Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday’s poll. An exit poll puts the party’s support at 21%, a fraction of a percentage behind the main opposition party Sinn Fein. Mr Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach, was elected with 16,869 first preference votes, well above the quota. He celebrated with his wife Caoimhe, his parents Bart and Mary, his sister Gemma and his political team at the count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Ahead of his re-election, Mr Harris told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about the election result and said it was “clear that my party will gain seats”. “It’s also clear that Fine Gael will top the poll in at least 10 constituencies, many more than we did the last time, that we will gain seats in constituencies where we haven’t had seats in many years, like Tipperary South and Waterford, and that we will add second seats in other constituencies as well,” he said. “I think the people of Ireland have now spoken. We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” In one of the five consecutive broadcast media rounds he did from the Greystones count centre, he said there were a lot of areas where there were “straight shoot-outs” between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for final seats. He described the Sinn Fein vote as “pretty significantly down”, the Fianna Fail vote as “marginally down” and the Fine Gael vote as “static” compared with its 2020 vote. He said it was “a very close, a very competitive election” and that “we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”. He said: “It was predicted by many that I would become the Taoiseach for a brief period of time, take over from Leo Varadkar, and then have to rebuild my party from the opposition benches as Sinn Fein led a government. “We don’t know what’s going to happen on government formation yet, but that is now looking less likely than it was.” He acknowledged that it was “a very difficult day” for the Green Party and paid tribute to their work in the coalition government, alongside his party and Fianna Fail. “Definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented,” he said. Fine Gael minister Helen McEntee said that her party’s campaign had been “positive”. “The feeling on the doors was very much that people were relatively happy with the government,” she said on RTE Radio. “It will come down to the last seats and it will come down to transfers,” she said of the final result, adding that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were performing better than the exit poll estimated.

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Southern Illinois quarterback Michael Lindauer's coming-out party also was a dazzling farewell. The senior graduate assistant, pressed into duty as a player again when injuries left the Salukis in need of a quarterback, made his first career start — on Senior Day, no less — and threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in a 62-0 victory over Murray State on Saturday. “This was incredible,” Lindauer said. “The guys around me — thank the guys. The receivers were making plays, the O-line's blocking. When you get on a roll like that, stuff just starts happening.” The fifth-year senior, a transfer from Cincinnati, completed 20 of 33 passes for 283 yards. Keontez Lewis caught scoring passes of 4 and 64 yards. Bradley Clark had TDs of 35 and 23 yards. Nah’shawn Hezekiah had touchdowns of 19 and 35 yards on his two catches. And Jay Jones caught one pass for 1 yard — also a touchdown. Before the game, Lindauer had attempted 27 career passes. “Now, he's in the record book,” Salukis coach Nick Hill said. “It will be a hard record to beat, seven TDs in one game. ... What he's done ... just being so selfless and coming back and being a player. The team needed it. ... It’s a testament that if you stay committed, do the right things, have a great attitude, you’re going to get rewarded at some point, and he was rewarded in a big way today.” Southern Illinois finished the season 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, but “to go out like that, that's a good way to go out,” Hill said. Lindauer was named the MVC offensive player of the week for his performance in his first and last career start. He plans to return in the spring, again as a graduate assistant coach, but this time with a resume to lean on. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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When Sen. Elizabeth Warren begins her third term in the U.S. Senate next month, the dynamics in Washington, D.C., will change dramatically, and the outspoken Democrat is concerned about what Donald Trump's second term could mean for Massachusetts. During an interview for Sunday's episode of "On The Record," Warren spoke about the effort to lock down federal funding for the Sagamore Bridge replacement so it cannot be blocked or revoked by the incoming Trump administration. She shared that the Massachusetts delegation and Gov. Maura Healey's team are working together to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to finalize nearly $2 billion in federal funding. Because the total was pieced together through a number of grants and programs, she said it's not as simple as getting one check written. "With any other administration, of course, it would be guaranteed. It's already been allocated and so on," Warren said. "What we are working feverishly to do is literally to lock the doors and windows so there's no way to pull the money back." Warren also acknowledged that the funding they are working to ensure applies only to the Sagamore Bridge. Replacing its twin, the Bourne Bridge, will require the development of entirely new funding. The senator also stressed a political point about the fear of political retribution that the incoming Trump administration creates for so-called blue states like Massachusetts. "In the four years that Joe Biden was president and the eight years that Barack Obama was president, a lot more money actually went to red states on things like infrastructure and health care because the need was greater. The idea that what will happen in a Trump administration is just strike back simply because we are a blue state, I think it really tells us of a level of corruption — it's another form of corruption — it's about a political corruption that infects this administration and it troubles me deeply," Warren said.

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Gus Malzahn is resigning as Central Florida's head coach to become Florida State 's offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hire told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Seminoles have not confirmed Malzahn's move, which is pending a state background check. ESPN first reported the decision. The Knights made official that Malzahn is leaving in a statement released a day after UCF (4-8) concluded its season with a 28-14 loss to Utah. “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the Big 12 Conference," the school said. "We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.” Malzahn finished with a 28-24 mark in four years at UCF, the last two ending with losing records after joining the Big 12. He coached at Auburn for eight seasons before being fired in 2020. Malzahn replaces offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, who was fired Nov. 10 following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame. The Seminoles rank 131st out of 134 in total offense and scoring offense, averaging 15.8 points a game heading into Saturday night's rivalry game against Florida. The Seminoles (2-9) have dropped significantly since going 13-1 last season and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The Knights, meanwhile, struggled mightily in Malzahn's fourth season — most of it because of quarterback issues. Four players took snaps from center as the Knights finished 2-7 in conference play. It was the program's worst record since going 0-12 in former coach George O’Leary’s final season in 2015. Florida State coach Mike Norvell fired Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans amid the Seminoles' season-long skid. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Ottawa police arrest suspect in Mooney's Bay area shootingJ. Cole Once Played Nas ‘Let Nas Down’ During Chance Encounter

