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The African Development Bank Group has facilitated the mobilisation of $2.2bn to advance the second phase of Nigeria’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones initiative. This commitment was made during the Africa Investment Forum, Morocco, where Nigerian state governors, leaders from multilateral development organisations, diplomats, and private sector investors gathered to show their support. According to a statement released on Tuesday by the bank, the new funding builds on the success of the first phase and underscores a commitment to scaling up investments that connect both federal and state governments to critical agricultural infrastructure. The bank said the boardroom session attracted leading investors such as Arise IIP, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Africa Export-Import Bank, Sahara Farms, BPI France, Africa50, and the US Development Finance Corporation. “By the end of the session, a total deal value of $2.2bn was announced, marking a major milestone for SAPZ Nigeria Phase II,” the bank declared. Phase I of the SAPZ programme is already benefiting states such as Cross River, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kwara, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory. Phase II will expand to 24 additional states over the next three years, further linking Nigeria’s agriculture to agro-industrialization to drive economic growth. The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, stated, “This is a defining moment for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation. “The Nigeria SAPZ II project will create millions of jobs, empower smallholder farmers, and position Nigeria as a leader in agro-industrialization. These investments exemplify the power of collaboration to achieve sustainable development in Africa.” Related News AfDB offers solutions to Nigeria’s debt, forex challenges AfDB, farmers hail FG's agricultural interventions in Anambra, Enugu African countries pay 500% higher costs on global market debt – AfDB The SAPZ Nigeria programme is a nationwide, government-enabled, and private-sector-led investment initiative designed to revolutionize Nigeria’s agricultural sector. SAPZs are strategically located in regions with high agricultural production potential. These zones are equipped with infrastructure, common services, and policy incentives to attract and integrate agricultural and industrial businesses. The Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development at AfDB, Dr Beth Dunford, chaired the presidential boardroom session, which included remarks from AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina and other key figures. The Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Direct Investment, Princess Audu, represented Nigeria’s Vice President at the event. The Senior Special Adviser on Industrialization, Prof Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, highlighted the achievements of Phase I and outlined the roadmap for Phase II. He confirmed that Phase I construction will commence within a few months, with a flag-off ceremony planned for December. The Director-General for Nigeria at AfDB, Dr Abdul Kamara, expressed enthusiasm for the investments. “I am pleased to see this significant investment interest and commitment from our financing partners for Nigeria at a time when the country is ramping up efforts to attract investments into the agriculture sector to address food security, create job opportunities, and boost economic growth,” he said.Oreo O's have been replaced by another cookie-themed cerealonline casino slot games real money 。

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday reacted to President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on BRICS nations, stating that India has "no interest" in weakning the US dollar. Speaking at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Jaishankar reflected on the positive relationship India had with the first Trump administration, highlighting the restart of the QUAD under Trump's presidency. "We had a good relationship, a very solid relationship with the first Trump administration, yes there were some issues mostly trade related issues, but there were a whole lot of issues on which Trump was very international, and i remind people that it was actually under Trump that the QUAD was restarted," he said. ALSO READ: Hyderabad: Ambulance Hijacked And Stolen, Thief Arrested After 100 Km Chase; Police Officer Injured He also noted the personal connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President-elect Trump, which has contributed to the strong bilateral ties between the two countries. "There a personal relation between PM Modi and Trump...Where the BRICS remarks was concerened. We've always said that India has never been for de-dolarisation, right now there is no proposal to have a BRICS currency. The BRICS do discuss financial transrations...US is our largest trade partner, we have no interest in weakning the dollar at all," he added. Jaishankar was adressing the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum panel on 'Conflict Resolution in a New Era' where Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Norway Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide were also present. EAM Jaishankar is on a official visit to Qatar and Bahrain from December 6-9. In Bahrain, he will co-chair the 4th India-Bahrain High Joint Commission (HJC) with Foreign Minister of Bahrain; Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. EAM will also participate in the 20th edition of IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on December 8. Earlier on September 9, EAM Jaishankar held a meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Saudi Arabia. The two leaders discussed taking forward bilateral ties. Sharing details regarding his meeting with Qatar PM, Jaishankar stated, "Began the day with a good meeting with PM & FM of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_. Discussed taking India-Qatar bilateral ties forward. Appreciated his insights and assessments on regional developments." The two leaders had earlier held a meeting in Doha in June. The two leaders had held talks on strengthening bilateral ties across various sectors and addressing key regional challenges. Jaishankar conveyed warm greetings and wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar Amir Amir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Qatar PM. ALSO READ: ‘Approach ECI Or Courts’: Ajit Pawar Hits Back At Aaditya Thackeray Over EVM Remarks Further, he underscored the robust nature of the India-Qatar relationship, emphasising cooperation in political, trade, investment, energy, technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. (Except header, this copy has not been edited by Jagran English. Source: ANI)A burden has been lifted off Lora Wood’s shoulders. Lora Wood was one of 39 people who had non-violent convictions pardoned by President Joe Biden on Dec. 12, 2024. For 20 years, the 39-year-old Maxwell, Nebraska resident has been living under the pall of having been convicted of a felony. That limited her career opportunities. It also made her unable to own a firearm, which, as a livestock farmer, created difficulty at times. Wood was one of 39 people who had their non-violent convictions pardoned by U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday. Biden also commuted the sentences of close to 1,500 people. Wood’s pardon stems from 2004, when she pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Wood said when she was 19, she got involved with the wrong guy. Wood served one year in federal prison in Illinois and four years under supervised release as part of her plea agreement. Today, Wood said she's happy; living with her husband, Jeremy, and two children. She works as a graphic designer for Pro Printing and Graphics — a printing company owned by her mother-in-law in North Platte — and spends time on the farm. Having been clean for 20 years, Wood remains active in the community. She volunteers helping animals through Paws-itive Partners Humane Society in North Platte. With the humane society, she has organized pet food fundraisers, including Woofstock, an event where people can come with their dogs to a carnival-like atmosphere. She also works with therapy dogs. Wood began applying for a pardon five years ago. As part of her application process, the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed her, her family and her employers both present and past. When she got the call on Wednesday, she was moved to tears. “I was really excited,” she said. “This has been one of those things where you don’t have any information. It just came out of the blue.” In a press release, the White House noted Wood’s steady employment and volunteer service. The White House added Wood has been praised for her work ethic and devotion to her children. Although it does not expunge Wood’s conviction, she believes the pardon will give her better job opportunities and access to a firearm, which she said would come in handy if she needs to put down a sick pig at her and her husband’s farm. “Trying to put down a pig without a gun is a very difficult process,” Wood said. “We have to call neighbors to do it for us.” She also said the pardon would allow her to visit nursing homes to help comfort residents with a therapy dog. Wood said her drug conviction prevented her from doing that. Wood is thankful her pardon will now allow her to put a dark chapter of her past behind her. “It’s definitely lifted a burden off my shoulders,” she said. “I can move forward and basically never have to think about it again.” A few snowflakes rest on a hand rail at the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens in Omaha on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. Watie White prepares to hang the portraits he drew for an exhibit inside the carriage house at the Joslyn Castle in Omaha on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Watie White poses for a portrait holding some potraits he drew that will hang in an exhibit inside the carriage house at the Joslyn Castle in Omaha on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Creighton's Pop Isaacs (2) goes up for a 3-pointer s head coach Greg McDermott motions in the background during the second half of a men's college basketball game against Kansas at the CHI Health Center in Omaha on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. Creighton players react as they are unveiled on the NCAA Volleyball Tournament bracket during a watch party at DJ's Dugout in Omaha on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Creighton's Jackson McAndrew (23) and Fedor Žugić (7) take a selfie with fans after defeating Kansas, 76-63, at the CHI Health Center in Omaha on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Tight end Colston Loveland announced on social media Friday that he is going to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Loveland spent the last three years at Michigan and is ranked as one of this year’s top prospects at the position. Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games for the Wolverines this season. He had 45 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns on the way to winning a national title during the 2023 season. The Wolverines also saw defensive lineman Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson declare for the draft this week as the final remnants of that title team make their way from Ann Arbor to the professional ranks.

ECU CB Shavon Revel Jr. declares for NFL draftDespite "significant progress" in the integration, stabilization, and humanitarian assistance, challenges and social inequality persist. More than 4.5 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants residing in Latin America and the Caribbean have regularized their migratory status since 2019, of which 1.3 million did so in 2024 alone, thanks to a new strategy that aids their integration, announced the Regional Platform for Inter-Agency Coordination for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants this Friday. (R4V). “This (the regularization of the 4.5 million Venezuelan migrants) is thanks to the efforts of the governments that have established the regulatory processes within each legal framework.” “We must acknowledge the international institutions that have helped us,” said the inter-agency coordinator of R4V, Johan González. This has been made possible thanks to the “proactive measures” taken by the host governments and the financial support of the international community, as highlighted in a statement by R4V, which now presents its 