Gujarat Assembly Election Phase 2 LIVE: A total of 93 assembly constituencies across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat will be voting on Monday for the high-stakes political battle in the western state.
: After the high-voltage campaigning, the countdown has begun for the high-stakes political battle to conclude in Gujarat, with the final phase of polling for the ongoing Assembly elections to be held on Monday.
Gujarat Assembly Election Phase 2 LIVE: After months of high-voltage campaigning, polling for the second and final phase of Gujarat Assembly election is finally held today (December 5). A total of 93 assembly constituencies across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat will be voting on Monday for the high-stakes political battle in the western state. As many as 833 candidates from 61 parties are in the fray in the second phase of the Gujarat elections whose fate will be decided by over 2.51 crore electorates. Voting begins at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm. According to Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi, of the total 26,409 polling stations, 93 are model polling booths, 93 are eco-friendly booths, another 93 are managed by Divyang and 14 are managed by youth. Webcasting will be done in 13,319 polling booths in the second phase. The Election Commission has established 26,409 polling booths and nearly 36,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for the purpose. Around 29,000 presiding officers and over 84,000 polling officers have been deployed in 14 districts to facilitate the polls. The results of the Gujarat Assembly polls will be announced on December 8.
FOLLOW ALL LATEST UPDATES ON GUJARAT ASSEMBLY ELECTION PHASE 2 HERE:
A woman who claimed to be related to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie injured six deputies after she was kicked off of a Spirit Airlines flight on Thanksgiving Day, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Shannon Epstein, 25, was asked to leave the New Jersey-bound flight at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans on the morning of Nov. 24 after she asked a family seated near her who she believed were Latino if they were “smuggling cocaine,” Captain Jason Rivarde of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
Epstein refused to exit the jet bridge connecting the plane to the terminal gate and “became extremely combative,” Rivarde said. She started to fight the Jefferson Parish deputies and injured six of them — one she bit on the arm and another she kicked in the groin.
During the fight, Epstein told the deputies that they were going to lose their jobs or go to jail because she is related to Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and a friend of former President Trump.
Epstein is Christie’s niece, The Times-Picayune reports.
Christie, who ran for president in 2016, has not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Epstein was arrested and handcuffed to a wheelchair as she continued to try to bite deputies.
Spirit Airlines did not respond to requests for comment.
Epstein was charged with six counts of battery on a police officer, three counts of disturbing the peace, one count of resisting arrest by force and one count of remaining after being forbidden.
Epstein posted $10,750 bail and was released from the Jefferson Parish Correction Center the same day, according to Rivarde.
It’s not clear at this time if Epstein has an attorney. Her next court date is on Jan. 23.
Mirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
Mehidy and Mustafizur grew in confidence to launch a stunning last-wicket counter-attack to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and be the heroes for Bangladesh.
IND v BAN, 1st ODI: Told Mustafizur To Stay Calm And Play 20 Balls, Says Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Dhaka: When Bangladesh: were reduced to 136/9 in the 40th over, from being 128/4 and triggered by senior pros Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim falling on consecutive deliveries, Bangladesh seemed all but out of the chase as an Indian victory seemed imminent.
But Mehidy Hasan Miraz, along with Mustafizur Rahman, had other ideas. As Rahman defended and hit two fours in his ten not out, Mehidy sliced, scooped, pulled, and punched to be unbeaten on 38, hitting four fours and two sixes to complete a stunning come-from-behind victory for Bangladesh.
As India melted under pressure as drop catches, fielding lapses, overthrows and wayward bowling made appearances in the last six overs, Mehidy and Mustafizur grew in confidence to launch a stunning last-wicket counter-attack to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and be the heroes for Bangladesh.
“Thanks to Allah. I am really happy and excited. Mustafizur and I just thought that we need to believe. I just told him to stay calm and play 20 balls. I was only thinking about focusing on one area and believing in that strategy.”
“I am really enjoying bowling (1/43 in nine overs). I tried to bowl wicket to wicket with the ball. The wicket in the morning was a bit tricky, and I enjoyed bowling. This performance is really memorable for me,” said Mehidy, who took the Player of the Match award.
