jilimacao 777 login Jimmy Carter, the 39th president and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has died at 100Qatar tribune Tribune News Network Doha Fun Ville, a leading family entertainment centre, has leveled up fun for enthusiasts with its new store located on the first floor of Abu Sidra Mall in Qatar. Boasting a fresh look and feel, the 11,900 square feet Fun Ville store promises to be a haven for families seeking wholesome entertainment experiences. As the only Family Entertainment Center (FEC) in the area, the new Fun Ville store introduces a wide array of exciting rides and attractions designed to cater to visitors of all ages. From funtastic games to interactive play area, Fun Ville offers something for everyone in the family to enjoy. The new space is thoughtfully designed to deliver endless fun and adventure, offering an exciting mix of attractions. It features kiddie rides like Hello Kitty and Memo Twister, alongside big rides such as the exhilarating Happy Swing, Jump around Jumbo Tour. Visitors can also enjoy a range of thrilling video games, arcade classics, novelty experiences, and redemption games, including Super Bikes, Boxer Premium, and Lane Master, to name just a few. Additionally, the space boasts a state-of-the-art play area equipped with interactive slides, ball pools, obstacle courses, and vibrant tunnels, ensuring children can stay engaged in active play all day long. One of the highlights at Fun Ville is the introduction of “Oops & Whoops,” a soft play area exclusively designed for toddlers. This specialised play zone provides a safe and enjoyable environment for the youngest visitors, ensuring their entertainment needs are met while prioritising their safety. “As a proud homegrown brand, we are committed to delivering exceptional entertainment experiences for our visitors,” said Silvio Liedtke, CEO of Landmark Leisure, GCC & India. “Our mission is to provide wholesome entertainment and establish ourselves as the go-to destination for families in Qatar, offering a wide variety of attractions suitable for all age groups. With the launch of our store at Abu Sidra Mall, we are excited to welcome families from across Qatar and beyond to experience the magic of Fun Ville.” For gaming enthusiast or a thrill-seekers, there’s something for everyone. Fun Ville promises endless fun and unforgettable moments, sure to ignite a sense of wonder and adventure. Copy 25/12/2024 10

Social media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Jimmy Carter, the 39th president and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has died at 100

ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter's death on the social media platform X. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A president from Plains A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” ‘An epic American life’ Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. A small-town start James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. 'Jimmy Who?' His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Accomplishments, and ‘malaise’ Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. 'A wonderful life' At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report. Bill Barrow, The Associated PressUN publishes new death toll for massacre of older people and Vodou religious leaders in Haiti

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points, Marchelus Avery had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma State beat Miami 80-74 on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Charleston Classic. Oklahoma State (4-1) will play in the fifth-place game on Sunday, while Miami (3-2) will try to avoid going winless in the tournament.MGX Deadline: MGX Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Metagenomi, Inc. Securities Lawsuit

Leeds in pole position to sign 15-goal Aston Villa star in JanuaryWASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service. While officials and defense experts said the Navy is in sore need of a disruptor, they cautioned that Phelan's lack of experience could make it more difficult for him to realize Trump's goals. Trump late Tuesday nominated Phelan, a major donor to his campaign who founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment on his qualifications. According to his biography, Phelan's primary exposure to the military comes from an advisory position he holds on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supports the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan. Not all service secretaries come into the office with prior military experience, but he'd be the first in the Navy since 2006. Current Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth similarly does not have prior military service. She, however, has spent her career in a host of defense civilian positions. The appointment comes at a critical moment for the Navy, which has been stretched thin with deployments around the world and must contend with a shrinking fleet even as the naval forces of its main rival, China, are growing. Trump has campaigned on expanding the Navy and would need to fight bureaucratic inertia to do so. But it’s uncertain whether a secretary with no military experience — either in uniform or as a defense civilian — would be well-positioned to lead that effort. “It will be difficult for anyone without experience in the Pentagon to take over the leadership of a service and do a good job,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security. “Services are sprawling organizations with distinct cultures, subcultures and bureaucratic interests, and where decisions are made through many formal processes. To change a service’s plans, one must understand this Byzantine landscape.” Experts said Phelan's nomination reflects that Trump is seeking service branch heads who will not push back on his ideas — but that Phelan's lack of experience is likely to create issues and delays of its own, They say the Navy can't afford to lose time. One of the Navy’s biggest challenges is preparing for a potential military confrontation with China over Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims as its own. " The stakes are high ," said Brad Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The success or failure in addressing key problems in the U.S. Navy over the next couple years may have a decisive effect on war and peace in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere.” Trump has called for a 350-ship Navy since his 2016 presidential campaign, but he experienced first-hand the difficulty in realizing that goal, given the challenges to shipbuilding and the erratic and often delayed congressional budget process. There are just under 300 battle force ships in the fleet — vessels that have a direct role in conducting combat operations. “The Navy is stretched covering Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific. Strategists have wanted to pull back from Europe and the Middle East, but recent conflicts have prevented that,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So the next secretary will have a shrinking fleet, expanded overseas commitments, and an uncertain budget environment.” The Marine Corps has called for 31 amphibious warships to help it maintain a close-to-shore presence around the globe. The Navy regularly has had to extend the deployments of its aircraft carriers and escorting destroyers, for example, to respond to the unstable security situation in the Middle East. Each extension can create rippling effects: Ships don’t get maintained on schedule, and forces get tired of the lack of predictability for their families and leave the service. Service branch chiefs spend vast amounts of time not only responding to the White House but also appeasing members of Congress in frequent hearings on Capitol Hill, shaping budget requests, holding constant meetings on service member issues, attending industry conferences and filling speakers requests. That all requires a nuanced understanding of the service that a secretary is leading, because major change in any of the branches often involves a lengthy process to review directives and past policy. Any changes to the many weapons systems the Navy and Marine Corps need and pursue are subject to lengthy contract award challenges. “The Navy’s problem here is money,” Cancian said. “Even if the defense budget goes up, there will only be a relatively small increase available for shipbuilding. (If) the budget stays steady or goes down, then the Navy will have a major problem. The fleet will continue to shrink." Trump has signaled through multiple appointments, such as his selection of SpaceX founder Elon Musk to co-lead a nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency, that he seeks to cut through red tape. But the service secretary can't do that without moving through Congress, which has produced many of those regulations and processes the military must follow. “It might help that he has a personal relationship with the president. However, his lack of experience in defense and the Pentagon will hurt the Navy," Cancian said. "It will take him a while to learn the levers of power.”

The House Ethics Committee’s bombshell report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s ethical conduct lays out evidence that the Florida Republican held drug-fueled sex parties with women who received payments from him or an intermediary, including one who was underage. The report, which cites witness testimony, financial records, and text message exchanges, found that Gaetz violated Florida law and House ethics rules while he was a member of Congress, and concluded Gaetz “acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House.” Gaetz is a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, and he was Trump's initial choice for attorney general , before withdrawing from consideration in the face of Senate opposition. He resigned from Congress last month. Gaetz has maintained his innocence, attacked the credibility of the Ethics Committee, and on Monday published a series of posts on X with snippets of witness testimony that he said refute the committee's findings. “Giving funds to someone you are dating - that they didn’t ask for - and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” he wrote . The former Congress member said last week that he "often sent funds" to women he dated but “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court − which is why no such claim was ever made in court." Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. Here are the report's six key allegations: Paying for sex The Ethics Committee report said Gaetz spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on women “with whom he had a shared understanding that they would be compensated for sexual activity.” The committee said it spoke to more than a half-dozen witnesses, and “nearly every young woman that the committee interviewed confirmed she was paid for sex.” The payments came either from Gaetz himself or an intermediary, the committee’s report said. The activity happened between 2017 and 2020, while he was a member of Congress. The committee called this “commercial sex” and said it violates Florida prostitution law. “Representative Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter,” the report said. Sex with a 17-year-old The committee found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old in July 2017, when he was 35. The woman, identified as Victim A in the report, “had just completed her junior year of high school.” The age of consent in Florida is 18. The report said the pair had sex twice at a party, including one time that there were witnesses, and that the woman “recalled receiving $400 in cash” from Gaetz that night. The report said the woman used ecstasy that night, and that she had seen Gaetz use cocaine at the party. The report said that the woman did not inform Gaetz of her age; that he didn’t ask; and that he was not aware of her being under 18. However, the report said Gaetz maintained contact with the woman, and met up with her for “commercial sex” again after she turned 18. Cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana The report said there was “substantial evidence” that Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, even setting up “a pseudonymous email account from his House office in the Capitol complex for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.” He denied the allegations, the report said. The report said Gaetz’s then-girlfriend “brought drugs with us” on the Bahamas trip. Another said she “brought cocaine to at least one event with Representative Gaetz and that she witnessed him taking cocaine or ecstasy on at least five occasions,” the report said. “Several other women observed Representative Gaetz to be under the influence of drugs,” the report said. “Additionally, nearly every witness interviewed observed Representative Gaetz using marijuana.” Use of his congressional office to help a woman Gaetz paid for sex The report said Gaetz used his congressional office to get a passport for a woman he paid for sex. The report said he met her in 2018 and on the night they met, she had sex with Gaetz and his intermediary sent her money, but she also told him that day she needed a new passport. The report said Gaetz connected her with a top aide, who worked with a representative of the State Department to get her a passport “within days of their first meeting.” The woman was not a constituent because she didn’t live in Gaetz’s district, but an email from the State Department obtained by the committee sought to confirm with Gaetz’s office “an appointment for your constituent.” The report said it was unusual for a top aide to process passport requests, and usually lower-level staff in the district perform that task. The report said the woman continued to “meet up” with Gaetz and have sex. Gaetz's trip to the Bahamas violated gift rules The report said Gaetz violated the House’s rules against impermissible gifts when he took a trip with two other men and six women to the Bahamas in September 2018. The report said he did not provide evidence of how he paid for the travel costs, other than a commercial flight he took to get there. The report said one of the other men in the group paid for the vacation rental where the group stayed, and that Gaetz returned to Florida on a private plane with one other man and three of the women. “While there were no specific payments to the women in connection with the Bahamas trip, according to one woman, ‘the trip itself was more so the payment,’” the report said. Obstruction of the Ethics Committee investigation The report said Gaetz “continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed,” implicating federal criminal laws of false statements and obstruction of Congress. The report said he pointed to exculpatory evidence but failed to produce it, that he “intentionally withheld information,” and that he “declined to provide testimony voluntarily and did not appear when subpoenaed.” The report pointed to Gaetz’s public letter he published to X in September saying he would no longer voluntarily cooperate with the inquiry. The report said he wrote the letter after asking the committee for additional time to respond to written questions, and said he had an “uncooperative approach throughout the review.”MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia was released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach, officials said Friday. The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on Ocean Beach sand dunes in the town of Denmark in temperate southwest Australia — about 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) north of the icy waters off the Antarctic coast, the Western Australia state government said. He was released from a Parks and Wildlife Service boat on Wednesday. The boat traveled for several hours from the state’s most southerly city of Albany before the penguin was released into the Southern Ocean, but the government didn’t give the distance in its statement. He had been cared for by registered wildlife caregiver Carol Biddulph, who named him Gus after the first Roman emperor Augustus. “I really didn’t know whether he was going to make it to begin with because he was so undernourished,” Biddulph said in video recorded before the bird’s release but released by the government on Friday. “I’ll miss Gus. It’s been an incredible few weeks, something I wouldn’t have missed,” she added. Biddulph said she had found from caring for other species of lone penguins that mirrors were an important part of their rehabilitation by providing a comforting sense of company. “He absolutely loves his big mirror and I think that has been crucial in his well-being. They’re social birds and he stands next to the mirror most of the time,” she said. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Gus gained weight in her care, from 21.3 kilograms (47 pounds) when he was found to 24.7 kilograms (54 pounds). He stands 1 meter (39 inches) tall. A healthy male emperor penguin can weigh more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds). The largest penguin species has never been reported in Australia before, University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell said, though some had reached New Zealand, nearly all of which is further south than Western Australia. The government said with the Southern Hemisphere summer approaching, it had been time-crucial to return Gus to the ocean where he could thermoregulate. Emperor penguins have been known to cover up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) on foraging journeys that last up to a month, the government said. Related From Our Partner

