slots 999 Australia news LIVE: PM believes synagogue firebombing was act of terrorism; New polls spell trouble for Labor - Sydney Morning HeraldNoneThe leader of Ireland’s Labour Party has held talks with the Taoiseach and Tanaiste as efforts to form a new coalition government intensify. Ivana Bacik had separate meetings with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris on Tuesday afternoon. Fianna Fail, which won 48 seats in last month’s general election, and Fine Gael, which secured 38 seats, headed up the last coalition in Dublin and are expected to continue that partnership into the next mandate. However, with a combined 86 seats, they are just short of the 88 required for a majority in the Dail parliament. If they wish to return to government together, they would need one smaller party as a junior partner, or a handful of independents. Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have ruled out doing business with Sinn Fein, which won 39 seats. The centre-left Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party, both of which won 11 seats in the election, are seen as the only two realistic options if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael seek to convince a smaller party to join the coalition. In a statement, the Labour Party said Ms Bacik outlined key policy priorities in her meetings with Taoiseach Mr Harris and Tanaiste Mr Martin. “There was discussion in both meetings on policies and manifesto commitments on housing, health, climate, workers’ rights and disability services among other issues,” said the statement. “The parliamentary party will meet at 1pm on Friday where the party leader will provide an assessment of engagement to date and consider the outcome of these meetings.” A spokesman for Mr Harris said there had been a “constructive engagement” with Ms Bacik. “The Taoiseach is grateful for the time and engagement on a range of substantial policy issues,” he said. The spokesman said Mr Harris had also met independent TDs who are aligned together in what is called the regional group. “These meetings have been productive,” he added. Mr Harris and party colleagues are due to meet the Social Democrats on Wednesday. Fianna Fail deputy leader Jack Chambers and Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee met on Tuesday evening for discussions on government formation, with the parties’ full negotiating teams set to meet on Wednesday. Fine Gael said the meeting between Ms McEntee and Mr Chambers was “positive” and focused on the “structure and format” of the substantive negotiations going forward. When the two parties entered coalition for the first time after the last general election in 2020, there was only a three-seat difference in their relative strength. That resulted in an equal partnership at the head of the coalition, with the Green Party as the junior partner. The two main parties swapped the role of taoiseach halfway through the term. With Fianna Fail’s lead over Fine Gael having grown to 10 seats following this election, focus has turned to the future of the rotating taoiseach arrangement and whether it will operate again in the next mandate and, if so, on what basis. There are similar questions around the distribution of ministries and other roles. While Mr Martin has so far refused to be drawn on the specifics, he has suggested that he expects Fianna Fail’s greater strength of numbers to be reflected in the new administration. However, Mr Harris has insisted that Fine Gael’s mandate cannot be taken for granted when it comes to government formation. Richard Boyd Barrett from People Before Profit-Solidarity, which won three seats, urged Labour not to “prop up” up a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael administration. “We think that’s a huge mistake,” he told reporters in Dublin. “They shouldn’t do it. They should learn the lessons of the past and actually work with other parties of the left to form a decent left opposition to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and campaign on the issues that matter.” His party colleague Paul Murphy pointed to the experience of the Green Party, which lost all but one of its 12 seats in the election. “In reality, what is going to happen is a changing of the mudguard for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael,” he said. “And for those who are now auditioning to be a new mudguard for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, there is a very, very sharp and stark lesson in what happened to the Green Party – obviously almost entirely wiped out. “We think it is a very major mistake for anyone who has the perception of being left, with the votes of people who are looking left, to seek to go into coalition with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.”A Hull rugby club is offering children the chance to play the sport and make new friends with free Saturday morning sessions. Bransholme Bears has starters as young as three attending training, come rain or shine, at Lambwath Playing