lucky in spanish Imphal: Two days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) introduced a border pass system for Indian and Myanmar nationals residing within 10 km along the international borders, allowing limited entry into either territory for specific purposes, apex body of majority Meitei community in Manipur on Thursday strongly opposed the notification. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an umbrella body of the majority Meitei community in Manipur termed the MHA notification of December 24, unfortunate and said that it would harm the interest of the state and its people. Describing MHA notification as a threat to Manipur’s security and communal harmony, COCOMI Media Coordinator Yumkhaibam Surjit Kumar Khuman on Wednesday accused the Assam Rifles of “bias and of facilitating illegal activities.” He urged the withdrawal of the notification, saying that such measures would compromise the state’s integrity. “Already Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists and infiltrators from Myanmar damaged a lot of Manipur and harmed the interest of the people, such an order would further spoil the security, integrity and social harmony of the state,” the COCOMI leader said. The MHA in a letter to the state Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on December 24 said that it has introduced a border pass system for Myanmar nationals residing within 10 km of the India-Myanmar border, allowing limited entry into Manipur for specific purposes. The scheme, communicated to the Manipur government, replaces the previously suspended Free Movement Regime (FMR) and also applies to Manipur residents residing within 10 km of the border visiting Myanmar. Under the scheme, the Assam Rifles would issue border passes valid for one week for specific purposes such as visiting relatives, tourism, business, medical needs, sports, official duty, border trade affairs, attendance in seminars or conferences and cultural exchange programmes. Travellers would be required to provide proof of identity and residence, and movement would be strictly regulated within 10 km of the border, the MHA notification said adding that “movement of people from 43 designated crossing points would be granted to holders of ‘Border Pass’ issued by authorised representatives of Assam Rifles.” According to the MHA notification, the Border Pass would be issued only to one adult person aged 18 years or above and persons below the age of 18 years are to be accompanied by their parents. “The entry/exit points would be made functional by the deployment of at least two state police representatives and at least two state health representatives at each entry/exit point for smooth implementation of the system,” the MHA notification said. Manipur has around 400 km of unfenced international border with Myanmar and the Assam Rifles have been guarding the mountainous and difficult border.'Fight to the death': Taiwan faces unchartered path

