Tradfest is one of the social highlights on the calendar in Kilkenny and this year’s festival boasted a stellar lineup of live entertainment. Headline acts included Hothouse Flowers, Clare Sands, the legendary Shaskeen, John Spillane, Breaking Trad and the recently emerging Aran Islands star, Pádraig Jack. The Muscraí Gaeltacht was also well-represented by award-winning singers Nell Ní Chróinín and international star Iarla Ó Lionáird as well as the world-renowned Kilfenora Céilí Bands. Meanwhile there was an explosion of colour and community spirit on the streets of Kilkenny for the parade on St Patrick’s Day. The parade made its way through the narrow streets of the city, passing Kilkenny Castle, the City Hall and travelling along the city’s Medieval Mile, before finishing in the Market Yard. As well as the dozens of community, cultural sporting and artistic groups, the parade was led by Grand Marshall, Kilkenny hurling legend and best-selling author, Ritchie Power. There was also a special appearance by Stephen Mulrooney, fresh from his newfound stardom as singer on the Late Late Toy Show and singing at Ireland’s recent rugby internationals against Italy and Wales. In March the then Mayor of Kilkenny urged other men to be vigilant about his health as he reveled his recent prostate scare. The Fianna Fáil councillor underwent keyhole surgery at Dublin’s Mater Hospital and has made a good recovery. “We are all living fast lives now and maybe we don’t have time to get checked out but if you get a car you would get it serviced and I would appeal for men to get a medical once a year and let them (the doctors) tell you,” he said. In other news the ‘longest ever imported’ wind turbines docked at Belview Port in Kilkenny in March. The port describes their importation as ‘a record breaking’ cargo project for Ireland, with each blade measuring eighty metres in length. Two roundabouts in South Kilkenny were adapted to facilitate the transport of these mammoth blades. The blades were transported by road to their destination in County Offaly. Port of Waterford CEO, David Sinnott said that the port was chosen as ‘it is the only port in Ireland capable of handling these long components.”philucky01 。

Aaron Judge wins second AL MVP in 3 seasons. Shohei Ohtani expected to win NL honorThe right of transgender minors to access gender-affirming care has sparked debate in many parts of the United States, and it’s now heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments Wednesday on a challenge, brought by young people who identify as transgender and their families, to a law in Tennessee that bans gender-affirming medical care for minors. It’s one of 26 states that have passed bans on gender-affirming health care for transgender children and teenagers, according to a CNN analysis of data from the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank that advocates for LGBTQ rights. Gender-affirming care is a multidisciplinary approach that includes medically necessary and scientific evidence-based practices to help a person safely transition from their assigned gender – the one a clinician assigned them at birth, based mostly on anatomic characteristics – to their affirmed gender – the gender by which the person wants to be known. Although the term gender-affirming care came into the public’s lexicon fairly recently, Dr. Madeline Deutsch, director of the UCSF Gender Affirming Health Program in San Francisco, said the practice has been around for some time and is based on decades of scientific research. Major mainstream medical associations – including the American Medical Association , the American Psychiatric Association , the Endocrine Society , the American Psychological Association , the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – have affirmed the practice of gender-affirming care and agree that it’s the gold standard of clinically appropriate care that can provide lifesaving treatment for children and adults. “While we are always assessing the strength of the evidence for this kind of care, every major US medical association has found that the medical evidence is strong and in support of centers that provides this kind of care and have been doing so for decades,” said Dr. Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, a health care organization that works on LGBTQ+ issues. This year, an extensive but controversial research review in the UK called the use of puberty-delaying medications into question, saying that the rationale for early puberty suppression was “unclear” and that any benefit for mental health was supported by “weak evidence.” The review — known as the Cass Review for Dr. Hilary Cass, the pediatrician who conducted it — has prompted providers in the UK to scale back their use of the treatment. However, its methodology have come under sharp criticism from some scholars and practitioners. The process typically starts with a conversation between a clinician and the individual. If the patient is a child, the conversation will also include the family when possible. “It’s to really get a better sense of what’s bringing them into the clinic,” said licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Melina Wald, co-founder and former clinical director of the Columbia Gender Identity Program at Columbia University Medical Center. “We are also looking to understand the child’s understanding of their own gender, gender expression and a history related to that.” After experts determine what the person needs, a multidisciplinary group of clinicians will design a plan for