Fields, Biggin Avenue. The coaching is all voluntary and can be geared to individuals’ needs. A spokesperson for Bransholme Bears said: “The League started Bransholme Bears a couple of years ago but it didn’t take off because they couldn’t get enough volunteers. It was relaunched this summer and we’ve got Karl Beardshaw, the Scotland under-16s coach, involved.” Also among the volunteer coaches are John Baines, who works in security at the local shopping centre – “he’s been really good in organising his shifts so they don’t clash with a Saturday morning” – and local vicar Andrew Silley. The club has Hull FC legend Danny Houghton, who grew up on Bransholme and started with Bransholme Bulldogs, as honorary chairman and Hull KR ’s Dean Hadley as an ambassador. The spokesperson said: “It helps with kids’ social skills and those who have been coming have really become friends with each other. Even last Saturday, when we had all that rain (with Storm Bert’s arrival) we still had about 30 kids down, they were so keen. “We’ve got about 40 to 50 kids, girls and boys, but we have the capacity for more to come along. We have a mini-Bears session for the young ones, it gives them something to do and, as they get older, they get a bit more out of the specific rugby skills, but it’s more about fun really. “I’m from Bransholme and when my two boys wanted to play, there wasn’t anywhere for them to go - there used to be four teams. We know there are children on the Bransholme estate with the potential but they don’t have the opportunities; we want to give them that opportunity. “We have had support from the League with getting equipment and so on, and I’ve met with Karl Turner MP who is hoping to speak to a few people. The council has been really supportive as well. It’s just a pitch to be sorted now.” Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter He added: “The Sutton Arms pub has donated a lot of selection boxes to give out to the kids at our Christmas party. We would be pleased to hear from anyone who can help the Bransholme Bears with sponsorship or anything.” One local mum spoke about the “amazing work” of the club. She said: “They deserve a bit of recognition; all of the coaches do this out of the kindness of their own hearts, the money comes out of their pockets and they don’t charge anyone to join. “My boys have flourished being part of this team. They both have autism and ADHD but that didn’t matter to the club; they welcomed them with open arms. “They are creating stability for kids who might not have any otherwise. I think that’s amazing.” Bransholme Bears offers free training on Saturdays from 9.30am to 10.30am at Lambwath Playing Fields, Biggin Avenue, HU7 4WN, with all skills/abilities welcome and no upper age limit. For more information or to offer help to the club, find The Bransholme Bears on Facebook , where there are contact details. Don't miss a thing. Get all the latest breaking news in Hull straight to your mobile via WhatsApp by clicking here . If you don’t like our community, you can leave any time. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here.

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FTC opens Microsoft antitrust investigation that Trump administration must carry on or dropA local family trying to get the word out about a new addition ended up informing far more people than they had intended when their gender reveal party caused the Parkers Mill Fire Department to turn up. An incident took place Wednesday which caused several neighbors in the area to call emergency services and report a possible explosion. The calls came in from the Slate Branch Road area, and some callers described the event as having shook their homes. Mark Gretz, a captain with the Parkers Mill Fire Department, said that the department was called to the scene around 4:15 p.m. When there, units located the explosion site, which a Parkers Mill Fire Department social media post stated “was very blue.” As it turns out, Gretz said, a family had decided to hold a gender reveal involving four pounds of tannerite, a combination of chemicals that when mixed together can be set off as an explosion by a high-velocity bullet. Gretz said that tannerite is usually used for target practice, but not in the quantity used for the party. “I don’t think they thought it was going to be as big of a bang as it was,” he said. For those who plan on using tannerite for such displays, Gretz advised that the public should “make sure they contact the fire department before they do something like that, so that we can have somebody on standby or even have somebody there if something were to go wrong.” And there have been cases in the United States where things have gone very wrong. According to a CNN.com article, a gender reveal using tannerite which took place on April 23, 2017 in Arizona ignited nearby dry brush that led to a 47,000-acre wildfire and caused more than $8 million in damage, most of it to a nearby national forest. That incident, known as the Sawmill