TSA workers missed their first full paycheck last week as parts of the Department of Homeland Security remain unfunded. This situation has led to increased absences, with more employees calling out sick.
CBS News national reporter Kati Weis has more on the developing story.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tsa-officer-message-lawmakers-pay-us-for-what-we-do/
The 98th Academy Awards are currently underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien hosting the ceremony. This year, Sinners leads the nominations with a record 16 nods, followed by One Battle After Another with 13 nominations.
You can catch up on the best looks from the red carpet, read our predictions, or even run to the kitchen to whip up a movie-themed snack. Below is the full list of 2026 Academy Award nominees. Winners will be marked in bold as they are announced. Follow along with us as the wins come in!
Nominees for writing (original screenplay) will be updated as announced.
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/15/nx-s1-5739287/oscars-2026-winners-list-best-picture-actor-actress
Stephen Curry will be joining Olympic teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant once again, this time at the NBA All-Star Game. The league announced the rosters for this season’s midseason showcase event on Tuesday night, splitting 25 players across three squads.
This year marks the debut of a new All-Star format: U.S. vs. The World. The event is set for February 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home arena in Inglewood, California. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes this concept will tap into national pride among the players, making it a timely and exciting change.
The game will be broadcast on NBC, which is also airing the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics starting later this week and running through February 22. The U.S.-vs.-World format had been discussed for years before finally becoming a reality this season.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled this long-awaited plan in an effort to reignite interest in the All-Star Game after last season’s tournament format received widespread criticism.
Notably, the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, considered by many as the most deserving player left off the original list of 24 All-Stars, was added to the pool of U.S. players shortly before the rosters were revealed. Leonard’s inclusion likely resulted in New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns being moved to the World team. Although Towns was born in New Jersey, he has represented the Dominican Republic — his late mother’s homeland — in international basketball.
To accommodate the new format, the NBA announced it would adjust roster sizes as needed to ensure that each of the three teams has a minimum of eight players. The World team currently has nine players, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to participate due to injury.
The two U.S. teams were split by age: the older players make up USA Stripes, while the younger players comprise USA Stars.
### All-Star Rosters
**USA Stripes**
– Jaylen Brown (Boston)
– Jalen Brunson (New York)
– Stephen Curry (Golden State)
– Kevin Durant (Houston)
– LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
– Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
– Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland)
– Norman Powell (Miami)
**Coach:** Mitch Johnson (San Antonio)
**USA Stars**
– Scottie Barnes (Toronto)
– Devin Booker (Phoenix)
– Cade Cunningham (Detroit)
– Jalen Duren (Detroit)
– Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
– Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
– Jalen Johnson (Atlanta)
– Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia)
**Coach:** J. B. Bickerstaff (Detroit)
**World Team**
– Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
– Deni Avdija (Portland)
– Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)
– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
– Nikola Jokic (Denver)
– Jamal Murray (Denver)
– Pascal Siakam (Indiana)
– Karl-Anthony Towns (New York)
– Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio)
**Coach:** Darko Rajakovic (Toronto)
### Schedule and Format
All games will be 12 minutes each.
– **Game 1:** USA Stars vs. World
– **Game 2:** USA Stripes vs. Winner of Game 1
– **Game 3:** USA Stripes vs. Loser of Game 1
– **Game 4 (Championship):** Top two teams from round-robin play
If all three teams finish with a 1-1 record after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team’s games.
This fresh format promises exciting basketball action, pitting top U.S. talent against the best from around the globe in a celebration of the sport’s international reach. Fans can look forward to a renewed All-Star experience when the game tips off in February.
https://www.observer-reporter.com/uncategorized/2026/feb/03/curry-james-durant-to-team-up-at-nba-all-star-game/
BOSTON — Shay Maloney ignited an offensive explosion for the Boston Fleet, scoring the first of a season-high four goals as the hosts dominated the Minnesota Frost 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place in front of a crowd of 5,338 fans at Agganis Arena.
Maloney and team captain Megan Keller scored just 1 minute and 14 seconds apart late in the first period, giving first-place Boston (4-0, 12 points) an early 2-0 lead.
Minnesota (2-2, six points) responded early in the second period when Klára Hymlárová cut the deficit in half, assisted by Claire Butorac and Peyton Anderson. It was Hymlárová’s first goal of the season. However, that momentum was short-lived.
Rookie Abby Newhook quickly restored Boston’s two-goal advantage with her third goal of the season, a power-play marker just 49 seconds after Hymlárová’s score, pushing the Fleet ahead 3-1. Theresa Schafzahl sealed the victory for Boston with another power-play goal early in the third period.
