Nissan’s partner Renault has refrained from firing Ghosn as chairman [Steve Marcus/Reuters]
Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested on Monday on suspicion of financial misconduct, has denied the allegations against him, Japanese broadcaster NHK has reported.
Nissan voted to remove Ghosn as chairman on Thursday after accusing the 64-year-old of “significant acts of misconduct”, including under-reporting his salary and using company assets for his personal benefit.
Ghosn, who has not spoken publicly, told investigators that he had no intention of under-reporting his salary on financial documents and has denied allegations against him, NHK said on Sunday, without giving sources.
Japanese prosecutors have said Ghosn and Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive who has also been arrested, allegedly falsified the former’s compensation at Nissan over five years from 2010.
Kelly was quoted by NHK on Saturday as defending Ghosn’s compensation, saying it was discussed with other officials and paid out appropriately.
According to the Financial Times, Ghosn was reportedly planning to strengthen a partnership between Nissan and Renault at the French government’s request, despite the Japanese firm’s strong reservations about it.
Ghosn served as CEO of Renault and, according to Reuters news agency, he was reportedly earning $8.4m from Renault, $6.5m from Nissan and $2m from Mitsubishi.
Even as championship weekend looms in Week 14, rivalry weekend was just as important across the country. With a full slate of games on Friday and Saturday, the college football world was busy fleshing out conference races.
While Alabama, Clemson and Georgia were each able to stave off their rivals, the rest of the Top 10 endured turbulence. LSU dropped an entertaining 74-72, seven-overtime affair that came down to the final two-point conversion by Texas A&M. Notre Dame and Oklahoma narrowly avoided losing as road teams, but they march forward in the thick of the playoff chase.
Change is coming still, as Ohio State dominated Michigan, Washington State fell in the Apple Cup, and UCF gained a road win but lost its most valuable player. The Buckeyes should vault upward, whereas the Tigers, Wolverines, Cougars and Knights are all but eliminated.
There was meaningful action beyond the Top 10 that affected the bowl picture. Colorado, Arizona, Kansas State and Indiana were among the teams that laid duck farts and missed the chance to reach six wins and eligibility. Both Arizona and Kansas State squandered fourth-quarter leads that seemed insurmountable en route to losses.
Texas secured its rematch with the Sooners next weekend as it survived a surprising scare at Kansas. Boise State is all set to host Fresno State for the Mountain West Championship Game. Memphis blew out Houston as Darrell Henderson continued his incredible production. The Tigers will face UCF next week.
Bleacher Report’s panel of experts—Matt Hayes, David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Kerry Miller, Brad Shepard and Ian Wharton—voted on the action. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, followed by 24 points for second, 23 for third, etc.
Here is our Week 14 poll:
1. Alabama (last week: 1) 2. Clemson (2) 3. Notre Dame (3) 4. Georgia (5) 5. Oklahoma (6) 6. Ohio State (10) 7. UCF (7) 8. Michigan (4) 9. Washington State (8) 10. Texas (11) 11. Penn State (12) 12. Boise State (15) 13. Florida (16) 14. West Virginia (14) 15. Washington (17) 16. LSU (9) 17. Syracuse (20) 18. Kentucky (21) 19. Army (18) 20. Utah State (13) T-21. Northwestern (24) T-21. Utah (19) T-23. Fresno State (22) T-23. Texas A&M (NR) 25. Mississippi State (NR)
Others receiving votes: Iowa State, Cincinnati, Missouri, Pittsburgh, NC State
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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Week 13 was a banner weekend for some of the top quarterbacks in the country. Household names Tua Tagovailoa, Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray and Will Grier lit up their opponents in stunning offensive performances.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier and Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray combined for a whopping 903 passing yards and seven touchdowns in what appeared to be a seven-on-seven contest Friday night. Murray added another 114 and a score on the ground and sealed Oklahoma’s win in Morgantown with two clutch plays. Grier’s turnovers helped the Sooners win, but his performance was still a noteworthy accomplishment despite the team’s shortcomings.
Tagovailoa continued his path of destruction against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. After a solid but unspectacular first half from the Tide, Tagovailoa came out like a fire-breathing dragon. He tallied 119 yards on three third-quarter touchdowns and had five TD passes overall, bringing him to 36 (against only two interceptions) on the season.
Haskins also had a performance worthy of the Heisman. Following up his best game of the season against Maryland, he torched Don Brown’s defense with his precision and decision-making. Haskins leads the country with 41 passing touchdowns and has only seven interceptions. His blend of playmaking in the pocket and avoidance of mistakes is remarkable for a first-year starter.
One of these players will win the Heisman Trophy. All belong in New York at the ceremony, along with a few others.
This week was not as kind to McKenzie Milton (injury) and Gardner Minshew. Minshew’s performance against Washington in a downpour was disappointing and one of the reasons the Cougars were eliminated from the playoff race and Rose Bowl.
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Dylan Buell/Getty Images
One of the most difficult tasks in the college football season is to rank teams at the beginning of the season. Many Top 25 lists are torn up and shredded several times over within the first month.
This year, there were three preseason AP Top 10 teams that finished with five losses. Wisconsin (No. 4) and Auburn (No. 9) suffered their fifth losses and dropped to 7-5 on the season on Saturday. Miami (No. 8) beat Pitt but still finished 7-5. All three teams dramatically underperformed, as their offenses were often the culprit in losses.
Wisconsin’s pathway to the Big Ten title game seemed easy in the summer. With Northwestern, Iowa and Purdue as their biggest competition, the Badgers only had to rely on their conservative system to contend for a Rose Bowl bid. But that plan quickly dissipated as their new starters failed to adequately replace their departed players.
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2017 success pumped massive energy into the program, but there was a reason so much skepticism surrounded them last year. Their offense cratered as their receiving depth was lost and the quarterback position became a constant eyesore. This team needs a massive offensive personnel overhaul.
Finally, Auburn’s letdown season is arguably the most surprising. With a loaded defensive front and trusted offensive system led by Gus Malzahn, Auburn seemed legitimate. It simply lost focus too often in a quality conference, and the lack of growth from quarterback Jarrett Stidham hamstrung the team in key moments.
The lesson is that football is unpredictable, which often leads to wildly inaccurate preseason polls. These teams added to the long list of preseason darlings who didn’t live up to the hype.
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Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Ohio State’s domination of the Michigan Wolverines continued as the Buckeyes poured on the points throughout their 62-39 home victory on Saturday. Their 62 points set a school record for the most points scored in The Game. The teams combined for a total of 101, breaking the previous high of 86, all scored by Michigan back in 1902.
Despite entering the game as an underdog after several uneven and concerning performances against lower-caliber foes, Urban Meyer and his program were as well-prepared and focused as we’ve seen all season. It was the first game since their TCU showdown they appeared to be a complete team.
In addition to quarterback Dwayne Haskins shredding the Wolverines defense and reminding everyone why he’s a worthy Heisman candidate, the Buckeyes still added two interceptions and a blocked punt to help their powerful offense. Haskins broke the Big Ten record for passing yards in a season with his 318 yards and five touchdowns on the day.
After spending the season trying to figure out how to jump-start their running game and allow fewer big plays on defense, Meyer and his staff seemingly had all of the answers against Jim Harbaugh’s best Michigan team yet.
There was more emphasis on running gap scheme with counters and utilizing powerful pulling guards, and the result was a more balanced offense that produced 249 team rushing yards. When speedster Parris Campbell was given the chance on a jet sweep early in the fourth quarter, he sprinted 78 yards for a game-breaking touchdown. Campbell also added 114 receiving yards and one touchdown through the air. Freshman receiver Chris Olave also earned his place in Buckeye lore as he contributed two receiving touchdowns and a blocked punt that led to a touchdown. Olave’s impact was surprising considering the veteran status of the Ohio State receiving depth chart, but he’s made the most of his playing time late in the season.
The win leaves the Buckeyes in a favorable position to make the playoff, though it’s by no means a given. Meyer is now 7-0 against Michigan, and this latest win was as much of a statement as any that he’s had against his rivals.
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William Mancebo/Getty Images
Utah vs. Washington (Friday, 8 p.m. ET)
The Pac-12 Rose Bowl berth is on the line Friday night. With Washington’s defense suddenly healthier, the Huskies are going to be the favorite against the Utes. Utah is looking for its first Rose Bowl appearance, but is also coming off a disappointing loss at home against BYU. This should be a tasty appetizer for a huge weekend.
Texas vs. Oklahoma (12 p.m. ET)
Who doesn’t like a rivalry rematch with huge implications? The Red River Rivalry Part II should be a tremendous sequel to what was a great first battle between these hungry schools. The Sooners are looking to fight into the playoff final four, while the Longhorns would enjoy nothing more than to knock them out of the mix and secure their place in a major bowl.
Memphis vs. UCF (3:30 p.m. ET)
UCF’s outlook is less rosy without McKenzie Milton, but that could be a huge motivator for the program. The Memphis Tigers nearly pulled the upset last time they played. If it weren’t for Milton’s second-half brilliance last matchup, UCF would’ve surely lost. The Tigers are looking for revenge this time around.
Alabama vs. Georgia (4 p.m. ET)
All eyes should be on this afternoon contest. The SEC likely won’t fit two teams into this year’s playoff like last year, but there’s a pathway if things get zany Saturday. Alabama has looked unstoppable all year, but Georgia has the raw talent to pull off an upset. This could be the game of the year.
Fresno State vs. Boise State (7:45 p.m. ET)
The Fresno State Bulldogs clinched their second-consecutive divisional title against San Diego State Saturday. At 9-2 overall, they’ll be squaring off at Boise State next week thanks to tiebreakers. The Broncos were able to stifle one of the countries’ best offenses at home in a thrilling late game against Utah State. They’ll look to duplicate their home win against Fresno State.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh (8 p.m. ET)
There’s not a team that’s been as surprisingly successful as the Pittsburgh Panthers. They’ve recovered from a poor start to represent their division in the ACC title game. Unfortunately for them, the Clemson Tigers are in full stride. An upset win for Pitt would shock the college football world, especially off a sizable loss to Miami.
Northwestern vs. Ohio State (8 p.m. ET)
Could Ohio State stumble after blowing the doors off its rivals? History shows Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes tend to play very well in the Big Ten Championship Game. Northwestern resembles Purdue, though, with a disciplined and gritty team that can take advantage of mistakes. The Wildcats might keep this game within striking distance if they can force a key turnover or two.
So-called ‘de-escalation zones’ have been formed in Syria by Russia, Turkey and Iran, the guarantor powers [AP]
The Syrian government and rebel groups have swapped detainees in northern Syria, the Turkish foreign ministry said, describing it as a first step to build confidence between the fighting sides in the war-town country.
Saturday’s move was part of a pilot project prepared by a working group formed under the so-called Astana process by Turkey, Russia, Iran and the United Nations to investigate the fate of missing people and release those who have been detained, the ministry said.
It did not specify how many people were involved in the swap but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitoring group, said rebel factions had released 10 hostages in return for the government releasing 10 detainees.
“Some people who were held in detention in Syria by rebel groups and the regime were set free in the area, under rebel control, of Abu Zindeyn south of al-Bab,” said a written statement from the Turkish ministry.
“The aim is to maintain with new initiatives this practice, which represents an important first step in terms of building confidence between the sides,” it added.
Syrian state news agency SANA said nine men and one woman “were liberated” by the fighters who held them in the Aleppo countryside. A video on SANA showed them on a bus clapping and cheering.
Guarantor powers
Russia, Iran and Turkey have been working together to bring about peace in Syria under what is known as the Astana process, named after the Kazakh capital where the talks take place.
Each country plays a key role in the conflict that started in March 2011. Russia and Iran have intervened on the side of Syria’s government, ensuring its survival, while Turkey supports rebel groups against Assad in northern Syria also to prevent Syrian Kurds establishing and expanding territory along its border.
Various so-called “de-escalation zones” were agreed among the three guarantor powers in Syria as a result of multiple rounds of talks.
The Astana process has gradually come to eclipse a UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the Geneva process whose participants include the United States and European powers that would be key donors in an international post-conflict reconstruction programme for Syria.
Don’t feel bad if you missed out on Black Friday. There are still a lot of great deals out there from top retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Macy’s in the lead up to Cyber Monday on Nov. 26.
Over at Amazon, nearly every one of their branded devices for video streaming and home security is on sale after Black Friday, such as save $150 on the Echo Look with the sale price of $49.99 and save $60 on the new Ring Video Doorbell 2, which is on sale for $139. Finally, you can save 40% on dog DNA testing kits from Embark, 15% on CBD oil, and great online courses priced at just $9.99 from Udemy.
Here are the best deals from across the internet for Saturday, Nov. 24:
All-New Fire HD 8 tablet with Hands-Free Alexa is $30 off — just $49.99; save $105 when you buy three — just $134.97 (Buy 1 for $49.99, or Buy 3 for $134.97)
All-New Fire HD 8 tablet and Show Mode Dock bundle $39.99 off — just $79.99
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish all but assured themselves of a College Football Playoff semifinal berth after beating the USC Trojans 24-17 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Ian Book finished 22-of-39 for 352 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Fighting Irish. Dexter Williams was the game’s leading rusher, going for 97 yards and a touchdown on the ground against USC.
Trojans quarterback JT Daniels capped off his freshman season for USC with 349 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Notre Dame Does Itself Few Favors for Playoff Seeding with Close Win
The Fighting Irish are basically into the playoff. There’s little chance the selection committee overlooks an unbeaten Notre Dame when only two other Power Five teams are undefeated.
