Trump administration will approach these DOJ investigations and indictments differently, and now that the Pannun case trial is actually underway, will it affect India US bilateral ties? Well, when cases get into our Justice Department and into the legal process, I would not want to comment on them, and they should probably not be affected by any concerns other than the legal considerations that are being followed by the prosecutors. I would not expect that the Trump administration would seek to inject itself in these cases. I can’t foresee what the legal people at the Department of Justice will do and how they will read the evidence overall. But beyond that, I don’t see these cases having any substantial effect on the broader US-India relationship. The BJP has said on its official handle in response to these cases that the US State Department is targeting the Modi government, and that it is, in fact trying to in some way weaken India. Were you surprised that the investigations have had such a negative effect in India? Well unfortunately, at times, folks in India can be very sensitive about legal matters, but I can tell you from my experience, this would not have been something that the State Department would have chosen to push or not push. If anything, the diplomatic community would wish that these types of cases did not exist, but they get into our legal process, and we are very strict about not interfering with what the prosecutors do. The Attorney General and the people in the Justice Department make those decisions, but it’s really inappropriate for someone at the State Department or an ambassador or diplomat to try to inject him or herself into those matters. The Biden administration has sought to leave its legacy on Indian ties with the iCET. What do you think will be the major areas of growth for the India, US relationship in the next four years of Trump? The US-India relationship has continued to grow in a positive direction over the last 25 years, and each administration has built on the successes of the previous one, despite changes of parties [in power], and I expect that to continue. Technology has always been an important aspect of the US-India relationship. When I was Under Secretary of Commerce (2001-2005), we launched the High Technology Cooperation Group. We then had an initiative called the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) that worked on civil defence, civil nuclear and high technology issues. We then had the civil nuclear deal, which was a landmark occasion, followed by the Defence Technology Transfer Initiative (DTTI). So, the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) really builds on top of those. And I expect technology to continue to be an important area and a key area for the two countries to focus on. The exact nature that it takes will depend on conversations that the two countries have. Semiconductors has been an area where they’ve been working together. There may be other avenues in artificial intelligence and elsewhere, but technology is a key linkage between our countries. In fact, many CEOs of US companies are Indian Americans, who came from India and contributed to our country. I think defence cooperation will also continue to be very critical. We hopefully will do more tabletop exercises together and scenario planning and other issues, understanding that India wants to maintain its own autonomy. But I think it’ll be important that we increase our ability to work together and have some level of interoperability. Lastly, I think energy is an area that holds enormous promise, because India needs to import a lot of energy, and the Trump administration will be pushing all forms of energy exports, as in the first Trump term, whether it be liquefied natural gas, oil, clean coal or renewables. Would a revival of the big Tellurian LNG deal, that was announced by the leaders, but never made headway, be on the cards? I don’t know what the status of that deal in particular is, but deals of that type, I think , have potential. There’s a lot of speculation in India about who will be the next Trump envoy to India. Given your experience, including of handling his unexpected social media posts (on Twitter/X), what are the skills that you think he should be looking for? Well, obviously I have some biases in terms of what one should look for, but one should remember that people in Washington do not wake up in the morning worrying about India. They may worry about China, about Russia, about Iran. Ideally, you want the ambassador to be someone who knows a lot about India and understands its history and culture and has dealt with Indians previously, because it’s a complicated country. But at the same time, one must have good relationships back in Washington, DC, at the White House and with the State Department, so that this individual can help shape policy and be actively involved in a country with a ten and one-half hour time difference [from the United States]. Over time, the US has gravitated increasingly toward political appointees [for India], and so I would expect you’ll see that here as well. I know there are a number of candidates interested, but I’m not sure who has the leading edge on it thus far. But the choice should be one that understands President Trump and how he operates, so that he or she can help deal with any statements that come out of Washington in terms of translating them effectively to the Indian government. There’s also some commentary on whether Prime Minister Modi will get an invitation to the Trump inaugural on January 20, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has. Your thoughts? It’s not normally been the tradition to have foreign leaders come to an inauguration. Instead, it’s been representatives and ambassadors in Washington who attend. I don’t know what the thinking is within the administration, and I have not yet heard anything one way or the other in terms of an invitation to Prime Minister Modi. But I would emphasize again that the two leaders have a very good relationship. President Trump felt his trip to India in February 2020 was an excellent one. And I think that personal relationship will be important going forward. The Biden administration has had a strong relationship with India, I think the first Trump team did too and I expect that trend to continue going forward. Published - December 29, 2024 08:45 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit India-United States / USA / India

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FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team said Thursday that additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team said surgery was not expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend’s 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay . The decision on Lamb means the Cowboys will finish the regular season with at least five former Pro Bowlers on injured reserve. Among the others are quarterback Dak Prescott, who was limited to eight games before a season-ending hamstring tear, and right guard Zack Martin. The seven-time All-Pro made it through 10 games before deciding on season-ending ankle surgery. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence didn’t playing after Week 4 because of a foot injury, and cornerback Trevon Diggs battled a variety of injuries while playing 11 games before a knee injury ended his season. Lamb initially injured his right shoulder when it hit the turf hard twice in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta on Nov. 3. He kept playing and had at least 100 yards in each of his last two games — both victories — before getting shut down. The 25-year-old Lamb sat out the entire offseason and preseason in a contract dispute after getting career highs in catches (an NFL-best 135), yards receiving (club-record 1,749) and touchdowns (12) in 2023. The holdout finally ended with a $136 million, four-year extension in late August, but neither the Cowboys nor their star receiver could get that production going again this season. Dallas (7-8) is missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Lamb’s rookie year. Lamb finishes the season with 101 catches for 1,194 yards and six TDs. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLTesla racked up greenhouse emissions credits in 2023 as other automakers laggedThe Eagles are looking to clinch the NFC East title while completing a rare sweep of the rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles (12-3) will have to play without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who sustained a concussion during last weekend's 36-33 loss at Washington that snapped their team-record 10-game winning streak. He was ruled out on Friday after missing practice all week. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a rib injury against the Commanders, but he was a full participant at Thursday's practice and was limited on Friday. Pickett is expected to start, with Tanner McKee his backup on Sunday as Philadelphia tries to sweep Dallas for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, the Cowboys (7-8) are clicking with their own QB2 at the controls. Cooper Rush has guided Dallas to wins in four of the last five games, throwing nine touchdown passes and just one interception in that span. The Cowboys are in the unfamiliar position of playing spoiler, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Two more wins would give Dallas its fourth straight winning season under fifth-year coach Mike McCarthy. "It's hard to win games in this league. It's definitely an end goal just to have a winning season," Cowboys right guard Brock Hoffman said. "... But definitely where we've been at on this journey, take it week by week, win these last two games, have a winning season, and it's definitely a big boost going into next season." The Eagles cruised to a 34-6 win over the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, in the first meeting in Week 10, with Hurts throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two scores. Rush finished with just 45 yards on 13-of-23 passing. Pickett replaced a woozy Hurts in the first quarter against Washington and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown. "I thought it was so cool for our guys to have the confidence in (Pickett) to just hop in there and handle a third down, handle another completion, throw a third-down touchdown in the red zone," Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Tuesday. "I thought that was a really cool moment." A sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2023, McKee has yet to appear in a regular-season game. "I feel like I've always been preparing to be the starter and preparing to play, and so my preparation is going to stay the same," McKee said Tuesday. "And you know, I'm obviously excited for any opportunity that I do get, but we're going to take it day by day for those guys." No matter who plays QB, the Eagles likely will lean heavily on Saquon Barkley. With a league-leading 1,838 rushing yards, he needs 268 in the last two games to break Eric Dickerson's 1984 NFL single-season record of 2,105. Philadelphia's injury report Friday also included the team ruling out wide receiver Britain Covey (neck), who also returns punts, and running back Will Shipley (concussion), a contributor on kickoff return duty. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (abdomen) is doubtful after limited participation on Friday, while defensive end Bryce Huff (wrist) was a full participant and listed as questionable. He would need to be activated from injured reserve to play on Sunday. The Cowboys have shut down star wideout CeeDee Lamb for the rest of the season because of a sprained right shoulder. Also ruled out for Sunday are cornerbacks Kemon Hall (hamstring) and Amani Oruwariye (foot). Guard TJ Bass (thigh) is doubtful, while those with questionable status are wide receivers Jalen Brooks (knee) and Jalen Tolbert (finger), offensive tackles Chuma Edoga (toe) and Asim Richards (ankle), linebackers Eric Kendricks (calf) and Nick Vigil (foot), and safety Donovan Wilson (knee). --Field Level Media( ) has been one of the hottest stocks on the market in recent years. Backed by billionaire investors like Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Griffin and Israel Englander, the stock rose 1,164% from its 2022 lows to today. Unfortunately, NVIDIA’s billionaire backers are starting to sour on the stock. Trading at 30 times sales with revenue growth slowing down, NVDA is no bargain. All three investors mentioned in the opening paragraph have sold at least some of their NVIDIA shares, and they’ve been joined by the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Jensen Huang. NVIDIA may or may not rise in the future. However, there is one that is just now starting to see its rise in billionaire adoption. Having been picked up by U.S. hedge funds in recent quarters, its star is shining. In this article, I will explore that TSX stock and its billionaire admirers. Brookfield ( ) made headlines this year when billionaire Bill Ackman took a position in it. Brookfield had long had a cult following among Canadian fund managers and retail investors, but it had mostly gone unnoticed by big U.S. investors until Ackman’s buy this past Summer. Initially, Brookfield was only a small position for Ackman’s but the firm’s most recent 13f filing showed that Ackman had increased the position substantially. This past Saturday, Ackman’s business partner Chris Korn said that he expected the stock to appreciate by 100%. Before going any further, I should clarify what I mean by “billionaires are selling NVIDIA and buying Brookfield.” I do not mean that Bill Ackman himself or any of Brookfield’s recent big buyers had sold NVIDIA stock before buying BN. Ackman, Flatt, and Brookfield’s other billionaire backers did not hold NVIDIA. However, the trend among multi-billion-dollar asset managers as a whole lately has been to exit or reduce exposure to NVIDIA, while upping investments in Brookfield. This is a trend worth investigating. What billionaires are seeing in Brookfield It’s one thing to note that billionaires are bullish on Brookfield, but quite another to prove that they’re right. Financial matters are complex. Still, it’s evident from a cursory glance at Brookfield’s recent history that it is doing big things. These are some big milestones, and if Korn’s statement about Brookfield sounds pie in the sky, it’s not inconsistent with the company’s operational results. Now, of course, operational success is not the same thing as profit. Brookfield manages a lot of money for external stakeholders and partners, and it’s sometimes hard to ascertain exactly how much of this money will flow through to BN shareholders. However, the operational success Brookfield sees clearly provides the potential for future profit, the potential that will be actualized if the company remains disciplined in its investing and debt management.

CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Bears threatened to score in the closing minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, fans expressed their feelings loud and clear. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Bears threatened to score in the closing minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, fans expressed their feelings loud and clear. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Bears threatened to score in the closing minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, fans expressed their feelings loud and clear. They weren’t cheering for a touchdown or field goal. They had something else in mind. “Sell the team!” they chanted. With their skid at 10 games, a season that started with playoff hopes can’t end soon enough for the Bears (4-12). They will wrap it up when they visit the rival Green Bay Packers on Jan. 5. “My job is to go out there and win games,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “And we don’t focus on the outside noise. The fans are going to cheer and maybe boo sometimes. And you can’t react to that. It’s not something that we react to.” Chicago is 14-36 in three seasons under general manager Ryan Poles and has two double-digit losing streaks. The Bears dropped their final 10 in 2022 when they were tanking as part of a franchise-record 14-game skid that stretched into last year. They’ve never lost more than 10 in a row in a single season. The slide was at six games when they fired former coach Matt Eberflus the day after a loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving, following a series of poor late-game decisions. They’re 0-4 under interim coach Thomas Brown, and they’ve been dominated by Green Bay in recent decades. What’s working The defense. A defense that has gone from ranking seventh in yards per game through the first six weeks to 25th did its part against Seattle. The six points allowed were a season-low and the 265 yards the Bears gave up were their second-lowest. “As we know, our defense has a certain standard and we’ve showed it,” cornerback Kyler Gordon said. “So, obviously syncing a little bit. Just getting back on the guys to get back right. It’s just important to know what we can do and just go in there and execute.” What needs help Pass protection. Williams was sacked seven times, bringing his NFL-leading total and individual franchise record to 67. The Bears broke their previous mark of 66 sacks allowed in 2004, when they used four quarterbacks. Their issues on the offensive line are well-documented. And so is Williams’ tendency to hold onto the ball too long, resulting in unnecessary sacks. “There were miscues,” Williams said. “There were stupid sacks that I was taking, losing 10, 14 yards, which is frustrating. But I will say that I will definitely take the heat for this one just because (of) some of the situations that I put us in.” Stock up DE Montez Sweat. The Bears gave up 53 yards rushing on Seattle’s game-opening field-goal drive. But the line performed better after that. Sweat picked up his first sack since Week 12 against Minnesota on the first play of Seattle’s second possession, when he took down Geno Smith for an 8-yard loss. Though he’s only missed one game, Sweat has been slowed by ankle and shin injuries. His 5 1/2 sacks are a big drop from last season, when he had a combined 12 1/2 for Washington and Chicago while becoming the first NFL player to lead two teams in the same season. Stock down Williams. Coming off a promising outing against NFC leader Detroit that followed some shaky outings, Williams had a rough night. The No. 1 overall draft pick completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards — not much more than his low of 93 in a Week 1 win over Tennessee — after throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. The seven sacks for 46 yards both matched his second-highest totals. Injuries The Bears reported no injuries during the game. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 5 — The Bears once again had trouble sustaining drives, converting just 5 of 15 third downs and punting on seven of their 10 possessions. They tied a season low with 11 first downs and managed 179 yards. Chicago owns the NFL’s second-worst third-down conversion rate at 31.8% and is averaging a league-worst 287.3 yards per game. Next steps The Bears have lost 11 straight against the Packers — the longest streak by either team in the storied rivalry — and 26 of 29 counting the playoffs. They’ve dropped eight in a row at Lambeau Field since a win in 2015. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement Advertisement

FYI, there are 29 days 'til Christmas, so it's probably time to get cracking on that gift list. Yeah, yeah, it's still November, but what about all of those parties/White Elephants/holiday get-togethers happening in the next few weeks?! Oh, and keep in mind that shipping usually takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r... just when you thought that finding a great gift for a teen girl couldn't be any more intimidating!! Enter: Amazon . Because whether you're a serial 'Zon shopper or only use it to stock up on paper towels and toilet paper, there's no denying that it's one of the best ways to shop a huge variety of gifts with that sweet, sweet free shipping. And if you aren't a Prime member, may I suggest taking advantage of their 30-day free trial as a holiday shopping life hack? Below, you'll find a curated assortment of gifts that will ~surprise and delight~ any teenage girl, from sheet masks and phone cases (the cool, wavy kind that the kids like) to sweatpants and cutesy decor to deck out their rooms with, all available for purchase on Amazon. What are you waiting for?! SHOP EVEN MORE GIFT IDEAS HERE