Fire, was started by off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent Dennis Dickey, who later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to five years probation. Regardless of what caused Wednesday’s explosion in Pulaski, Gretz said that his fire department has seen more explosions within its district this year than it wanted to. The tannerite explosion took place just days after another explosion in the Lake Ridge Road area of Slate Branch was reported. In that explosion, a woman was reported as being severely burned. Gretz said Monday that he did not have an update on the woman’s condition, but confirmed the department’s earlier social media reports that she was taken to a burn unit in a Louisville hospital. The initial reports on that explosion said that it took place in a garage at a residence, and that gasoline fumes were ignited when the victim entered the garage and lit a cigarette. Gretz added that the fumes spread after the husband of the residence had decided to mow his yard one more time this year, and took the lid off of the gas can to put fuel into a lawnmower. When replacing the gas can, he didn’t put the cap back on. The person then closed the garage door, which allowed the fumes to build up. Gretz said that the home’s furnace was in the garage, and therefore the smell of gas fumes began circulating throughout the house. The wife went out to investigate, but when she went into the garage she also lit a cigarette. Gretz also noted that the Parkers Mill Fire Department also dealt with the aftermath of an explosion in May, in which one person was killed. That explosion took place on Hidden Crest Drive in a shed that was storing fireworks.

The doctrine of proportionality requires both consideration of the seriousness of a crime and the personal circumstances of an offender, a Niagara judge said before sentencing a drug dealer to house arrest. “One cannot be ignored in favour of the other,” Judge Joseph De Filippis said in his decision regarding Arthur Michaud. While peddling crystal methamphetamine to the most vulnerable members of the community usually calls for a significant jail term, the judge said “exceptional circumstances can dictate otherwise.” Michaud, 34, appeared in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines last week and received a two-year conditional sentence, also known as house arrest, on charges of possession of crystal methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime. The Crown had sought a penitentiary sentence of 3.5 years. De Filippis conceded that a penitentiary term “often awaits” individuals who traffic in hard drugs. “The docket of many provincial courts, including Niagara region, is often informed by poverty, mental illness and addiction. Although these factors feed on each other, drug addiction, especially with a substance such as crystal methamphetamine, is the most pressing social problem. “It causes misery to the addict, suffering by those who love the addict, much secondary crime, and significant social costs to deter and rehabilitate the addicts.” Despite that, De Filippis said, a penitentiary sentence would be “a great, perhaps permanent, setback” for Michaud. He said the offender had a dysfunctional childhood and has struggled with substance abuse and homelessness in the past, but has made great strides toward rehabilitation. “The defendant’s challenges started in the womb,” he said. “The defendant hated his childhood and described it as isolated and void of emotional connection.” He started consuming alcohol at a young age and, by his late teens, lived a transient lifestyle and hitchhiked across Canada several times. By his mid-20s, he was a drug addict, homeless and living in a car and tents. He now has stable housing and has not taken drugs for two years. “There is reason to be hopeful that the defendant can overcome a most difficult childhood and live a good and productive life,” De Filippis said. “These personal circumstances give me confidence that community safety will not be endangered by the imposition of a conditional sentence.” The Crown hard argued the quantity and nature of the drug suggested the offender was more than a low-level street dealer. The judge disagreed. “Neither the amount of the drug nor, especially, the defendant’s background and lifestyle points to anything other than a low-level drug dealer supporting his own habit while living in squalid and impoverished circumstances,” De Filippis said. “This does not diminish the harm caused to others by the distribution of this hard drug, but this is not a man who profited from the misery of others.” Niagara Regional Police used a warrant to search a basement apartment on Currie Street in St. Catharines in April 2020. Police found just more than three ounces of crystal meth under a couch. Also seized were two plastic baggies, imprinted with a heart design and each containing just more than six grams of the drug. A pink backpack, containing similar heart baggies and a scale, was found in a