Latest news with #ADP
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Fulfilling IMF conditions was no easy task, says CM Maryam
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz stated that the Punjab government's decision not to impose a single new tax in the provincial budget is nothing short of a miracle. She emphasized that instead of introducing new taxes, the government expanded the tax net. She also announced that Punjab's domestic debt, which had persisted for the last 30 years, had been reduced to zero. Addressing the Punjab Assembly, CM Maryam Nawaz said fulfilling the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) conditions while meeting the province's constitutional responsibilities was no easy task. She remarked that running over 150 development projects and allocating Punjab's resources for public welfare made achieving the IMF's stringent surplus target extremely challenging—yet her administration succeeded. Maryam Nawaz highlighted that unlike previous governments, her administration did not merely announce projects but also implemented Punjab's largest-ever annual cash-backed development program. She revealed that last year's Annual Development Program (ADP) was worth Rs. 840 billion, but due to successful project execution and public demand, it was increased to over Rs. 1 trillion. Out of this, Rs. 1.013 trillion had already been spent on public welfare, marking the highest allocation in Punjab's development history. She noted that Punjab's fund utilization, previously at Rs. 585 billion, had now reached Rs. 1,100 billion. The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to the Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), acknowledging that their support was instrumental in these achievements. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz added that those who once called for the political ouster of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had now been sidelined themselves—not by others, but by their own poor performance. 'Those who chanted 'minus Nawaz' are now themselves 'minus.' Even Aleema Khan has acknowledged this,' she said, referring to recent remarks by Khan's sister. Taking a firm stance against her opponents, the CM stated that false promises to South Punjab had long been a political tactic to form and dismantle governments. 'Unlike previous governments, we have moved beyond slogans. We are delivering on our promises,' she declared, announcing the launch of the province's largest clean drinking water project, starting in South Punjab. Her remarks were met with protests and noise from the opposition benches. Responding calmly, she said, 'Let them protest. I respect their democratic right.' Maryam also presented what she termed a 'historic' and 'tax-free' provincial budget of Rs. 5,335 billion, praising Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdil for crafting a budget aligned with Nawaz Sharif's economic vision. Referencing military and diplomatic achievements, she congratulated the nation on 'the victory over India' and commended the armed forces and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their leadership. She also condemned Israel's recent strikes on Iran, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to peace and solidarity with the Iranian people. Maryam Nawaz underscored her administration's equitable development efforts, stating, 'Every district—whether Bhakkar, Layyah, Rajanpur, D.G. Khan, or Rahim Yar Khan—has the same share in development as Lahore.' She clarified that her competition was not with political rivals but with her own family's legacy. 'My benchmark is Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif—I aim to surpass their record of public service.' The Chief Minister also acknowledged the Mines and Minerals Department's contributions, citing Rs. 30 billion in savings, and noted that public spending had risen by only 3%, including pay and pension increases. Opposition members in the Punjab Assembly may be barred from entering the premises following their misconduct during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's speech. They created chaos, hurled abusive slogans, and tore copies of the agenda, throwing them toward the Chief Minister and Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. During her address, opposition members attempted to approach the Speaker's chair, shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings. Government members intervened to restrain them. Sources indicate the opposition could face entry restrictions due to their actions, including storming the Speaker's podium, using inappropriate language, and throwing documents. It may be recalled that Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan had issued a ruling the previous day outlining a code of conduct for assembly sessions. The ruling prohibits reading books/newspapers or bringing them into the house. It also prohibits passing between a speaking member and the chair. Additionally, eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking inside the assembly is not allowed. Damaging furniture or electronic equipment is strictly prohibited, and carrying sticks or rods without the Speaker's permission is forbidden. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Chicago Tribune
17 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Former Portage firefighter accused of $93,000 in pay fraud