“I felt like their pressure all over the ice, the first pressure F1 and the secondary pressure, was really good,” said Frost defender Lee Stecklein. “Obviously, they did that last year too; it just felt really consistent today.”
The Fleet’s goaltender Aerin Frankel turned aside a season-high 26 shots to earn her league-leading fourth victory. On the other side, Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney also set a personal best with 31 saves.
Boston head coach Kris Sparre praised the intensity and organization of both teams: “I thought that was probably the highest pace game that we’ve played so far. We knew going into this game that it was going to take everybody. That’s a very organized group over there in Minnesota, and you can see why they’ve had a lot of success in this league so far.
“Credit to our group. I thought we hung in there and felt like we played a pretty tidy game. Our group is pretty reset from last year. We’re focusing on what we have now, and we feel like we’re a completely new team.”
The loss snapped Minnesota’s season-opening two-game road winning streak, as the Frost played their third consecutive road contest early in the season.
“We started off hot, and I think we just want to be better on our power play and scoring on those chances,” said Frost assistant coach Brianna Decker. “And on the back side of that, the PK (penalty kill) gets cleaned up as well because obviously we have them in the next game.”
Minnesota will next face Boston at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on December 19, following a near two-week international break in the PWHL schedule.
https://www.wadenapj.com/sports/pro/fleets-offensive-surge-halts-frosts-road-winning-streak
Central Coast Mariners will host Melbourne City at the Central Coast Stadium on Friday in the sixth round of the 2025-26 Australia A-League Men season. The home side have had a mixed start to their season under new boss Warren Moon but remain hopeful of improving on last season’s performance which saw them finish 10th. They suffered a a 3-2 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers last time out, spending the entirety of the contest playing catch-up after conceding in the very first minute. Thanks for the submission! Melbourne City, meanwhile, headed into the international break in fine form but returned to action on a sour note as they suffered a 4-1 defeat to 10-man Adelaide United in the A-League last weekend. The visitors, who sit fourth in the league table, are just one point above their weekend opponents and will be looking to widen that gap with a win on Friday. Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers There have been 31 meetings between Central Coast and City. The hosts have won seven of those games while the visitors have won 16 times, with their other eight contests ending in draws. The visitors picked up a 1-0 win in the last meeting between the two teams, ending a seven-game winless run in the fixture. The hosts are without a clean sheet in their last 27 games in this fixture, a run stretching back to March 2015. City have the second-best defensive record in the Australian top-flight this season with a goal concession tally of five. Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne City Prediction The Mariners have won just one of their last four games and two of their last 10 across all competitions. However, they have recorded a win and a draw in their two home league games this season and will be hopeful of a positive result on Friday. City, on the other hand, have won three of their last four games and have lost just one of their last eight. They have had their struggles on the road this season but remain the stronger side ahead of the weekend clash and should come out on top here. Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 1-2 Melbourne City Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne City Betting Tips Tip 1 Result: Melbourne Tip 2 Goals Over/under 2. 5 Over 2. 5 goals (Six of the last seven matches between the two teams have produced more than 2. 5 goals) Tip 3 Both teams to score: YES.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/central-coast-mariners-vs-melbourne-city-prediction-betting-tips-november-28th-2025
From January 2026, the Canadian government will lead a C$100 million (€61. 4 million) international research initiative to harness disruptive technologies able to address global challenges. Proposals must address at least one of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the call text says. To meet the interdisciplinary requirements, project proposals must integrate expertise from at least two of the following domains: natural sciences and engineering; social sciences and humanities; and health and life sciences. Consortia must also include at least three co-principal investigators, each eligible to receive funding from a different participating.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-funding/international-news/funding-radar-canada-launch-c100m-global-call-disruptive-tech