bedroom. Lawyer Mark Evans had suggested at trial, held earlier this year, that the backpack likely belonged to a woman, saying that “even in modern society (a pink backpack) would suggest a female owner.” The judge dismissed the claim, saying he did not attach any significance to the fact that the backpack was pink.It’s a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule that most Americans know little about, yet gives corporations the license to add potentially harmful ingredients to foods without regulatory oversight or public notice. For decades, the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe,” , designation has allowed food makers to decide for themselves whether certain novel ingredients are safe or not — even without providing evidence to agency scientists. the system has allowed companies to , including suspected carcinogens, to such products as cereals, baked goods, ice cream, potato chips and chewing gum. Now, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of to lead the Department of Health and Human Service promises to elevate the issue. Although Kennedy’s penchant for amplifying medical conspiracies and his anti-vaccination activism , his vow to crack down on chemical additives in food has resonated with consumer health advocates. The problem, critics say, is that a GRAS determination is supposed to follow a scientific assessment, ideally one conducted by independent experts. Under the law, however, it is entirely optional for companies to share their assessments with FDA reviewers. That means the FDA and American consumers are in the dark about hundreds of compounds in processed foods. “FDA cannot ensure the safety of our food supply if it does not know what is in our food,” said , principal scientist for food additives and supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. When the agency does learn about a new compound, it evaluates the company’s safety report to see whether it agrees. If FDA scientists see problems and request additional information, the company doesn’t have to provide it. It can simply withdraw its GRAS notice and use the ingredient anyway. , a former prosecutor and current state legislator in Pennsylvania, said she doesn’t understand why the FDA treats food additives like criminal defendants — “innocent until proven guilty, safe until proven otherwise.” “Right now we’re relying on the companies that are going to profit off selling these substances to do the research for us,” said Mihalek, a Republican who has introduced a bill to in her state. “It just blows my mind.” FDA officials acknowledge the limits of the GRAS system but say they don’t have the authority to change it. “Congress sets GRAS as part of the law,” said , director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety. “It is our responsibility to administer the law. We do not in fact have the authority to make the laws.” Related Articles Concern about the safety and purity of food prompted Congress to pass the in 1906, just months after Upton Sinclair brought the meatpacking industry’s unsanitary practices to light in his book The new law forbade the manufacture and sale of foods that were “adulterated or misbranded or poisonous.” The FDA’s regulatory powers expanded in 1938 with the passage of the , and a 1958 amendment divided food ingredients into two categories: additives that must be assessed for safety, and substances that could go straight into foods because they are “generally recognized as safe.” Unfortunately, the legal distinction between the two kinds of ingredients is “very vague,” said , a public health lawyer at New York University’s School of Global Public Health. The types of ingredients that were considered GRAS in 1958 included items that were already in wide use, such as salt, vanilla extract, baking powder and vinegar. The FDA established a list of GRAS substances and added new items if they passed a safety review. Individuals from outside the agency also could ask to have a particular substance studied for inclusion on the official GRAS list. But the process was time-consuming, and petitions from industry could take to evaluate. As part of the Clinton-era initiative to , the FDA embraced designed to make it more enticing for companies to keep the agency in the loop about their GRAS decisions. Now the FDA pledges to respond to GRAS notices . The notification process is also low-risk for food companies. If everything looks good, the FDA says it has “no questions” about the compound, effectively endorsing the GRAS assessment. This happens about 80% of the time, according to researchers and Maricel Maffini, who analyzed . If things aren’t so clear, the agency may say it needs more information before it can weigh in. And if a company decides not to provide that information, it can back out of the process and the FDA will say it ended its evaluation at the filer’s request. Such was the case with an ingredient in . Not just another gourmet candy bar, the dark chocolate with lavender and blueberry flavors