ATLANTA — The cycle of mediocrity had a chance to add something of meaning Saturday at State Farm Arena. Instead, no three-game winning streak for the Miami Heat, just a 120-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena and a 15-14 record going into Sunday night’s game against the Houston Rockets to conclude this three-game trip. After victories over the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic earlier in the week, the Heat could not continue the success in the enduring absence of Jimmy Butler, even with the Hawks even more shorthanded. Unlike Thursday in Orlando, when the Heat overcame trailing almost the entire way, this time there was no breakthrough, even with guard Tyler Herro going for 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and center Bam Adebayo with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Hawks got 28 points from forward Jalen Johnson, 26 from forward De’Andre Hunter and 15 assists from guard Trae Young. Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday’s game: — 1. Closing time: The Hawks led 35-28 at the end of the first period, 61-58 at halftime and 93-84 going into the fourth quarter. From there, a 29-foot 3-pointer by Herro pulled the Heat within 106-105 with 4:07 to play. It again was a one-point game with 3:28 to play after an Adebayo jumper. After two potential Heat go-ahead shots were off, the Hawks moved to a 110-107 lead with 2:39 to play on a pair of Hunter free throws. From there, the Heat misses continued, with Hawks running clock and moving to a 117-107 lead with 68 seconds left, effectively ending it. — 2. Waiting game: With Butler reportedly ramping up his workouts back in Miami, the Heat opened for the third consecutive game with Jaime Jaquez Jr. in his place. It was the fourth consecutive absence for Butler and his ninth of the season, with the Heat entering 4-4 in his absence. Butler already has been ruled out for Sunday night’s game against the Houston Rockets that closes out this three-game trip. The reasoning for Butler’s absence on the NBA’s injury report again on Saturday was, “return to competition reconditioning.” The expectation, amid a fluid situation that has included ample trade speculation, is that Butler will rejoin the Heat for the team’s next practice, which is scheduled for Tuesday at Kaseya Center, ahead of back-to-back home games the following two nights against the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers. Asked pregame of perhaps growing accustomed to playing in Butler’s absence, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Either way, we’ve proven that we can win regardless. It doesn’t matter.” — 3. More breaks: Even in Butler’s absence, the Heat again found themselves against an opponent at an even greater personnel deficit. Following up on the Heat’s two games in Orlando, when the Magic were without Paolo Banchero and Frank Wagner, among others, the Heat this time got the Hawks in Atlanta’s absences of Dyson Daniels, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu. Three Heat players whose status was unsure going into the day all were available: Terry Rozier (knee), Nikola Jovic (ankle) and Pelle Larsson (ankle). That left Butler, Josh Richardson (heel) and Dru Smith (Friday’s season-ending Achilles surgery) as the only players not available to Spoelstra. — 4. All-Star competition?: Among those who figure to vie for one of the final Eastern Conference All-Star berths are Herro and Johnson. Johnson continually took it to the Heat in the paint, while Herro again made statements with the long ball. Johnson entered as one of just four players averaging at least 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, along with Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Giannis Antetokounmpo. For his part, Herro extended his career best streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 63, six games off Duncan Robinson’s franchise record. Herro has now converted a 3-pointer in the season’s first 29 games, on Saturday breaking the longest such Heat 3-pointer streak to open a season, set in 1998-99 by Tim Hardaway. — 5. Going big: With first-round pick Kel’el Ware now seemingly entrenched in the Heat rotation, Spoelstra went big with the Heat’s first substitution, with Ware and Jovic entering together at that point. Another element of a revised rotation continued, with Alec Burks also among the Heat’s early substitutions. With Rozier and Larsson also part of the mix, it had Spoelstra going 10 deep by the early stages of the second period, perhaps in light of another game to follow Sunday in Houston. Ware again was largely nondescript in his 10 minutes, closing with four points and one rebound. ©2024 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Visit sun-sentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), India on Sunday proposed the introduction of a "faceless" GST audit system to boost ease of doing business in the country. The apex engineering exports promotion body's proposal comes following the successful implementation of 'faceless assessment' by the Income Tax department. ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for "The faceless GST audit system, by using technology and ensuring anonymity, will reduce compliance costs. A faceless system will streamline procedures allowing MSMEs to focus on growth and innovation," said Pankaj Chadha, chairman of EEPC India . The proposal is a part of EEPC India's Budget 2025 recommendation. By introducing a "faceless" GST audit system, India can further improve its ranking in the Ease of Doing Business index, making it a more attractive destination for foreign investors, it said. It also proposed that Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM) related liabilities should be eligible for the 'Amnesty Scheme' to address challenges faced by exporters, who may be unaware of foreign bank charges and foreign business services. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is December 31, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has called for elections to be conducted using ballot papers, citing a lack of trust in electronic voting machines (EVMs). The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said this at a press conference at the SP headquarters here on Sunday, alongside Rahul Kumar Kamboj, an Indian-origin member of Parliament in Germany. ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for "Even a country like Germany conducts elections using ballot papers. But in India, elections are conducted with EVMs to serve vested interests," Yadav said. Emphasising the need for elections that inspire confidence, he said, "No one trusts EVMs. Even the faces of those who win elections seem dejected as they too do not have faith in the system." At the press conference, Kamboj highlighted the benefits of Germany's ballot-paper voting system. "In Germany, voting is still conducted using ballot papers. It is an important system because any discrepancies can be addressed with a recount," he explained. 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We aim to facilitate cultural exchanges and I invite everyone to participate in the upcoming cultural festivals in Germany. Visa issues will no longer be a hurdle," he said. Kamboj also spoke of building a bridge between opportunities in Europe and their implementation in India, specifically in Uttar Pradesh. "If we can identify the opportunities available in Germany and Europe, and bring them to places like Lucknow, it will open new avenues. That is my mission," he added. Welcoming Kamboj, Yadav expressed enthusiasm for strengthening ties. "Your visit has created an opportunity to deepen the relationship between our regions, which will benefit the people of this state and country," he said. Highlighting the need for a stronger future for the next generation, Yadav said, "Our youngsters need better education, training and skills to secure good jobs. Building bridges between opportunities will open pathways to progress." You Might Also Like: 2024: Govt moves ahead with simultaneous polls plan; India holds largest democratic exercise Sharing a personal anecdote, Yadav recounted his government trip to Germany. "I remember visiting Frankfurt and deciding to travel to Hannover by road. The roads in Germany are among the best and that inspired me to replicate them in Uttar Pradesh. Today, when people drive on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, they feel that it is one of the best roads in the world," he said. Yadav reiterated his commitment to creating opportunities for the younger generation while strengthening ties between India and Germany. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )LINCOLN — It never crossed my mind that one day Nebraska football would go eight seasons without playing in a bowl game. I surmise we'll look back on this time with an affection equal to the good times of the previous 30-plus years of Nebraska football. On Saturday, fans rushed Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln following the 44-25 win over Wisconsin. The goalposts didn't exactly come down but pent-up frustration crumbled for at least a day. It truly was unlike anything I had ever seen with this program — a celebration of the real possibility Nebraska football has launched its climb from a very dark place. Winning big is engrained in this state's culture that spans several generations, although today's youth have no memory of it. As a lifelong Nebraskan, I can truly say our very identity as a people is tightly interwoven with how well the team in Lincoln performs. At age 4, I stood in front of our black-and-white television watching Nebraska versus Oklahoma in 1972 — my first memory of Husker football. I agonized along with all Nebraska fans in 1978 when after beating top-ranked Oklahoma 17-14, NU was rewarded with a rematch against the Sooners come bowl time, only to drop that second game. At 16, I cried to sleep after Nebraska's 31-30 loss to Miami when the national championship evaporated before our eyes in the 1984 Orange Bowl. On constant replay in my mind — even to this day — is the Turner Gill pass bouncing off the shoulder pad of I-back Jeff Smith on a failed two-point conversion. In that defeat I marveled at how gutsy it was for Tom Osborne to go for two instead of kicking the extra point. In 1994, I drove through downtown Lincoln late on a frigid January night as fans walked in the middle of streets going car to car shaking hands with horns honking in celebration — Osborne won his first national title as head coach against Miami. The '90s were unforgettable, as Husker fans my age can attest — losing was never an option. Fast forward to today — the win over Wisconsin moved Nebraska to 6-5 with likely bowl destinations at the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. It wasn't that long ago this record would have plunged Husker fans into deep depression and led to the firing of a head coach. Just think back on the lessons learned. Nebraska fans took winning for granted — hopefully never again. From 1990 to '97, NU was 87-11-1 with three national titles — setting firm the fan base's addiction to winning big. We all thought the Nebraska dynasty soundly ended in 2002 when the Frank Solich-led Huskers finished what was then believed to be an atrocious 7-7 season ending in a lousy Independence Bowl loss to Ole Miss. As with anything, time and experience tend to mold and change perspective. Nebraska's win over Wisconsin this week was cathartic and has started to release a cloud hanging over this program — but as we Nebraskans know, there's so much more out there to achieve. I hope the recent struggles are a reminder that all good things end and there's always brighter days ahead. Since 2017, Nebraska has gone 34-57 and suffered seemingly countless one-score losses. Even then, old habits die hard. In the jubilation of the moment against the Badgers on Saturday, I remember thinking, "Wow, what a great performance by the offense but that defense gave up too many big plays." The lifelong Husker fan's mind immediately turns to the days of old — when all that mattered were style points, margin of victory and how Nebraska looked in winning. The Nebraska program has by no means arrived but the bowl-clinching victory at least made the possible, possible again. The streak has taken its toll, and to a degree, Nebraska fans had a small taste of what suffering Husker opponents must have felt all those years in the Big Eight and Big 12. Just think about all the blowout wins Nebraska piled up on the likes of Kansas State, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. For instance, from 1960 to 1997 Nebraska lost just one game to Kansas State — 12-0 in 1968 — the rest were Husker blowouts. By no means is Nebraska's recent struggle even a fraction of the agony that other programs have faced. Getting back to a bowl game doesn't mean Matt Rhule's program has arrived — not hardly. In fact, Rhule said pointedly that the win over Wisconsin would be the last time this program celebrates six wins. Nebraska football was built on the back of big expectations, hard work and winning — something that will never leave the state's psyche.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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Two-thirds of Wild's top line back together with Eriksson Ek’s returnPRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — Ketron Shaw scored 30 points to lead Maryland Eastern Shore past Bryn Athyn 91-65 on Saturday. Shaw also contributed seven rebounds and six assists for the Hawks (2-11), who ended a seven-game slide with the win. Chris Flippin added 22 points and five rebounds. Evan Johnson had 14 points. Isaac Marshall and Jalen Cary both scored 15 to lead the Lions. Jalen Parker had 14 points, two steals and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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The Minnesota Wild’s in-game entertainment folks make sure that no matter what happens on the ice, home games are quite a spectacle of music and light. But after nearly a month, Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek had done more than enough of watching the show. On Sunday, Eriksson Ek returned to the Wild lineup after missing the previous 11 games with a lower-body injury. ADVERTISEMENT “It’s never fun being injured. So yeah, happy to be back for sure,” said Eriksson Ek, following the team’s morning skate at TRIA Rink. During a Dec. 3 home win over Vancouver, Eriksson Ek left the ice during overtime after a collision with Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk. “I think we hit each other’s knees,” Eriksson Ek said. “So yeah, just an unlucky play.” The Wild went 5-6-0 with their top-line center missing, including a season-worst, four-game losing streak. While Kirill Kaprizov missed a second consecutive game and his third of the season on Sunday, Minnesota coach John Hynes struck an optimistic note about getting two-thirds of the team’s standard top line back together to face Ottawa. “It was nice that he had a full practice yesterday and feels good, so getting him back is obviously always a benefit,” he said. “With who he is as a player, who he is as a guy and what he means to our team, it’s good.” In 22 games with the Wild this season, Eriksson Ek has five goals and eight assists for 13 points, normally playing center between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, when all three are healthy. That has been a rarity this season, as the trio has combined to miss 29 games among the 37 that the Wild have played. ADVERTISEMENT World Juniors 2026 prep underway While the Ottawa Senators were in Minnesota on Sunday, around two dozen folks from the State of Hockey are in Ottawa this week, attending the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship and planning for a year from now when the world’s best young hockey talent comes to Minnesota. The Senators’ home rink and a secondary site in Ottawa are hosting the 2025 event, while starting in December 2025 the games will be played at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis and Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Twin Cities last hosted the World Juniors — which is considered second only to the Olympics among global hockey events — in 1982, with the since-demolished Met Center used as one of the rinks. The group visiting Ottawa included officials from both local arenas, several people from Minnesota Sports and Events and Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne, who is one of the local ambassadors for the 2026 World Juniors. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .