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For much of last season, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores held his unit together with string and some duct tape. It worked for the most part due to Flores’ blitz packages and multiple coverages. However, the shortage of talent caught up to Minnesota as the Lions (twice) and the Packers scored 30 or more points on them down the stretch. The Vikings saw edge rushers Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks walk in free agency. With these departures and some holes to fill at the cornerback position, 2024-25 looked like a rebuilding year for the Minnesota defense. Vikings Acquire Defensive Help But Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell made some quiet but important moves in free agency. First, they signed free-agent edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkle to a one-year contract. They then turned their sights to the Lones Star State and picked up rising sack star Jonathan Greenard and late-blooming inside linebacker Blake Cashman, also in free agency. Those additions, including defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and veteran cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore, have transformed Minnesota’s defense into one of the best in the NFL. How good? In this case, the numbers don’t lie. The Purple defense currently ranks fourth in the league for points allowed with 219 through 12 games. And their run defense is even stingier, allowing only 976 rushing yards to their opponents. And although their bend but don’t break pass defense gives up an average of 243 passing yards a game, they have only relinquished 18 touchdowns through the air, which places them solidly in the middle of the pack, statistically speaking. Hometown Boy Does Great Blake Cashman played his high school football at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota and was an All-State cornerback and linebacker on four state championship teams. Despite his success, he was an unranked recruit who chose to walk on at the University of Minnesota. Playing without a scholarship at first, he worked his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore and eventually led the team in tackles as a senior, making the All-Big Ten Second Team. Cashman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, but a series of injuries left his career in doubt. Shoulder, hamstring, and groin problems kept him out of 35-49 games over his three years in New York. The Jets traded him to the Houston Texans after the 2022 season. But Cashman got healthy, and in 2023, under new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, he flourished. In 13 starts last season, he had a team-high 106 tackles. Salary cap considerations dictated that Cashman might have to find employment elsewhere. The Vikings, Texans, Broncos, Packers, Steelers, and Falcons all lined up in an attempt to sign the rising league star. The Vikings won out inking Cashman to a three-year deal. And he has rewarded the team with an All-Pro-like performance in 2024. Despite missing three midseason games due to a turf toe injury, he is third on the team with 66 tackles, has contributed three quarterback sacks, and has been the defensive play-caller all season. A Star in the Making Jonathan Greenard was a two-sport star (football, basketball) at Hiram High School in Hiram, Georgia. On the football field, he was named the 5-A Regional Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He chose the University of Louisville to continue his education and career. After an injury-plagued tenure at Louisville, he transferred to the University of Florida as a graduate transfer, where he finished his college career with 9.5 sacks, 52 tackles, and three forced fumbles. He was named Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts after his first game with the Gators against Miami. Greeenard was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He became a starter in his second season, registering eight sacks in 12 games. Unfortunately, he was limited to eight games in 2022 due to a calf injury. But he put it all together the next season when he accounted for 12.5 sacks in 15 games in his breakout season. And the Vikings came calling last offseason, eventually signing Greenard to a four-year $76 million contract. And neither party has looked back as he has accumulated 10 sacks and, along with Van Ginkle and the Patrick Jones II, has provided Minnesota with a dynamic outside pass rush. If his play continues at this pace, he will be a strong candidate for Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors at season’s end. The Texas Two-Step After Blake Cashman signed with the Vikings this off-season, his first call was to his girlfriend. His second call? Not to his mother, his agent, or his brother. It was to teammate Jonathan Greenard, who had also just signed on with Minnesota . They discussed their future together, playing for the Vikings. “We immediately were just sharing our excitement, congratulating each other and talking about what kind of mentality we’re going into this with, and ‘We’re gonna make this a great year.’ We both came off, you know, probably our best season so we just want to continue to work hard and take the next step.” This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission.
Is today’s Bengaluru going the Kolkata way? The filth is getting filthier, the squalor more sordid. ‘Namma Bengaluru’ has pollution, overcrowding, and ‘quality of life’ issues When I was transferred from Bengaluru to Kolkata in the early 1980s, I was moving from a city on the cusp of transformation to a city struggling with economic decline and quality of life issues. It was incredible how much simpler Bangalore was back then, so much quieter and greener, when MG Road was a serene spot and still had an old-world charm. Bengaluru then was considered a ‘pensioners paradise,’ and everyone I knew looked forward to settling down here after retirement. Kolkata, on the other hand, reinforced the narrative of a city in decline, from India’s top city at the time of Independence to a city that got upset when Rajiv Gandhi made an ill-advised remark in Parliament calling it a “dying city,” triggering off a predictable storm of protest. But despite obvious signs of decay, the city’s inhabitants continued to display a fierce, if not irrational, loyalty and pride. A thriving business ecosystem from the days of Jagat Seth, bankers, and moneylenders in Mughal times to the Bank of Calcutta, which metamorphosed into India’s oldest commercial bank, the State Bank of India, had always generated an economic surplus, auguring well with the intellectual aura of those times. Even after independence, Calcutta was India’s Number #1 city, where the largest business families resided, where marquee clubs and a rich cultural heritage enveloped by vibrant social scenes were visible all over. Calcutta airport was the busiest, Howrah junction was the largest, and an abundance of public sector investments resulted in an IIT, an IIM, and the Durgapur Steel Plant, so much so that Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew wanted to have his city-state be like Calcutta! When I moved to Calcutta, I found prominent streets had already been dug up everywhere to facilitate construction of the metro, pavements were non-existent, the city looked worn and untidy, and it reeled under multi-hour power cuts. Union strife and labour trouble were shutting down one fancy restaurant after another. Front page news highlighted which power station was functional and for how many hours! Calcutta may have been wealthy, but opportunities were drying up, and youngsters were taking one-way tickets out of the city. Bangalore, on the other hand, was thriving. Generally considered a quieter city with a slower pace of life compared to other metropolitan areas, the groundwork for the city’s future as an IT hub was being laid, attracting a growing number of professionals. Getting to be known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India,’ Bengaluru was becoming a major hub for IT, startups, and tech companies, the thriving job market attracting professionals from various fields, making the city a melting pot of cultures with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. The city’s infrastructure was adequate with existing roads, public transport, numerous shopping malls, restaurants, entertainment options, various cultural events, and a vibrant arts scene. Green spaces and the generally mild and pleasant weather throughout the year were proving to be major attractions. But is today’s Bengaluru going the Kolkata way? The filth is getting filthier, the squalor more sordid. Namma Bengaluru has pollution, overcrowding, and ‘quality of life’ issues. Traffic gridlocks and jams have become notorious and are constantly in the news. The rains are a great equalizer, having a life of their own. Either copious rains flood several parts of the city, leaving people stranded on the streets or trapped inside premium buildings and apartments. On the other hand, Bengaluru’s water shortage crisis stems from inadequate rainfall, over-extraction of groundwater, and an overdependence on a distant water source, the Cauvery River. On a comparative basis, today’s Kolkata seems much better; improved quality of life with generators that beat load-shedding is making power cuts a distant memory. Now people swear by the Edwardian mansions of Alipore, the expensive flats of Salt Lake City, and the security of marquee clubs with card games and Christmas parties by the Hooghly. A combination of rain, roadwork, potholes, vehicle breakdowns, and an ever-increasing number of private vehicles is fast making Bengaluru unlivable. Busy fixing its potholes, struggling to cleanse itself with uncleared litter and garbage strewn for days together, yesterday’s ‘Garden City’ has a new sobriquet: ‘Garbage City.’ Illegal constructions, exacerbating issues of traffic congestion, parking problems, and neighbour disputes with new buildings not providing for prescribed ‘setbacks’ between buildings are a bugbear. Traffic-wise, Bengaluru is ranked the most congested city, ahead of Mumbai and Delhi. Bengalureans have no one to blame but themselves! A looming crisis notwithstanding, the city is demonstrating a ‘tunnel-vision’ merrily planning for elevated corridors, sky desks, and tunnel roads. Ironically, today’s Kolkata resembles a giant retirement home! (Priyan R Naik is a Bengaluru-based freelance journalist)IBPAP: Philippines must upskill workforce to ride AI wavePresident Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China 's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families. Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it targets a group based on gender identity and "interferes with parents’ roles to determine the best care for their children.” He said it also undermines the all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain talent. “No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our nation,” the president said in a statement. The Senate forwarded the bill to Biden after passing it last week by a vote of 85-14. In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on adding the provision to ban transgender medical care for children. The legislation easily passed by a vote of 281-140. Biden also objected to other language in the bill prohibiting the use of money earmarked to transfer detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba , to some foreign countries and into the United States. He urged Congress to lift those restrictions. The annual defense authorization bill, which directs Pentagon policy, provides a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others. The legislation also directs resources towards a more confrontational approach to China, including establishing a fund that could be used to send military resources to Taiwan in much the same way that the U.S. has backed Ukraine. It also invests in new military technologies, including artificial intelligence, and bolsters the U.S. production of ammunition. The U.S. has also moved in recent years to ban the military from purchasing Chinese products, and the defense bill extended that with prohibitions on Chinese goods from garlic in military commissaries to drone technology. The legislation still must be backed up with a spending package. __ Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
For the new Jeep Wagoneer S ad campaign, beauty rhymes with dirtyEmanuel Wallace, 27, from east London, is better known as Big Manny by his 1.9 million followers on TikTok, where he shares videos explaining various science experiments from his back garden while using Jamaican Patois phrases and London slang. In early December, Mr Wallace won the Education Creator of the Year award at the TikTok Awards ceremony, which he said is a “symbol that anything that you put your mind to you can achieve”. The content creator began making videos during the coronavirus pandemic when schools turned to online learning but has since expanded his teaching from videos to paper after releasing his debut book Science Is Lit in August. He believes his “unconventional” teaching methods help to make his content relatable for younger audiences by using slang deriving from his Jamaican and British heritage. “The language that I use, it’s a combination between Jamaican Patois and London slang because I have Jamaican heritage,” the TikToker, who holds a bachelors and masters degree in biomedical science, told the PA news agency. “That’s why in my videos sometimes I might say things like ‘Wagwan’ or ‘you dun know’. I just want to connect with the young people more, so I speak in the same way that they speak. “The words that I use, the way that I deliver the lesson as well, I would say that my method of teaching is quite unconventional. I speak in a way that is quite conversational.” Examples of his videos include lithium batteries catching fire after being sandwiched inside a raw chicken breast, as well as mixing gold with gallium to create blue gold, earning millions of views. Mr Wallace hopes his content will help make the science industry more diverse, saying “the scientists that I was taught about, none of them look like me”. “Now me being a scientist is showing young people that they can become one as well, regardless of the background that they come from, the upbringing that they’ve had,” he said. “I just want to make it seem more attainable and possible for them because if I can do it, and I come from the same place as you, there’s no reason why you can’t do it as well.” The TikToker has seen a shift in more young people turning to the app as a learning resource and feels short-form videos will soon become a part of the national curriculum in schools. “I’m seeing (young people) using that a lot more – social media as a resource for education – and I feel like in the future, it’s going to become more and more popular as well,” he said. “I get a lot of comments from students saying that my teacher showed my video in the classroom as a resource, so I feel like these short form videos are going to be integrated within the national curriculum at some point in the near future.” He also uses his platform to raise awareness of different social issues, which he said is “extremely important”. One of his videos highlighted an anti-knife campaign backed by actor Idris Elba, which earned more than 39 million views, while his clip about the banning of disposable vapes was viewed more than 4.6 million times. He said there is some pressure being a teacher with a large following online but hopes he can be a role model for young people. “I’m aware that I am in the public eye and there’s a lot of young people watching me,” he said. “Young people can be impressionable, so I make sure that I conduct myself appropriately, so that I can be a role model. “I always have the same message for young people, specifically. I tell them to stay curious. Always ask questions and look a little bit deeper into things.” His plans for 2025 include publishing a second Science Is Lit book and expanding his teaching to television where he soon hopes to create his own science show.Rockets vs. Pelicans Odds, predictions, recent stats, trends, and Best bets for December 26
Emanuel Wallace, 27, from east London, is better known as Big Manny by his 1.9 million followers on TikTok, where he shares videos explaining various science experiments from his back garden while using Jamaican Patois phrases and London slang. In early December, Mr Wallace won the Education Creator of the Year award at the TikTok Awards ceremony, which he said is a “symbol that anything that you put your mind to you can achieve”. The content creator began making videos during the coronavirus pandemic when schools turned to online learning but has since expanded his teaching from videos to paper after releasing his debut book Science Is Lit in August. He believes his “unconventional” teaching methods help to make his content relatable for younger audiences by using slang deriving from his Jamaican and British heritage. “The language that I use, it’s a combination between Jamaican Patois and London slang because I have Jamaican heritage,” the TikToker, who holds a bachelors and masters degree in biomedical science, told the PA news agency. “That’s why in my videos sometimes I might say things like ‘Wagwan’ or ‘you dun know’. I just want to connect with the young people more, so I speak in the same way that they speak. “The words that I use, the way that I deliver the lesson as well, I would say that my method of teaching is quite unconventional. I speak in a way that is quite conversational.” Examples of his videos include lithium batteries catching fire after being sandwiched inside a raw chicken breast, as well as mixing gold with gallium to create blue gold, earning millions of views. Mr Wallace hopes his content will help make the science industry more diverse, saying “the scientists that I was taught about, none of them look like me”. “Now me being a scientist is showing young people that they can become one as well, regardless of the background that they come from, the upbringing that they’ve had,” he said. “I just want to make it seem more attainable and possible for them because if I can do it, and I come from the same place as you, there’s no reason why you can’t do it as well.” The TikToker has seen a shift in more young people turning to the app as a learning resource and feels short-form videos will soon become a part of the national curriculum in schools. “I’m seeing (young people) using that a lot more – social media as a resource for education – and I feel like in the future, it’s going to become more and more popular as well,” he said. “I get a lot of comments from students saying that my teacher showed my video in the classroom as a resource, so I feel like these short form videos are going to be integrated within the national curriculum at some point in the near future.” He also uses his platform to raise awareness of different social issues, which he said is “extremely important”. One of his videos highlighted an anti-knife campaign backed by actor Idris Elba, which earned more than 39 million views, while his clip about the banning of disposable vapes was viewed more than 4.6 million times. He said there is some pressure being a teacher with a large following online but hopes he can be a role model for young people. “I’m aware that I am in the public eye and there’s a lot of young people watching me,” he said. “Young people can be impressionable, so I make sure that I conduct myself appropriately, so that I can be a role model. “I always have the same message for young people, specifically. I tell them to stay curious. Always ask questions and look a little bit deeper into things.” His plans for 2025 include publishing a second Science Is Lit book and expanding his teaching to television where he soon hopes to create his own science show.Spokesman rejects media hype on Iran's interference in Syria
Column: World politics turned upside down and inside out
How a student-loan borrower got $155,000 in debt wiped out through bankruptcy using new relief guidance
Is Enron back? If it's a joke, some former employees aren't laughingOrgan Care Products Market Size, Regional Insights, Business Growth, Share Analysis, and Forecast By 2024-2031 | 12-22-2024 11:59 AM CET | Health & Medicine Press release from: Coherent Market Insights Organ Care Products market According to the latest research from Coherent Market Insights, the Organ Care Products market is projected to experience significant growth between 2024 and 2031. This market intelligence report offers in-depth analysis based on thorough research, highlighting current trends, financial performance, and historical data evaluation. The company profiles within the report are derived from the current performance of the Organ Care Products market, considering key factors such as drivers, trends, and challenges, as well as global market share, size, and revenue forecasts for comprehensive insights. 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Wall Street firms are saying these 4 stock market sectors going into the new year. While tech and financials are expected to continue outperforming, there are also new opportunities. Consider adding materials and utilities to qq portfolio next year. 2024 saw some big winners in the stock market. To be expected, there were a lot of AI-driven winners. The communication services sector led the pack with a year-to-date return of nearly 45%. That's followed closely by the information technology sector, up 40% this year. And consumer sentiment remained high even in the face of stickier-than-expected inflation, boosting the consumer discretionary sector up 38%. In contrast, the healthcare, energy, materials, and real estate sectors returned 5% or lower this year.w Market experts are still bullish on tech and the AI story going into 2025, but they're also expecting market returns to broaden out and come from different sources. Add a new administration into the mix, and there are even more unknowns. Wall Street is bracing for deregulation, tariffs, and new immigration policies under president-elect Donald Trump, which will have different impacts across the market. "The central equity theme for next year is one of higher dispersion across stocks, styles, sectors, countries, and themes," JPMorgan said in its 2025 outlook. So, where should you look for opportunity in the market next year? Business Insider gathered recommendations from six Wall Street firms and compiled four sectors that the investment firms are bullish about going into 2025. Financials Firms optimistic about the sector: Bank of America, JPMorgan, Oppenheimer, Truist, UBS Consensus thesis: Financials will benefit from deregulation and more mergers and acquisitions under a Trump presidency The financials sector is on track for another standout year after returning 30% in 2024, Wall Street banks say. The financials sector is cyclical and therefore does well when the rest of the economy does well. As fears of a recession dissipate and the economy progresses toward a soft landing, financials companies are celebrating — especially US banks, according to Bank of America. It's looking likely that Trump will replace Lina Khan, the current chair of the Federal Trade Commission who's become