is infused with the hormone , the amino acid , a blend of soothing botanicals and something called , an artificial version of that calms the brain. PharmaGABA is made by of Kyoto, Japan. The company touts its product as having “US-FDA’s self-affirmed GRAS approval” even though the FDA twice raised serious concerns about its safety and has never indicated to the public that its misgivings were addressed. Nothing about this violates the law. Neltner, a chemical engineer and attorney, and Maffini, a biochemist and consultant, dug into the FDA’s files on PharmaGABA to see why regulators were concerned about it. In its filed in 2008, Pharma Foods said it hired a to determine whether PharmaGABA should qualify for GRAS status when used in candy, chewing gum, beverages and other products. The consulting firm produced a report about the product and tapped three university professors with expertise in pharmacology, toxicology and food science to weigh in. The trio’s determination that the product was “safe and suitable and would be GRAS” was unanimous, . Yet after reviewing all 155 pages of the PharmaGABA notice, FDA scientists raised concerns about the product’s purity, its risk for causing low blood pressure and electrolyte imbalances, and the lack of data on how PharmaGABA is metabolized, among other problems. Pharma Foods withdrew its notice, and the FDA . The company with a for using PharmaGABA in yogurts and cheese, cereals and snack bars, candy and gum, and an array of beverages including sports drinks and flavored milks. The same consulting firm assembled a scientific panel that said consuming PharmaGABA in expected quantities was “reasonably expected to be safe.” As before, FDA reviewers had concerns. They said the new filing didn’t back the company’s claims that the product would be absorbed into the bloodstream at low levels and that it wouldn’t cross the blood-brain barrier. The reviewers were particularly concerned with the compound’s potential to harm pregnant women and children, as well as its effect on the pituitary gland. Pharma Foods withdrew its notice so it could “conduct further studies,” and the FDA of the product. Maffini said it wasn’t unusual for agency scientists to find fault with GRAS decisions that passed muster with hired consultants. Giving their clients favorable reviews increases their chances of being hired again, she said. Nine years later, Pharma Foods has yet to share additional results with the FDA. But PharmaGABA legally remains in based on Pharma Foods’ determination that the compound should be generally recognized as safe. Pharma Foods International and , which makes Sleepy Chocolate, did not respond to requests to discuss PharmaGABA’s safety. Maffini said she was frustrated that the FDA scientists who examined PharmaGABA couldn’t post a memo to warn the public about their concerns. (She and Neltner obtained the GRAS documents by filing a .) “They ask questions,” Maffini said of the agency scientists, “but then there’s really nothing they can do.” For every ingredient like PharmaGABA that is disclosed to the FDA, another probably makes its way to the market without any regulatory review. By definition, there’s no way to know for sure how many new additives are granted GRAS status in secret. To , researchers scoured websites and trade journals to find every corporate announcement of a new GRAS product during an eight-week period. Ten of those products weren’t on the FDA’s GRAS notice list. If those eight weeks were typical, at least 65 new substances are being introduced into the food supply every year without any vetting by the agency. That’s on a par with the 60 to 70 GRAS notices that Muldoon Jacobs said the FDA evaluates each year. The situation is something of a catch-22, Pomeranz said: Since GRAS products are presumed to be safe, they aren’t subject to regulatory review. But since they’re not regulated, how can the public be assured that they’re safe? And that’s only part of the problem, she said. When companies use novel ingredients, they can list them on food labels using generic terms like “flavors” or “colors.” That makes it all but impossible for consumers to know that something new has been added to their food, she said. This helps explain how an ingredient called was able to who consumed French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, a meat replacement product sold by Daily Harvest in 2022. Customers suffered severe abdominal pain, fever, chills and acute liver failure, and , according to the FDA. The company and for the illnesses. Tara flour is a high-protein substance made from the seeds of found in South America. There is no GRAS notice for the ingredient in the FDA’s database. Tests conducted after the outbreak found that in the flour caused liver damage in mice. In May, nearly two years after the recall, the FDA concluded that tara flour to qualify for GRAS status. That makes it an unapproved food additive and is considered unsafe. The agency added that it’s not aware of any products made