2025-2026 response plan in Panama to address the needs of Venezuelans, amid the crisis caused by the Venezuelan elections last July, in which the electoral body awarded victory to President Nicolás Maduro amid the opposition’s “fraud” allegations, grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD). The plan, developed to address these urgent needs and prevent unnecessary subsequent movements, requires 1.4 billion dollars in its first year, they announced. This funding will support more than 2.3 million vulnerable refugees and migrants and their host communities in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Solidarity and sustained financial support To make this a reality, the commitment of the international community to provide “solidarity and sustained financial support” to host countries and partners of the R4V Platform is considered “essential.” The Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants (RMPR) is coordinated by R4V and co-led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. “By ensuring this funding, vital assistance will be provided and long-term initiatives will be implemented to foster successful stabilization and socioeconomic integration processes, while addressing discrimination and improving access to documentation, healthcare, and decent employment,” states that organization. According to the 2024 Regional Analysis of Refugee and Migrant Needs (RMNA) by R4V, it is estimated that among the 6.7 million Venezuelans living in Latin America and the Caribbean, “82% have informal jobs, more than a third are in irregular situations, and 53% face obstacles in accessing healthcare.” According to this data, many receive unfair wages, which means that “42% cannot provide enough food for their families and 23% live in overcrowded conditions,” needs that “are even greater” among refugees and migrants of other nationalities passing through the region, with up to 90% lacking essential services such as food, protection, and shelter. “We need to see what external factors have harmed integration and informality.” The economic situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is quite low in growth compared to other regions of the world. This not only affects the income of migrants but also the host communities, as well as their livelihoods,” explained González. Integration and ongoing challenges R4V acknowledges that despite the “significant progress” in the integration, stabilization, and humanitarian assistance for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, challenges such as economic and political instability, insecurity, and social inequality persist, which “make it difficult for migrants and refugees to support their families in host countries.” Therefore, R4V considers that the efforts to regularize the refugee status in Latin America and the Caribbean must be complemented with “solid initiatives for stabilization and socioeconomic integration, which include education, healthcare, validation of professional skills, access to the formal labor market, livelihood opportunities, and banking services.” Eduardo Stein, joint special representative of UNHCR and IOM for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, believes that “the integration of refugees and migrants is crucial for building inclusive and resilient societies.” “When migrants and refugees are empowered to fully contribute to their communities, they enrich the social fabric and at the same time drive economic growth and innovation,” Stein stated. By ensuring access to essential services, such as labor markets and social networks, “we create a situation where everyone wins: refugees, migrants, and host communities,” stated the high-ranking UN official. Tags costa rica costa rica news Daily News Latin America National News news news costa rica Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.Rust’s hat trick; six-goal 3rd lead Penguins to victory

The political circumstances that surrounded the publication of "Ultimatum," once a best-selling novel that imagined an American effort to annex Canada, may ring familiar to anyone following recent headlines. A US leader announces tariffs on Canadian imports, signaling a more confrontational relationship, and a prime minister named Trudeau scrambles to respond. But the American, in this case, was former president Richard Nixon and the Canadian leader was Pierre Elliott Trudeau -- father of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nixon and the elder Trudeau are long dead, but the author of "Ultimatum," published in 1973, is D-Day veteran Richard Rohmer, the honorary lieutenant general of the Canadian Armed Forces, who recently turned 101. Still an avid news consumer and writer, Rohmer told AFP that remarks by President-elect Donald Trump implying that Canada could be absorbed by the United States should not be laughed off. "This man has to be taken seriously," he said. "He is a man with great imagination who has ideas about what he can do and what he cannot do, and as far as Canada is concerned." Trump mocked Trudeau this week as the "governor" of a state, rather than prime minister of the giant US neighbor -- a taunt beyond any seen during Trump's first term. The president-elect's jibe followed Fox News reports that, in talks with Trudeau in Florida, he had suggested that if Canada could not withstand his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, then it should be absorbed as the 51st US state. While some analysts dismissed the barbs as "Trump being Trump," it hit a sensitive nerve in Canada. Days after meeting Trudeau, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself standing high atop a mountain next to a Canadian flag, gazing forward. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest responded on X by tartly cautioning Trump to "think twice before invading Canada." Charest recalled the War of 1812, when US advances on Canadian territory ended in defeat -- and the torching of the White House. Yet not everyone in Canada views US annexation as a terrible idea. A poll by the Leger research firm conducted after Trump's comments found that 13 percent of Canadians would like the country to become a US state, with support strongest among men and Conservative Party supporters. Trudeau has not publicly responded to Trump's taunts. An op-ed piece in the Toronto Star said Trump was behaving "like a toddler," and the prime minister was wise to not "rise to the bait." For Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at Western University, Trump's musings amount to an escalation compared to a tariff threat. "We're in a different world now. Annexation isn't the same as 'I'm going to hurt your industry.'" Even if an active confrontation with the US remains unthinkable, Stephenson told AFP that such mockery can be "humiliating" to Canadians. She said many Canadians identify themselves explicitly as "not American," and Trump's poking at the issue "has all sort of implications for Canadian identity." University of Toronto political scientist Renan Levine, on the other hand, suggested Trump's ribbing could be a "good sign" for Canadians, as it implies a bond with Trudeau. "He's basically signaling, 'I have a certain level of comfort with you and we can exchange wisecracks,'" Levine told AFP. Rohmer said the moment calls for patriotism. The success of his book "Ultimatum" came at a curious time in Canadian fiction, with a flurry of books, including a novel by acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, exploring conflict with the US. Rohmer said his book likely tapped into a thirst for national pride that Canadians crave but are notorious for suppressing. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to Trump's mockery by saying "Canada is the greatest country in the world" -- while adding that such a boast was not "appropriately Canadian." When asked if he thought Trump's insults should prompt Canada to assert its strength, Rohmer said: "I think we should, but I have no idea how." bs/bbk/bgsNicolas Maduro Panics over Assad Fall: 'Fascist Extremism ... Wants Something Similar' in VenezuelaEconomists at two Southern California universities see new reasons to worry ahead, namely policies from the nation’s next president. They warn in new forecasts released this week that the economy may stumble in 2025 because of controversial policies promised by President-elect Donald Trump. Economist James Doti, president emeritus at Chapman University, said the economy “still appears to be strong,” even though a long period of declining inflation could reverse course under Trump. A year ago, Doti’s reading of the tea leaves showed “very slow growth” and no recession in 2024. Today, he’s sticking to a similar tale of “slow growth” that now extends through 2025. New to the mix is “some upward pressure” on inflation due to proposed tariffs and mass deportations Trump has vowed to launch after his inauguration in January. Economist Jerry Nickelsburg at UCLA agreed with Doti’s analysis. “The underlying fundamentals of the economy are strong. They have been for some time, which is why we did not say that we were going to have a recession in 2023 or 2022,” said the director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “Now, that doesn’t mean that geopolitical events or different policies from Washington that are not in our forecast couldn’t generate a recession. It’s just not in the data right now.” Both economists said Trump is inheriting a strong economy that will grow more slowly than previously forecast while it adjusts to new national economic policies. Cloudy times The clarity of post-presidential election forecasts at Chapman and UCLA are clouded by Trump’s plans to implement several economic policies promised during his 2024 campaign. Among the most controversial policies are new or increased tariffs on the nation’s largest trading partners – including Canada, China and Mexico. Policies also include mass deportations, tax cuts and deregulation. Doti believes Trump’s vow to deport of 500,000 to 1 million undocumented immigrants and 10%-25% tariffs on imported goods could push inflation closer to 3% than the Fed’s desired 2% level. How these policies manifest is not necessarily clear, considering practical, legal and political constraints on implementation, according to Nickelsburg. The UCLA professor of economics said this month’s forecast was one of the most difficult ones he’s ever written, with the exception of a recession prediction four years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic began. “When we did our March forecast in 2020, we had no idea how the pandemic was going to play out, and so there was a great deal of uncertainty then as well as now,” he said. “Economic policy in Washington is changing in a pretty fundamental way, so that increases uncertainty until we get some clarity as to what policies are going to be implemented.” Meanwhile, UCLA predicts a slowdown in interest rate cuts as the federal government grapples with those new policies. Nickelsburg sees the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates by 25 basis points at its board of governors meeting Dec. 18. He expects a pause on cuts until 2026 when the economy has absorbed the impacts of tariffs. The Fed could end up with interest rates hovering between 4% and 4.25% in 2026, he said. Doti has a different take, saying the Fed won’t cut rates in December and will instead take a wait-and-see approach. He expects the central bank will make only two, 25 basis-point cuts in 2025. “The reason we don’t think there’ll be a cut in rates next week is because we still have high inflation (2.7% for the year ended in November 2024), and it’s above the Fed’s target range of 2%, and GDP growth is at 2.8%, and job growth has still been very strong,” Doti said. “Given the Fed’s cautious approach, it’ll hold back on making further cuts.” Growth in gross domestic product, used to measure the nation’s economic health, is expected to fall to 1.4% by the end of 2025 from 2.8% in the 2024’s third quarter, he said. Tough housing market Both economists said the state of housing in California is showing financial strain. On the construction front, residential permits in California are forecast to rise by 12.9% in 2025, despite continuing high mortgage rates, Doti said. He argued that high mortgage rates may indirectly spur new construction. “There is a paucity of resale homes on the market because homeowners don’t want to sell and lose their sweetheart locked-in mortgages,” he said. “That has led to a sharp drop in resale home sales. The dearth of resale homes on the market is buttressing demand for new homes, often available for sale at heavily subsidized financing