The partnership of 51 between Mehidy and Mustafizur was the second-highest for Bangladesh in ODIs for the tenth wicket. It was also the fourth-highest partnership for the tenth wicket in a successful run-chase in men’s ODIs. It was a match that Bangladesh fans and players will talk about for years to come.
“Very happy. When I was in the dressing room, I was really nervous, but the way Fizz and Miraz batted, I enjoyed it a lot in the last six-seven overs. The bowlers bowled really well at the start. When me and Shakib were batting, we thought we could chase it easily.”
“But when we got out, it got tricky. Siraj and Shardul bowled very well in the middle overs and shifted the momentum toward their side. I had faith in others but I have no words to describe this feeling. Congratulations to Mehidy for an outstanding innings,” said a delighted captain Litton Das, who got a win under his belt in his ODI captaincy debut.
San Miguel’s returning guard Chris Ross. –PBA IMAGES
San Miguel Beer is entering the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs with a head of steam, having won its last four games while getting two of its old, reliable hands—June Mar Fajardo and Terrence Romeo—the needed time to be 100 percent for the tough grind.
Even with the streak and with almost all hands able and on deck, Chris Ross believes that he and the Beermen aren’t assured of anything.
Waiting to claim the scalp of the No. 5 Beermen in the quarterfinals is No. 4 Converge, which has made heads turn using a cutthroat, breathless—and effective system—put in place by its new coach, the seasoned varsity tactician, Aldin Ayo.
“Definitely a challenge. [Their game] is something we haven’t seen. [Ayo] is coaching their guys crazy, their import (Quincy Miller) is good and the locals are playing well so it’s going to be tough for us,” Ross told the Inquirer.
“We [have also been] trying to work new guys into our lineup, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us—but one that we’re going to be ready for,” he added.
A defensive whiz who has helped the vaunted franchise to nine PBA crowns, Ross has been through the club’s recent glory years and through its days at the backseat.
After a gilded run in the Philippine Cup, the league’s centerpiece tournament, Ross already knows half of what San Miguel should be doing once their best-of-three race with the FiberXers gets going this week.
“Having fun and sharing the basketball and sticking to the game plan. And as long as we keep doing that—and we’re healthy—we’ll be fine,” he said.
Fajardo, the Beermen’s cornerstone and six-time Most Valuable Player (MVP), played in the last three games and has hardly shown any ill effects of a procedure to repair an injured throat.
Romeo, who is the reigning Finals MVP, has also logged in a game in his comeback—and was actually efficient—scoring 12 points in just 16 minutes against Meralco last Friday. That was his first game in more than nine months. INQ
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FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Round of 16 – Argentina v Australia – Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar – December 3, 2022 Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates REUTERS/Carl Recine
Lionel Messi produced a moment of trademark quality to score the opener in a 2-1 win over Australia and help send Argentina into the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Saturday.
Messi’s 789th goal in his 1,000th career appearance — but first in the knockout rounds of the World Cup — helped set up a last-eight clash with the unbeaten Netherlands on Friday.
Julian Alvarez scored the other in the 57th minute after some calamitous Australian defending, before Enzo Fernandez’s 77th-minute deflected own goal set up an unexpectedly nervy finale.
Argentina’s players celebrated wildly in front of their massed ranks of fans and man-of-the-match Messi paid tribute to them for dragging the team across the line.
“Amazing feelings and I am really happy to share these beautiful and happy moments with them all,” said the 35-year-old, who is trying to win the World Cup for the first time in what will surely be his last attempt.
“I know the effort they are making to be here with us and I know how much they enjoyed it.
“There is a bond we have — it is something beautiful, it is what the national team should be.”
Messi’s classy first-half goal, bending the ball into the bottom corner, broke the resistance and ultimately the hearts of a gutsy Australian side who defied all expectations in Qatar and went down fighting.