them. Depending on the person’s age, care can include mental health and support groups, legal help and sometimes medical help like hormones or surgery when a person is past puberty. “This is individualized care, not some one-size-fits-all-plan,” Baker said. A transition plan can be as simple as offering support to someone when they start using different pronouns, change their hairstyle or clothing, or use a different name. “When we support and allow people to do these things, their lives get better,” Deutsch said. Mental health care: Often, gender-affirming care will include counseling. A 2018 study found that the prevalence of mental health problems among transgender youth was seven times higher than among their cisgender peers. Mental health problems don’t necessarily stem from a person’s identity; a growing number of studies show that they often occur because of social discrimination and what’s known as minority stress. Stigma, marginalization , discrimination, bullying, harassment and violence can lead to feelings of isolation and rejection. People who identify as transgender may also need mental health help just to determine what their identity is, to come to terms with it and to find self-acceptance. Mental health care can also help people come out to their family and friends and develop coping mechanisms so they can be who they are in a world that isn’t always friendly or accepting. Gender-affirming care, studies show, lowers a person’s odds of depression and suicidality and is associated with improved well-being. Medication and surgery: Some people may also receive age-appropriate medical care like hormone treatments, puberty blockers, voice and communication therapy, gynecologic and urologic care and reproductive treatments. Typically, surgeries are offered only to adults. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s guidelines , which are considered the gold standard for gender-affirming care around the world, say this kind of care should provide a person “safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves with the aim of optimizing their overall physical health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.” When children get to a certain stage of puberty – diagnosed by a medical provider – and still have a persistent, well-documented sense that their gender does not align with the sex assigned at birth, doctors and family may decide to move forward with reversible pubertal suppression , commonly called puberty blockers . Although not all patients choose this treatment, some research shows that gender-incongruent youth may feel increased distress when they start to develop secondary sex characteristics. These gonadotrophin-releasing hormone drugs were first used to delay puberty for people with what’s known as precocious puberty , when a child’s body changes into that of an adult too soon. Puberty blockers can keep secondary sex traits from developing for a few years, to give the child time to access support, explore their gender identity and develop coping skills, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. If a patient decides to stop treatment, puberty resumes. “That just basically puts everything on pause, and children can be on that for a couple of years without any ill effects, and it’s totally reversible,” Deutsch said. “If it’s stopped, then everything just continues where you left off.” Studies show that puberty blockers can reduce the distress that may happen when a child develops secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, an Adam’s apple or voice changes. Studies show that transgender adolescents who used puberty blockers were less likely to have suicidal thoughts than those who wanted the treatment but did not get it. Puberty blockers can also make a transition later in life easier, since the person did not develop these secondary sex characteristics. At this stage in the gender-affirming care process, after a thorough evaluation by a medical professional, a patient may also receive hormone therapy that can lead to gender-affirming physical change. Puberty blockers can carry some risks, and more long-term studies are needed, according to the Pediatric Endocrine Society . Long-term studies on fertility and bone health are limited and provide “varied results,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines say that before giving puberty blockers, the provider must make sure the person has demonstrated a sustained and persistent pattern of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence; they must have the emotional and cognitive maturity to provide informed consent; any coexisting mental health problems that could interfere with treatment or consent need to be addressed; the person needs to be told that there could be reproductive effects, and fertility preservation options should be discussed; and the child must have reached Tanner Stage 2 of puberty, which is when a girl starts to develop breast buds and a boy’s scrotum and testicles begin to increase in size. A pediatric endocrinologist must agree with this decision. Professional medical guidelines, with some rare exceptions, do not recommend puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgery for children who have not gone through puberty. If such treatment is indicated, the clinician would first do a thorough evaluation in collaboration with the patient and their caregiver to understand the child’s unique needs. “I think one of the big myths out there is that there’s a sense that kids are rushed into decisions related to medical care, like hormone therapy or surgery. That’s just not the case,” Wald said. Deutsch agreed: “Kids don’t make stuff up about this, wanting to become trans because it’s trendy or something,” she said. “Trans youth and trans people in general do not have access to a hormone vending machine.” Some critics point out that youth who take puberty blockers may change their minds about their gender identity later in life. Several studies have shown that most people who opt for gender-affirming care don’t later regret their choices — including an October 2022 study in the Netherlands that found 98% of transgender youth who had started gender-affirming medical treatment in adolescence continued to use those hormones around five or six years later in adulthood. Among 3,306 UK Gender Identity Development Service patients included the Cass Review analysis, fewer than 10 patients detransitioned to their birth-registered gender. Questions about the benefits of puberty-blocking medications gained fresh attention in October when the author of a federally funded study was quoted as saying she had delayed publication of some of her results because of fears that they would be “weaponized” in a heated political climate. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, medical director at the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, said that in the study , which she helped lead, puberty blockers did not appear to improve the mental health of 95 children ages 8 to 16 who were followed for two years to understand their mental and physical functioning as doctors used the medications to delay the physical changes associated with puberty. Some advocates for gender-affirming care for youth said this is a typical level of caution taken by researchers to carefully present and interpret scientific data. However, researchers said it remains critical to publish data; puberty blockers may have prevented a decline in mental health, even if they didn’t lead to improvement in mental functioning, but it’s impossible to know if the data isn’t released. If a child identifies as transgender or gender-diverse, research suggests that they know their gender as clearly and consistently as their peers who identify as cisgender or the gender they were assigned at birth, even if it conflicts with other people’s expectations about what a typical “boy” or “girl” is. Some critics of the process suggest that children should wait until adulthood to transition, but the American Academy of Pediatrics says in its guidelines that this approach is “outdated,” in part because it assumes that gender identity becomes fixed at a certain age, and the approach is based on “binary notions of gender in which gender diversity and fluidity is pathologized.” The group also argues that the approach was based on early studies with methodological flaws, limited follow-up and validity concerns. More recent research shows that “rather than focusing on who a child will become, valuing them for who they are, even at a young age, fosters secure attachment and resilience, not only for the child but also for the whole family.” Wald says that waiting to transition can create additional psychological distress for a child and can raise their risk of depression, suicidality, self-harm or substance misuse. “Withholding intervention means that the child is going to go through a puberty that is discordant with their gender identity and would ultimately mean that later, at the age of 18, there would be changes to their body that they would make it even more difficult,” she said. “These children and teens can be incredibly resilient,” Wald added. “With support and access to care, they will thrive and can be just as successful as any kid.” A 2022 analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and its Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that a tiny fraction of people in the United States – about 0.6% of those 13 and older, or about 1.6 million people – identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute , a think tank at UCLA Law that provides scientific research on gender identity and sexual orientation. While the percentage of adults who identify as transgender in the US has remained basically the same, the number of young people who identify as such doubled – to 300,000 – from the last time the Williams Institute did the research in 2016 and 2017. It may not be a direct comparison, however, as the Williams Institute’s previous survey did not have survey data for younger teens and had to use statistical modeling to extrapolate based on adult data. The report cannot explain why more young people may be identifying as transgender, but it notes that more data has become available about this population. CNN’s Brenda Goodman, Meg Tirrell and Kristen Rogers contributed to this report.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the rain Sunday to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years. Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history. Thomas, who has five TD catches in his past four games, also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit TD receptions in a single season. He joined Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams. The Titans (3-13) improved their position for the 2025 NFL draft — a potential chance to land a franchise quarterback — and secured last place in the AFC South. The Jaguars (4-12) guaranteed themselves third in the division. There was little else at stake in this Week 17 matchup. Jacksonville looked as if it might make it a blowout, but coach Doug Pederson’s team settled for field goals while building a 13-0 lead early. The Titans got back in it with an 85-yard drive to start the second half, which ended with Mason Rudolph’s 8-yard TD pass to a wide-open Nick Vannett. Tennessee kicked a field goal late to make it a seven-point game and got the ball back with 1:29 remaining. Rudolph drove the Titans to the Jacksonville 26, but safety Antonio Johnson knocked down his fourth down pass at the goal line to end it. Hines-Allen moves closer to sack record Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen moved a step closer to the franchise sack record. Hines-Allen sacked Rudolph in the third quarter, giving him 53 for his career and leaving him two shy of tying Tony Brackens’ team mark. Cheek sets officiating record Boris Cheek became the NFL’s all-time leader in games officiated when he took the field for the Titans-Jaguars game. Cheek officiated his 461st game over 29 seasons, passing Walt Coleman for the top spot. Coleman officiated 460 games over 30 seasons until his retirement in 2018. Key injuries Titans running back Tyjae Spears was evaluated for a concussion late in the third quarter. Spears, who wears a protective “guardian cap” over his helmet to help prevent head injuries, ran 20 times for 95 yards. Tennessee had to turn to third-string right tackle John Ojukwu after backup Jaelyn Duncan left in the first half with a shoulder injury. Duncan started in place of Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was benched last week and inactive against Jacksonville. Jaguars right guard Brandon Scherff (shoulder) left in the second quarter but returned on the next series. Up next Titans finish the season next weekend against division champion Houston. Jaguars play at Indianapolis next weekend to close out another year with double-digit losses. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflKingsview Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT)

The nation’s Medicare system is breaking – and our senior citizens are paying the price. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services slashed government reimbursements to physicians for the fifth year in a row, placing a severe financial burden on seniors and their doctors that will take effect in January – unless Congress intervenes first. The U.S. population aged 65 and over has grown nearly five times faster than the total population, according to 2020 census data , boosting the demand for doctors who treat seniors and accept Medicare insurance. At the same time, government payments to physicians who accept Medicare have been cut year after year. What’s more, Medicare has made no adjustments for inflation to physician payments in more than two decades, even in periods of record inflation. In fact, physicians today are paid nearly 30% less by Medicare than they were in 2001 when accounting for inflation, according to the American Medical Association. Over the same period, between 2001 to 2023, the cost of operating a medical practice increased 47%. The math is simple: When payments to physicians fall below the cost of delivering care, the system destabilizes. It becomes economically unsustainable for doctors to see Medicare patients, entire clinics are forced to close and seniors must seek care in places intended for other things, like emergency rooms. Unfortunately, without an urgent fix to our nation’s outdated Medicare reimbursement system, millions of American seniors are suffering the consequences. What does this look like in practice? Let’s take a composite case of real patient scenarios we have seen and heard as doctors and as members of Congress who hear regularly from constituents. A patient we will call Jean one day noticed a mole on her skin that was growing, darkening in color and starting to itch. Jean tried to make an appointment with her doctor, but her clinic had to close due to inadequate Medicare reimbursements. The earliest appointment she could find with a new doctor was at least three to four months away. That kind of wait time is typical of many metro areas across the country , especially as more doctors shut their doors and are unable to see Medicare patients at all. Unfortunately for Jean, in the months that followed, the mole grew even larger, and it began to hurt and bleed – so much so that she went to the emergency room at her nearest hospital. After waiting 10 hours to be seen, she was told she would need a biopsy of the mole. The biopsy showed that she had melanoma skin cancer that would require surgery and perhaps chemotherapy. Since Jean’s cancer was detected at a later stage, her health care costs included thousands of dollars of scans, procedures and drugs – instead of hundreds of dollars to remove the mole had it been caught early. Hospitals cannot be expected to compensate for shortages and long wait times in outpatient care caused by the underfunding of Medicare. Hospital emergency department overcrowding was already a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation has only worsened. With an ever-expanding population of seniors, sending them to emergency rooms instead of doctor’s offices is not sustainable. ER overcrowding carries risks for safety, worse health outcomes for patients and financial damage for patients and the health care system. The average cost of treating a common medical problem at an ER is approximately $2,032, more than 12 times higher than treating the same issue in a physician’s office ($167). Insurance data shows that 18 million of the 27 million annual visits to U.S. emergency rooms are for “non-emergency” problems. That adds $32 billion in additional costs to our health system, much of which could be saved if the government were to adequately reimburse doctors for the costs of caring for Medicare patients in the first place. One solution is to ensure that Medicare payments grow with the Medicare Economic Index , which measures health care operating costs adjusting for inflation. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent government agency that advises Congress on the Social Security program, has recommended that lawmakers tie Medicare payments to doctors to the index. Congress must act now and adjust the formula to stabilize the Medicare payment system permanently. That’s why two of us who are members of Congress – Reps. Bera and Bucshon – are co-sponsoring the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act , which would adjust the Medicare system to account for inflation. Medicare is a promise that the federal government made to American seniors – who have already paid their share in taxes into the system. We urge our fellow members of Congress and supporters of better, more cost-efficient health care for seniors to work together to pass this vital reform before the end of the year. Shadi Kourosh , M.D., M.PH, is an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and associate professor of public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Ami Bera , M.D., is a Democratic U.S. congressman from California. Larry Bucshon , M.D., is a Republican U.S. congressman from Indiana.Trading platform Robinhood coming to Asia in 2025 with HQ in Singapore

Duke rallies from 14 down, beats Wake Forest 23-17 on final-play pass

LONDON -- and the women's national team played out a 0-0 draw at Wembley on Saturday evening. In a tense affair, it was the USWNT had the better chances to break the deadlock. The hosts were without the likes of and , while the USWNT travelled to Europe without their "Triple Espresso" front three of , and . So, it was two teams giving a few fringe players the opportunity at a near-sold out Wembley, and it was the USWNT who were had the bulk of possession in the first-half, dangerous in attack play, but lacking the finishing touch. England had to wait until the 55th minute to have their first effort on target. Lindsay Horan had a goal disallowed in the 48th minute for offside, while one of the big talking points came just after the hour mark when the USWNT were awarded a penalty for what was deemed to be an handball that blocked 's long-range shot. In the end, intervention from VAR saw it rightly reversed. With England seven months out from the start of the Euros where they'll look to defend their crown, you feel they're still a way off top form. For the USWNT, this was yet another match where they were assured, and had the chance to test their strength in depth. Ryan and Shaw impact, but USWNT still miss "Triple Espresso" energy Let's start with a glass half empty perspective: The USWNT went scoreless for the first time since July. This is perhaps not a shock when you consider that the team was missing the lethal "Triple Espresso" trio of Smith, Rodman and Swanson, who are all resting after lingering injuries. Without their star figures, an experimental front three of , and weren't able to create enough danger against England. But, glass half full: Improvements were immediately seen through attacking subs such as and Ryan. Ryan, despite her involvement in just one half, looked like the most dangerous player of the game. The 25-year-old was brilliant off the bench and a dynamic figure in the final third. The same could be said for Shaw, a versatile up-and-comer from the San Diego Wave that was proactive in her cameo role. Hayes knows that she can't count on all of her marquee figures game-in and game-out, and a big part of her job going forward is finding the right alternative options that could step in to fully fill the glass of the USWNT attack. What are England all about, anyway? First, the good news: England looked more assured in defence than they did against . Wiegman switched between a back four when England were without the ball, and a back three when they were attacking. It meant they looked more settled, and kept out a dangerous USWNT side. Given the Lionesses had kept just four cleansheets in their previous 19 matches heading into Saturday's game, keeping out the USWNT is a positive step forward. Now the parts of England that remain a concern. Their ability to play out from the back causes themselves all sorts of self-inflicted havoc, while their midfield lacked presence. And their few attempts on goal were rarely generated through the slick attacking play displayed by the USWNT. This was an England team without Hemp, James, and , and their absence told. There was room for others to impress: with starting on the wing, and taking the No.10 spot, but neither put down markers to justify more minutes at this stage. "I think it has been a tough year, with a few tough results, but we know what we can do as a group," said after the match. "It is about figuring out how we can play. "That's the thing with friendlies, you can experiment with a few things. Drawing against the Olympic champions is no small thing, but we want to be winning those games." Overall, you feel England are still trying to find the intensity and ability to suffocate opponents that we've seen in the past. While this was a decent result all told and a step forward for England, as Wiegman's team look to peak at the right time for the Euros, they're not yet at their