A former Portage firefighter faces felony charges that accuse him of using a cellphone payroll app to falsely claim $93,001.11 in pay he didn't earn over four years. William Thomas Lundy III, 25, of Michigan City, was charged Thursday with two Level 5 felonies of fraud and theft. He was booked into Porter County Jail late Thursday night and has since bonded out, according to jail records. Lundy left the Portage Fire Department in April, city records show. He is the son of Bill Lundy, a retired Portage Fire Department employee who served as chief from 2006 to 2009. A probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court outlines how Lundy's former supervisors at the Portage Fire Department and the Portage Police Department discovered the fraudulent scheme. One of Lundy's former colleagues in January happened to be perusing the Indiana Gateway website to see the pay of various city employees. The website is an online portal for municipal finances, including salaries. When he happened to see that Lundy's pay was comparable to other firefighters, suspicions were raised because he knew as a fellow paramedic, that Lundy hadn't worked a significant amount of overtime. A check of the master work schedule confirmed that Lundy had worked 72 overtime hours in 2024. The man expressed his concern to Lundy, who allowed him to look at the Automatic Data Payroll (ADP) app on his phone, according to court records. The colleague then compared the department's timecard to three or four ADP pay documents and noticed the overtime hours claimed didn't match the Portage Fire Department schedule. It was estimated that Lundy had earned between $25,000 and $30,000 more than what he was entitled. When confronted about the overpayment, Lundy replied that the pay seemed normal to him. Lundy then approached Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Himan and asked if he was in trouble. Himan stated that the matter was being investigated, and there would be no issue unless he did something intentionally wrong regarding his overpayment. The investigation found that Lundy had used the unique personal employee number from his ADP payroll app, and some of his work hours submitted didn't match those authorized by Portage Fire Department personnel, charging documents state. Portage Police Detective Robert Shrader and Chief City Clerk Carrie Belt then compared records of the hours Lundy submitted on his ADP app with hours on the master schedule. As a result, it was found that starting in 2022, Lundy allegedly claimed 554 hours he didn't work for additional pay of $16,599.40. That amount grew to 1,182 hours fraudulently claimed in 2023, when he collected $36.404.45. Last year, Lundy was accused of claiming 1,072 additional hours that resulted in $39,018.87 collected. This year, Lundy had collected $978.39 in unauthorized pay. As an extra step, the work schedules were examined to see if Lundy had happened to trade shifts with a fellow firefighter. A check of the department logs found that he wasn't listed on calls of service for the days that he falsely claimed to be working on his payroll app.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Allday vs ALLDAY PROJECT? Aussie rapper threatens 'major legal battle' against K-pop's new co-ed group; receives hate
Co-ed K-pop group ALLDAY PROJECT is once again embroiled in controversy—this time, just days after their official debut on June 23, 2025. The group is drawing attention due to a potential legal battle with Australian rapper Allday, who claims ownership of the trademark for the name. The situation erupted after Allday shared a screenshot of an article featuring ALLDAY PROJECT on his Instagram. In the caption, he expressed clear frustration over the group's use of a name similar to his and announced his intent to take legal action. ALLDAY PROJECT The Debut Single 'FAMOUS'OUT NOW!🔗 6PM (KST)#ALLDAYPROJECT #ADP #올데이프로젝트#FAMOUS #WICKED#THEBLACKLABEL #더블랙레이블 What did Allday say? He also posted the update on Facebook, writing: "People keep asking me about this… I have a trademark on the name Allday. Maybe I don't have 20 billion streams like that K-pop shit—which mostly sucks, by the way. But I do exist and own the trademark to my name. Prepare for the greatest legal battle of all time." Fans react to legal threats His remarks quickly ignited discussion online. K-pop fans had varied reactions - some dismissed the post as petty or bitter, especially due to the tone and generalization of K-pop music. Others argued that, despite his delivery, the rapper may have valid legal concerns depending on trademark laws and market overlap. Meanwhile, some fans pointed out the powerful backing behind ALLDAY PROJECT, including the involvement of the Shinsegae heiress, suggesting that the legal challenge may not go far. Memes and sarcastic comments also flooded social media, with fans daring him to "try his luck." One fan remarked, "Yeah go against one of the heir of Samsung and a sub label from one of the biggest money maker ever yeah... try it." Another chimed in, "They aren't called 'all day' they're called all day project…" Someone else wrote, "Sounds kinda but hurt, but whatever. If he has the trademark then the judges have to decide if ALLDAY PROJECT is different enough of a name. Making such a grand announcement is cringe to me." Yet another added, "I would've cared more if he didn't talk like a frustrated 13 yo." Allday receives hate While K-pop fans had numerous opinions, it seems some went to the rapper's Instagram to spread hate comments. The Aussie shared a screenshot on his Insta story and wrote, "Getting so much hate for this...I didn't realise how many people grew with lead in their drinking water." A new challenge for a rookie group ALLDAY PROJECT has been dealing with its fair share of controversies, and this latest issue only adds fuel to the fire. While it's uncertain whether legal action will actually materialize, the rapper's comments have stirred international interest and reignited conversation around the group's turbulent debut. Despite the noise, fans remain eager to see how ALLDAY PROJECT navigates its early days - and whether this name dispute will escalate or quietly fade away. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
The National
21 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Will changes on disability benefit cuts affect Scotland?
But while there are rebels who have been appeased, others do not feel the Government have done enough to convince them to vote for the bill next week. But what exactly has changed about their proposals, and will they have any impact on Scotland? What has changed? In March, reforms to the welfare system – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – were announced by Labour. The Government said the changes, including restricting access to the main disability benefit south of the Border, known as the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and the sickness-related element of Universal Credit, were expected to make welfare savings of £4.8 billion by 2029/30. An impact assessment published alongside the bill included estimates that changes to PIP entitlement rules would see about 800,000 people lose out. READ MORE: Waspi women call for 'hat-trick of U-turns' amid welfare climbdown But amid huge discontent among their own MPs, Labour have been forced to make concessions. Now, only new claims from November 2026 will come under the tightened eligibility requirements. While this might sound like an improvement, Labour are now being accused of creating a 'two-tier' system, where new claimants will not get the same benefits as those before them. How does this affect Scotland? PIP does not exist in Scotland as it has been replaced by the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP), administered by Social Security Scotland. So while changes around PIP will not impact on benefit claimants in Scotland directly, the changes made south of the Border will hit Scotland financially due to the Barnett formula. Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) said back in March the impact on Holyrood's budget would be 'really quite severe' when Labour announced their initial package of reforms. (Image: Jane Barlow) The main concern in Scotland will be for those who in future will need to claim the sickness element of Universal Credit – a reserved benefit. READ MORE: Keir Starmer suggests he didn't check 'island of strangers' speech In a briefing to MPs, Trussell estimated that there are around 300,000 Scots in receipt of the health element of Universal Credit and associated benefits facing cuts. These people will now not be affected by changes to eligibility criteria, but new claimants of the UC health element will be impacted from November next year. Other questions still remain as to how new claimants in Scotland will prove their eligibility for this too. The UK Government announced from 2028/29 onwards, the Work Capability Assessment is set to be binned by DWP and instead people will be assessed for the health element of Universal Credit via the Personal Independence Payments (PIP). With PIP not existing in Scotland, the UK Government is yet to confirm whether the assessment criteria for ADP will be sufficient for proving eligibility. What are disability campaigners saying? Mikey Erhardt, from Disability Rights UK, accused the Government of 'playing politics with our lives', insisting the bill must still be pulled. He said the changes will mean 'a benefits system where future generations of disabled people receive less support than disabled people today' and added that, in making the original announcement of cuts, the Government had 'prioritised balancing its books over improving the lives of disabled citizens'. The MS Society said the Government was simply 'kicking the can down the road and delaying an inevitable disaster', and urged MPs 'not to be swayed by these last-ditch attempts to force through a harmful Bill with supposed concessions'. Food bank network Trussell welcomed the 'significant' concessions but said the proposals 'still present a bleak future for future claimants and still risk placing the Government's commitments to end the need for emergency food and tackle poverty in serious jeopardy'.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey and more 2025 fantasy football early ADP traps
Let's look at some overvalued players based on early 2025 fantasy football ADP, according to 47 NFFC drafts this past month. I'm using positional rankings, not overall rankings, as you should too, because formats are highly variable. Flex 9 (two WRs and a Flex) is an RB-first format. Flex 10 (three WRs and a Flex) is a WR-first format. I'll have more on this later in the draft season, but it is what it is. You don't have to draft accordingly, but (if you don't) you won't have an ideal structure regarding expected value. Advertisement From 2020-22, Mahomes averaged 384 fantasy points per year — his range was 361 to 416. He averaged 16.3 games played, so that's 23.6 points per game. Let's call it about 6 points per game over the average starting fantasy QB. I would not spend a premium pick for that, but I get it. It's defensible. But the past two years, he's tallied 280 and 282 points in 16 games per year — a replacement-level 17.6 points per game. You can stream that off waivers in your league, if it's a one-QB format and not every team drafts two QBs (but almost every team in every league does). If you draft two QBs, you will likely find a 17.5-point-per-game QB very late. There is no way Mahomes is worth QB6 with these numbers. He's just a name now. If you think he's more than 75% of what he was, or even 90% of his 2020-22 level, fine. But what evidence is there of that? He's a middle-of-the-pack scoring QB on a middle-of-the-pack offense (15th in yards, 15th in points in 2024). There's dissonance because he's obviously elite in real life, but this is a case where the points just aren't there. It happened to Dan Marino. He's also like Troy Aikman was a generation ago — great in real life, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but a fantasy dud. He had 11 games of 30+ fantasy points from 2020-22 and, in the two years since, just