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As a critic, I'm sometimes asked about my note-taking habits: Do you take a lot of notes? (Almost always; my memory can get fuzzy fast.) How do you do this in a dark theater? (Absolutely no phone screens! I scribble furiously with a pen and paper and hope for the best.) What do you usually take notes about? To that last question, it truly varies, but I can say that I'm consistently being pulled in by words, spoken and unspoken. The profound, the funny, the relatable, the subtext-laden; the lines that reveal some kind of truth about the world on screen and thus the world we're existing in now. When I think of some of my most memorable film-going experiences of 2024 – a great year for movies! – these are some of the moments and performances that have moved me, and stuck even many months later. Gendered inequities become glaringly obvious very quickly in Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine's fascinating documentary about the long-running high school program known as Girls State. Like many before them, the ambitious civic-minded teens profiled here set out to build their own government from the ground up. But the film was shot in 2022, the first time the Missouri chapter hosted both the girls and boys programs on the same campus at the same time, and the girls spend much of their time observing how much attention is paid to the enforcement of dress codes and how little is given to discussing more substantial and urgent political issues. (Meanwhile, there's ample evidence the boys' ambitions are taken far more seriously. Among their advantages: being "sworn in" to "office" by the state governor.) In one scene some of the girls commiserate over their disappointment with the tenor of the program, with one of them calling it out as distracting "fluff." The moment speaks to the obstacles that still persist for women in politics and is a sobering depiction of young hopefuls getting an early taste of political disillusionment. The final lines of Jane Schoenbrun's challenging and mesmerizing transgender allegory are a wallop of a denouement, proffering both sadness and hope. The sadness comes from everything we've learned about the meek protagonist Owen (Justice Smith) to this point – how, out of paralyzing fear, they've made a deliberate choice to deny their true self, and live a depressing and unfulfilling life. Now working at the kind of job that can only be described as the stuff of nightmares – a Chuck E. Cheese-like amusement center – the crushing weight of their denial finally hits, and sends them into a panic attack in the middle of a child's birthday celebration. The beauty of Megan Park's coming-of-age dramedy is that it never attempts to explain how 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) comes to encounter her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), beyond a hallucinogenic mushroom trip the first time she appears. The obvious and more pressing question then is, What does my future hold? When older Elliott delivers the sobering news to younger Elliott – that life rarely plays out exactly as planned – the reality of many millennials and Gen Zers the world over is succinctly and wittily acknowledged. Own a house? Work a fulfilling job that also pays at least a living wage? LOL. Park's film mercifully doesn't dwell on such cynicism, but it is all the better for those little nuggets of pointed commentary peppered throughout, blending a healthy dose of lived wisdom with the energy of youthful optimism. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Zora is unquestionably relatable — what person wouldn't do everything in their power to ward off a loved one's impending death, especially their child's? But ultimately, Zora's impulses are more harmful than good for her terminally ill daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), who's already come to terms with her own fate. It takes several extreme attempts at "killing" Death, imagined here as a majestically baritone macaw voiced by Arinzé Kene, before Zora understands she must set aside her own fears of what's to come and live in the present. One night, inquisitive tween Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) asks her mom Janet (Julianne Nicholson) if she'd be "disappointed" if she dated a girl when she's older. Janet, an acupuncturist and total hippie, admits she'd be neither disappointed nor shocked if that came to pass. The clarity of the observation about her daughter reveals that Janet sees a quality in Lacy that doesn't exist within herself, namely that "forthrightness," a lack of interest in tamping down any part of who she is. There is nothing subtle about this movie, but in a sparse script overflowing with bluntly obvious points about the horrors of sexism and misogyny, this line is the most apt thesis statement. What makes Coralie Fargeat's astounding, seismic body horror so unique is that the external forces – men, the patriarchy writ large — are on the periphery. Instead, Fargeat is preoccupied with what those forces stir within Elisabeth (Demi Moore), a TV aerobics star resorting to the most desperate of measures to regain her youth, and Sue (Margaret Qualley), the other, younger half she gruesomely expels from her body with the aid of "the substance." There's so much narrative possibility packed into this throwaway line, spoken by tennis star-turned-coach Tashi (Zendaya). She's a ruthless striver wedged in the middle of a homoerotic love triangle because she married Art (Mike Faist) after first having dated his best friend Patrick (Josh O'Connor). Does she love either of them as much, if not more, than she loves the thrill of a little green ball connecting with a swinging racket in a game of "good tennis"? Doubtful. But she's dedicated her life to making sure Art does what she wasn't able to accomplish on her own after a career-ending injury, and she'll be damned if she'll let Patrick humiliate him on the court. Look, I never said this was a list of the best movies of 2024. M. Night Shyamalan's nepo-baby project starring Josh Hartnett as a hot and doting dad who's also a serial killer is truly one of the dumbest, most nonsensical things to come out of Hollywood in recent memory. But it's fun as hell, and the commitment to such a ridiculous premise is weirdly audacious: The F.B.I., led by a serial killer "profiler" played by Haley Mills, has trapped thousands of people at a pop star's concert to catch a guy who could be literally anyone. (That pop star is played by Shyamalan's daughter Saleka.) What does this killer look like? Who knows! Except if you've seen this movie and made it through to the end, you eventually realize that everyone hunting this guy down should've absolutely known. It makes no sense. The plot holes are abundant. This is cinema. Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org .

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We really don't despise the media enough. Over the weekend, when President Joe Biden pardoned Hunter Biden for 'any and all' crimes during a ten-year period, the same media who said that Biden would never do such a thing changed their tune right quick. They also spent years calling the Hunter Biden crime stories 'misinformation' and 'discredited' in an effort to dismiss the claims and absolve themselves of doing actual journalism. And now they pretend like none of that happened. But we cannot let them get away with it so easily. Here's Leslie Stahl, for example: Remember when Trump tied to bring up Hunter Biden's crimes and Lesley Stahl laughed and called it discredited? pic.twitter.com/Gk6BwCDPWw We don't despise the media enough. We will never hate the media enough. Never. Hunter brackets the entire Biden presidency, he’s being pardoned for this he did which 51 “intelligence experts” denied as Russian disinformation It's also important to remember, this isn't really about Hunter. This was Joe Biden protecting Joe Biden. Hunter was just the bag man. Dear Lesley Stahl: Trump is still waiting for your apology. We hope he doesn't hold his breath. The media is compromised and should be completely ignored at this point. pic.twitter.com/N6B4vZ0IKW Completely ignored. Legacy media has been interfering in our elections for decades. This was just a continuation of that. It sure was. It was 100% real and everyone knew it. https://t.co/w4YCRXNWh9 Everyone. Even the journalists. But they lied. Remember when Lesley Stahl was an honest journalist? Yeah, neither do I. https://t.co/vJh0wcx9tU Was she ever an honest journalist? This has aged well. Stahl and 60 Minutes are exposed as corrupt tools of the DNC. Neither has any credibility. https://t.co/1BkZt077Ah No credibility at all. It’s absolutely disgraceful what the mainstream media has become in their quest for profit. And this has been going on for many years. These people who actively participate are disgusting. It’s been a very long time (more than 2 decades) since I’ve believed anything they say... https://t.co/ENmsJ5rhrr The media aren't in this for profit. This is all politically driven. Exhibit #963 of why nobody trusts legacy media. https://t.co/eQm0BZwP4S Nor should they.I'm A Celebrity fans threaten to 'boycott' show after major announcement

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fans have taken to social media to praise one of the ITV show's new key storylines. viewers are enthralled by the developing romance between Carla Connor and DS Swain. In the latest episode of Coronation Street, which aired Friday 'If I end up back in my watching coronation street era, it’s because of carla and swain. WOW,' wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter). If I end up back in my watching coronation street era, it’s because of carla and swain. WOW. To which another replied, 'Welcome back girlll.' And the fan replied, 'HAHAHA girllllll I am so ready.' While another wrote, 'apparently i need to watch yet another british soap so someone please tell me which episode i need to start watching coronation street from for the whole carla and lisa storyline.' Get the What to Watch Newsletter The latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more! apparently i need to watch yet another british soap so someone please tell me which episode i need to start watching coronation street from for the whole carla and lisa storyline 😭 Meanwhile another said, 'it's my birthday and i've just found out Coronation Street have made Carla Connor gay, this is the best present, all i've ever wanted.' it's my birthday and i've just found out Coronation Street have made Carla Connor gay, this is the best present, all i've ever wanted But some Corrie fans couldn't see what all the fuss is about. Another wrote, 'You would swear Carla and Blondies scene from Coronation Street was from 1993 the way people are going on.' You would swear Carla and Blondies scenefrom Coronation Street was from 1993 the way people are going on Meanwhile another said of the romance on the show, 'Wowwww I never thought I would see Carla gay love story as soon I stop watching after a couple of years we finally get it damnn maybe I should rewatch Coronation street again for her damn she were always my favourite character in coronation street though.' Wowwww I never thought I would see Carla gay love story as soon I stop watching after a couple of years we finally get it damnn maybe I should rewatch Coronation street again for her damn she were always my favourite character in coronation street though 😂😋 Meanwhile another said, 'I just find it so crazy that I happened to start watching coronation street again and suddenly I'm roped into being insane about carla connor once again but with another woman. Like its insane to think abt and I cannot believe any of this is real. What do you mean.' I just find it so crazy that I happened to start watching coronation street again and suddenly I'm roped into being insane about carla connor once again but with another woman. Like its insane to think abt and I cannot believe any of this is real. What do you mean. Watch this space to see how the story develops.Woodward joined Manchester United in 2013, taking on the role of executive vice-chairman. During his time at the club, he oversaw the commercial growth of the brand, striking numerous lucrative sponsorship deals and expanding the club's global reach. His business acumen was evident in his ability to generate revenue for the club, making Manchester United one of the wealthiest football clubs in the world.

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S&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2024 Review ResultsWINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — It wasn’t how Duke drew up the final play, but it worked out perfect for the Blue Devils in Saturday’s 23-17 victory over Wake Forest. Maalik Murphy threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Moore as time expired, allowing Duke to end the regular season with three consecutive victories. Murphy said he realized he took too long to make a decision after the last snap. “I knew at that point I had to make a play,” he said. “The damage was already done, time was ticking.” With the score tied at 17, the Blue Devils (9-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved 76 yards in 1:22 after forcing a Wake Forest punt. It appeared that Duke might run out of time in the slow-developing play, but Moore improvised and broke free along the right side, caught the ball at the 10-yard line and spun into the end zone to complete a comeback from 14 points down in the second half. “The play that Maalik and Jordan put together was magical,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “Nobody thought a 5-yard route would turn into a (long) touchdown.” So instead of a long field-goal attempt, Duke had something better. “I just decided to take it down the field,” Moore said. “I think that’s a testament to our chemistry. ... Maalik had the confidence in himself to make that kind of play.” It resulted in Duke’s sixth victory by seven points or less. “It’s like a perfect exclamation point to our season,” Diaz said. “An unbelievable way to finish our season.” Murphy racked up with 235 yards on 26-for-34 passing. Moore, who was down with an injury after a reception earlier in the second half, made five catches for 98 yards. Hank Bachmeier threw for 207 yards and a touchdown as Wake Forest (4-8, 2-6) ended its second straight four-win season with a four-game losing streak. “A heartbreaking loss,” Demon Deacons coach Dave Clawson said. “It’s a tough way to lose a game and a tough way to end the season.” Tate Carey’s 8-yard run, Matthew Dennis’ 37-yard field goal and Horatio Fields’ 9-yard reception across 11 minutes of game time gave Wake Forest a 17-3 lead with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Duke took advantage of a short field following a punt, moving 42 yards in four plays to score on Star Thomas’ 3-yard run. The Blue Devils recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and converted on Murphy’s 2-yard run with 12:57 left to pull even. “What has been proven is that we’re mentally tough,” Diaz said. “We’re not going to do everything perfect.” Taylor Morin became Wake Forest’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,974. He picked up 47 yards on eight catches on Saturday. Morin, in his fifth season, passed former NFL player Ricky Proehl, who had 2,929 yards in the late 1980s. Duke: The Blue Devils have secured at least a nine-win season for the second time in three seasons, this one coming in Diaz’s first season. They racked up a 4-0 record against in-state opponents, including comebacks to top North Carolina and Wake Forest. “Every quest that we have for championships starts in our own state,” Diaz said. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons punted on their final three possessions of the season. They finished with a 1-6 record in home games. “It’s been a tough year, a long year, and I’m proud of our team and how hard they fought,” Clawson said. Duke: Awaits a bowl invitation Wake Forest: Enters the offseason with a losing record for the third time in five seasons. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballjili-711 。

Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a television interview that aired Sunday, Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO . Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the U.S. national security community. Asked on NBC's “Meet the Press” if he were actively working to end the nearly 3-year-old Ukraine war, Trump said, “I am.” He refused to say if he had spoken to Putin since winning election in November. “I don’t want to say anything about that, because I don’t want to do anything that could impede the negotiation,” Trump said. Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire went beyond the public policy stands taken by the Biden administration and Ukraine and drew a cautious response from Zelenskyy. It also marks Trump wading unusually deeply into efforts before his Jan. 20 inauguration to resolve one of the major global crises facing the lame-duck Biden administration. Trump made his proposal after a weekend meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders in Paris, where many world leaders gathered to celebrate the restoration of Notre Dame cathedral after a devastating fire. None of the advisers traveling with him appeared to have expertise on Ukraine. Kyiv would like to close a deal, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.” “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!” Trump added. He was referring to mediation efforts by China that many in the West have seen as favoring Russia. Zelenskyy described his discussions Saturday with Trump, brought together by French President Emmanuel Macron, as “constructive" but has given no further details. Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine needs a “just and robust peace, that Russians will not destroy within a few years.” “When we talk about an effective peace with Russia, we must talk first of all about effective peace guarantees. Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. Russia brought war to our land,” he said Sunday in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump's post by repeating Moscow’s long-standing message that it is open to talks with Ukraine. Peskov referenced a decree by Zelenskyy from October 2022 that declared the prospect of any talks “impossible” as long as Putin was Russia's leader. That decree came after Putin proclaimed four occupied regions of Ukraine to be part of Russia, in what Kyiv and the West said was a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. Trump’s former national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, warned there was no such thing as a quick fix to ending Russia’s war with Ukraine. “What I’m worried about is this kind of flawed idea that Putin can be placated, right, that Putin will come to some kind of a deal,” McMaster told “Fox News Sunday." “I think it’s really important for President Trump to adhere to his instinct in this connection ... peace through strength,” McMaster said, adding, “How about give them what they need to defend themselves, and then saying to Putin, ‘You’re going to lose this war?”’ While Trump has said before that he would like to see a quick ceasefire in Ukraine, his proposal Sunday was framed as a direct appeal to Russia. The quick responses from Ukraine and Russia demonstrated the seriousness with which they regarded the idea from the incoming American president. Both Trump and President Joe Biden pointed this weekend to Russia’s disengagement in Syria , where the Russian military largely moved out of the way while Syrian rebels overthrew the country’s Russian-allied president , as evidence of the extent to which the Ukraine war has sapped Russia’s resources. Biden said at the White House on Sunday that resistance from Ukraine had "left Russia unable to protect its main ally in the Middle East.” The Biden administration and other supporters of Ukraine have made a point of not being seen to press Ukraine for an immediate truce. Ukraine's allies fear a quick deal would be largely on the terms of its more powerful neighbor, potentially forcing damaging concessions on Ukraine and allowing Russia to resume the war again once it has built back up its military strength. Trump portrays himself as up to making fast deals to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East that have frustrated many of the Biden administration's own mediation efforts. There is no prohibition on incoming officials or nominees meeting with foreign officials, and it is common and fine for them to do so — unless those meetings are designed to subvert or otherwise affect current U.S. policy. The Logan Act bars private citizens from trying to intervene in “disputes or controversies” between the United States and foreign powers without government approval. But the 1799 statute has produced just two criminal cases, none since the 1850s and neither resulting in a criminal conviction. In the NBC interview taped Friday, Trump renewed his warning to NATO allies that he did not see continued U.S. participation in the Western military alliance as a given during his second term. Trump has long complained that European and the Canadian governments in the mutual-defense bloc are freeloading on military spending by the U.S., by far the most powerful partner in NATO. NATO and its member governments say a majority of countries in the bloc are now hitting voluntary targets for military spending , due in part to pressure from Trump in his first term. Asked whether he would consider the possibility of pulling out of NATO, Trump indicated that was an open question. “If they’re paying their bills, and if I think they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely I’d stay with NATO,” he said. But if not, he was asked if he would consider pulling the U.S. out of the alliance. Trump responded, “Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.” Trump expressed the same openness when asked if Ukraine should brace for possible cuts in U.S. aid. “Possibly,” he said. U.S. arms and other military support are vital to Ukraine's efforts to fend off invading Russian forces, and Biden has been surging assistance to Ukraine before leaving office. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday announced nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine. Austin spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Sunday about the status of the war and U.S. military backing, the Pentagon said. Russian forces kept up their grinding advance in eastern Ukraine, taking the village of Blahodatne, according to a statement Sunday by Russia’s defense ministry. If confirmed, that gain would bring Russian forces a step closer toward capturing the town of Velyka Novosilka and disrupting a key logistics route for the Ukrainian army, military analysts said. Kozlowska reported from London. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.Here's How Many Shares of Lowe's You Should Own to Get $500 in Yearly Dividends

The TL;DR: We check in with four young frequent travellers who go the extra mile in pursuit of experiences that fuel their passions. (Clockwise from top left) Ms Jaedyn Choo, Ms Genevieve Sia, Ms Nadiah Motosir and Mr Isaac Lee Zhi Wen hope to turn every journey into a story worth sharing. SINGAPORE – They do not let school or a full-time job stand in the way of chasing their travel dreams. Even if they have to scrimp, save or juggle side hustles, they find creative ways to fund their next getaway. Whether it is discovering new cultures, building bonds across borders, savouring new cuisine, capturing evocative vignettes of the world, or chasing the rush of catching K-pop idols live, these four young people are turning every journey into a story worth sharing – as they do on their socials. Budget travel, priceless connections At 19, Miss Jaedyn Choo went on her first solo adventure – a two-week backpacking trip in Thailand in 2023. She was eager to meet new people from around the world, and her itinerary included going to look at the Golden Buddha in Bangkok, partying in Chiang Mai, and tipsy tubing – floating down the Pai River in a tube while sipping on an alcoholic beverage – in northern Thailand. Including her flight costs, she spent $800 on that trip. Now a third-year student in the Media, Arts & Design School at Singapore Polytechnic, she has backpacked to another three countries since that trip. To fund her travels, she juggles part-time work such as banquet serving work alongside her school commitments. She stretches her dollar by searching for affordable flights – once snagging a $30 one-way ticket from Langkawi, Malaysia, to Singapore – and by staying in hostels. “When I plan ‘normal’ trips with friends, accommodation can be $40 to $60 per night, which is reasonable,” she mused, adding that this amount “sounds crazy to me” when viewed from her budget traveller pov, given that she spends $10 to $15 for hostels. Ms Jaedyn Choo in Nong Khiaw, Laos. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAEDYN CHOO While her shortest trip – to Kuala Lumpur and Cameron Highlands – was just five days, she usually packs in multiple cities in the same country over about two weeks. Her school schedule prevents her from longer travels, she said. Her 15-day stay in Langkawi – her longest – was her most memorable. She said: “It was my first time staying in an all-female hostel. It felt very cosy, and it rained a lot so all the girls would just sit and watch movies together.” Twelve hours before her flight back home, Miss Choo spontaneously extended her trip, which was originally set to be a week long. Her favourite memories from her travels “always revolve around a group of people from different backgrounds and of different ages hanging out together”. Ms Jaedyn Choo in Ha Giang, Vietnam. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAEDYN CHOO At a hostel in Okinawa, Japan, she recalled having dinner in the communal area and listening to a Canadian man, who looked to be in his 50s, regaling fellow travellers with his tales about backpacking in India. She said she was struck by the community spirit and shared sense of adventure among the group of strangers – from countries such as Canada, Chile, and Germany, and of diverse ages. Miss Choo’s parents had initially opposed the idea of their teenage daughter backpacking solo, worrying about her safety. But she said she asserted her rights as “an adult” and went ahead. She takes precautions such as ensuring there are others around, and frequently updates her parents about her location. “Because I also managed to start (on) TikTok, I think my mum is a little bit proud of me, so it’s not so bad. Obviously, they still don’t love it or encourage it, but now they’re just irritated,” she quipped. Sharing her travel tales on her TikTok account (@jaejaepeanut), Miss Choo has amassed 17,800 followers on the platform since she started posting in October 2023. the 7 year old knew how to communicate with google translate😭 #tiktoksg #fypsg #travel She enjoys posting not just about backpacking, but also vlogs about her life on TikTok. “I have a lot of fun. Every now and then, I get to do ads, which is great because I can use the money to travel more.” But she does not see a future in being a content creator. “I try not to put too much weight on it – I just post and hope to earn money,” she said. “So when it stops, it stops.” The fangirl era tour K-pop fangirl Genevieve Sia was just 17 when she attended her first overseas concert in Seoul, South Korea, in 2019. Back then, she paid for only the ticket, while her parents covered her travel costs. Now, the 22-year-old communications student at University at Buffalo – Singapore Institute of Management said she is adopting a Yolo mindset when it comes to travelling to see her favourite K-pop groups. “You really never know when your last day is, so I want to maximise my youth and travel for concerts when I still have the capacity to. I doubt it will be as easy when I’m working a full-time job.” The fan of K-pop boy bands The Boyz and NCT Dream added: “Since I’ve become an adult, it’s been easier to fly for concerts, so I try to go to every Asia stop for groups I like whenever they tour.” She has lost track of the number of overseas concerts she has attended, but said she and her friends have been to at least seven shows of The Boyz’s recent world tour, Zeneration. Ms Genevieve Sia at K-pop boy band The Boyz’s World Tour Zeneration Encore in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: COURTESY OF GENEVIEVE SIA The communications student usually shares short post-trip vlogs about her getaways on TikTok and YouTube, and uses her earnings as a content creator to fund her concert pilgrimages. Excluding food and shopping expenses, a trip for a multiple-day concert can cost her between $5,000 and $6,000 for concert tickets, flights and accommodation. She usually attends overseas concerts because she wants to see the artiste again, and her family does not object to her pursuits, she said. “Most concerts are on the weekends, so it doesn’t really affect my school schedule. I can always fly on Friday after class and fly back in time for classes on Monday.” The content creator, who has over 187,500 followers on TikTok (@genevievesjy), said: “It’s much more exciting when it’s during a school term because it gives me something to look forward to every few weeks.” tbz in jakarta vlog + fancams💞 everyone was so nice and the vibes in jkt are always ON TOP🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 @THE BOYZ When she was in Bangkok, Thailand, in August for The Boyz’s concert and fansign session, a band member recognised her from their concerts, Miss Sia said. “Chang-min actually told me he always sees me at their concerts and that he knew it was my second time at a physical fansign. I don’t ever expect any of my idols to remember me, but the fact that he remembered me from a short interaction really touched me! “Things like this make me think it’s worth it to keep travelling to see them again.” Getting his showreel on the road Mr Isaac Lee Zhi Wen, a third-year student in Nanyang Polytechnic’s Mass Media Management, enjoys travelling for his videography and photography pursuits. The 19-year-old has been making travel vlogs for about five years now. He started at 14 while on a family vacation. “I was inspired by travel videographers Benntk and Casey Neistat, whose content resonated deeply with me,” he said. In the past five years, the young videographer has visited eight cities, including Angsana Ihuru in the Maldives, Bangkok in Thailand, and Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. He usually travels with a trusted friend or his family, as his parents are concerned about his safety. Mr Isaac Lee Zhi Wen enjoys travelling for his videography and photography pursuits. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ISAAC LEE ZHI WEN His videos are cinematic showreels of the various places he visits, as well as the locals whom he meets along the way. He usually posts them on Instagram (@maybeimisaac) to keep a record of his memories from his trips. He said taking travel videos and photos is his way of expressing his creativity and fully immersing himself in the moment. “I can shut off the world and focus on capturing the present through my camera lens.” He typically carries a lot of videography gear while travelling – which may include multiple camera lenses and even a drone. “Depending on the trip, I might have to pack lighter or buy extra baggage to accommodate all the equipment,” he said. On a trip to Bali with a fellow videographer in March 2023, he had to purchase an additional 20kg of checked baggage to accommodate his filming equipment, which included his new $1,900 drone. Mr Isaac Lee Zhi Wen trying out his new drone in Bali, Indonesia, in March 2023. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ISAAC LEE ZHI WEN He had a close call with the drone while attempting to film a wide shot of the beach during that trip. “Everything was going smoothly until the drone’s battery started running low unexpectedly. We had to land it quickly, but since it was my first time flying a drone, I wasn’t sure how to safely catch and land it,” Mr Lee said. “The drone almost crashed, but thankfully, we managed to bring it down safely just in time. It was a nerve-racking moment, but it taught me a lot about handling equipment under pressure.” Mr Lee is able to fund his trips by taking up various freelance videography projects while he is not busy with school. “I usually do corporate or event videography. It pays about $1,200 per project, so I save the money for new equipment and trips.” Stamping her culinary passport From weekend getaways to two week-long escapades, Ms Nadiah Motosir, 27, travels at least once a month to try new foods and experiences. She has been to 30 cities in Asia, and prefers investing in travel experiences instead of material possessions. “In Singapore, I’m frugal. I eat at home, take public transport, and only shop when needed. My splurges are reserved for travel,” she said. And splurge she does. She budgets $500 to $1,000 per day for meals and activities during her holidays. She squirrels away about a third of her take-home pay from her job in corporate strategy. To ensure that she tries only the best, Ms Motosir said she meticulously maps out must-see spots and researches food options. She once travelled from Osaka to Kobe just for dinner at Royal Mouriya, a renowned spot for Kobe beef. Her best friend had claimed that Kobe beef was better than wagyu, so she had to try it for herself. “The experience was fantastic, and the beef was delicious, but I still prefer wagyu – I’m a sucker for its fatty, melt-in-your-mouth texture.” And she still savours the memory of a deer meat rice bowl she had at Amano-Ya restaurant in Yamanakako, a village near Mount Fuji in Japan. Ms Nadiah Motosir in Yamanakako, Japan, with Mount Fuji in the background. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NADIAH MOTOSIR She discovered the dish by chance while cycling with a travel buddy during Japan’s Golden Week in May 2023, when many businesses – especially in less touristy areas – were closed. Hungry at 7am, they happened to stumble across a “charming little shop” that was open, and immediately went in. They noticed locals enthusiastically tucking into venison donburi. “Curious, we decided to try it and I’m so glad we did. The meat was tender and flavourful, and it turned out to be one of the best dishes I’ve ever had, despite my initial hesitation about eating something so heavy in the morning.” Ms Nadiah Motosir still savours the memory of a deer meat rice bowl she had in Yamanakako, a village near Mount Fuji in Japan. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NADIAH MOTOSIR She shares her foodie stories on Lemon8 (@deznadz), where she has over 12,100 followers, whose supportive messages motivate her, she said. They often thank her for her posts, and reach out for travel tips. Ms Motosir said her best memories tend to come from quieter areas where locals gather – “places that feel genuine, not curated for Instagram”. On her travel goals, she said: “Ideally, I’d love to visit every country at least once, but realistically, I have limited annual leave. My focus is on quality over quantity, so I’ll probably prioritise four to six new destinations in Asia for now. “I’m not racing against anyone; I want to savour the experiences fully.” Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowTORONTO — Hannah Miller scored a power-play goal with 1:38 remaining in the game, lifting the Toronto Sceptres to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Fleet in the Professional Women's Hockey League season opener on Saturday. With Boston standout Hilary Knight in the penalty box for a vicious boarding penalty on Sceptres defender Renata Fast, Miller made good on her rebound attempt on a Daryl Watts shot with a half-open net. Fast recovered for an assist on the winner before 8,089 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Fleet (0-1-0) challenged the goal, but video review deemed Miller's shot was good. Sarah Nurse got Toronto (1-0-0) on the board with a short-handed tally 11:50 into the first period and Emma Maltais added an empty-net strike to seal the score at 3-1 with 12 seconds left on the game clock. Boston's Hilary Knight opened the scoring at the 3:00 mark of the opening frame, sending a slap shot past Toronto goalie Kristin Campbell, who registered 18 stops on the night. Toronto outshot Boston 41-19. Boston goalie Aerin Frankel, a big reason why her team advanced to the Walter Cup final last spring, was outstanding with 38 saves. Frankel made a significant glove-hand stop on Toronto defender Jocelyne Larocque with 6:36 remaining in the third period. Larocque was alone when a rebound caromed to her in front. But the puck was rolling, and she could only lift her shot straight into Frankel's glove. Nurse's goal tested the league's new jailbreak rule that sees a minor penalty — in this case, Izzy Daniel's tripping infraction — wiped out when a team scores a short-handed goal. . Takeaways Sceptres: Billie Jean King MVP Natalie Spooner missed the season opener. The PWHL scoring champion underwent left knee surgery last June after getting injured in Game 3 of Toronto's first-round series against Minnesota. Fleet: Defender Emma Greco of Burlington, Ont., played her first game for Boston. She was part of the Walter Cup-winning Minnesota team that defeated Boston in a three-game series last spring. Greco is one of five Ontario-born players on the Fleet roster. Key moment With the game tied 1-1, the Sceptres failed to score during a 59-second 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second period. Boston blocked five shots during the span. Key stat Last year, Toronto enjoyed an 11-game win streak en route to its regular-season championship, including three wins against Boston. Up next Toronto visits Ottawa on Tuesday. Boston will play its home opener on Wednesday, a rematch with the Walter Cup-champion Minnesota. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2024. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press

