Category: Articles

Herzog pleads for government to reach Gaza deal, says hostages’ lives in immediate danger  The Times of Israel
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“I was just out of breath. I was gassed.”
The usually calm demeanor of Jeremiyah Love was on full display during his postgame press conference following Notre Dame’s 27-17 win over Indiana on Friday night. Despite a lingering leg injury suffered in the season finale at USC, as well as an illness that developed throughout game week, the star running back from St. Louis continued his dominant sophomore campaign to carry the Irish offense into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
After a hectic opening five minutes of the first-ever on-campus college football postseason game, which included interceptions from both quarterbacks, Love took matters into his own hands by breaking off one of the longest runs in the storied history of Notre Dame football. Backed up inside his own two-yard line following graduate safety Xavier Watts’ sixth interception of the season, Love took an inside handoff from senior quarterback Riley Leonard and burst through a massive crease for a 98-yard touchdown to ignite the sold-out crowd at Notre Dame Stadium into a frenzy.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was in awe of Love, saying postgame, “He is the engine that sparks this thing to go in the right direction. Every week he seems to find a way to make an explosive play.”
Denbrock, who returned to Notre Dame from LSU this past offseason, recognized the entire operation that led to Love’s touchdown, as well as the unit’s stellar performance from start to finish.
“The guys understood the call and did a nice job executing, and there goes 4. [Freshman left tackle] Anthonie Knapp did an unbelievable job. I thought the tight ends did a nice job of wiping out the front side of it. We did a good job of building a wall on the backside, which is something we spent a lot of time working on over the course of the last two weeks, and if you give this guy an inch, he’s going to take a mile.”
After Knapp and the line cleared the front seven for Love, graduate receiver Beaux Collins held a key block in the second level which allowed Love to rumble on to open the scoring. Love seemed to be running out of gas as he reached the end zone, but in his own words, “He wasn’t going to catch me. I slowed down. I knew I was going to score.”
Leonard, who has paired with Love to create the most potent rushing backfield in the country, also knew he wouldn’t be caught, stating, “Once he creased the gap, I just headed to the sideline because I knew he was gone.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman, who has preached toughness since taking the reins of the program back in 2021, lauded his back’s ability to fight through adversity.
“We know he’s not 100 percent. We’re just going to keep getting him healthy. But he showed on that play whatever percent he is, once he breaks through that third level, it’s hard to catch Jeremiyah Love,” Freeman said.
Love left all he had on the field, battling for his teammates, and for what he described as a special Notre Dame fanbase.
“I came into this game battling a few things. I probably sound pretty terrible. But I came off of a little injury. I’m sick. Being able to come into this game and do what I’ve got to do for this team, it was special. I want to do anything for my brothers, to help this team succeed.”
Love, who now has tallied 16 touchdowns and over 1,000 rushing yards on the season, will look to continue his historic campaign on New Year’s Day in New Orleans when the Irish face off with No. 2-seeded Georgia. Love leads the nation with 7.4 yards per carry and has also found the end zone each time out this year, but Kirby Smart’s Bulldog defense presents the biggest challenge the Irish have faced this year. The 2021 and 2022 national champions, who ran through the SEC gauntlet to a 11-2 record, have allowed just 3.8 yards per rush this season.
Something will have to give in the Sugar Bowl, but if any rushing attack can outduel the almighty Georgia Bulldogs, it’s Love and the Irish. Move over Four Horsemen, there’s a new stallion in South Bend.

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The UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili got a taste of what it feels like to be on the wrong side of security!
The UFC Performance Institute has become more than just a training facility – it’s turned into an unexpected hotspot for fighter drama. A recent altercation between Jamahal Hill and Alex Pereira drives this point home. 
The PI was built as a state-of-the-art center where UFC athletes can train, recover, and prepare for fights. But now, the Institute finds itself playing referee outside the octagon. The UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili got a taste of what it feels like to be on the wrong side of security. 
Also Read: UFC 311 Main Card Revealed: First PPV Of 2024 Features 4 Current And Former Champions In Action!
The Georgian bantamweight champion showed up at the PI for what should have been a routine day. He was probably expecting to undergo some medical treatment, sign a few autographs, and probably have lunch with friends. Instead, he found himself stopped at the door by the UFC security.
The reason was that his upcoming opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov, was already inside, and security wasn’t taking any chances. Dvalishvili, who’s usually known for his cheerful demeanor, couldn’t help but share his frustration on social media platform X.
“I’m here at the front of UFC PI and security don’t let me go in. They said Umar Nurmagomedov is inside and they are protecting him. Don’t worry, guys. I’m not going to smash him before the fight. But January 18 is a different story.”
It’s all good – this guy will get what is coming to him on January 18th. #ufc311 🦾🇬🇪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hC8YN6vkX9
Merab Dvalishvili had a point – he was there for legitimate business, including treatment for an injury. The champ even had lunch plans, and nobody likes having their lunch plans ruined.
This incident isn’t just about two fighters who don’t get along. The UFC PI has seen its share of heated encounters recently, and it seems the promotion is finally cracking down. Their solution is simple. Keep feuding fighters separated, even if it means turning away a champion.
The timing adds another layer of spice to their upcoming championship clash at UFC 311 in January. Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov in the co-main event. This is right before Nurmagomedov’s teammate Islam Makhachev faces Arman Tsarukyan in the headliner. 
While some might see this as excessive caution, the UFC’s decision makes sense. Better to deal with a frustrated champion at the door than risk an impromptu fight breaking out in the facility. Besides, Merab Dvalishvili made it clear. He is saving all his energy for January 18th, when “no one will protect” Nurmagomedov inside the octagon.
(Image Credits: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