The European Commission plans to launch a €51. 25 million call in 2027 as part of the Choose Europe initiative, which is intended to make the continent a more attractive place to pursue a career in research. The Commission launched a €22. 5 million pilot call in October, which will close on December 3, but a draft 2026-27 work programme for the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions (MSCA), Horizon Europe’s researcher training scheme, has revealed plans to extend the support. The Choose Europe initiative, announced with great pomp earlier this year, aims to tackle brain drain and the precarity of research careers by co-funding the recruitment of postdoctoral researchers for up to five years. EU funding will cover the positions for two to three years, while the host institutions must provide funding for an additional two years. Each programme that receives funding must recruit a minimum of three researchers. While the research community welcomed the initial pilot, there have been concerns that national cuts to research budgets in several EU countries could make it difficult for research organisations to cough up their share of the money. The draft call offers universities more flexibility by allowing the EU funding to cover either the first or second phase of the programme, although the basic issue remains. Attracting foreign talent A key priority is to attract international talent to Europe, particularly as researchers from around the world find fewer opportunities than before in the US. Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must not have resided or carried out their main work or studies in the country of the recruiting institution for more than 12 months in the previous three years. The draft work programme gives researchers the possibility of implementing their MSCA-backed project on a part-time basis, for personal, family or professional reasons, which could benefit international scientists who still have family ties in their home country. Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council, recently suggested that Europe should offer scientists a “haven,” in a “non-selfish manner,” allowing them to spend only half their time in Europe if needed. Related articles US researchers: Choose Europe, but part-time ERC to introduce seven-year €7 million ‘super grants’ in 2026 Choose Europe talent pilot receives lukewarm welcome A related goal is to improve working conditions and long-term prospects for researchers in Europe. Institutions applying for support will be evaluated partly on the competitiveness of the salaries and career development opportunities offered as part of their programme, as well as the quality of long-term career prospects beyond the duration of the fellowship. Supported programmes can be in any research discipline, despite indications from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, at a Choose Europe launch event in May, that support beyond the pilot phase would privilege “frontier fields like artificial intelligence.” The MSCA calls are part of a broader €500 million package to make Europe “a magnet for researchers,” including seven-year “super grants” worth up to €7 million under the European Research Council.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/international-news/eu-plans-eu51m-choose-europe-call-research-careers-2027
Indian actor Anupam Kher brought a mix of humor, grit and unvarnished honesty to his International Film Festival of India (IFFI) masterclass, “Giving Up Is Not a Choice,” holding a packed Kala Mandir audience with stories spanning his small-town beginnings, his breakout turn in “Saaransh,” more than 540 screen credits and a career-defining encounter with Robert De Niro. The session was motivational address, entertainment and a window into his unique life as a performer. Kher was just 28 when he played a 65-year-old man in Mahesh Bhatt’s “Saaransh” in 1984. He later crossed over to Hollywood with films such as “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) and the series “New Amsterdam,” and has performed in “almost all Indian languages.” A long-time admirer of Robert De Niro, Kher wrote papers on “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver” during his student years. Decades later, as he explored an international career, the actor was cast in David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” a project that already had De Niro attached. The opportunity to work with his idol seemed within reach, but to his surprise, De Niro initially resisted the presence of Kher’s character in a crucial scene, based on the former’s own reading of the script. Kher recounted how he eventually spoke up, offering his perspective on the scene, at the risk of losing both the role and the chance to act alongside De Niro. Later that night, while offering him a drink in his van, De Niro commended Kher for his performance. “Because I was truthful and not worried about being unpopular with the unit,” Kher said, “today I can claim that Mr. Robert De Niro is one of my best friends.” During the session, 70-year-old Kher shared multiple moments from his life, when giving up simply wasn’t an option. He urged the audience to believe in themselves and become the central character of their own biopic. “What happens in your life goes on to become the story of your life. Why should life be easy? Why should life be simple? Why should life not have problems? Because it’s your problems that will make your biopic a superstar biopic,” he said, reflecting on his journey from a small town to acting beside legends around the world. “Failure is an event,” he added, “not a person, and the film of your life deserves a blockbuster ending.”.