best. England's attack fails to spark England's attack throughout the evening was frantic and chaotic. Wiegman wanted to try new things and was forced into two changes due to regular starters Lauren Hemp and Ella Toone suffering injuries. England were still without Lauren James, who has not played for England since April. In fact, Wiegman had only selected five forwards in her 25-player squad. Hemp, who has been vital to the Lionesses' successes and arguably one of The Lionesses' most reliable players, left a gaping hole in the attack. Despite having an impressive start to 's season, club teammate Park could not effectively fill the void, leaving the attack disjointed and lacking in rhythm. Hemp is England's fastest player and without her pace to stretch USA's calm defence, there was little strain placed on the visiting defenders. The positional change to move usual winger into a wing-back role also proved counterproductive for England as they tried to generate attacks, leaving her vital attacking threat sitting far too deep to make an effective impact. England only managed their first and only shot on target in the 55th minute, having struggled throughout the first half to generate anything in front of goal. A flurry of opportunities followed suit in the second half but was squandered by England's lack of connectivity in the USA's box. The introduction of , who has struggled for minutes with City, and injected more urgency into the side, but were unable to break the deadlock, leaving Wiegman with more questions than answers. Throughout the 90 minutes, England only had 14 touches in the box, four shots and only one on target. In comparison, the USA had 40 touches, 10 shots and four on target, reflecting the stark differences in attack for the two teams. Naeher earns shutout in possible final game It wasn't the most difficult of matches when you consider that she just needed to make one save and one aerial claim, but veteran goalkeeper can hold her head high with a clean sheet in what could be the final game of her USWNT career. Earlier this week, the 36-year-old announced that the matches against England and the (on Dec. 3) would be the last with the national team. "Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honor," said Naeher, who also noted her involvement with U.S. youth national teams. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup winner could be given one more match against the Netherlands, but with a shutout in hand and family watching from the stands at Wembley, her most recent game and clean sheet could be an appropriate goodbye for the goalkeeper. Post-game to TNT Sports, she also had a message for the next generation of USWNT stars. "Soak it all in, be a sponge, don't take anything for granted. I think that's what kept me going," said Naeher. "For those young ones coming in, nothing is guaranteed in this sport and soak it all in and enjoy every minute of it." Lionesses need more dominance in midfield It was two very different narratives for the midfield on Saturday evening, and England could learn a lot from the visitor's controlled and dominant approach. The hosts were completely unable to play through their midfield, meaning their game was non-transitional and lacked control. It should be rather alarming that after striding to a European victory and World Cup final, the Lionesses have sunk, unable to really challenge the Olympic Champions in a game where the hosts would have been looking to assert dominance. England's opportunities to use their midfield to effect were sparse, with positioning issues and under-hit passes also generating further concerns for England seven months ahead of the start of their title-defending Euros campaign. The USA were the exact opposite: controlled, comfortable and executing their game plan to keep and contained. Veterans and were able to conduct an effortless dominance in the middle, ensuring build-up play was swift and pinpoint. Their pair even combined to have the ball in the back of the net, but Horan was adjudged to be offside. Their pressing was also a stark contrast to England's. The USA rushed the hosts, allowing them no time on the ball to gather themselves, often forcing them into snap, poor decision-making and keeping consistent pressure applied. In retaliation, England could not press Hayes' side to any effect. Wiegman will need to devise a plan to improve their dominance and transitional play if England are to retain their Euros crown. Earps back as England's No.1 Against Germany, it looked like had established herself as England's new number one. Wiegman was adamant it was all part of the pre-Euros experimentation and sure enough, Mary Earps was restored for the USWNT match. It's hard to overstate the Earps fandom when it comes to the Lionesses. As you walked down Wembley Way before the match, her name and image was everywhere: on Christmas jumpers, on scarves. Pre-match, her name got a roar from the crowd to rival 's. Earps was the far busier of the two goalkeepers too, for the most part - making a good early save off an Alyssa Thompson shot, and saving well to deny Krueger in the first half. The second half was more of the same, with Earps palming away a Ryan effort, and while there was some last-minute scrambling in front of her, England looked more assured with Earps at the back than they did against Germany. After the match, Earps was clearly pleased despite the result. "It's about me going out there and being who I am. That's all I try to do. Play with a smile on my face and that's what I will start to do."