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Schematic illustrating the study design and multi-omics dataset of S. baicalensis. A Schematic of tissue samples analyzed from S. baicalensis and multi-omics design. B Total number and overlap of identified genes, proteins, and phosphoproteins in the transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome datasets. C Number of identifications at the protein, phosphoprotein, and transcript levels for all tissues (n = 3 measurements per tissue). Aerial parts include flower, leaf, and stem.
Renowned in traditional Chinese medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis is revered for its diverse pharmacological benefits, attributed to its rich reservoir of flavonoids. Despite its storied reputation, the precise mechanisms behind the biosynthesis of these potent secondary metabolites have long remained elusive, particularly their tissue-specific variations. This knowledge gap has hindered efforts to optimize the plant’s medicinal properties, fueling a pressing need for a deep molecular exploration to unlock its full therapeutic potential.

On November 13, 2023, researchers from the Naval Medical University published a study (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad258) in Horticulture Research, marking a pivotal advancement in herbal medicine. The team employed a comprehensive multi-omics strategy to delve into the molecular intricacies of S. baicalensis. Their efforts have illuminated flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, offering promising avenues for enhancing the plant’s medicinal value and broadening its applications in modern healthcare.

The study meticulously charts the biosynthetic landscape of S. baicalensis, combining transcriptomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic data into a robust reference dataset. A key discovery is the identification of two distinct flavonoid biosynthetic pathways: one predominant in the aerial parts and the other specific to the roots. The researchers also characterized proteins and phosphorylated proteins involved in these pathways, providing a detailed spatial and functional understanding of secondary metabolite synthesis. This wealth of molecular data offers an unparalleled resource for exploring individual protein families or entire pathways, paving the way for molecular-assisted breeding and deeper insights into the plant’s chemical diversity.

“Our research not only reveals the intricate biosynthetic mechanisms of S. baicalensis but also sets the stage for targeted metabolic engineering,” said the lead researcher. “These advancements could enhance the production of medicinally significant compounds and deepen our understanding of the plant’s therapeutic potential.”