Novel physical reservoir computing device mimics human synaptic behavior

climaco MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With Penn State's strong push for a spot in the College Football Playoff still a couple of wins from completion, the biggest roadblock to a bid for the Nittany Lions in this favorable final third of their schedule has appeared with a trip to Minnesota . That's why this week, naturally, is too early for them to talk about making the inaugural 12-team tournament — as enticing as their prospects might be. “I think the quality of teams that we go in and play each week speaks for itself,” quarterback Drew Allar said. "But as far as rankings, it doesn’t really matter until it matters.” Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) is fourth in both the AP poll and the CFP rankings this week, needing help for a long-shot hope of reaching the Big Ten title game because of a loss to now-No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 2. In this new era of playoff expansion, the Nittany Lions are on firm footing for an at-large bid. Lose to the unranked Gophers (6-4, 4-3), however, and that ground could become shaky given the current collection of standout two-loss teams in the SEC. In case the Nittany Lions needed proof of the danger of letting focus diverge, coach James Franklin and his staff can call up the tape from Nov. 9, 2019. That's when an undefeated Penn State team came to Minnesota and lost 31-26 . The Nittany Lions lost again at Ohio State two weeks later and finished 11-2, one of several not-quite performances for this storied program that last went unbeaten in 1994 and hasn't been recognized as national champions since 1986. The Gophers were undefeated themselves after that game before losses to rivals Iowa and Wisconsin ended their Rose Bowl quest. This team isn't on that level of talent and success from five years ago, but the chemistry has been off the charts. Coach P.J. Fleck drew attention to some of the individual standout performances that fueled the signature victory in 2019 in meetings with players this week. “We need our best playmakers to play their best. Penn State’s going to need their playmakers to be their best. That’s what happens in November,” Fleck said. Tyler Warren has already shattered nearly every record for Penn State tight ends. The do-it-all senior become such a force his teammates insist he’s worthy of the Heisman Trophy, tracking toward the top of the NFL draft board for his position next spring. “He’s the best tight end in America, but he’s also the most complete tight end in America," Allar said. Warren is coming off a 190-yard performance at Purdue that included 63 yards on three rushes and 127 yards on eight receptions. “He has the ability to take a play that should be 2 or 3 yards and turn it into 30 or 40,” Gophers defensive end Danny Striggow said. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has 171⁄2 tackles for loss, the second-most in the FBS, and eight sacks to match the third-most in the Big Ten. He has a challenging matchup this week with Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery across from him in a battle of projected first-round NFL draft picks. Gophers coaches told Striggow and his fellow defensive linemen a couple of seasons ago to relish the opportunity to face Ersery in practice. “That’s one of the best looks in the country that you’re going to get,” Striggow said. Carter has successfully made the transition from linebacker this season. “He is impacting the game in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense and causes a lot of headaches,” Franklin said. “He is becoming more and more of a leader every single day.” Allar and the Nittany Lions have paid particular attention to protecting the ball this week, given the Gophers have 16 interceptions, one short of the national lead. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar feels he’ll need to be especially accurate this weekend considering Minnesota has 16 interceptions on the season. “We’re just going to have to be disciplined and stick to our game plan,” Allar said. The Gophers have a strong group of departing players who will take the field at Huntington Bank Stadium for the final time, including Ersery, quarterback Max Brosmer, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, right guard Quinn Carroll, cornerback Justin Walley, kicker Dragan Kesich and Striggow. “It’s been good to reflect, but it’s not over yet," Striggow said. "Those short windows of reflection, I cut ’em out and then say, ‘We’ve got some more memories to make.’” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football .No. 3 Notre Dame women rout Virginia for Olivia Miles’ 100th career win

O Brien Wealth Partners LLC Sells 165 Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)The key innovation of the "Oath" update is the implementation of a sophisticated AI system that enables NPC companions to learn and adapt to the player's behavior. This means that NPC companions will now be able to anticipate the player's needs, offer valuable advice, and even provide insightful commentary on the world around them. Players can expect their companions to be more proactive, helpful, and, most importantly, less annoying.The Xiaomi YU7 is expected to showcase a sleek and modern design, in line with Xiaomi's signature aesthetic. The SUV is said to feature a spacious interior with premium materials and state-of-the-art infotainment systems, embodying Xiaomi's commitment to merging technology with everyday life. In addition, the Xiaomi YU7 is rumored to come equipped with advanced safety features and intelligent driving assistance capabilities, setting a new standard for smart vehicles in the market.

'Democracy and freedom': Jimmy Carter's human rights efforts in Latin AmericaPublished 4:08 pm Saturday, November 30, 2024 By Data Skrive There are five games featuring a ranked team on the Sunday college basketball schedule, including the UCLA Bruins versus the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.

jilimacao 01 Zelensky’s latest Ukraine-Russia war plan is a ‘major concession’ to Putin, says former UK ambassadorNone

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President-elect Donald Trump is expected to offer Kelly Loeffler the job of secretary of the Department of Agriculture, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. He is set to meet with her at Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon, but as is always the case, nothing is final until Trump announces it. Related video above: Trump nominates Pam Bondi for Attorney General Loeffler, who briefly represented Georgia in the Senate, had fundraised for Trump during the 2024 race and raised several million dollars for his campaign over the summer when she hosted a debate watch party with Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. Several of Trump’s other Cabinet picks — including Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Elise Stefanik — were at that party. Loeffler is also co-chairing Trump’s inauguration, as CNN previously reported. The agriculture job will likely be significant — especially as Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has promised to assert his influence over the agriculture industry. Loeffler, appointed to the Senate by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp over the wishes of Trump, lost her seat in a 2021 runoff to Democratic now-Sen. Raphael Warnock. Loeffler was a staunch Trump ally in Congress, saying prior to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, that she planned to vote against certifying her state’s electoral results in support of Trump’s broader effort to upend Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. After the U.S. Capitol attack, Loeffler backed off her objection, saying on the Senate floor: “When I arrived in Washington this morning, I fully intended to object to the certification of the electoral votes. However, the events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider, and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors.” In the same speech, Loeffler condemned the violence at the Capitol, calling it “abhorrent.” Loeffler was among the witnesses who appeared before the grand jury as part of Trump’s 2020 election subversion criminal case in Georgia. Before joining the Senate, Loeffler served as an executive at a financial services firm in Atlanta. She was also a co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. She was among the wealthiest lawmakers during her short time in Congress. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is the CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange. When running for election in 2020, she announced she and her husband were divesting from individual stocks amid sharp criticism over trades she and other lawmakers made ahead of the market downturn caused by the coronavirus. Kemp had appointed Loeffler to fill the seat of Johnny Isakson, who had left the Senate before the end of his term because of health concerns. Trump, however, had pressed the governor to appoint then-Rep. Doug Collins, who then challenged Loeffler for the remainder of Isakson’s term. The two Republicans sought to one-up the other and showcase their loyalty to Trump, moving further and further to the right in a state where Atlanta’s more moderate suburban voters were key. Collins fell short in the November 2020 election, while Loeffler and Warnock advanced to the January 2021 runoff. This year, Trump has selected Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The partially constructed skywalk project in Kottayam has once again become a flashpoint of a raging political tussle between the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The latest round of controversy follows the release of a report by an expert committee from IIT Palakkad, tasked with evaluating the strength and stability of the structure. The report highlighted significant flaws, deeming the existing structure unstable due to welding issues on the column supporting the roof truss. It recommended dismantling the entire roof and columns above platform level. The report also flagged inadequacies in certain structural components while suggesting ways to strengthen those areas. Corrosion, both internal and external, was also noted, with recommendations for proper anti-corrosion treatment. UDF’s accusations The UDF has accused the LDF government of using the report as an excuse to halt the project for political reasons. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, legislator of Kottayam, alleged that the government’s failure to award the remaining work to the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) is at the heart of the issue. “The LDF government is finding reasons to stall every development project proposed for Kottayam town. This is sheer political vendetta,’‘ he said. The project’s suspension, according to Mr. Radhakrishnan, also reflected a broader lack of commitment by the LDF to local development of Kottayam. The LDF, in turn, has blamed Mr. Radhakrishnan for the alleged corruption and construction flaws that have plagued the project. “The project was hastily launched without adequate planning, including the failure to acquire sufficient land. This resulted in design changes, such as constructing a pillar on Shastri Road, which ultimately weakened the structure,” pointed out K. Anilkumar, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State committee. The ₹5.18-crore pedestrian skywalk, aimed at easing congestion at the busy Seematti junction, was initiated in February 2016. However, the construction stalled soon after the metal structure was installed. Earlier this year, Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar declared in the Assembly that the project was unviable, citing a revised cost estimate of ₹17.85 crore. Published - November 30, 2024 08:39 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

Michigan's defense of national title fell short, aims to cap lost season with win against Ohio State

Last fall, the Golden State Warriors got an early indication that Brandin Podziemski was no average rookie, and it had nothing to do with his basketball skills. The 6-foot-5 guard, playing in one of his first scrimmages with the team, yelled at Draymond Green -- yes, Draymond Green -- for committing a turnover that cost them the game. While some probably held their breath in anticipation of Green's reaction, the verbal lashing only elicited one feeling in the fiery 12-year veteran: Respect. "Here we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me ready [to return from injury] and he's yelling at me," Green told The Athletic . "That, to me, said a whole lot. I was like, 'You know what? No problem. But make sure you speak up like that all the time.'" Not a problem. Despite being just 21 years old and in his second NBA season, Podziemski has already become one of the vocal leaders on a team that features the venerated voices of Green and Stephen Curry . As his chestnut tendrils bob up and down above his headband while he dribbles down the floor, Podziemski confidently gesticulates and shouts toward teammates in order to get them organized. His role off the bench is partly why the Warriors have raced out to a 12-4 start, tied for the best record in the Western Conference. "I think the biggest strides I've made is as a leader," Podziemski told CBS Sports. "Being a point guard on the floor, guys -- no matter their age or their status in the league -- kind of look at you on the floor to know what's going on. And so, learning a lot from Steph and seeing how he went about things, learning a lot from Chris Paul last year and how he went about it, helped me now." From the way he dealt with Green early in his career, to the way he answers questions, to simply the way he stands -- goateed chin held high and shoulders assertively back -- Podziemski exudes confidence well beyond his years. Last season, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr even went as far as to call him "cocky," meant as the best compliment possible. But Podziemski's self-assured nature doesn't mean he thinks he's perfect. Far from it. And a good example is the smile he prominently displays when his team accomplishes something brilliant on the court. Podziemski is using Invisalign treatment to straighten out the teeth that, to him, could use some improvement. He had braces as a young man but they didn't quite do the trick. "With anything that you want done for yourself, or things that you're doing, when you feel good, you're more confident," Podziemski told CBS Sports in an interview set up by Invisalign. "And so, yeah, I'm a confident person, but there's always room for improvement." Podziemski's smile may already be looking better, but he hasn't had much reason to display it on the court this season. An All-Rookie selection last year, he's shooting just 37% from the field and a jarring 18.5% from 3-point range, down 20% from his accuracy rate from deep as a rookie. Kerr has made headlines for playing 11- or 12-man rotations all season long, which means Podziemski's playing time has also been inconsistent. He's averaged 19 minutes over his last nine games, often playing in the 15-16 range. That's not much time to make an impact, especially if the shots aren't falling. Coming in and going 0-for-5 on 3s, as he did in a recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans , would test the confidence of even the most self-assured veteran, let alone a guard in his early 20s. But Podziemski has found a way to impact winning despite his dreadful early shooting numbers. He's averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists, and the Warriors are plus-60 in his minutes, which ranks fifth on the team. "I think it's the maturity piece. You do what's best for the team," Podziemski told CBS Sports. "You obviously have personal, individual goals that you want to live up to, just coming off the season I had last year. But I think an immature player would be, 'It's all about me, me, me, and it only works if I'm successful.' And I think through team success, individual success is a lot easier." While many players of his age and talent would be playing 30-plus minutes per night on a losing team, Podziemski needs to make an impact in whatever time Kerr decides to put him on the floor. "Obviously, 15-16 minutes, you want to play more, and that's just a given in competitive nature," Podziemski said. "But if you're winning, you know, what is there to say? Right? You could argue that X, Y, Z should play more or play less, but if you're winning, I think that kind of takes care of a lot of problems, a lot of questions." In terms of the poor shooting, Green recently issued a message to Podziemski through the media which essentially amounted to: who cares? To Green -- who has certainly struggled with his own jumper throughout his Hall of Fame career -- Podziemski does so many other important things on the court, that making shots is just a bonus and he needs to stop putting so much pressure on himself. "If the one thing that you're struggling with is your shot, but you're doing five or six other things great, I think that will outweigh your shot," Green said of Podziemski's struggles. "And he should appreciate that, lean into that. If he leans into that, the shots will fall." Podziemski has also received advice from the greatest shooter to ever live, who happens to be a couple lockers down from him. Curry pointed to his own preseason shooting woes, and that he's been in the league long enough to know that eventually he'll get on a hot streak and the average will settle where it's supposed to be. Podziemski has taken that to heart and is focusing on "the things I can control" in order to help the Warriors maintain one of the best records in the league. And as far as the deep rotation, Podziemski sees it as a blessing in the long run, even if it means his minutes get cut down a bit. "We all bring something different, and I think that's the difference between last year," Podziemski said. "Last year, there's only so many lineup combinations he could throw out there, given what players bring, what they need around them to be successful. And I think now we have so many diverse pieces that can be plugged and played in so many different lineups that it makes it easier."ZYNL Real Estate Innovations Ltd.: Revolutionizing Real Estate Investments through Blockchain and AI 12-06-2024 10:04 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: ABNewswire December 6, 2024 - Clonmel, Ireland - ZYNL Real Estate Innovations Ltd is making waves as it launches the technologically advanced platform tailored to changing the narrative of $280 trillion global real estate market. The company is poised to unwrap the integration of blockchain technology with artificial intelligence (AI) geared towards revolutionizing the inefficiencies encountered by investors, offering great real estate advantages. Founded in Clonmel, Ireland, ZYNL Real Estate Innovations Ltd. is redefining the real estate investment landscape through cutting-edge and innovative business models. The company centers on property acquisition, restoration, renting, and real estate sales, enhancing steady returns while revamping communities globally. In an ever-evolving era where the Traditional real estate investment is ineffective and marred with high entry barriers, and opaque processes. ZYNL sets the pace by addressing these inadequacies, providing a transparent, secure, and democratized ecosystem where properties are not just assets but vehicles for meaningful returns and community revitalization. Notably, ZYNL empower investors by creating a seamless result oriented platform by combining blockchain's transparency with AI's precision. This helps improve the real estate investment in an inclusive way. It's crystal clear that Real estate investment is one the most reliable and profitable asset to deal. ZYNL's platform breaks traditional limits and creates access to a booming market, empowering investors of all sizes to engage in global property deals. ZYNL offers a multi-faceted approach to returns, including rental Income, property sales, staking rewards for both short- term and long- term investors. Simply put, investors stand the chance of having predictable and multiple streams of revenue. Another advantage investors should leverage on is the efficient blockchain-powered transparency. ZYNL secures all the transaction on the polygon blockchain building unequalled investors trust and confidence. ZYNL employs the use of AI to identify undervalued properties, optimize investments based on market trends track and predict emerging opportunities for higher returns. By acquiring and restoring neglected properties, ZYNL is creating economic value while contributing to urban renewal and environmental sustainability. This commitment enhances communities and provides long-term benefits for all stakeholders. Early backers can benefit massively from the ZYNL exclusive presale opportunities at fair pricing. The ZYNL token presale is in three stages. These tokens provide access to the platform's ecosystem, allowing users to: - Stake tokens for passive income. - Participate in property deals. Facilitate rentals, purchases, or sales within a secure digital framework. Seize this opportunity and Invest with ZYNL for an easy and safe real estate deal. Investors are welcomed to join the platform with a user-friendly interface and robust support system. Invest smarter, invest transparently, and invest sustainably with ZYNL - where innovation meets opportunity. Kindly visit http://www.zynl.io [ http://www.zynl.io/ ] to get started and explore the potential of blockchain-powered real estate. Media Contact Company Name: ZYNL Real Estate Innovations Ltd. Contact Person: Alex Carter (Founder & CEO) Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=zynl-real-estate-innovations-ltd-revolutionizing-real-estate-investments-through-blockchain-and-ai ] Phone: +353-87-494-31-27 Address:70 Irishtown City: Clonmel State: County Tipperary, E91 XA97 Country: Ireland Website: http://www.zynl.io This release was published on openPR.

Share Tweet Share Share Email Speakers at the Global Stratalogues Dinner honoring the founder and chairman of Frank-Jürgen Richer (Center) with Belal Jassoma from DMCC (Left), Henzelene Healley from VA-Consultants (Left), Ebba Theding, 4+ Ventures (Right) and Oscar Wendel, Global Stratalogues (Right) The Global Stratalogues Dinner brought together an extraordinary lineup of industry leaders, visionaries, and changemakers to discuss the technologies and ideas shaping the future. Key speakers included Belal Jassoma, Director of Ecosystems at DMCC, and Frank – Jürgen Richter, Chairman of Horasis, who was the guest of honor. The dinner was held on occasion of the Horasis Asia meeting, co-hosted by DP World, alongside the Global Freight Summit at Expo City’s Dubai Exhibition Centre. Oscar Wendel, the Chairman of Global Stratalogues, opened the evening by introducing Ebba Theding, the dinner’s co-host, and welcomed long-time collaborator Belal Jassoma to give the welcoming address, acknowledging his significant efforts in fostering innovation through DMCC. Highlights from the Global Stratalogues Dinner: https://youtu.be/iGC0sBiiH5g?si=N0jr_-Y5G8zaBTW- Belal Jassoma & Ebba Theding: Visionaries in Ecosystem Building Belal Jassoma began his address by emphasizing the importance of collaboration in achieving shared goals. He praised the Global Stratalogues for uniting individuals with aligned visions and fostering groundbreaking discussions. Belal traced DMCC’s journey from a traditional commodities trading hub to a global leader in blockchain, AI, and Web3 technologies. He elaborated on DMCC’s evolution over the past decade, mainly focusing on leveraging technology to enhance trade. In 2021, DMCC launched the Crypto Centre, now home to over 600 Web3 companies, making it the region’s largest blockchain ecosystem. Similarly, creating dedicated hubs for gaming and AI exemplifies DMCC’s commitment to nurturing innovation. One of the most exciting initiatives Belal highlighted was the Global Web3 Innovation Challenge, an annual hackathon that attracts top talent worldwide. This year, the prize pool has increased to $160,000, and 15 promising startups are participating, underscoring the growing demand for blockchain and AI-driven solutions. Following Belal’s remarks, Ebba Theding shared her insights during a dynamic interview with Henzelene Healley of VA-Consultants, who moderated the on-stage interview. Introducing herself as the CEO of 4+ Ventures, Ebba explained her firm’s mission to co-build and invest in blockchain-powered companies. Her vision revolves around using blockchain to revolutionize collaboration and sustainability and developing next-generation infrastructure. Ebba identified four key areas her company focuses on AI, blockchain, infrastructure, and sustainability. She emphasized the transformative potential of these technologies in reshaping industries. According to Ebba, blockchain serves as an “upgrade to the internet’s operating system,” enabling unprecedented collaboration and problem-solving opportunities. She also spoke passionately about using gaming as a testing ground for blockchain technologies. In gaming environments, developers can safely experiment with mechanics like tokenization, ownership verification, and collaboration. These lessons can be applied to more sensitive sectors such as finance, healthcare, and land registries. Belal and Ebba shared complementary perspectives on the future of technology and trade. Belal provided practical examples, such as using blockchain for traceability in luxury goods and tokenizing gold. With DMCC’s robust commodities infrastructure and trade finance systems like Tradeflow, Belal highlighted how blockchain is driving transparency and efficiency in global trade. Meanwhile, Ebba focused on the promise of decentralization. She advocated for creating platforms that leverage collective intelligence, ensuring inclusivity and diverse perspectives in decision-making. Ebba noted that while regulation is essential, decentralization offers a unique opportunity to balance control with innovation. Frank-Jürgen Richter : Championing Global Collaboration As the guest of honor, Frank- Jürgen Richter delivered a powerful address on the role of collaboration in addressing global challenges. Representing Horasis, a global visions community, Frank shared the organization’s mission to draft actionable solutions through a multi-stakeholder approach. He praised Dubai for its forward-thinking and collaborative spirit, contrasting it with Europe’s more cautious approach to decision-making. Frank also shared success stories from Horasis, including facilitating dialogue between unlikely collaborators and fostering partnerships across industries and borders. One memorable example was bringing together ministers from India and Pakistan, who found common ground during a Horasis meeting in Dubai. “If people leave as friends, we’ve achieved something remarkable,” Frank remarked. The discussion naturally gravitated toward Dubai’s unique appeal as a global hub for technology and trade. Ebba expressed admiration for the UAE’s openness and ease of networking, citing the country’s proactive approach to fostering partnerships. Belal echoed these sentiments, emphasizing Dubai’s young, tech-savvy population and growing prominence in gaming and eSports. Belal also revealed DMCC’s ongoing efforts to attract gaming companies by creating a supportive ecosystem and hosting major events. This aligns with Dubai’s broader vision to become a leader in Web3, gaming, and decentralized technologies. See Ebba Theding interviews and Frank- Jürgen Richter : https://youtu.be/9Vb9_9vkzvE The dinner concluded with a renewed call for collaboration. Ebba encouraged attendees to continue exchanging ideas and exploring partnerships, highlighting the importance of building ecosystems that support innovation. Frank extended an invitation to join the Horasis Asia Meeting, promising more opportunities for cross-sector brainstorming. The evening underscored the power of shared vision and collaboration in shaping the future. With leaders like Belal Jassoma, Ebba Theding, and Frank Richter at the helm, the Global Stratalogues dinner demonstrated how Dubai is not just keeping pace with global innovation but setting the stage for transformative change. As the plates cleared and conversations deepened, the dinner left attendees inspired to reimagine possibilities and work together to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. The event was a testament to the belief that when visionary minds come together, the future is not only brighter—it is boundless. Henzelene Healley interviews Belal Jassoma of DMCC and Ebba Theding of 4+ Ventures: https://youtu.be/Ay_XdAFTrg4 About Global Stratalogues The Global Stratalogues is an exclusive series of high-level, closed-door roundtables and dinners that convene policymakers, private sector leaders, and academic experts from diverse disciplines in a think tank-style environment. These non-commercial gatherings unite some of the world’s most innovative and influential figures across industries and geographies to explore groundbreaking research, harness cutting-edge technology, and shape forward-thinking policies. The Global Stratalogues dinner in Dubai, honoring Horasis Chairman Frank-Jürgen Richter, brought together an extraordinary lineup of industry leaders, visionaries, and changemakers to discuss the technologies and ideas shaping the future. The next Global Stratalogues roundtables and dinners are confirmed to take place at the House of Lords, UK Parliament, from January 13 to 15. The theme, “Technology and Design: Unlocking Human Potential Across Physical and Digital Realms,” will spotlight global leaders in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and neurotechnology. Related Items: Belal Jassoma , Ebba Theding , Global Stratalogues Night 2024 , Leadership Networking Event , Oscar Wendel Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you The Future of Web3 and Blockchain Technology: Insights from the CEO of Four+ Ventures Empowered Advocacy Leading the Way in Evolving Workplace Accessibility CommentsWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family . Biden said the United States was monitoring reports of the whereabouts of Assad, with Russian state media saying he had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East. Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria's backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad's grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team. Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled because close ally Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, “was not interested in protecting him any longer.” Those comments on Trump's social media platform came a day after he used another post to decry the possibility of the U.S. intervening militarily in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT." The Biden administration said it had no intention of intervening. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended for those troops to remain, adding that U.S. forces on Sunday conducted “precision air strikes" on IS camps and operations in Syria. U.S. Central Command said the operation hit more than 75 targets. “We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try and take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its credibility, and create a safe haven," Biden said, using a different acronym for the group. "We will not let that happen.” The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham , which the U.S. says is a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida, although the group says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.” He added that the groups are “saying the right things now.” “But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said. A senior Biden administration official, when asked about contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders after Assad's departure, said Washington was in contact with Syrian groups of all kinds. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the U.S. has focused over the past several days on chemical weapons that had been controlled by the Assad government, aiming to ensure they were secured. Still, Assad's fall adds to an already tense situation throughout much of region on many fronts — including Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and its fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Like Biden, Trump, who takes office in five-plus weeks, made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and Russia's war in Ukraine , noting that Assad's allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, “are in a weakened state right now.” Vice President-elect JD Vance , a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents. “Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell,” he said. Trump has suggested that Assad's ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. The president-elect wrote that Putin's government “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine” and Trump called for an immediate ceasefire, a day after meeting in Paris with the French and Ukrainian leaders . Daniel B. Shapiro, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the American military presence will continue in eastern Syria but was “solely to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and has nothing to do with other aspects of this conflict.” “We call on all parties in Syria to protect civilians, particularly those from Syria’s minority communities to respect international military norms and to work to achieve a resolution to include the political settlement,” Shapiro said. “Multiple actors in this conflict have a terrible track record, to include Assad’s horrific crimes, Russia’s indiscriminate aerial bomb bombardment, Iranian-back militia involvement and the atrocities of ISIS," he added. Shapiro also said “no one should shed any tears over the Assad regime.” As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition forces freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice renewed calls to find him. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Tice’s mother, Debra, said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media. "We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed & he’s going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!” Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus as the civil war was intensifying. "We’ve remained committed to returning him to his family,” Biden said at the White House. "We believe he’s alive, we think we can get him back but we have no direct evidence to that yet. And Assad should be held accountable.” The president added: “We have to identify where he is." The U.S. has no new evidence that Tice is alive but continues to operate under the assumption that he is, according to a U.S. official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, added that the U.S. will continue to work to identify Tice's whereabouts and to try to bring him home. Stay Informed: Subscribe to Our Newsletter TodayArtificial intelligence plays ( ) and ( ) lead this week's list of stocks to watch. Nvidia chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor is basing, while Tradeweb closes in on a buy point near record highs. Hoka maker ( ) broke out to all-time highs Friday, and ( ) hit a record Friday after clearing an entry on Thursday. Jira software maker ( ) also broke out Friday, with shares jumping to 52-week highs. Deckers and Tradeweb Markets are on the IBD list. Tradeweb also appears on IBD's list, along with Altassian. Taiwan Semiconductor Stock Taiwan Semiconductor is finding support along its , within a five-week just above a prior . The current base has a 212.60 , TSMC stock's record high from Oct. 17. Investors could find an early entry opportunity on a move off Taiwan Semiconductor's . But it's hitting resistance at that key level. TSM stock has rallied nearly 83% so far this year. Chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor, also known as TSMC, on with a 54% increase in earnings on a 39% sales jump. Chief Financial Officer Wendell Huang credited the results to "strong smartphone and AI-related demand for our industry-leading 3-nanometer and 5-nanometer technologies." TSMC guided Q4 revenue to a range of $26.1 billion to $26.9 billion, well above Wall Street's target for $24.9 billion. Following results, Needham analysts noted that TSMC expects to triple AI revenue this year, likely reaching $13 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor makes chips for ( ), ( ) and many others. TechnipFMC Stock Oil field services firm TechnipFMC has rallied more than 15% since the U.S. elections on Nov. 5, trending to record highs. Energy stocks, including oil exploration and drilling names, have jumped since Donald Trump won reelection. He was considered to be the more petroleum-friendly candidate with his "drill, baby, drill" campaign slogan. Meanwhile, TechnipFMC has record triple-digit earnings growth the last seven quarters. However, revenue gains have slowed over the past three quarters. However, TechnipFMC and other oil stocks will continue to swing with crude prices. FTI stock broke out above a 29.49 buy point on Thursday and continued climbing to a record high on Friday. Shares are trading in the for the current pattern, which extends 5% beyond the buy point to 30.96. TechnipFMC is up 53% in 2024. Deckers Stock Hoka and Ugg maker Deckers was the as shares cleared a buy point. Deckers stock has trended higher since its , which saw earnings increase 39% on a 20% sales jump. Meanwhile, Needham on Friday initiated coverage of DECK stock with a buy rating, calling it "one of the highest-quality companies in our coverage." DECK stock broke out to all-time highs on Friday, jumping past a 182.26 buy point for a cup-with-handle base. Shares were actionable Thursday as they cleared a short-term . Deckers is trading just above the top of the buy zone, which extends to 191.37. currently has a 3/4 position for DECK stock after adding shares this week. SwingTrader added a 1/2 position on Thursday with a 180.83 entry and added a 1/4 position Friday at 189, with an average cost of 183.55. Shares of the Hoka maker sprinted 72.5% higher so far this year and are trading at record highs. Altassian Stock Atlassian stock broke out Friday above a 256.34 cup-with-handle buy point and hit a 52-week high. The weekly chart on shows a 258.69 buy point for a deep, 43-week , which TEAM shares also cleared Friday. Ideally, the handle would have extended a bit longer and added more depth, which would have allowed its moving averages a chance to catch up. TEAM stock is trading nearly 33% above its 50-day line and almost 42% above its 200-day moving average. Shares advanced nearly 10% so far this year, including a 35% spike in November. The Jira software maker handily beat Q1 earnings estimates at the beginning of November, with shares popping 38% this month on the back of its quarterly report and the U.S. election results. Atlassian's software and named Curiosity, which landed on the planet in August 2012, and is there indefinitely. In addition, the Confluence and Jira products. Tradeweb Markets Electronic marketplace builder and operator Tradeweb was Tuesday's . The financial AI company has seen a number of hedge funds increasingly incorporate its Automated Intelligent Execution (AiEX) tool into their trading systems. Tradeweb has seen earnings growth accelerate over the past two quarters. For its most recent results on Oct. 30, Tradeweb posted a 36% EPS increase on 37% sales growth, but both came up short of analyst forecasts. Wall Street expects profits will rise 28% in 2024, slowing to 14% growth in 2025. TW stock is trading right below a 136.13 buy point for a six-week flat base. Shares briefly cleared the buy point on Wednesday and Friday intraday. Tradeweb stock has soared almost 50% in 2024.Why GTA 6's Second Trailer Hasn't Been Announced, According to Ex-Rockstar Dev - IGN Daily Fix In today's Daily Fix:It's been more than a year since the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6, and we've seen practically zilch from that game since. That hasn't stopped GTA fans from creating insane theories, however, but according to one ex-Rockstar dev, that's all part of the plan. Apparently Rockstar knows how rabid of a fanbase they have, and they enjoy seeing their fans keep the discussion going without Rockstar having to lift so much as a finger. In related news, a former Sony exec admitted that PlayStation's timed exclusivity with the GTA 3 Trilogy was because they were scared of Xbox. In other news, Hazelight Studios' new game has reportedly leaked, and Ubisoft is looking to structure a possible buyout without the Guillemot family losing control.

limjoco In a world where authenticity and provenance are increasingly important in the realm of collectibles, the chewed gum represented a unique and irreplaceable artifact that could not be replicated. Its value lay not in the material itself, but in the intangible qualities that made it a one-of-a-kind collectible with a story to tell.

CRANFORD, N.J. , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Citius Oncology, Inc. ("Citius Oncology" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CTOR), a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted oncology therapies, today reported business and financial results for the fiscal full year ended September 30, 2024 . Fiscal Full Year 2024 Business Highlights and Subsequent Developments Financial Highlights "Reflecting on 2024, Citius Oncology has achieved pivotal milestones that underscore our commitment to advancing cancer therapeutics," stated Leonard Mazur , Chairman and CEO of Citius Oncology. "The FDA's approval of LYMPHIR for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma marks a significant advancement in providing new options for patients battling this challenging disease. It is the only targeted systemic therapy approved for CTCL patients since 2018 and the only therapy with a mechanism of action that targets the IL-2 receptor. Additionally, the successful merger forming Citius Oncology, now trading on Nasdaq under the ticker CTOR, strengthens our position in the oncology sector. We expect it to facilitate greater access to capital to fund LYMPHIR's launch and the Company's future growth. With a Phase I investigator-initiated clinical trial combining LYMPHIR with pembrolizumab demonstrating promising preliminary results, indicating potential for enhanced treatment efficacy in recurrent solid tumors, and preliminary results expected from a second investigator trial with CAR-T therapies in 2025, we remain excited about the potential of LYMPHIR as a combination immunotherapy." "These accomplishments reflect the dedication of our team and the trust of our investors. As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to develop innovative therapies that improve the lives of cancer patients worldwide," added Mazur. FULL YEAR 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS: Research and Development (R&D) Expenses R&D expenses were $4.9 million for the full year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to $4.2 million for the full year ended September 30, 2023 . The increase reflects development activities completed for the resubmission of the Biologics License Application of LYMPHIR in January 2024 , which were associated with the complete response letter remediation. General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses G&A expenses were $8.1 million for the full year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to $5.9 million for the full year ended September 30, 2023 . The increase was primarily due to costs associated with pre-commercial and commercial launch activities of LYMPHIR including market research, marketing, distribution and drug product reimbursement from health plans and payers. Stock-based Compensation Expense For the full year ended September 30, 2024 , stock-based compensation expense was $7.5 million as compared to $2.0 million for the prior year. The primary reason for the $5.5 million increase was due to the amounts being realized over 12 months in the year ended September 30, 2024 , as compared to three months post-plan adoption in the year ended September 30, 2023 . Net loss Net loss was $21.1 million , or ($0.31) per share for the year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to a net loss of $12.7 million , or ($0.19) per share for the year ended September 30, 2023 . The $8.5 million increase in net loss was primarily due to the increase in our operating expenses. About Citius Oncology, Inc. Citius Oncology specialty is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel targeted oncology therapies. In August 2024 , its primary asset, LYMPHIR, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory CTCL who had had at least one prior systemic therapy. Management estimates the initial market for LYMPHIR currently exceeds $400 million , is growing, and is underserved by existing therapies. Robust intellectual property protections that span orphan drug designation, complex technology, trade secrets and pending patents for immuno-oncology use as a combination therapy with checkpoint inhibitors would further support Citius Oncology's competitive positioning. Citius Oncology is a publicly traded subsidiary of Citius Pharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit www.citiusonc.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting Citius Oncology. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "plan," "should," and "may" and other words and terms of similar meaning or use of future dates. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, and, unless noted otherwise, that apply to Citius Oncology are: our ability to raise additional money to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months as a going concern; our ability to commercialize LYMPHIR and any of our other product candidates that may be approved by the FDA; the estimated markets for our product candidates and the acceptance thereof by any market; the ability of our product candidates to impact the quality of life of our target patient populations; our dependence on third-party suppliers; our ability to procure cGMP commercial-scale supply; risks related to research using our assets but conducted by third parties; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; market and other conditions; risks related to our growth strategy; patent and intellectual property matters; our ability to identify, acquire, close and integrate product candidates and companies successfully and on a timely basis; government regulation; competition; as well as other risks described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings. These risks have been and may be further impacted by any future public health risks. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks regarding our business are described in detail in our SEC filings which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , including in Citius Oncology's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2024 , filed with the SEC on December 27, 2024 , as updated by our subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Ilanit Allen ir@citiuspharma.com 908-967-6677 x113 Media Contact: STiR-communications Greg Salsburg Greg@STiR-communications.com -- Financial Tables Follow – CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 112 $ — Inventory 8,268,766 — Prepaid expenses 2,700,000 7,734,895 Total Current Assets 10,968,878 7,734,895 Other Assets: In-process research and development 73,400,000 40,000,000 Total Other Assets 73,400,000 40,000,000 Total Assets $ 84,368,878 $ 47,734,895 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 3,711,622 $ 1,289,045 License payable 28,400,000 — Accrued expenses — 259,071 Due to related party 588,806 19,499,119 Total Current Liabilities 32,700,429 21,047,235 Deferred tax liability 1,728,000 1,152,000 Note payable to related party 3,800,111 — Total Liabilities 38,228,540 22,199,235 Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock - $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized: no shares issued and outstanding — — Common stock - $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000; 71,552,402 and 67,500,000 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively 7,155 6,750 Additional paid-in capital 85,411,771 43,658,750 Accumulated deficit (39,278,587) (18,129,840) Total Stockholders' Equity 46,140,339 25,535,660 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 84,368,878 $ 47,734,895 CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Revenues $ — $ — Operating Expenses: Research and development 4,925,001 4,240,451 General and administrative 8,148,929 5,915,290 Stock-based compensation – general and administrative 7,498,817 1,965,500 Total Operating Expenses 20,572,747 12,121,241 Loss before Income Taxes (20,572,747) (12,121,241) Income tax expense 576,000 576,000 Net Loss $ (21,148,747) $ (12,697,241) Net Loss Per Share – Basic and Diluted $ (0.31) $ (0.19) Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding – Basic and Diluted 68,053,607 67,500,000 CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Cash Flows From Operating Activities: Net loss $ (21,148,747) $ (12,697,241) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: Stock-based compensation expense 7,498,817 1,965,500 Deferred income tax expense 576,000 576,000 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Inventory (2,133,871) - Prepaid expenses (1,100,000) (5,044,713) Accounts payable 2,422,577 1,196,734 Accrued expenses (259,071) (801,754) Due to related party 14,270,648 14,805,474 Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities 126,353 - Cash Flows From Investing Activities: License payment (5,000,000) - Net Cash Used In Investing Activities (5,000,000) - Cash Flows From Financing Activities: Cash contributed by parent 3,827,944 - Merger, net (2,754,296) - Proceeds from issuance of note payable to related party 3,800,111 - Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities 4,873,759 - Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents 112 - Cash and Cash Equivalents – Beginning of Year - - Cash and Cash Equivalents – End of Year $ 112 $ - Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information and Non-cash Activities: IPR&D Milestones included in License Payable $ 28,400,000 $ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Jojo Uga's 2-yard touchdown run capped a 24-point fourth quarter and Albany beat Hampton 41-34 on Saturday in a season finale. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Jojo Uga's 2-yard touchdown run capped a 24-point fourth quarter and Albany beat Hampton 41-34 on Saturday in a season finale. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Jojo Uga’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 24-point fourth quarter and Albany beat Hampton 41-34 on Saturday in a season finale. Jack Iuliano recovered a fumble by Malcom May at the Hampton 24, and though it took 10 plays, Uga went in for the touchdown and the game’s final lead. Malcolm Mays scored on a 25-yard run for Hampton (5-7, 2-6 Coastal Athletic Association) but the PAT was blocked and Kevon Angry ran it back for Albany (4-8, 2-6), leaving Hampton with a 34-27 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Alex Jreige’s 53-yard run then tied the game. Hampton led 28-0 before Van Weber threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Carter Moses with a couple minutes left in the first half. Albany added 10 points in the third quarter, including Jackson Parker’s 38-yard touchdown catch. Nick Totten’s pick-6 early in the fourth quarter got the Great Danes within 28-25. Weber threw for 184 yards with two scores and an interception. Jreige rushed for 110 yards. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 Advertisement

UK's Starmer To Push Green Energy Ties On Norway Trip

Pedro escaped punishment after swinging an arm at Bees substitute substitute Yehor Yarmoliuk without making contact. VAR reviewed the second-half incident but deemed there was no violent conduct. Frank and Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler disagreed about the decision. “As I understand the rules, you can’t swing your arm to try to hit someone,” said Frank. “If you hit them or not, it’s a red, that’s the way I understand the rules.” Frank spoke to the match officials, including referee Andy Madley, about the flashpoint at full-time. “They haven’t seen the situation yet, not on TV afterwards,” said Frank. “To be fair to him, I think the angle can be tricky so that’s why you’ve got VAR.” Asked about Frank’s assessment, Hurzeler replied: “Interesting opinion. I see it completely different. “For me, it’s not a red card. He tried to get free from a person.” Brighton were booed off after their winless run was stretched to six top-flight games. Albion dominated for large periods and hit the woodwork inside four minutes through Julio Enciso. Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken made some important saves before being forced off injured in the 36th minute, albeit his replacement Hakon Valdimarsson was rarely tested on his Premier League debut. The Seagulls remain 10th ahead of Monday’s trip to Aston Villa, with Brentford a position and two points below moving towards their New Year’s Day showdown with Arsenal. Hurzeler thought the jeers at full-time were unfair. “The team doesn’t deserve that because in all the games we had in the last weeks they were all good, they were all intense, they were all where we thought we deserved more” said the German, whose team have lost to Fulham and Crystal Palace and drawn with Southampton, Leicester and West Ham in recent matches. “We try to work hard to satisfy our supporters, we try to give them what they deserve, we try to make them proud. “But the Premier League is tough. We know there will be (tough) periods we have to go through, especially with this young squad. “We try to stick together, find the positive and keep on going.” Brentford, who remain without a top-flight away win this term, had an early Yoane Wissa finish ruled out for offside following VAR intervention but barely threatened, despite an improved second-half showing. Frank, who is awaiting news on Flekken and defender Ben Mee, who also left the field injured, said: “I thought it was a fair point. “Brighton were better in the first half, no big, clearcut chances, and I thought we were better second half. “Overall, I’m happy with the performance, especially the way we defended. “We haven’t had too many clean sheets this season, so in that context I thought it was very impressive against a good Brighton team. “We know we have a lot of players out – we get two more injuries during the game. “The way the players showed their mentality and character and dug in was hugely impressive.”Wall Street ends little changed after giving up a big morning gain