Beginning New Year’s Day, Illinois workers making minimum wage will see wages rise by $1 and tipped workers will see their paychecks bump to $9 an hour. Youth workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours a year will have a $13 minimum wage. The final increase, ending a six-year ramp which began with the minimum wage rising from $8.25 to $9.25 on Jan. 1, 2020, puts a bow on Gov. JB Pritzker’s first major legislative victory. He signed the wage increase in February 2019 about a month after being sworn in for his first term, checking off a top campaign promise. “Since day one of my administration, I’ve made it my mission to build an economy that works for everyone and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour fulfills that promise to our working families,” Pritzker said in a statement. “This increase honors the workers who power our state and ensures they can better support their families, bringing us closer to a stronger, more equitable economy for all.” Illinois will be one of 10 states with a minimum wage of $15 or greater, according to the National Employment Law Project. Twenty-two other states are also increasing their wages on Jan. 1. The minimum wage increase is one of many economic changes that have happened since 2019, including effects of the pandemic, Illinois Chamber of Commerce CEO Lou Sandoval told Capitol News Illinois. He said those have caused businesses to adjust their operations in a variety of ways, such as increasing automation. “I think you’re starting to see businesses pivot in terms of how they’re adjusting,” Sandoval said. “You’re seeing this at the national chains.” Some restaurants, for example, are “moving away from larger sit-down areas into grab-and-go.” Illinois job growth has been slow since October 2019, according to a November report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The state has seen a net increase of 28,700 jobs from October 2019 through October 2024. That’s a growth rate of 0.5%, compared to the national rate of 4.9%. The rate of new job postings by businesses at the beginning of the year will shed some light on how the jump to $15 on Jan. 1 is impacting business operations, Sandoval said. To help small businesses with the change, the state provides a tax credit through 2027 to businesses with 50 or fewer employees for wages paid to minimum-wage workers. The 2019 minimum wage law marked the first increase since the wage hit $8.25 in 2010. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, introduced a bill to raise it to $15 an hour in 2017 that was passed by the General Assembly and vetoed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Lightford sponsored the initiative again in 2019. “As a state, we have helped countless workers make ends meet, reduce financial stress, and provide a more solid foundation for their futures,” Lightford said in a statement. “The $15 minimum wage is a testament to our commitment to economic justice and our belief that everyone who works full time deserves a living wage.” The value of a $15 minimum wage, however, has changed since lawmakers acted in 2019. A person making $8.25 in February 2019 would need to earn $10.30 today to have the same buying power after inflation, according to the Consumer Price Index. A $15 hourly wage today has the buying power that $12.02 had in February 2019. A person would need to make an $18.72 wage today to have the same buying power that $15 had in February 2019. Top Democrats didn’t say if they will push for new increases. “As a Senator of 25 years, history has shown my commitment of fighting to ensure workers are paid a living wage. That commitment still holds strong today,” Lightford said in an email statement. Pritzker said he supports ideas that will help workers make more money, but didn’t commit to supporting any plan to raise the minimum wage further when pressed about it at a news conference Dec. 11. “We always are thinking about how do you balance the need for higher wages with the needs that businesses have to hire people and do it affordably. But I think we did it the right way when we did it back in 2019,” Pritzker said. The new $15 wage equates to a 40-hour-per-week annual salary of $31,200 before taxes. That equals the federal government’s poverty level for a four-person household. The poverty level is $15,060 in a single-person household. But according to calculations in a national project by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15 hourly still doesn’t equate to a “living” wage in Illinois, based on U.S. Census Bureau cost of living and other cost estimates provided by federal agencies adjusted for inflation. A single adult with no children needs a $22.86 hourly salary to make a living wage in Illinois, while a two-parent household with two working adults and three children would each need to earn $31.69. In a two-parent household with one working adult and one child, the worker needs $36.49 to make a living wage, according to the MIT project. Inflation is making it hard for workers to benefit from wage increases, Sandoval said, adding rising wages also cause businesses to raise prices. “They might get the wage increase on one side, but their cost of living goes up accordingly,” Sandoval said.The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern.

Fans Demand Justice After Michigan Player Was Unfairly Pepper Sprayed By PoliceRanked teams are on the Thursday college basketball schedule in three games, including the South Carolina Gamecocks taking on the Iowa State Cyclones. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.None

Inside Senate Democrats' last-ditch deal to confirm judgesWomen's Top 25 roundup: No. 7 LSU cruises past No. 20 NC State for title in BahamasORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Gratifying as it was for Sean McDermott to catch up with his family and get some rest during Buffalo’s bye week, the Bills coach on Wednesday found comfort returning to his weekly routine and familiar wardrobe — a gray T-shirt and sweatpants. “When I’m not wearing those, I go to my closet and I don’t know what to wear. I’m kind of like not myself,” he said before pulling up his hoodie for emphasis to reveal the gray shirt he had on underneath. “So I was telling some of the guys this morning, ‘It’s good to be back.’” Though there remain challenges ahead, . The Bills (9-2) are off to their best start since 1992. They remain in contention for the AFC’s top seed by entering their break following a (10-1). And Buffalo is in position to clinch its fifth straight AFC East title as early as Sunday. To do so, the Bills would need Miami to lose to Green Bay on Thursday night, and Buffalo to win its game over San Francisco (5-6) on Sunday night. Buffalo has won six straight since back-to-back losses at Baltimore and Houston, and scored 30 or more points in each of its past five outings. Refreshed as McDermott sounded and appeared, it didn’t take long for him to revert to his game-at-a-time script when assessing what’s on the line this weekend. “We’re mostly focused on our level of play this week against a good football team,” he said. McDermott shed little light on the status of Buffalo’s lengthy list of injured players. being activated off injured reserve, even though the starting linebacker practiced fully for the first time since tearing his left biceps during a training camp practice in mid-August. Milano has actually missed nearly 14 months since sustaining a season-ending injury to his right leg in Week 5 last season. Milano revealed little during a brief interview following practice. “I feel all right. Getting back into it with the team,” said Milano, who no longer wore a red non-contact jersey in practice. Meantime, rookie receiver Keon Coleman, who has missed two games with a right wrist injury, and starting right tackle Spencer Brown, who missed one game with an ankle injury, were limited in practice. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) was Buffalo’s only player not practicing. The Bills also opened the three-week window for backup rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) and backup offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin) to return. McDermott has another positive going for him revolving around the bye week. The Bills are 8-0 coming out of their break since McDermott took over as coach in 2017. “I don’t really have the, hey, this is exactly what we do formula,” McDermott said on whether he’s changed his bye week approach. “It’s more of us really just getting back to what we do, getting back to basics.” ___ AP NFL:

Flashing Lights On Emergency Vehicles Can Cause 'Digital Epileptic Seizure' In Automated Driving SystemsFLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets might be dealing with an opponent even tougher to overcome than their poor play, missed opportunities and ill-timed mistakes. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson suggested last Sunday a losing “gene” might be an explanation for the Jets’ inability to pull out victories after the team dropped to 3-10 with a loss at Miami. On Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers presented another perhaps more sinister reason. “I mean, it might be something like that," the quarterback said of Wilson's theory. "It might be some sort of curse we've got to snap as well.” Generations of frustrated Jets fans have half-jokingly insisted there have been negative forces at work against the franchise since Joe Namath delivered on his Super Bowl guarantee in January 1969. It remains the team's only appearance in the NFL's biggest game. Rodgers has been there once — and won — with Green Bay. The 41-year-old quarterback came to New York hoping to finally lead the Jets back to the Super Bowl. He even commented on how lonely the team's only Lombardi Trophy looked during his introductory news conference 20 months ago. Instead, Rodgers' first season in New York was cut short by a torn Achilles tendon just four snaps in, immediately resurrecting "curse” theories among jaded Jets fans. With its loss last Sunday, New York extended its playoff drought to 14 straight years, the longest active skid among the major North American sports leagues. And the team will be looking for a new general manager and coach after this season, and Rodgers' future in New York is very much up in the air. “Whatever the case, this team, this organization is going to figure out how to get over the hump at some point,” Rodgers said. “The culture is built by the players. There’s a framework set down by the organization, by the upper ups, by the staff. But in the end, it’s the players that make it come to life. "And at some point, everybody’s going to have to figure out what that special sauce is to turn those games that should be wins into wins.” The Jets have held the lead in the fourth quarter in five games this season. They've lost each of them, including the past three games. New York's inability to come away with wins in those prompted Wilson's “gene” theory. “I’m not exactly sure what he was talking about there,” Rodgers said with a smile. "I don’t know what the proper nomenclature is for the situation where we’ve lost some leads or haven’t been able to take the lead late in the game, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. We haven’t been great in situational football. “A lot of those games come down to the plays in the first and second, even third quarter, where if you make the play the game is not in that situation. But in those situations, we haven’t been very good on offense or defense or even (special) teams.” Rodgers said “it takes a conscious effort, it takes an intentional effort” to establish a winning culture, and it includes leadership, practice habits and setting standards inside and outside of the locker room. And this year's Jets, Rodgers said, are “on the edge” of that. “We just haven’t quite figured out how to get that special sauce worked out, mixed up,” he said. “It’s close and a lot of great guys are in the locker room. There’s some good mix of veterans and young guys, but we just haven’t quite put it all together.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

November 27 - Washington Spirit forward Ouleye Sarr will was placed on the season-ending injury list on Wednesday with a back injury. Sarr suffered the injury in a game against Portland on Sept. 7 and has been rehabbing with the team since. She finishes the season with eight goals and two assists in 19 matches. The France native joined the Spirit during the 2023 season and has 10 goals and four assists with the team. Sarr turned professional in with PSG in 2013 and has nine goals in 28 matches for France. That includes a four-goal performance against Estonia during qualification for last year's Women's World Cup. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tabMoST Deputy Minister attends Tengchong Scientists Forum 2024Kamala Harris Campaigning With Liz Cheney Flopped with Key Voter Group