A city centre cocktail bar is celebrating its first anniversary in style. Dereece Gardner opened Desire in Piccadilly, Hanley , on December 8 last year. The stylish bar has launched a Dick Whittington themed afternoon tea to support the pantomime at The Regent Theatre. And it is offering StokeonTrentLive readers the chance to win an afternoon tea for up to four people, worth £107.96. The theatrical feast includes sandwiches, quiches and scones. To have a chance of winning the prize all readers have to do is follow the Desire Facebook page. Anyone who already follows the bar on Facebook will be automatically entered. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 3. Dereece's wife, Chelsea, aged 33, said: "The afternoon tea will support the pantomime throughout December. It will be Dick Whittington-themed with some coins and a little cat. It will be a theatrical afternoon tea to make it a pleasurable experience." The bar has also launched a new concept called Financial Fridays where the bar turns into a live stock market. Dereece, aged 30, said: "From 4pm on Fridays, the prices go up and down depending on demand. For example if people come in and in the last 10 minutes no-one has bought a vodka and coke the price will go down. If people time it right they could really get themselves great priced drinks. Nothing will ever go higher than what it should actually be. "The concept is giving people a real excitement, a real buzz. We started it in October. It has been really good. People love it. It is really good fun. "We wanted to bring something new to match the venue. We wanted something that gets people out on a Friday." Dereece added that they aim to serve up food to customers in the New Year. He added: "Things have really changed in Hanley. People need a reason to come out. We have established ourselves as the best cocktail bar in Stoke-on-Trent. But we know people love to come out for a bit of food. We want to add to that. Light bites, appetisers and small plates are going to be our thing." Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it’s FREE

MUMBAI: The Indian stock market opened lower on Monday as selling was seen in the auto, IT, PSU bank, financial service, FMCG, media, energy and metal sectors on Nifty in early trade. At around 9:30 am, Sensex was trading at 78,523.25 after declining 175.82 points or 0.22 per cent, while the Nifty was trading at 23,758.20 after declining 55.20 points or 0.23 per cent. The market trend remained negative. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 815 stocks were trading in green, while 1,454 stocks were in red. According to experts, "as investors leave 2024 behind and look forward to the New Year, there will be more concerns than confidence, at least in the early days of 2025." "The biggest concern for stock markets, globally, is uncertainty surrounding Trump 2.0. The concern is that since market valuations are high any negative news might cause corrections," they added. Nifty Bank was down 74.80 points or 0.15 per cent at 51,236.50. Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 56,796.90 after dropping 182.90 points or 0.32 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 18,673.75 after dropping 82.10 points or 0.44 per cent. On the sectoral front, buying was seen in the Pharma and Healthcare sector. In the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, M&M, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finserv, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Reliance were the top losers. Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel, ITC, Zomato, Nestle India, ICICI Bank, NTPC and UltraTech Cement were the top gainers. The Dow Jones declined 0.77 per cent to close at 42,992.21. The S&P 500 declined 1.11 per cent to 5,970.84 and the Nasdaq declined 1.49 per cent to close at 19,722.03 in the previous trading session on Friday. In the Asian markets, Bangkok and Seoul were trading in green while China, Japan, Jakarta and Hong Kong were trading in red. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 1,323.29 crore on December 27, while domestic institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 2,544.64 crore on the same day.Embassy Standoff: Venezuelan Opposition's 'Prison' Struggles in CaracasKingsview Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)