rates.” Nickelsburg said normalization is slowly returning to the California housing market, but potential construction cost increases due to tariffs and labor shortages could slow that process. “Builders should be responding with new development given existing homes sales are at depression levels,” said Nickelsburg. Tightening job market Both forecasts raised concerns about the jobs picture. Doti sees economic growth in California hampered by population losses, which he blames on the state’s regulatory and tax burdens, which have led people and businesses to leave for cheaper states like Florida and Texas. California’s job growth is forecast to rise 4.6% to 18.2 million in 2025, up from 17.4 million in 2019, but trailing U.S. job growth of 5.9% over the same period. The flight of people from the state also has lowered retail sales tax revenue, prompting some cities to raise sales tax rates in order to replenish budgets left with financial gaps. Data from Chapman showed fewer people are shopping, which translates to less tax revenue for cities. For the year-period that ended June 30, 2024, retail sales fell 4% in Orange County, 2.3% in Los Angeles County, 1.2% in the Inland Empire and 0.8% in San Diego County. For Nickelsburg, the big unknown on jobs will be the mass deportation and tariff policies of the incoming president, and their impact on a wide of industries including agriculture, construction, leisure and hospitality, retail trade and transportation and warehousing industries. Taken together, the deportations and tariffs will raise the prices for many goods and services, and potentially cause product shortages and higher labor costs as jobs go unfilled, he argued. “The uncertainty regarding the future path of unemployment is more elevated than usual because the impact of mass deportations on unemployment is not well understood due to limited empirical research on the subject,” according to Nickelsburg. Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

“Hell has frozen over.” That was the terminology that Jesse Ventura used to describe his unlikely return to WWE, where he will be a guest commentator on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” airing live from the Nassau Coliseum on NBC in primetime on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with The Post, Ventura credited his son, Tyrel, who works as the agent for the former Minnesota governor and WWE star. “He’s very qualified for it. He used to be Sean Penn’s assistant, so he has experience,” Ventura said. Ventura famously butted heads with Vince McMahon over financial conflicts that transpired between 1986 and 1990. WWE, however, is under new management with the Hollywood behemoth WME now presiding over the company and Nick Khan as president and Paul “Triple H” Levesque as head of content. “My son was a fan of wrestling and a fan of myself growing up, so he took it upon himself to make some contact with the new ownership and they started talking,” Ventura said. “One thing led to another, and I realized they were under new ownership and I wasn’t going to be held to the old standard of why I got kicked out before. Lo and behold it happened. I’ll tell you this: I did it selfishly for my kids. I’m 73 now. I ain’t gonna be around forever. I want to position it where if anybody makes money off my name, I want my kids to have a piece of it.” Thus, Ventura signed a “Legends” contract with WWE, which led to his announcing appearance. “With Saturday Night’s Main Event coming back after 40 years, somebody said, ‘We need Jesse for this,'” Ventura said. “Because we had already negotiated the Legends deal, it wasn’t a big deal to negotiate this. The ice had been broken and now hell has frozen over.” McMahon left WWE earlier this year after being accused of sexual misconduct by a former employee; he has denied wrongdoing and the suit is pending. Ventura’s first battle with McMahon came before WrestleMania II in 1986 when the former WWE boss caught wind from Hulk Hogan that Ventura was mounting a campaign to unionize the locker room as well as professional wrestlers from other promotions. “I wasn’t directly fired for that — but you can bet it played a role,” Ventura said. Ventura ultimately left WWE in 1990 after a dispute where he signed an outside promotion deal with Sega. “I own the name Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura. I have it copyrighted with the government,” Ventura said, noting that McMahon was unwilling to negotiate with him about outside marketing. Ventura also successfully sued WWE a year later over royalties on video sales. While Ventura credits new WWE ownership for his return, he did make several other appearances with the company since his fractious exit, including a spot as a special guest referee at SummerSlam in 1999 for a match between Mick Foley and Triple H, as well as induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. In the phone conversation, Ventura still had his fastball. He was supremely confident that he would have been able to defeat Donald Trump — and everyone else — in the national presidential election with requisite financial backing, but was adamant that he would not bend the knee to either major political party for the opportunity. Ventura’s triumph in winning governorship of Minnesota has been credited by president-elect Trump in the past for igniting his political ambitions. In addition to his renewed WWE work, Ventura has launched the cannabis business Jesse Ventura Farms. “The reason being is this: My wife was stricken with seizures. Cannabis is the only thing that stopped them,” he said.

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By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

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Downingtown East’s Brianna Litvan, the 2024 Daily Local News Girls Tennis Player of the Year, won the Ches-Mont National Division singles title this fall, finished second at District 1 3A singles tourney and placed fourth at PIAA 3A singles championships – and she’s only a freshman. “What sums up Brianna, to me, is ‘heart’ — in many ways,” said Downingtown East girls tennis head coach Lisa Sheldon. “She plays tennis with a sheer joy for the sport, she had a great time getting to know her teammates, and with each match she courageously fought for every point.” One of the toughest [...]

