byu games casino 968 online casino Davis Cup Finals: Matteo Berrettini sends Italy into pole position for back-to-back glorySuriname's government announced Saturday that the small South American nation will not hold a state funeral for its ex-president Desi Bouterse, who this week died a fugitive from justice aged 79. Current President Chan Santokhi "has decided, based on his powers and advice received, that there will be no state funeral... No period of national mourning," Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin told a press conference. Bouterse was a former military man who twice mounted coups, in 1980 and again in 1990, to take charge as a dictator. He eventually returned to power after being elected president in 2010 and governed for a decade. He died Tuesday in the unknown location where he had been holed up as a fugitive, with in-absentia convictions for cocaine trafficking and murder. Bouterse's body was dropped off at his residence in the capital Paramaribo. An autopsy was ordered, though police said there were "no signs of criminal activity." Bouterse had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2023 for the 1982 execution of political opponents, including lawyers, journalists, businessmen and military prisoners. He remained a popular figure with the poor and working class in the former Dutch colony. The foreign minister said that, out of respect for Bouterse's status as an elected former president, flags would be flown at half-staff on government buildings on the day of his funeral, whose date has not yet been given. str-jt/rmb/acb

One of the most Donald Trump-aligned GOP senators blocked the promotion of a top U.S. general over the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a new report . Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the last U.S. soldier to withdraw from Afghanistan, was set to become the head of the U.S. Army in Europe as part of almost 1,000 promotions that moved through the Senate last week. But Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) held his name up in order to allow President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration to weigh in, according to CBS News. Mullin’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment. Mullin rankled feathers last week when he suggested vaccines could be responsible for autism—years after writing that vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration were safe and effective. ADVERTISEMENT Some in the Army told CBS News they believed Donahue‘s name was held up for political reasons, and they were working to try and lift the hold on his promotion from a three-star general to a four-star general. The 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan stemmed from an agreement the Trump administration brokered with the Taliban, though that arrangement required the group to not engage in terrorist activities. The Taliban eventually spurned that agreement, though the Biden administration still completed the withdrawal in 2021. The eventual operation left dozens of Afghans and 13 U.S. service members dead after a suicide bombing near a Kabul airport. The State Department found that the erratic nature of the withdrawal stemmed from a failure of officials to grasp “the scale and scope of the operation.”US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, setting another new high above $99,000. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Supreme Court steps into fight over FCC's $8 billion subsidies for internet and phone services WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has stepped into a major legal fight over the $8 billion a year the federal government spends to subsidize phone and internet services in schools, libraries and rural areas, in a new test of federal regulatory power. The justices on Friday agreed to review an appellate ruling that struck down as unconstitutional the Universal Service Fund. The Federal Communications Commission collects money from telecommunications providers, who then pass the cost on to their customers. The Biden administration appealed the lower court ruling, but the case probably won’t be argued until late March. At that point, the Trump administration will be in place and it is not clear whether it will take a different view of the issue. Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, giving the market its fifth gain in a row and notching another record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Friday. The Dow added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tacked on 0.2%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts' estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. Australia rejects Elon Musk's claim that it plans to control access to the internet MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian Cabinet minister has rejected X Corp. owner Elon Musk’s allegation that the government intends to control all Australians' access to the internet through legislation that would ban young children from social media. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday that Musk’s criticism was “unsurprising” after the government introduced legislation to Parliament that would fine platforms including X up to $133 million for allowing children under 16 to hold social media accounts. The spat continues months of open hostility between the Australian government and the tech billionaire over regulators’ efforts to reduce public harm from social media. Parliament could pass the legislation as soon as next week. Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. New York judge rejects state efforts to shutter bitcoin mine over climate concerns NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has rejected an effort by state regulators to shutter a bitcoin mine over concerns about its greenhouse gas emissions. The decision will allow the Greenidge power plant to continue operating in the Finger Lakes region of the state. The state had previously found the gas-powered crypto mine ran afoul of a climate law intended to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But on Thursday, a state Supreme Court judge found Greenidge was entitled to a process to defend its continued operation. Environmental groups have protested the facility, which they allege is pumping emissions into the air while contaminating the nearby Seneca Lake. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. Apple and Google face UK investigation into mobile browser dominance LONDON (AP) — A British watchdog says Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers. The watchdog's report Friday recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year. The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker’s tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. The CMA’s report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers “the clearest or easiest option.” Apple said it disagreed with the findings.

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Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Daylen Berry scored 27 points as Charleston Southern beat Columbia International 95-89 on Saturday. Berry had 10 rebounds for the Buccaneers (4-11). RJ Johnson scored 25 points while shooting 7 for 19 (0 for 6 from 3-point range) and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line and added seven assists. Keenan Wilkins went 4 of 12 from the field (3 for 8 from 3-point range) to finish with 11 points, while adding six rebounds. JJ Vaughan finished with 24 points for the Rams. Columbia International also got 22 points from Christian Howard. Brandon Hunt also had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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Springboks flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit has been named World Rugby's men's player of the year for a second time, with England fullback Ellie Kildunne taking out the women's award at a ceremony in Monaco. Du Toit also won the award in 2019. He joins All Blacks Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Beauden Barrett as the only players to have won the award more than once. McCaw and Carter have each won the award three times. No New Zealanders were shortlisted for either top award, though the All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi won men's breakthrough player of the year. Three All Blacks, prop Tyrel Lomax, first five Damian McKenzie and fullback Will Jordan were named in the men's 15s team of the year with three Black Ferns players, hooker Georgia Ponsonby, midfielder Sylvia Brunt and winger Katelyn Vaha'akolo making the women's 15s team of the year. Black Ferns Sevens Paris Olympic gold medallists Michaela Blyde and Jorja Miller missed out on women's sevens player of the year award to Australia's Maddison Levi, though the two New Zealanders were named in the women's sevens team of the year. It is a case of third time lucky for Levi after her nominations in 2022 and 2023. The Australian set a new record for most tries in a single Olympic Games (14) after scoring 69 tries on the World Series circuit in 2024, the second-highest figure in men's or women's series history. The prolific finisher becomes the third Australian recipient after Emilee Cherry and Charlotte Caslick. France's Antoine Dupont won men's sevens player of the year, becoming the first player to win both the sevens and 15s player of the year awards in a career. Dupont, who won the 15s player of the year award in 2021, led the French men's sevens team to Paris Olympic gold this year. No All Blacks Sevens players were shortlisted for men's sevens player of the year and no New Zealanders were included in the men's sevens team of the year. Dupont's sevens head coach Jérôme Daret was named coach of the year, recognising his efforts in ending a 19-year wait for World Series Cup title and steering France to Olympic gold in July. Daret is the first sevens coach to receive this award. During the event five legends of the game were inducted in the World Rugby Hall of Fame including New Zealanders DJ Forbes and Chris Laidlaw. Laidlaw is a former All Blacks halfback while Forbes was a long serving captain of the All Blacks Sevens. The others inducted were Australian sevens player Emilee Cherry, Scotland's Donna Kennedy and former Italian captain Sergio Parisse.