in the U.S. that contain tara flour, nor has it identified any imported products that contain the ingredient. The case shows why the FDA’s regulatory approach needs to change, said , regulatory counsel for food chemical safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Self-declaring that your chemical is safe should not be the law of the land,” Jose said. “I highly doubt that’s what Congress meant” when it created the GRAS designation in 1958, he said. Bills introduced would put an end to the practice of allowing companies to make GRAS determinations in secret. The legislation would require companies to share their scientific reviews and give the FDA and the public at least 90 days to review — and potentially challenge — them before they take effect, among other provisions. But both bills have a ways to go in order to pass before the congressional term ends in January. Jose has another idea for reducing the secrecy surrounding novel food ingredients: Require companies using self-declared GRAS ingredients to submit the safety data to the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets in Albany as a condition for selling their products in the Empire State. Jose laid out the plan in that is under consideration in the New York state Legislature. If it passes, state regulators would not be required to review the safety data, but at least it would become publicly available, he said. “The goal is that you’d have a database so if something like tara flour happens, the FDA can look there and be able to respond more quickly,” Jose said. Companies could avoid the notification requirement by keeping their products out of New York stores, but that would be a tip-off to watchdog groups like his, Jose said. “If we find them selling everywhere except New York, we’ll know there might be something wrong with this chemical,” he said. , the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, the “growing public demand for the FDA to do more to ensure the safety of chemicals currently in the U.S. food supply.” and other states have sought to fill the void by regulating or banning within their borders. But “a strong national food-safety system is not built state-by-state,” Jones said. “The FDA must lead the way.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Is This Semiconductor Company Overvalued? The Shocking Numbers Revealed

Rollins Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitorsOlivia Olson scored 18 points, including eight straight to open the fourth quarter, as the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines survived a 60-54 scare from the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten opener for each team in Ann Arbor, Mich. Northwestern (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten) led throughout the third quarter and took a four-point lead into the fourth, but Olson capped her 8-0 burst with a 3-pointer, and Syla Swords also nailed a trey to put the Wolverines (8-1, 1-0) ahead 50-44. Michigan has won eight straight games since opening the season with a six-point loss to then-No. 1 South Carolina. Caileigh Walsh's 3-pointer put the Wildcats back in front 53-52 with 3:36 to go. Michigan responded by scoring eight of the game's last nine points, six by Jordan Hobbs. Hobbs finished with 16 points and teammate Mila Holloway had 10. Kyla Jones led Northwestern with 14 points and Walsh notched 10 before fouling out. No. 4 Texas 93, James Madison 62 Madison Booker, Jordan Lee and Rori Harmon dominated the first half as the Longhorns clobbered the host Dukes in Harrisonburg, Va. Booker scored 21 points, Lee added 20 and Harmon 19 by combining on 25-of-33 shooting. They had 49 of their points in the first half as Texas (7-1) piled up a 58-29 halftime lead. The Longhorns, who entered seventh in the nation in scoring at 90 points per game, shot 54 percent for the game to 40 percent for the Dukes. Roshala Scott led James Madison (7-3) with 22 points and Peyton McDaniel and Ashanti Barnes had 12 apiece. McDaniel added eight rebounds for the Dukes, who had 24 turnovers. No. 10 Notre Dame 93, Syracuse 62 The Fighting Irish pulled away from a seven-point halftime lead to demolish the host Orange in the ACC opener for both schools. The trio of Sonia Citron, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles led Notre Dame's win with double-doubles. Citron had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Hidalgo racked up 24 and 10, respectively, and Miles shone with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo, third in Division I in scoring (24.6 ppg), netted nine points and Citron had eight in the third quarter, as Notre Dame (7-2, 1-0 ACC) outscored Syracuse (4-6, 0-1) 29-13 to pull away. Keira Scott posted 16 points and Sophie Burrows tacked on 13 for the Orange, who shot only 32.5 percent. The Irish shot 50 percent and thrived despite 20 turnovers. No. 16 North Carolina 72, Coppin State 46 The Tar Heels built a comfortable halftime lead and used its bench players freely in devouring the Eagles in Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina (9-1) entered second-best in the nation in scoring defense at 49.1 points per game and excelled again, holding Coppin State to 27.3 percent shooting. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels shot 44.4 percent while having 12 players enter the scoring column, led by Maria Gakdeng's 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Reniya Kelly scored six of her eight points in the first quarter as North Carolina took a 23-13 lead. The Tar Heels grew the lead to 46-27 by intermission. Tiffany Hammond and Angel Jones scored 12 points apiece for Coppin State (6-5), and Laila Lawrence added 10 points with 10 rebounds. No. 18 Ole Miss 85, Tennessee State 38 The Rebels had more points by halftime than the Lady Tigers scored in the game after jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and 44-19 by intermission. Kennedy Todd-Williams led Ole Miss (6-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Sira Thienou added 12 and six, respectively. The Rebels shot 46 percent for the game. Ole Miss began the day seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 49.8 points allowed per game, and it punished Tennessee State to the tune of 23.6 percent shooting and 22 forced turnovers. XaiOnna Whitfield led the Lady Tigers (4-6) with 10 points. No. 20 Iowa State 82, Central Michigan 56 Audi Crooks scored 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added 10 rebounds as the Cyclones slammed the Chippewas in Ames, Iowa. Emily Ryan netted 10 of her 12 points in the first quarter and Crooks scored nine in the period as Iowa State (8-2) jumped out to a 31-13 lead and enjoyed a cushion of at least 18 points the rest of the way. Addy Brown added 18 points for the Cyclones, who shot 52.5 percent and rolled despite having 20 turnovers. Jayda Mosley led Central Michigan (3-6) with 11 points and Madi Morson and Ayanna-Sarai Darrington added 10 apiece. The Chippewas shot only 33.3 percent from the floor and had 26 turnovers. No. 24 Michigan State 89, DePaul 61 The unbeaten Spartans put four scorers in double figures as they systematically disposed of the Blue Demons in East Lansing, Mich. Jaddan Simmons finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Julia Ayrault stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals for Michigan State (9-0). Emma Shumate and Jocelyn Tate had 12 and 10 points, respectively. Jorie Allen put up 15 points, 11 boards, seven assists and three steals and Grace Carstensen also notched 15 points for DePaul (3-7), which shot just 28.8 percent despite hitting 9 of 18 of its 3-point attempts. The Spartans led by seven after one quarter and 17 at halftime before coasting through the second half. No. 25 Nebraska 84, Minnesota 65 Strong first quarters by Callin Hake and Amiah Hargrove sent the Cornhuskers on their way to pinning the first loss on the Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Conference opener for each team. Hake scored eight of her 11 points in the first period and Hargrove eight of her 10 as Nebraska (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) seized a 27-11 lead and never looked back. Hargrove scored eight of the Cornhuskers' 10 straight points to end the quarter. Alberte Rimdal led the winners with 12 points and Alexis Markowski added 11 with nine rebounds. Mallory Heyer collected 12 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota (10-1, 0-1). Tori McKinney scored 11 points and Grace Crocholski and Alexsia Rose 10 apiece, but the Golden Gophers hit just 35.2 percent of their shots. --Field Level Media

NoneMy Inquirer storyAustralia’s House of Representatives have passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalise the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (£26 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favour to 13 against. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licences. The platforms also could not demand digital identification through a government system. “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” Mr Tehan told Parliament. Communications minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later on Wednesday. The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will be passed by the Senate, where no party holds a majority of seats. Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday. Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents’ authority to decide what is best for their children. Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms they encountered and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media”. “The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” Ms Daniel told Parliament. “There is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that’s because no other country wants to do it,” she added. The platforms had asked for the vote on legislation to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could been enforced.

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