famous — or infamous, if you're asking corporate America — for her trust-busting. "Our Banks team is bullish on an M&A pick-up , where deal activity has historically been over 50% higher under Republican administrations," wrote Savita Subramanian, head of US equity and quantitative strategy at Bank of America, in the bank's 2025 outlook. Increased dealmaking activity will provide a boost to big banks' investment banking fees and allow financial institutions to expand their business operations, she said. Bank of America believes post-2008 regulations have put a damper on the sector's valuations, but Trump's deregulatory stance is bringing new optimism to the space. "Lighter regulations would be a positive for banks, which now have strong balance sheets and are focused on cash return and could now see loan growth," Subramanian added. While banks typically benefit from high rates as they earn more on their loans, a consistent rate cutting schedule going into 2025 is also a boon for the financial sector, according to UBS. "We expect Fed rate cuts to lead to lower funding costs, higher loan growth, and more capital market activity," the bank said in its 2025 outlook. Related stories Information technology Firms optimistic about the sector: Goldman Sachs, Oppenheimer, Truist, UBS Consensus thesis: Technology will be propelled by both secular trends and the AI story Unsurprisingly, it's looking likely that tech will remain dominant in the new year. AI technology continues to advance, with more companies reporting new monetization opportunities. JPMorgan strategists expect the Magnificent Seven to continue pouring capital expenditures into AI in 2025 — over $500 billion, to be specific. The AI picks and shovels trade that gave a boost to chip producers is still in full effect, UBS says. "AI infrastructure spending remains robust, and we expect key semiconductor components needed for AI to remain supply-constrained in 2025, supporting pricing," the bank said in a note Goldman Sachs is particularly bullish on software and services within the sector. "The industry group is a leading beneficiary of a potential AI 'hand-off' from Phase 2 (infrastructure) to Phase 3 (AI-enabled revenues)," the bank wrote in a note about their 2025 outlook. It's not just AI, though. Goldman Sachs believes software and services will also perform well independently of AI, making it a promising growth area for AI enthusiasts and skeptics alike. "Software & Services offers investors secular growth given it is the industry group least reliant on changes in economic growth or interest rates to drive share price," the bank said. Truist sees robust underlying fundamentals and above-market earnings for businesses in the sector. The tech sector is home to many quality companies with strong business models and robust cash flow, according to UBS. Utilities Firms optimistic about the sector: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, UBS Consensus thesis: The mostly-domestic industry will be shielded from tariffs and will benefit from AI tailwinds Goldman Sachs sees utilities as a triple threat: the sector is defensive and will do well if economic growth slows; it's a beneficiary of AI's immense power demand; and its strong US presence reduces the impact of potential tariffs . "The sector is 98% domestic-facing, which should insulate it relative to peers in the event of tariffs," Goldman Sachs said. UBS echoed similar sentiments in its 2025 outlook: "Although utilities companies with high renewables exposure could face near-term pressures, we also expect significant growth in AI data centers to fuel power demand, leading to higher power prices. Roughly 20-25% of the sector has material exposure to these trends. The sector's defensive characteristics should also offer ballast to a portfolio in case economic growth concerns rise." Additionally, Bank of America pointed out that the utilities sector has historically led the charge in times of high M&A activity. Materials Firms optimistic about the sector: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Consensus thesis: Low starting valuations provide opportunity to beat investor expectations After coming in second to last in performance this year, materials wasn't a popular pick among Wall Street, but Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are betting on the sector to make a comeback in 2025. The sector was battered this year by concerns about the Chinese economy — a major consumer of raw materials — and falling commodity prices across the globe. "The sector's low starting valuation suggests some pessimism is already reflected in the stocks and that increases the likelihood for an asymmetric rise over a 12-month time frame," Goldman Sachs strategists wrote. Bank of America predicts over 20% of growth for the sector in 2025.The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.
MP CM performs bhoomi pujan of IT parkIowa cornerback Jermari Harris has opted out of the remainder of the 2024 season in order to prepare for the NFL draft, according to a report by 247Sports.com . The 6-foot-1 sixth-year senior from Chicago has recorded 27 tackles, three interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups in 10 games for the Hawkeyes this season. That includes a pick-6 in a 38-21 win over Troy earlier this season. Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) plays at Maryland on Saturday before closing out its regular season at home against Nebraska on Nov. 29. The Hawkeyes are already bowl eligible, so Harris is likely opting out of three games in total. After missing the entire 2022 season due to an ankle injury, Harris was suspended for two games of the following season for his involvement in the gambling investigation into Iowa athletics. He later emerged as the Hawkeyes' top cornerback, earning the team's comeback player of the year award after compiling 42 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups. Harris will finish his college career with 105 tackles and eight interceptions. --Field Level Media