The implications of this study extend far beyond understanding a single plant. By elucidating its biosynthetic pathways, scientists can now focus on strategies to boost natural compound production or transfer these pathways to alternative systems for synthetic production. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the sourcing and manufacturing of herbal medicines, ultimately leading to more effective treatments and therapies, reshaping the future of phytomedicine.
###
References
DOI
10.1093/hr/uhad258
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhad258
Funding information
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82104328, 81973291, 82122066), the National Key Research and Development Program of Ministry of China (No. 2022YFC2704603), and the Shanghai Sailing Program (No. 20YF1458900).
About Horticulture Research
Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2022. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.
Journal Link: Horticulture Research
Horticulture Research
Newswise gives journalists access to the latest news and provides a platform for universities, institutions, and journalists to spread breaking news to their audience.
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The Mexico City ePrix, the Daytona 500, and the Dakar Rally are here to tide us over until Formula 1 returns.
As the holiday season comes to a close, it can feel like there’s an eternity between the start of the new year and the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
But don’t worry; if you’ve got the racing bug, there’s plenty of motorsport action taking place in the interim! We’ve picked out 12 critical events to tune into as you wait for F1 to kick off 2025.
The Dakar Rally is one of the most exceptional events in off-road racing history, and in 2025, competitors will push themselves to the limit in the Saudi Arabian desert.
The Prologue Stage kicks off on January 3, with 12 subsequent stages taking place through January 17. Live streaming is a challenge, but highlights are available on streaming platforms in multiple countries.
How to watch: Stream on NBC Sports, FloRacing, and Peacock in USA; stream on Red Bull TV in UK
Formula E’s 11th season has already kicked off with an event in Brazil, but early 2025 will see the series’ second event in Mexico City.
Having won the first round of the season, Mitch Evans is currently leading the championship with his Jaguar TCS Racing team, though a strong performance from McLaren — third and fourth — sees the Woking-based team leading the teams championship.
How to watch: CBS or Roku in USA; ITV in UK
If you haven’t heard, endurance racing is in a renaissance right now. The top-level Hypercar prototypes are stunning pieces of hybrid machinery, and manufacturers from around the world have clamored to participate.
The year will kick off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January. Right now, 61 cars are featured on the provisional entry list. Prototype manufacturers rung the gamut from Cadillac to Acura to Porsche, while former F1 talent entered in the event include Felipe Nasr, Will Stevens, Brendon Hartley, Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat, and so many more.
How to watch: NBC, USA, and Peacock in the USA; stream on IMSA.tv or IMSA Radio worldwide.
👉 F1 v IndyCar: Top speeds, engines, formats, calendars and safety measures all compared
👉 An F1 fan guide to Formula E: Unique formats, world-record speeds and how to watch
The NASCAR Clash is a non-championship exhibition race designed to generate hype and excitement for the upcoming Cup Series season. The two-day event features qualifying followed by a handful of heat races.
This year, the Clash will take place at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium, a track that has undergone extensive modifications to host modern stock car racing.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
Formula E’s third and fourth rounds of its 11th season will both take place in Jeddah — the first time it will race on a modified version of the Corniche circuit utilized by Formula 1.
Previously, FE events in the kingdom took place at Diriyah.
How to watch: CBS or Roku in USA; ITV in UK
The first points-paying race of the NASCAR Cup Series season is the Daytona 500, and it’s the series’ marquee event. Its first race took place in 1959, though Daytona Beach has been a significant location for NASCAR long before the track’s founding.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
Still riding the Daytona 500 high? Most stock car racing fans are, too — and following the spicy season opener with a race at Atlanta the following weekend makes for a great beginning to 2025 for NASCAR.
Atlanta Motor Speedway went through a repave a few years ago, but it has quickly become a favorite track of both drivers and fans thanks to its steep banking and tight turns.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
If you feel like Formula 1 has been gone for ages, just imagine the plight of the IndyCar fan! The American open-wheel series wrapped up its 2024 season back in September, and it won’t return until early March — almost six months later!
We’ve seen a significant reshuffling of the IndyCar grid this season, as stars like Alexander Rossi leave McLaren for Ed Carpenter Racing, and as PREMA Racing makes its American open-wheel debut with Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott behind the wheel.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Sky Sports F1 in UK
Ever wondered what a stock car looks like at a Formula 1 track? Wonder no further, as NASCAR will head to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for its third official race of the season!
Yes, OK, NASCAR utilizes a shorter course than that used by Formula 1 — but it’s still one hell of a fascinating experiment in track usage. Plus, the NASCAR competition at COTA has been fierce these last few years, and there are certainly a few road course specialists lined up to take part.
How to watch: FOX in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
The European endurance season will kick off with the Qatar 1812 km, the first of eight rounds. While the event is listed as taking place on March 2, make sure to doublecheck your local time zone conversions to ensure you don’t miss a moment.
How to watch: Stream on MAX in the USA, Eurosport in UK
With just one weekend remaining before the Formula 1 season kicks off in anger, why not tune into one more NASCAR event — this one held at Phoenix.
If you’re not familiar with the NASCAR schedule, several tracks have multiple race dates, and Phoenix is one such track. You might recognize this oval from the season finale that crowned Joey Logano champion in 2024.
It’ll host its spring date in early March.
How to watch:  FS1 in USA, Viaplay Group in UK
We may be cheating a little on this one, as the 12 Hours of Sebring takes place during the same weekend as Formula 1’s big return in Australia — but trust us, you won’t want to miss this.
The bump-laden track may have been built on an airfield in Florida, but it holds a surprising connection to Formula 1: It was the first American track to host a Grand Prix, which it did in 1959.
Make sure to tune in — even if just for a few hours.
How to watch: NBC, USA, and Peacock in the USA; stream on IMSA.tv or IMSA Radio worldwide.
Read next: Revealed: The 10 best racing films to watch this Christmas