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night. The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.NoneWindsor Mills, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connexa Sports Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:YYAI) is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisition of a further 50% ownership stake in Yuanyu Enterprise Management Co., Limited (YYEM), a Hong Kong-based entity focused on the global Love and Marriage sector, taking its overall stake in YYEM to 70% and received Nasdaq confirmation that post-acquisition trading of YYAI will commence at the market opening tomorrow morning on November 22, 2024. As a result of the acquisition, Connexa has now undergone a change of control, appointed new officers, new directors, and effected a spin-off of the Slinger Bag business. “We would like to thank all of our shareholders and directors for their support in the acquisition of YYEM and we wish YYEM and Connexa’s new board every success for the future,” concluded Mike Ballardie, the former CEO of Connexa. Mr. Zhou, Chairman of YYEM and a new member of Connexa’s Board of Directors, commented, “I thank the outgoing directors for their service to Connexa and look forward to an exciting future as we take the company forward into the Love and Marriage sector.” About YYAI: Connexa Sports Technologies Inc. (YYAI), via its majority-owned subsidiary, Yuanyu Enterprise Management Co., Limited, operates across the rapidly emerging Love and Marriage sector. Yuanyu Enterprise Management Co., Limited owns numerous patents, technologies and algorithms that drive its big data and matchmaking analyses, deriving its current revenues from royalties. YYAI Contact Information: info@yuanyuenterprise.com www.yuanyuenterprise.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about beliefs or expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on plans, estimates, expectations and projections at the time the statements are made, and readers should not place undue reliance on them. In some cases, readers can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “opportunity,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in this press release include, among others: the risks associated with the company’s relatively low public float, which may result in the company’s common stock experiencing significant price volatility; the effects that the closed acquisition of YYEM and the closed spin-off of the Slinger Bag business may have on the Company and its current or future business and on the price of the common stock; uncertainties regarding the company’s focus, strategic plans and other management actions; the risks associated with potential litigation related to the closed acquisition of YYEM and the closed spin-off of the Slinger Bag business or related to any possible subsequent financing transactions or acquisitions or investments; uncertainties regarding general economic, business, competitive, legal, regulatory, tax and geopolitical conditions; and other factors, including those set forth in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024 and subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements included in this report speak only as of the date each statement is made. Neither the company nor any person undertakes any obligation to update any of these statements in light of new information or future events, except to the extent required by applicable law.

The Swiss-Peruvian-Spain co-production Queens , co-written and directed by Klaudia Reynicke , is set amidst the grueling reign of Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship in the 1990s. During the social and political unrest, the story centers on the goings-on of an unconventional family living in Lima. Elena (Jimena Lindo) is a mother of two young daughters (Abril Gjurinovic and Luana Vega) who has chosen to accept a job offer in Minnesota to escape the country’s turmoil. However, she needs the legal signature of her estranged husband, Carlos (Gonzalo Molina), in order to take her children with her. When Carlos comes back into the picture, the girls, who don’t particularly enjoy his company, soon grow fond of him, complicating any chance of safety Elena has in store. After premiering at Sundance, the film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature in the Generation Kplus strand of Berlin. In Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, it won the Audience Award and won Best Screenplay at the Festival de Lima in Peru. Here, Queens EPs Jessica Alba and Tracey Nyberg and Reynicke talk to Deadline about the joys of embracing complex familial storylines and the importance of reconnecting with your roots. DEADLINE: What was your reaction to Switzerland choosing Queens for the Oscars? KLAUDIA REYNICKE: Back in September, we found out we were on the shortlist for Switzerland. They had a short list of two films. It was mine and another one. The other film I’ve seen is a great film. It was shot in French in France and Lausanne in Switzerland. So, we were like, “There’s no way they’re picking ours,” which is in Spanish and takes place in Peru. The thing is that I’m Peruvian, but I’m also Swiss. And for a country to pick a film that will represent them, because there’s a lot of public money, you have to add “points.” This means that for this film to be Swiss, it couldn’t be picked by Peru even though the actors I chose were Peruvian; everything behind the camera had to be something else because we have two other countries of production and its public money. So, we had to pick heads of the department from Switzerland because that’s where most of the funding was, and some from Spain. So, when you add all these things together, the film has more points in Switzerland. So, when we made it to the shortlist, I was already so honored to be on the shortlist. Suddenly, they call us and say, “It’s you.” And we’re like, “What?! Are you sure?” Since then, I’ve been excited and so thankful that it shows me the open-mindedness of Switzerland because they’re actually picking something that talks more about immigration and family somewhere else. They were like, “We believe in this film and these values. We believe in the story of all these women who believe in this other woman who made that film.” And I’m like, “Wow, this is insane.” Since then, it’s been crazy because I’ve never done any Oscars campaign before [laughs]. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: DEADLINE: Talk about the need to film in Peru. What was that experience like? REYNICKE: We did everything in Peru because it didn’t make sense for us not to. It’s a small film. It’s a small-budget film. So, we didn’t get any studio saying things like, “Oh, we are going to reproduce all this somewhere else.” No. It was like, “We have to do it in Peru. And that’s it.” Peru had to be the place to film everything for the story, actors, actresses and to have the entire vibe from that country in the’90s. DEADLINE: That house that the family of women lives in is so gorgeous in a very retro way. Talk more about the atmosphere and aesthetics you wanted to capture with the film. REYNICKE: The house is from the ’50s. I was trying to find a house where I used to live, which is my grandma’s house. My mom and I used to live at my grandma’s house. She was a divorcee and then remarried to my stepdad, who is Swiss, so we moved out. But that’s my childhood. So, reconnecting with the country was also a way to reconnect with my youth and what I remember, the ’80s and ’90s. It wasn’t conscious, but I was pretty obsessed when I was looking for the house for the grandmother in the movie [laughs]. When my family saw the film, my cousins were [incredulously] like, “How did you find Grandma’s house again?” We changed some colors and other minor things. But the house is a character as well because it’s part of this family, and there are so many intense things with all the blackouts and everything that I needed to be able to tell the context of where this family is living. DEADLINE: How did your background as an immigrant and your co-writer Diego Vega’s background help inform the story of Queens ? REYNICKE: I thought of many moments from my life when I started creating this project. It was a need to tell the story in Peru, in a country where I haven’t lived as an adult, a country that I left when I was 10, a country that I’ve been telling people I’m Peruvian. Now I’m in my 40s, and I don’t know how Peruvian I actually am. I had this identity thing where I had done other films but was always away from everything related to my homeland. For my co-writer Diego, we had many talks, and he wanted to hear all the stuff I remembered. I did the same thing with him because we had very similar lives. He is also from Peru. He left when he was young, but then he went back as an adult and now he lives in Barcelona. It was interesting for us to just play with both of our lives, being like, “OK, we are Peruvian, but what do we remember?” So, some of his memories made it in. For example, the father makes the “atomic eggs,” right? He would tell me, “Oh, my dad used to always say, ‘I’m making atomic this and atomic that.'” I guess because back then, ’80s or ’90s, it was such a thing to be atomic. I don’t know what that was about. For me, it’s the car that goes in the desert. That’s something from my childhood, in Ica, a city that is desert and the ocean. That’s one of the strongest memories I have. So, I needed to recreate that moment. Also, there’s the ghost. We have many ghosts in our culture, so we both agreed on, we could not live without ghosts in the story. The house, the family, they needed their ghost. It’s a good ghost that’s going to protect them. It’s not exactly like the scary ghost from the Western world. It’s something else. And all the parties, my family was like that [laughs]. I do remember this with a lot of warmth in my heart. Recreating those scenes was very important to me. DEADLINE: There are many layers to Queens . Originally reading the synopsis during its film festival run, I thought the story would be mostly about him. But outside of the brief taxi rides, we don’t see his life outside of interacting with the girls. It’s very much about womanhood and sisterhood. Why did this work better for your narrative? REYNICKE: This is primarily a story of a family that is not a family anymore and that somehow will become a family before they separate forever. By saying this, I want to underline the fact that they’re not a family anymore because Carlos is just out of the picture. We have all these women though, and I wanted it to be a theme of family. The important part is why do they re-become a family? It’s because there is a union that is created by this upcoming departure, by the fact that the father learns to be a father, by the fact that the kids learn what it is to have a father, and by the fact that there is a mother who accepts and listens to her daughters. It was important to tell the story not from one point of view but from different generations as well. We have all these women, and we have the two kids who are very different because when you’re 10 years old and when you’re 14, you’re really different. The mom has her own agenda, the grandma has something else. And to have this man making this a bit messier was the idea because that’s what a family is about. I love my family, but my family is a bit crazy, I think [laughs]. When nothing is perfect, but love is there, you work it out. DEADLINE: For what he lacks in being reliable, Carlos is a sympathetic character. You don’t let him off the hook for the lies or the distress he causes. He’s just trying to do the best he can with what he has. How did you approach that character working with Gonzalo Molina? REYNICKE: Having a character with these imperfections was very important because I know a lot of Carlos’ [laughs]. But it was also about making him likable because we get attached to him, and he’s a reflection of the country. He’s the mirror of a society that’s falling apart. Yes, he lies, and he does a bunch of things we can criticize him for. But at the same time, I think this man is underwater. And it was important for me to talk about this group of women. This mother is doing everything on her own, and she’s the pilot of the whole thing. She’s also in a society where it’s not easy to be a single mom. But this man is also in a society where it’s not easy to be a father who can’t give money to his ex-wife or can’t be there because he’s so ashamed of himself that he prefers not to see his daughters and disappear. Originally, in the script, Carlos was a lot darker, and then I would make people read the script and 50% liked him and the other 50% hated him. I had to be very careful with the casting because, at the beginning, because it was such a dark character, I had someone a bit darker in mind. And when I met Gonzalo Molina, he was this actor who was talking too loud and kind of clumsy [laughs]. At the beginning, I was like, “Wow, I don’t think this is going to work.” But then I’m like, “Wow, he’s exactly the opposite of the character we’d written.” I thought it was going to bring an entire balance to this character. A script is a dead thing for me. It has no emotions, nothing. Life comes from the person who’s going to do the role, so we