one 30-point effort (none in 2024). How many second acts are there for running backs? His fantasy production wasn't just impacted by his injury; McCaffrey did nothing in the four games he played (4.0 yards per carry and no rushing or receiving touchdowns on 65 touches). He was 28. Let's look at Hall of Fame running backs who played less than half the season at age 28 with 4.0 yards or less per carry and see if there were any bounce backs. We only have three players: John Riggins, Terrell Davis and Gale Sayers. Riggins was a fullback at age 28 and had subsequent big years following his setback (knee), basically securing his Hall of Fame status — an incredibly unique career. Davis was injured in 1999 and 2000 (age 28), played for one more year (2001) and did not score a TD in eight games (179 touches). Sayers retired after his age 28 season. We're reading that McCaffrey is healthy after his injuries to his Achilles and knee in 2024. But the fact is, there are only three comps, and two of them were busts. Advertisement If we expand to non-Hall of Famers who were top players, we add Wilbert Montgomery, Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, Lawrence McCutcheon and Ahman Green. How did they do at age 29 (or at any point after)? The only one who did anything was Green, but only in his age-29 season — RB20 production at 215 PPR points. So I'm giving McCaffrey a 0-to-25% chance to come close to returning value on the investment. I want no part of him anywhere near this price. Hall has talent, as his career yards per carry mark (4.6) indicates. But he's not a bell cow. He's never rushed for 1,000 yards, a number hardly worth celebrating. He offers value as a receiver, but I can't see Justin Fields dumping off much, given he considers himself the dump-off option. What is guaranteed with Hall? Not rushing yards, receptions or even touchdowns, given that the Jets are one of the NFL's worst short-yardage conversion teams during Hall's tenure. Braelon Allen has proven much better in short-yardage situations, converting 12 of 14 short-yardage runs on third and fourth downs last year versus 6 of 10 for Hall (15 of 26 in his career). I'd rather draft Allen with one of my last picks than Hall at this ADP. We have only two examples of a top returning fantasy receiver playing with a new starting QB who has never thrown an NFL pass. Larry Fitzgerald was 23 years old in 2006 when he was paired with rookie Matt Leinart (for 11 starts — Kurt Warner started the first four games of the season and Week 17). And Randy Moss was age 23 when Daunte Culpepper, in his second year, took over behind center for Minnesota in 2000. That works out to one miss (Fitzgerald) and one hit (Moss). Both Fitzgerald and Moss were drafted in the top three at the position in the year with the new quarterback. Jefferson, playing his age-26 season, is being drafted as the No. 2 WR (and often the No. 2 pick). So, is J.J. McCarthy going to be more like Leinart or Culpepper? We think we know, but we do not. Let's call it a 50% chance that McCarthy is at least average and Jefferson doesn't skip a beat. Do you like those odds at this price? How is Jefferson being drafted ahead of CeeDee Lamb, who will play with the same QB (Dak Prescott) who made him the top-scoring WR in 2023-24? It makes zero sense. And Jefferson is not a TD maker, scoring once every 12.4 catches. So he needs 120 catches for 10 TDs. His price only makes sense if you think McCarthy will match Sam Darnold's 35 TD tosses. At best, I give that a 5% chance. The Bengals' ADPs are all irrational. We know players regress and top scorers have difficulty repeating, but we're expected to draft the previous year's top scorers highly. The Bengals are extremely unlikely to repeat their pinball scoring of 2024 because their 2025 defense will surely be better, and likely much better. I'm not making judgments based on offseason moves or draft picks; I'm just looking at how historically good and bad defenses hardly ever repeat. Advertisement So, can this offense support two top-15 WRs? You know Ja'Marr Chase will get his. But Higgins is behind him in the pecking order. So he will be more the 2021-23 version of himself than the 2024 one. We're talking about a line of 75 receptions, 1,150 yards and 7 TDs, not the 103/1,300/14 pace he played at last year. And he's played in 12 games in each of the past two seasons, and had a combined four DNPs the two seasons before that, so expectations that he misses at least two games should be priced in. Higgins is more WR20 than WR14. Even so, I'm still suggesting that the Bengals have two top-20 receivers and giving them a boost for the overall shape of the team and offense. I'm just not projecting the offense to be the super-charged 2024 version of itself. LaPorta is fine. He's a 100-target, 8.0 yards per target player with a TD every 12 targets. So the projection should be 800 yards and eight TDs. That's fine, but you can probably find a player who does this at the end of the draft or on waivers, though it will likely take a few tries. And if you don't find it, who cares? This is not difference-making scoring. How out of your way will you go on draft day for this? There are potential top-20 WRs on the board in the sixth round. Starting RBs still remain in that draft range. Why am I drafting a TE who is this close to the average bucket when I can get one of the last guys in this bucket at the end of every draft? LaPorta's been volatile, ranging from 120 targets as a rookie to 83 last season. So maybe you're shooting a shot at that target ceiling (120). That means the Lions will again have to be in or around the bottom 10 in defense, like they were in 2023 and the end of the 2024 season (due to injuries), which is highly unlikely. (Photo of Justin Jefferson: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