https://variety.com/2025/film/festivals/anupam-kher-robert-de-niro-saaransh-iffi-masterclass-1236591316/
By HAU DINH HANOI, Vietnam (AP) The death toll in widespread flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains in Southeast Asia mounted on Monday with another person reported killed in Vietnam, and five others in Thailand with tens of thousands of people displaced. The total number of confirmed dead in Vietnam is now 91, with 11 others missing as the heavy rain that began a week ago has caused severe flooding and triggered landslides from Quang Tri to Lam Dong provinces, a stretch of 500 miles along the country’s central region, including the highlands. In Dak Lak, the worst hit province, 63 people were killed, mostly due to drowning. Other fatalities were from Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Danang, Hue and Quang Tri provinces. With roads washed out in many areas, helicopters have been deployed to drop food and aid supplies and to assist in evacuating people. After a break in the rain on the weekend, Pham Thu Huyen was one of many hundreds of residents and visitors who helped clean up debris washed ashore in Nha Trang, a popular tourist destination in Khanh Hoa province, known for its white sand beaches. “We’ve never experienced that much rain and such bad flooding,” the 45-year-old said. Waters have also taken their toll on this year’s crops, submerging coffee farms in Dak Lak, Vietnam’s major coffee growing region. Overall, damage so far is estimated to be around $500 million in this round of floods. Some of the waters have now receded but Vietnam’s weather agency warned that with rains continuing in some places the risks remain, and said a new tropical depression was forming that could bring worse weather again later in the week. Vietnam is among the world’s most flood-prone countries, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and landslides increasingly destructive and frequent. The current destruction has hit a region already battered earlier this month by floods from record rainfall and the powerful typhoon Kalmaegi. The country was also hit by typhoons in September and October, and the International Organization for Migration announced Monday that South Korea would contribute $1 million to help Vietnam assist displaced people, communities and migrants affected by those. The United Nations agency said that according to preliminary data, Vietnam estimates economic damage of some $1. 2 billion from that period, with more than a half million homes damaged and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated and dozens killed. In Thailand, torrential rain in the south of the country caused severe flash flooding over the weekend, affecting nearly 2 million people, officials said. Five were killed and four were injured across six southern provinces, according to regional health officials. Ten southern provinces have been hit with heavy rainfall over the last week, and officials warned Monday that water levels are expected to rise further with the rain expected to continue through Tuesday. The city of Hat Yai, a major economic hub in Songkhla province, was hit with more than 13 inches of rain on Friday, the highest 24-hour figure in 300 years, officials said. From Wednesday through Friday, the city saw nearly 25 inches of rain, complicating evacuation efforts as hundreds of residents and tourists were trapped inside homes and hotels by rising water that forced emergency crews to use lifeboats to transport people along flooded streets. Thailand was already hit with widespread flooding in the north earlier in the year, followed by months of flooding in the central region, which killed more than two dozen people. That flooding also caused widespread damage to farmers fields and crops, and many thousands of homes. Malaysia is also grappling with flooding across several states that is expected to worsen as heavy, persistent rainfall continues. The Social Welfare Department reported Monday that more than 12, 500 people across nine states have been evacuated. The worst-hit area is the northeastern state of Kelantan, which accounts for the majority of those displaced. Authorities have opened 86 temporary shelters and have warned that further rainfall is expected. Floods are common in parts of Malaysia during the annual monsoon season, which begins in November and can last until March. Jintamas Saksornchai and David Rising in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this story.
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2025/11/24/southeast-asia-flooding/
OAN Staff Blake Wolf 1: 15 PM Friday, November 21, 2025 Armed bandits attacked St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school on Friday in the Papiri community of Agwara, Niger State, Nigeria, at around 2 a. m. local time, abducting at least 52 schoolchildren, along with an unspecified number of staff. However, while the majority of reports mention “52” schoolchildren being taken, other sources suggest that even more may have been taken. This occurred despite a prior government warning to boarding schools in the area to close due to heightened threats which the school ignored according to surfacing reports. Meanwhile, the international community has expressed growing outrage over the escalating violence in Nigeria, where Islamic militants have targeted both Protestant and Catholic communities. However, the identities of the most recent attackers are currently unknown, and no organization has publicly taken credit for the raid. “Police tactical units, military components and other security agencies have moved to the scene, combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students,” local police wrote in a statement. The school educates students aged 12-17 years old. During the attack, a school security staffer was also “badly shot,” according to the Associated Press, citing a statement released by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora. Following the attack, the Niger state government released a statement revealing that the “unfortunate incident comes despite prior intelligence” warning of threats, and the governor’s order to temporarily close all boarding schools in the region. “Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” stated Abubakar Usam, the secretary to the Niger state government. The kidnappings follow a string of violence and kidnappings in Nigeria, including the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the nearby Kebbi state on Monday. Analysts say that bandits often target schools and travelers for ransom, which is especially common in northern Nigeria. On Tuesday, rapper and singer Nicki Minaj delivered a four-minute speech at a U. S.-organized event at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, focusing on the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria. The panel, titled “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria,” was hosted by U. S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and featured faith leaders and victims. “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned. Families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray,” Manaj stated. “Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” she continued. “And I want to be clear, protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.” Additionally, at the start of November, President Donald Trump threatened to send the military into Nigeria to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists” slaughtering Christians. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U. S. A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote at the time. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments! Sponsored Content Below Share this post!.
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/nigeria-armed-bandits-kidnap-52-children-from-catholic-boarding-school/