Messi strikes
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Round of 16 – Argentina v Australia – Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar – December 3, 2022 Argentina’s Lionel Messi in action with Australia’s Kye Rowles REUTERS/Paul Childs
Australia’s yellow-shirted fans were vastly outnumbered among the packed crowd at the 45,000-capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and were drowned out by Argentina’s boisterous and bouncing supporters.
The Socceroos were huge underdogs but this has been a World Cup of shocks.
Two-time champions Argentina were the victim of arguably the biggest in Qatar when they went down 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening match.
Argentina had Australia pinned back but coach Graham Arnold’s men were resolute and growing in confidence as an uninspiring first half wore on.
Argentina badly needed something special and in Messi they got it 10 minutes from the break.
Alexis Mac Allister fed defender Nicolas Otamendi, who was still in the box for an Argentina free-kick, and he miscontrolled it into the path of Messi who bent the ball left-footed along the ground into the corner.
Australia had only got this far once before, in 2006, and they needed to attack in the second half.
Instead, they self-destructed. Goalkeeper and captain Mathew Ryan tried to play out under fierce pressure in his box from hard-running Rodrigo De Paul just before the hour and was dispossessed by Alvarez.
The Manchester City striker, 22, nipped in, stole the ball from Ryan and swivelled to slot into an empty net for his second goal in as many games.
The Socceroos looked dead and buried but substitute Craig Goodwin latched onto a loose clearance and his shot hit Fernandez and ricocheted in with 13 minutes left.
Aziz Behich then went on a superb mazy run from left-back, beating three Argentina players before Lisandro Martinez made a vital last-ditch challenge.
Both sides had chances in the last 10 minutes, the last falling to Australian teenager Garang Kuol deep in injury time, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a desperate save.
Arnold proud
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Group D – Australia v Denmark – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar – November 30, 2022 Australia coach Graham Arnold celebrates after qualifying for the knockout stages REUTERS/Albert Gea
Arnold, who assembled a team full of hard work and defensive clout, said he was immensely proud of their surprise run to the last 16.
“I just told the boys I could not be more proud of the effort and they gave everything to me and the nation,” said Arnold, whose contract is up and will now take time to think through his future.
“Of course we are disappointed because we felt we could have got a bit more out of the game.
“It’s all about making the nation proud and I’m pretty sure we did that.
“Everyone said we were the worst Socceroos to ever qualify for the World Cup and the worst Socceroos ever.
“That’s gone now.”
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Horoscope Today, December 4: Check out your daily astrological prediction as per your zodiac sign as we give you quick tips to plan your day.
Horoscope Today, December 4, Sunday: Leo Should Apply For Job, Sagittarius Must Not Lend Money to Anyone
Horoscope Today, December 4, Sunday: If you are planning your day, it’s advisable you take the help of your stars and learn about the positions of the planets in your destiny before walking any further in life or work. Follow these quick tips by Jyotish Guru Shiromani Sachin as per your zodiac signs to know how your day is going to treat you today.
Aries- Will get successful in important work. Trust your luck. Drive carefully. Donate whole grains.
Lucky color- ocher
Taurus- Economic situation may go awry. Don’t argue with anyone unnecessarily. Do not force your opinion on anyone. Donate black clothes.
Lucky color- blue
Gemini- Will get the support of a higher official. Donate sweet fruits. Don’t give a piece of bad advice. Donate sweet yellow rice.
Lucky color- green
Cancer- Take advice from elders. Help a woman. Stock up on essentials. Donate pink clothes.
Lucky color- orange
Leo- Apply for a job. Keep the north direction of the house clean. A wish will come true. Donate yellow fruit.
Lucky color- carrot.
Virgo- Take care of your diet. Don’t change careers. Control your temper. Donate sugar candy.
Lucky color- saffron
Libra- Will get back the borrowed money. There is a possibility of guest arrival. Make decisions wisely. Worship Lord Shiva.
Lucky color- sky blue
Scorpio- Don’t argue over anything. There will be profit in business. Will get gifts and respect. Donate jaggery.
Lucky color- brown
Sagittarius- The relationship may turn sour. Don’t stay up till late at night. Don’t lend your money to anyone. Feed the birds.
Lucky color- yellow
Capricorn- Fulfill your responsibilities properly. Help a friend in need. After noon, the time is favorable. Donate red sweets.
Lucky color- pink
Aquarius- Apply for government jobs. Financial conditions will be favorable. Lent money will be returned. Donate saffron.
Lucky color- sky blue
Pisces- Problems will be resolved by the afternoon. Don’t do anything in haste. Respect your elders. Donate rice.
Lucky color- golden
ATLANTA — Georgia has set new records for early voting again as the two Senate candidates blitz the state ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election. And the contest is drawing new voters, too.
More than 1.85 million Georgians have voted early, according to the office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, breaking two single-day records in about a week.
Among those who have already turned out, 56% were women and 44% men. White voters made up 55% of early voters, 32% were Black, and Latinos and Asian Americans each accounted for less than 2% of the total.
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is facing Republican former football star Herschel Walker for a six-year term after neither reached the 50% needed to win on the first ballot in the Nov. 8 general election. With the balance of power in the Senate at stake, both candidates have been barnstorming the state to mobilize their voters in the final three days ahead of the crucial election.
Gabriel Sterling, a top aide to the secretary of state, said the early vote total is expected to top $1.9 million as absentee ballots arrive.
For now, the numbers show an edge for Warnock.
Democrats are outpacing Republicans among early in-person and mail votes by a heavy margin of 52% to 39%, according to data provided by TargetSmart.
Between his early voting leads, ad spending advantages and a new CNN poll indicating that he’s leading Walker by a margin of 52% to 48%, Warnock is feeling confident.
“We are on the verge of victory. But I don’t want us to do the victory dance before we actually get into the end zone,” Warnock told labor allies at a rally here on Saturday. “We are seeing record voter turnout all across our state. People are showing up to vote.”
“I don’t want you to underestimate our opposition,” he added. “They are ruthless.”
Notably, more than 76,000 of early runoff voters did not vote in the 2022 general election, according to GeorgiaVotes.com, a site that uses public data to analyze voting trends.
Among Georgians under 30 years old, 15.5% of early runoff voters didn’t turn out for the general election. Additionally, 8.4% of Hispanics and 9.5% of Asian Americans who have shown up for the runoff didn’t vote in the Nov. 8 election.
All three constituencies lean Democratic overall. If their early vote preferences reflect the cohorts at large, it’s good news for Warnock.
A resident fills out paperwork before early voting at a polling station in Atlanta on Tuesday.Alex Wong / Getty Images
Democrats say some of their Georgia base sat out the November election because they assumed Warnock would easily win. Instead, he finished less than 1 point ahead and was forced into a runoff. As a result, some previous non-voters are turning out now.
“It’s only because they thought he was a shoo-in!” Linda Harris, a canvass worker for the Unite Here union, said at the Warnock rally on Saturday. “They thought no one’s gonna vote for Walker. That wasn’t true. So now we see that and I tell people: You’ve seen what happens. You have to vote.”
Still, there’s reason for Walker to be hopeful.
The early voting electorate skews older than it did in the general election, which could benefit Walker: 38% are 65 years and up — a group that the GOP candidate has an overall advantage with, according to polls. Another 32% of early voters are age 50 to 64, and 30% are younger than 50.
In the closing days of his campaign, Walker appeared Saturday on Fox News to complain about about media coverage of his run, and blamed Warnock and President Joe Biden for inflation and crime.
“Because of Joe Biden, we have these high gas prices. Walker said. “We have these high grocery prices. We have crime in the streets — Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock is a part of that. We have this open border. Men in women’s sports. And this has been done in less than two short years. I don’t know how many more years we can put up with it.”
Warnock, for his part, touted his support for the labor-backed PRO Act and for extending Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of Georgians in the coverage gap. He called Walker “woefully unqualified, woefully unprepared” and “woefully unfit.”
“He’s running for Senate, he’s not just your uncle talking at the family reunion,” Warnock said. “Georgia deserves a senator who actually knows what he’s talking about.”
Early voting ended Friday and Election Day is on Dec. 6.