© Planet Sport Limited 2024 • All Rights Reserved

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A Unity Framework for Bridging the World’s Religions  The Times of Israel
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of nearly every federal death row inmate to life in prison without the chance for parole has ignited a fierce debate about the morality of executing convicted murderers and what constitutes as justice for the families of their victims.
Biden faced backlash from a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and a House Democrat who questioned whether the president was overstepping his bounds by usurping the work of courts and juries with his lame duck move on Monday morning to commute the sentences of 37 out of 40 death row prisoners.
The Democratic president also faced criticism from some anti-death penalty activists who said he didn’t go far enough, including a family member of one victim, who said Biden’s commutations should have extended to the other three federal inmates facing the death penalty.
“I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victim’s families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” said the Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother and two cousins were killed in 2015 at the Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Arguing for the commutation of the convicted shooter Dylann Roof’s death sentence, Risher added: “Politics has gotten in the way of mercy. You can’t rank victims, Mr. President.”
Supporters of Biden’s decision countered that he was showing moral leadership and praised him for making progress on a campaign pledge to end the federal death penalty. In a statement accompanying the news, the president said that he could not in “good conscience” allow the planned executions of the individuals on federal death row to move forward.
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Biden cited his work as a public defender and Trump’s support for the death penalty as guiding factors.
Trump did not comment on the commutations directly, even as he posted about other topics on Monday on his social media platform. A spokesman for Trump criticized Biden on the president-elect’s behalf.
“These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones,” said Trump communications director Steven Cheung.
Biden had been under pressure from congressional Democrats and anti-death penalty activists prior to Monday’s announcement to commute the sentences of death row inmates before he left office. Pope Francis also pushed Biden, who is Catholic and spoke to the pontiff last week, to prevent the executions.
In all but three cases, Biden obliged. He did not commute the sentences of Robert Bowers, who was convicted for the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 dead in Pittsburgh; Roof, who was convicted in the Mother Emmanuel Church mass shooting where nine people died; or Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260.
Biden promised as a candidate for president to end the death penalty in 2020 and said in a statement that he did not want the deaths of the roughly three dozen other people weighing on him after he leaves office.
“I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” he said. “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Anti-death penalty advocates quickly offered their support. Some pushed Biden, who also did not commute the death sentences of military members, to do more.
Former GOP U.S. congresswoman and current Ohio state Rep. Jean Schmidt, who witnessed the Boston Marathon bombing, said, “I was initially thrilled that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received the death penalty. Today I have changed.”
Schmidt said, “I believe he deserves life in prison without parole, and I am disturbed that President Biden has not commuted his death sentence to life without parole.”
Death row spiritual advisor Rev. Jeff Hood was unsparing in his criticism. He also accused Biden of ranking victims.
“We are in the same moral abyss we were in before,” Hood told USA TODAY. “Regardless of how many death sentences President Biden just commuted, by not commuting them all he has made sure the killing will continue.”
Republicans in Congress were also upset with Biden.
“Joe Biden is using his last days in office to spare the worst monsters in America. These killers were sentenced to death by a jury of their peers and then had a lengthy and burdensome appeals process,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In a separate post, Cotton called for both a congressional and Department of Justice investigation into the legality of the commutations.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a conservative firebrand, argued that Biden was abusing the president’s pardon power “to carry out a miscarriage of justice.”
“The rule of law depends on our faith in it. @JoeBiden isn’t the only problem… it’s the radical leftists destroying the rule of law. This is ending,” Roy wrote on X.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the criticism.
Praise for Biden’s commutations mainly fell along party lines on Capitol Hill.
“By taking this historic action, President Biden is demonstrating the type of moral leadership this moment demands,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a statement. Pressley advocated for Biden to commute federal death sentences in a press conference earlier this month.
“The President’s decision today provides accountability with a term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and ensures that these individuals never again pose a threat to public safety, but without implicating the myriad issues associated with capital punishment,” added Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Biden didn’t win over every Democrat. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., disagreed with his party’s president in a CNN interview, arguing the outgoing administration was setting a negative precedent by “overturning cases that have been decided by courts.”
“I understand the concerns and threats of a Trump administration going forward on these, but I think the baseline is, I think you commute sentences or pardon people when you think justice was not done in those cases,” Quigley said, adding: “No one is above the law.”

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The Finance Minister of Russia has reportedly confirmed that many companies in the country are now using Bitcoin (BTC) to engage in foreign trade and skirt Western sanctions.
Reuters reports that the Russian government has recently taken legislative measures to legalize the mining of the crypto king and other crypto assets, helping firms find ways around sanctions placed on them by the West.
As stated by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to Reuters earlier this week,
“As part of the experimental regime, it is possible to use bitcoins, which we had mined here in Russia (in foreign trade transactions). Such transactions are already occurring. We believe they should be expanded and developed further. I am confident this will happen next year.”
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the US government was undermining the use of the US dollar as a reserve currency, forcing nations to turn to other assets.
At the time, Putin cited Bitcoin as the top replacement for the US dollar as a reserve asset, noting that no nation could regulate it.
However, earlier this week, the Russian government reportedly said it’s planning on shutting down Bitcoin mining in 10 different regions throughout the nation starting on January 1, 2025 due to energy shortages.
The prohibition period affects both miners of mining pools and is expected to remain in effect until March 5th, 2031.
BTC is trading for $98,505 at time of writing, a fractional increase on the day.
Featured Image: Shutterstock/ProximaCentauri1/Natalia Siiatovskaia
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Bitcoin payments are being undermined by centralized stablecoins  Cointelegraph
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