found Carlos this way. DEADLINE: Jessica and Tracey, what led you to add this project to your Lady Metalmark Entertainment brand? JESSICA ALBA: Tracey brought it to me. She had been talking about this film for a while. TRACEY NYBERG: I saw it at Sundance. Immediately, I fell in love and reached out to Klaudia, who was just so enamored by what she did as a filmmaker and the performances she got. Then I reached out to Jessica and said she had to watch this. We were just starting the company, maybe three weeks in [laughs]. JESSICA ALBA: What was so beautiful about the film and the performances is the humanity that gets pulled through. You see many stereotypes flipped on their head, and you have compassion for the man who could be considered the villain in other stories. But the father’s role is much more complicated and human. I think there’s a lot of pressure on men to be the breadwinners of a family and to be able to care of everyone. Now, I think we are realizing more that the reality is that women are also capable. There’s a lot of men who are trying to find their place in society, in the world, even if they are grown or if they are fathers. And we need to allow space for that, for men not to have to have it all together and not always to be the king of the castle. This film does a great job at that, and it’s also good to see he’s a decent man, not just some one-note guy. I thought that was beautiful. I also thought it was so relatable as a mother and as a parent to want something for your kids, as your kids are just completely in their own world. As a parent, you want them to do one thing, but they just want to do their thing, and their reality is just as important to them as the adults. It’s so beautiful the way Klaudia made space for the girls, and that they had their own different personalities and that they’re fully realized young people. I just really loved how all the characters are very dynamic and complex, they all have a beautiful journey in the film. DEADLINE: What kinds of projects are you both looking for in general? Anything specifically made by women, or is everything open? NYBERG: We are very interested in things that have strong female representation, whether that’s in front of or behind the camera, but also just stories about women that are complex, interesting and compelling characters– things that are ultimately accessible to audiences. The driving thing for us, too, is diversity. And again, in front of and behind the camera, however that looks. And just having a supportive, creative framework for filmmakers much like Klaudia to hopefully do something interesting. It feels like there is that blank space. DEADLINE: How did you find the two lead girls, Abril Gjurinovic and Luana Vega? REYNICKE: We started casting before COVID. I was in Switzerland doing casting. I was sent videos, and then COVID hit, and Peru was one of the countries that suffered the most in Latin America. The country closed completely for two years. When the country opened up again, we started casting again. There is no cinema industry in Peru, especially the type of cinema I do. They have commercials. They have series and soap operas. So, the kids they would send me had another type of language for other things that wouldn’t be as realistic as the films I do. So, I asked the casting directors to go on the streets and find kids. We call it Yeah. What we call “casting salvaje,” which is “wild casting” in English. So they found Abril in a shopping mall with her dad. Out of 200 kids, I believed everything that she was doing. So, I mentioned to them that I was coming to Lima soon and wanted to make sure she was available to be seen. They called me three days later and said, “We can’t find her anymore.” And I was like, “What?” Two weeks later, right before I arrived in Peru, they said, “We found her, but she doesn’t live in Peru.” It turns out she lived in Belgium, which is next to Switzerland. So, I flew her to Switzerland with her mom, and she auditioned in my house [laughs]. She’s super talented, but the plus was that her story was pretty much Lucia’s story. She had to leave her father because her parents were separated; her mom told me that they left when there was the horrible COVID situation happening. So, when the casting directors saw her in the shopping mall, she was visiting her dad. When she read the story of Lucia, I think she knew exactly what Lucia was going to live through, so she could give all [her energy to that]. With Luana, it was different because this is pretty much a month before shooting, and I still don’t have the bigger sister, and I’m desperate. I’m Zooming with all the producers. I’m like, “What do we do?” And they kept sending me girls, but nothing that stood out. My Peruvian co-producer, Daniel Vega, also my co-writer’s brother, is on Zoom. I see his daughter walking in the background, and I’m like, “Who’s that?” He’s like, “My daughter, Luana.” I found out she was 14, and I was like, “Daniel, why haven’t I seen no pictures, nothing?” [laughs]. And he lowered his voice to say that because he was a filmmaker and a writer, and his wife is a producer, she [jokingly] hates this world. She wants [our daughter] to do something real like a doctor or lawyer. So, he sends me pictures and left some dialogues of the script around her room. I also cast her best friend, to help her maybe sign on to the project. Eventually, she agreed to send a tape but said, “I’m not going to be an actress, but OK, I’m going to try.” So, she tried and did it perfectly, and I said, “She’s the one.” DEADLINE: What would you like audiences to take away from this film? REYNICKE: I want audiences to feel the hope and the light. This project talks about womanhood, migration, complexity, and complicated families. But out of all this, I want people to actually feel the hope that everything can be OK if you put the right feelings towards it. I think for all films and artistic projects, it’s very important to me to have an audience that is open so that they can love these art house films. They can dislike the film too. I prefer to have that than to have someone who doesn’t care at all about the film. I’ve had both reactions, which has been very interesting for me because a lot of people love the film. But from time to time, there’s that person who says something, and I’m like, “That’s good.” It means that the film is actually getting somewhere in particular that moves everyone, and that’s what I want. Now, it’s not my film anymore; it’s people’s film because when it’s out there, it’s not mine anymore. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

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