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Kolhapur/Mumbai: Days after Markadwadi villagers' bid to conduct a mock poll with ballot papers was foiled by the Solapur district administration, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged villagers in the Malshiras assembly constituency to pass a resolution calling for elections to be held using ballot papers. "The villagers in Malshiras constituency should pass the resolution. I will take it to state govt, Centre and EC. I will also request the CM to visit Markadwadi. If he finds their concerns valid, he should take the necessary steps. We don't want to bring politics into it. As soon as Parliament session resumes, we will raise Markadwadi villagers' concerns there as well," he said during a visit to the village. He also criticised the district administration for preventing the villagers from holding the mock voting. NCP (SP) candidate Uttam Jankar won Malshiras seat but with a narrow margin against BJP's Ram Satpute. Jankar has since announced that he would resign to pave the way for a byelection with ballot papers. Pawar said people have started raising doubts about the election process , and some recent election results suggested that these concerns might be justified. "We need to consider what practices are followed elsewhere in the world. In US and UK, EVMs are not used today," he said. State NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil said EC should hold the upcoming local body elections with ballot papers, as people have lost faith in EVMs. Pawar's statements drew flak from BJP, with CM Devendra Fadnavis saying in Ahmednagar that being an experienced leader, Pawar "should accept the defeat and it is expected he will not do anything that will destroy people's faith in the democratic process". State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule criticised Pawar over his visit to the village. In a post on social media, he said Markadwadi villagers have consistently supported different parties, and emphasised that the village is not Pawar or Jankar's monopoly. "Pawar saheb, look at the voting statistics from Markadwadi, and you will come to your senses," he said, advising Pawar not to falsely blame EVMs. "This time, the people and beloved sisters have rejected you. So, don't spread falsehoods and blame EVMs."The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . Gus Malzahn is resigning as Central Florida’s head coach to become Florida State ‘s offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hire told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Seminoles have not confirmed Malzahn’s move, which is pending a state background check. ESPN first reported the decision. The Knights made official that Malzahn is leaving in a statement released a day after UCF (4-8) concluded its season with a 28-14 loss to Utah. “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the Big 12 Conference,” the school said. “We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.” Malzahn finished with a 28-24 mark in four years at UCF, the last two ending with losing records after joining the Big 12. He coached at Auburn for eight seasons before being fired in 2020. Malzahn replaces offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, who was fired Nov. 10 following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame. The Seminoles rank 131st out of 134 in total offense and scoring offense, averaging 15.8 points a game heading into Saturday night’s rivalry game against Florida. RELATED COVERAGE Michigan, Ohio State fight broken up with police pepper spray after Wolverines stun Buckeyes 13-10 Sellers’ 20-yard TD run with 1:08 to go lifts No. 16 South Carolina to 17-14 win over No. 12 Clemson No. 7 Tennessee gives up 1st 14 points before rallying to rout Vanderbilt 36-23 The Seminoles (2-9) have dropped significantly since going 13-1 last season and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The Knights, meanwhile, struggled mightily in Malzahn’s fourth season — most of it because of quarterback issues. Four players took snaps from center as the Knights finished 2-7 in conference play. It was the program’s worst record since going 0-12 in former coach George O’Leary’s final season in 2015. Florida State coach Mike Norvell fired Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans amid the Seminoles’ season-long skid. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

SERVIR, NASA’s flagship partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a new regional center, or hub, in Central America on Dec. 3. The new hub is in partnership with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Turrialba, Costa Rica, and is supported by the USAID Central America and Mexico Regional Program. The launch event took place in San Salvador, El Salvador. The event introduced guests to the structure and mission of the new hub, featuring remarks from SERVIR Global Program Manager Dan Irwin and video overviews of some of its planned projects. Karen St Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division and U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, William H. Duncan, provided recorded remarks congratulating the new program. Central America holds a special place in SERVIR’s history. Over three decades ago, Dan Irwin, research scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and SERVIR’s founder and Global Program Manager, was working in Guatemala to use satellite data to map a new forest reserve. During this time, Irwin met with representatives from Central American environmental ministries to demonstrate how NASA Earth data could help to address environmental challenges and reduce disaster risk. “In this meeting, I realized that NASA has a vast library of Earth data, but this information wasn’t being used by experts across the globe who have the best understanding of local development issues. I wanted to find a way to bridge that gap,” Irwin shared. Under Irwin’s leadership, NASA and USAID partnered to create the SERVIR program, which was formally established in 2005. SERVIR’s mission is to “connect space to village,” increasing global access to NASA Earth data to support locally led environmental and development efforts. SERVIR soon expanded its partnerships across the globe, with regional hubs in South America, Asia, and Africa. SERVIR Central America will work to serve more than 40 million people throughout the region, collaborating with governments, universities, and civil society organizations to support existing natural resource management and development decision-making. The hub will support resilience against environmental challenges including hurricanes, droughts, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. SERVIR Central America will also strengthen the region’s technical capacity to use Earth observations and promote opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math. The hub will expand the use of geospatial technology by young people and other groups with limited access to these tools. “The launch of SERVIR Central America marks a milestone in the collaboration between space-based technology and Central America’s local needs,” said Irwin. “This initiative represents NASA and USAID’s commitment to putting advanced technology at the service of the region.” To learn more about SERVIR, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/servir Elizabeth Vlock Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov Lane Figueroa Huntsville, Alabama 256.544.0034 lane.e.figueroa@nasa.govTrump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy, but this time could be different

Gus Malzahn is leaving UCF to become Florida State's offensive coordinator, AP source says

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