The bad news for the Irish is that this game did little to silence the critics who question whether Notre Dame can hold its own against the Alabama Crimson Tide or Clemson Tigers.
Andrew Fillipponi @ThePoniExpress
The team that gets to play Notre Dame in the college football playoff will feel like it’s getting a bye to the championship game.
Mike Piellucci @mikelikessports
This game says a lot more about Notre Dame than USC, and not in a good way
Notre Dame allowed443yards to a USC offense thataveraged377.1 yards per game heading into Saturday, and the Irish didn’t take the lead until Dexter Williams’ 52-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes, 55 seconds left in the third quarter.
Avoiding a conference championship game can be a double-edged sword for the Fighting Irish.
They can sit back and watch everybody else fight for their playoff lives next week knowing full well they’re into the semifinals, which is good.
However, Notre Dame risks seeing the Ohio State Buckeyes or Oklahoma Sooners end their seasons in emphatic fashion. Meanwhile, the selection committee’s last impression of the Fighting Irish will be an uneven victory over a seven-loss USC squad.
Nothing Notre Dame could’ve done Saturday would’ve put the team ahead of an undefeated Alabama or Clemson in the final playoff rankings. Having said that, the Fighting Irish have potentially given the committee some justification for dropping them down to No. 4 in the event Ohio State or Oklahoma delivers an outstanding performance in their respective conference title games.
What’s Next?
Notre Dame’s regular season is over, so the Fighting Irish await the results of the conference championship games. Regardless of those results, they’ll likely finish in the top four of the final playoff rankings. The Trojans fall to 5-7 with Saturday’s loss, so they’ll miss going to a bowl game for the first time since 2011.
With the two-time All-Star no longer a member of the team, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich offered his honest assessment of Kawhi Leonard’s leadership skills.
“Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn’t a leader,” Popovich told reporters Saturday. “Manu [Ginobili] and Patty [Mills] were the leaders. Kawhi’s talent will always be missed, but leadership wasn’t his deal at the time. That may come as he progresses. Patty and Manu filled that role for us last year. LaMarcus [Aldridge] came a long way as a leader also.”
Tim Duncan retired after the 2015-16 season, while Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were approaching the ends of their respective careers. Prior to last season, it looked like Leonard would help bridge the gap to the Spurs’ new era.
ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright wrote how Leonard was becoming a more outspoken leader for the Spurs until things changed after the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
An ankle injury forced him to miss the final three games of the series. Popovich then revealed during the fall of 2017 that Leonard had been battling a quadriceps problem. According to Wright, Leonard seemed to take issue with that and “became distant with the organization” going forward.
The circumstances of his departure from San Antonio led to a general reassessment of his time with the team.
Popovich’s comments toward Leonard’s leadership seem a bit harsh, but they should also serve as a reminder that not every star is wired the same.
Because of his quiet disposition and often expressionless on-court demeanor, fans were perhaps guilty of misreading Leonard and assuming he displayed certain personality traits away from the court that simply weren’t there.
It was also probably unfair to expect anybody—even a player as good as Leonard—to be the next Duncan. Duncan was a generational talent and an even bigger outlier given he spent 19 years with the same team.
The Spurs welcome in the Raptors on Jan. 3 in what was already a highly anticipated game. As if Leonard didn’t have enough motivation to play well against his old team, Popovich added even more fuel to the fire.
Please, do not attempt a gender reveal party without taking the proper safety precautions. Or maybe just … don’t do one at all.
The past two years have brought us multiple stories of people whose gender reveal parties have gone horribly wrong. Maybe the party started a forest fire. Maybe it caused a spectacular, deafening explosion.
Either way, they’ve been grievously dangerous. And while they’ve caused serious damage, they’ve also brought a small, perverse amount of pleasure to those of us in the anti-gender-reveal party camp.
Here are some of the most dangerous from the past few years.
1. The gender reveal party that resulted in a grandfather getting smacked in the face by a baseball
The next time you’re thinking of throwing a ball full of blue powder, please don’t aim it at grandpa.
2. The one where a young woman was smacked in the face by a ball
Maybe … just .. leave … baseballs … out … of … it?
3. The party that almost ended in an alligator chopping off someone’s arm
Earlier this year, Louisiana resident Mike Kliebert gave an alligator a melon full of blue Jell-o, which the alligator proceeded to chomp on, revealing Kliebert’s child to be a boy. It was a strong visual. I’m just not sure why folks can’t have a gender reveal party without exposing themselves to a deadly animal.
4. The party that resulted in a 47,000 acre wildfire
In April 2017, an off-duty Border Patrol agent set off fireworks in the grasslands of Arizona. The color of the fireworks was meant to reveal the gender of his baby, but instead they sparked a massive wildfire. The fire ultimately caused $8 million worth of damage and required 800 firefighters to get it under control.
If you’re thinking of having a gender reveal party, perhaps consider balloons instead of lethal explosives?
5. The party that caused one dad-to-be to break his ankle
He broke it while kicking a football full of pink powder. Ouch.
6. I’ll always have a special spot in my heart for the party that resulted in people screaming and running for their lives
Fireworks are once again to blame for the chaos at gender reveal party in Philadelphia in July. They were set off on top of a clothing drying rack, which surprisingly did not work well and instead sent fireworks spraying all over the place. “A few adults got hit but no serious injuries — just minor burns,” one partygoer said, encouragingly.
Just minor burns with this gender reveal party, folks!
7. This gender reveal party resulted in a fight over confetti at an Ohio Applebee’s
After guests at a gender reveal party released a confetti cannon in the parking lot of an Ohio Applebee’s, management asked them to clean up their mess. The guests refused and several of them retaliated by reportedly throwing menus at the hostess.
Isn’t childbirth magical?
The next time you’re thinking of having a gender reveal party, maybe just do it by … revealing the gender. Or better yet do nothing at all.
The world will somehow survive without blue and pink powder.
“We only will allow those who come into our Country legally,” President Donald Trump tweeted. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo
Incoming Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will work with the Trump administration to keep asylum seekers out of the U.S. while their applications are pending in court, according to a Mexican official with knowledge of the talks.
The tentative agreement is a departure from current U.S. procedure, which allows those seeking asylum to remain in the U.S. until their case is reviewed by an immigration judge. U.S. and Mexican officials have been secretly negotiating for the past two months, the official said, and are nearing a final deal.
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“There are still some things to be negotiated and finalized, but we’re almost there,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Trump seemed to confirm the agreement Saturday, tweeting that “Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court.”
“We only will allow those who come into our Country legally,” the president wrote. “Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain.”
James McCament, the Homeland Security Department’s acting undersecretary for policy, said the U.S. “has been working jointly with the current Mexican Government and the incoming administration of López Obrador to identify and address shared issues of concern,” but didn’t address the asylum plan specifically. The agreement was first reported by the Washington Post.
Mexico’s cooperation is a win for Trump, who has a history of clashing with foreign leaders. In recent weeks, Trump has focused intently on stopping migrant caravans from reaching the southern border and has often claimed, without evidence, that Central American refugees fleeing violence in their home countries pose a threat to national security.
Trump showed no signs of abating his attacks on Mexican leaders — a touchstone of his 2016 campaign — threatening over the weekend to close the border if Mexico “lose[es] control” of its side. The president’s comments first came during a news conference Thursday at Mar-a-Lago in which he falsely claimed he had already closed the border, and then later in the same press conference promised to do so in the future if things get out of hand. Trump repeated the threat on Twitter on Saturday night.
“If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will CLOSE our Southern Border,” Trump tweeted. “There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore!“
Mexico’s cooperation could soften the threat of legal action against the Trump administration, which has lost a string of court battles over its immigration policies. A federal judge in San Francisco last week temporarily halted a fast-track regulationand presidential proclamation issued Nov. 9 that barred migrants who cross the border between ports of entry from seeking asylum.
Negotiations over the asylum deal have been complicated by Mexico’s presidential transition, the Mexican official said, and probably won‘t be announced until after López Obrador is sworn in Dec. 1. Representatives of the coming administration, while deeply involved, have been been operating in a diplomatic gray area while current president Enrique Peña Nieto is in power.
López Obrador — a left-wing populist who has pledged to stand up to Trump and root out corruption in Mexico — recognized that dealing with the migrant crisis will require cooperation, and saw it as an opportunity to negotiate with Trump from the outset, the Mexican official said.
“You cannot say it’s a Mexican problem, a US problem. It’s a problem that involves us all,” the official said. “Either you sit at the table or you’re a part of the menu.”
Advocates still will likely challenge Trump‘s plan, arguing that asylum seekers are required to remain in the U.S. Federal lawstates that asylum seekers “shall be detained for further consideration of the application.” If it’s determined the person does not have a “credible fear of persecution,” the law says, that person will be “removed from the United States without further hearing or review.”
“That’s where you get into legally dubious territory,” said Jennifer Quigley, a strategist for Human Rights First.
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