48 jili casino The Federal Reserve’s second consecutive key rate cut could mean more than just lower borrowing costs for the average consumer — state and local governments stand to benefit, too. Lower interest rates may bring changes for housing development, tax revenue, debt refinancing and bread-and-butter projects like roads, water and sewer, state and local government officials told States Newsroom. The Fed’s cut earlier this month followed an aggressive rate-hiking campaign to beat down inflation, and it came years after the last time the U.S. central bank lowered interest rates. Key borrowing rates now stand at 4.5-4.75%, and inflation has cooled to 2.7%. Economists expect another rate cut in December. “On average, the lower the interest rates are expected to help stock market returns if historical trends hold,” said Liz Farmer, who focuses on budgets, fiscal distress, tax policy and pensions at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “So generally, you would expect a more positive effect on your average pension portfolio that has a good amount invested in equities.” This change means states and localities will have lower borrowing costs, which will make it easier to make big long-term changes in infrastructure, to see higher sales tax collections as a result of more spending, and it is likely to result in better pension performance in an environment where stocks tend to respond to lower rates, fiscal policy experts at Pew say. In 2021 and 2022, states had record high revenue growth due in part to federal pandemic aid and the impact of the federal aid on workers and businesses, according to Pew. But that kind of growth was unsustainable. Recently, nearly all states have entered into a slower revenue growth environment, said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies at the National Association of State Budget Officers, a professional membership group for budget and finance officers. More than three dozen states had a fall in revenue in fiscal year 2023, Pew’s analysis found. At least five states experienced budget shortfalls in fiscal year 2024, the think tank explained. “States overall are remaining in a strong fiscal position. It’s just that we’re starting to see slower growth compared to what we did see for those a couple of years after the start of the pandemic,” he said. “That was really a unique set of circumstances where we had the additional federal aid provided by all the different Covid relief bills and at the same time where state revenue growth was growing so strongly, and that led to very strong growth in tax collections.” Sigritz said that states, which have to almost entirely use borrowing for infrastructure and capital projects, will benefit from lower borrowing costs as a result of the Fed rate cuts. David Schmiedicke, finance director for the city of Madison, Wisconsin’s finance department, said he’s hopeful that the lower cost of borrowing will reduce the cost of public infrastructure when seeking construction bids. “We’re seeing a lot of development, even with the higher rates. Madison is an attractive place to live. People from around the country are moving here,” he said. Rebecca Fleury, the city manager for Battle Creek, Michigan, said interest rates affect key services the public relies on, including fire departments. “[Interest rates] have an impact on our ability as a city of 52,000 to provide the full services that we do. Every little bit impacts us, because we have to buy fire trucks,” she said.“If there’s a decrease in one of our three largest revenue sources, we feel it.” But there are both pluses and minuses to the cut in the federal funds rate, Schmiedicke said, as it brings down the interest income states receive. “It probably will reduce the amount of investment income the city receives on its cash balances. We saw that go up dramatically in 2022 and 2023, so that’ll probably come down as the Fed cuts rates,” Schmiedicke said. Different tax policies also change how states and localities experience the Fed rate cuts. H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs and principal spokesman on fiscal and financial issues for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said that the lower interest rates are overall positive for the nation’s largest state because of the concentration of technology firms there, its progressive tax rate, and the taxing of capital gains and stock options as personal income. “When the markets are doing well, those types of firms that are concentrated in California do well and in consequence, our revenues do well,” Palmer said. The Alabama Department of Finance told States Newsroom that it is closely following the Fed’s actions as it “closely follows all actions that could impact our citizens and the State’s revenues.” But the state agency said it may take some time to see any of the effects of recent rate cuts. “While recent changes in the federal funds rate may lead to increased state revenues, absent a significant change in the rate, the impact on revenues and expenditures would not likely be seen immediately. We will continue to monitor and assess all economic indicators to ensure steady, sustainable, conservative growth for the benefit of all Alabamians,” the department said in a statement. Schmiedicke said Wisconsin is very reliant on property taxes because although state law allows a statewide sales tax and counties can impose a 0.5% sales tax, cities other than Milwaukee have not been able to do so. The state also has strict limits on property tax increases. “We could see more development in the city and that could definitely help with our overall property tax base, as well as if it results in more travel and room taxes,” he said. As states and localities wrestle with how to provide more affordable housing, with nearly half of renters having to spend more than 30% of their income on housing, lower interest rates could help spur more building. Fleury said the costs of loans and labor and materials has been “astronomical,” making it hard for developers to build. Although she said Battle Creek would love to take advantage of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, it’s challenging to fund projects. “I think that a lower interest rate could really help us get farther along in our housing plans,” she said “If you can’t get your project to pencil within what they’re able to fund or finance, we just never make the list.” Despite lower interest rates creating a better environment for affordable rent and homes, states will likely continue to spend a lot of energy on housing programs, Sigritz said. Governors’ budget proposals and state of the state speeches have prioritized affordable housing more and more in the past few years, he said, and he expects this to continue. “Housing affordability is not an issue that’s going to go away overnight, and there’s still a need for more housing,” Sigritz said. “It takes a while to build additional housing even in the lower-interest environment.”

Without Jalen Hurts at QB, Eagles bid to wrap up NFC East vs. CowboysThe grand Christmas tree in the biblical birthplace of Jesus is missing as the war in Gaza rages on. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned of a "dark shadow" hanging over Christmas celebrations. DW has more. What you need to know Christmas festivities in Jerusalem have been toned down for a second year running due to the ongoing war in Gaza . Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land led the traditional Christmas procession to the Church of the Nativity. In his Christmas message, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for unity following the deadly Christmas market attack in Magdeburg. "Hatred and violence must not have the final word," he said. Ukraine , which used to celebrate Christmas on January 7 along with the Russian Orthodox Church, is celebrating its second Christmas in December after a change in the law last year to move to the Western calendar. Below, you can read how Christmas is being marked around the world on Tuesday, December 24, 2024. German president: Christmas market attack casts 'dark shadow' Speaking just days after the deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there was a "dark shadow" hanging over this Christmas. "Mourning. Pain. Horror. Bewilderment over what happened in Magdeburg just a few days before Christmas," the president said in his traditional end-of-year speech . Steinmeier went on to say that "we can only imagine" what the relatives of the victims are going through after losing their loved ones. "You are not alone in your pain. The people throughout our country feel for you and mourn with you," he added, while also thanking police and the medical staff for their work after the attack. Speaking about the attack's effects on society, Steinmeier called for people living in Germany to reject division. "Hatred and violence must not have the final word," he said. "Let's not allow ourselves to be driven apart. Let's stand together!" He also referred to the Ukraine war , the conflicts in the Middle East as well the collapse of Germany's governing coalition earlier this month and other pressing issues at home. "There’s a great deal of dissatisfaction about politics, business, red tape, about injustice. The tone in our country has become rougher, at times hostile, in our everyday lives," Steinmeier said. "We have to speak candidly about what is going wrong, about what isn’t working in our country as it could and should. Above all, we must talk about what needs to be done urgently," he added. Pope Francis to lead Christmas mass at St Peter's Basilica Pope Francis is set to open the "Holy Door" of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to launch Jubilee 2025, a year of events that is expected to draw millions of pilgrims to Rome . The 88-year-old pontiff will appear in front of 30,000 people and a live TV audience worldwide on Tuesday evening to kick off the occasion, which is also known as Holy Year and takes place every 25 years. Catholics can be forgiven for their sins in a ritual that involves walking through the imposing bronze Holy Door, which is normally bricked up. Visitors to the Vatican are expected to do so in large numbers over the next year. Much of Rome has also been given a facelift in preparation, with monuments such as the Trevi Fountain and the Ponte Sant'Angelo cleaned up and roads redesigned to improve the flow of traffic. Some 700 security officers are being deployed for the Jubilee celebrations, with measures further tightened following Friday's deadly car-ramming on a Christmas market in Germany. Later Tuesday, Pope Francis will preside over the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St Peter's Square. On Wednesday, he will deliver his traditional Christmas Day blessing, Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world). On Thursday, Francis will open a Holy Door at a prison in Rome and preside over a mass in a show of support for the inmates. Ukraine celebrates its second Christmas in December after Russia snub Ukraine is this year celebrating Christmas in December for the second time after the law was changed to move away from the traditional January date observed by the Russian Orthodox Church. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the legislation in 2023 stating the country would "abandon the Russian heritage" of celebrating on January 7. "For the second time, we celebrate Christmas on the same date as one big family, one country. For the second time in modern history, Christmas unites all Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Tuesday. "Whether in person or in our minds, we will greet each other, call our parents, kiss our children, hug our loved ones, and remember those we hold dear. In person, from afar, or in our hearts — Ukrainians are together today. And as long as we do this, evil has no chance." Between them, Ukraine and Russia are estimated to have lost around half a million soldiers during the nearly three-year war. More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed. According to reports, around 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers remain at the frontline, out of a total of 2.2 million strong military personnel. Millions of Ukrainian refugees are spending their third Christmas abroad, having been offered shelter in neighboring European countries when the war began. Christmas in Bethlehem scaled back due to Gaza war Overshadowed by the Gaza war for the second year in a row, the traditional Christmas procession has arrived in Bethlehem, which Christians believe to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land led a convoy of vehicles from Jerusalem and walked the stretch to the Church of the Nativity. Due to the Israel- Hamas conflict in Gaza, this year's celebrations in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank , are rather subdued, with many events called off and most tourists staying away. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of the city's income — almost all of it earned during the Christmas season. Traditionally, a grand Christmas tree would light up Manger Square, but local authorities opted against elaborate decorations for a second year. Prayers, including the church's famed midnight mass, will still be held in the presence of the Patriarch. Palestinian security forces have kept up a presence around the Church of the Nativity in case of violence. There are about 182,000 Christians in Israel , 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the US State Department. mm, kb/rm (AFP, Reuters)

Caprock Group LLC Makes New $297,000 Investment in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, igniting fires and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel’s military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area of the hospital, without details. It repeated claims that Hamas fighters operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces — tasked with keeping security and officially separate from the group’s armed wing — have been seen in other hospitals. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital out of 75 patients and 180 staff who had been there. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified member of the staff said in an audio message posted on the social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. A largely isolated north Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine. The U.N. says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Deaths from the cold in Gaza More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most of them now sheltering in sprawling, squalid tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. “I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days, doctors there have said.

Photo: Tom Poole Revelstoke Mountain Resort's Sutton Place Hotel at the mountain base, just a few steps from the Revelation Gondola and a stunning view of Mt. Mackenzie, known for its steep pitches, record-breaking snowfall, diverse terrain and the most vertical in North America. Revelstoke Mountain Resort had a busy off-season with Camozzi Road realignment, parking enhancements, run upgrades and better resort access. "As part of the resort’s ongoing commitment to improving the guest experience, we’ve made significant investments in our parking facilities, including paving the main lot (the original P2 parking lot), adding additional spaces to better accommodate increased visitor numbers during peak season and improving transit shuttle drop-off areas," said Laura Meggs, communications manager in the marketing department. "These upgrades will not only make parking more convenient and reduce congestion but also create a seamless and more efficient experience from arrival to departure for our guests. Along with the expansion and paving of P2, a new parking lot was completed this summer south of the resort. An area formerly used for vehicle maintenance has been reclaimed for expanded parking providing easy access from the South Village entrance." In conjunction with the City of Revelstoke, WSP Engineering and Speers Construction, Camozzi Road was reopened in mid-November after extensive upgrades, she said. Those included enhanced resort access, upgraded water and sanitary services to Mountain Road, and a new multi-use pathway to open in 2025 ensuring safer, more convenient access to the resort for pedestrians and cyclists. The popular resort also completed extensive trail work, including blasting and grading improvements on Sally Alley, Simmer Down extension, Chopper and Big Woody. Skiers and boarders can also take advantage of 20 per cent more capacity on the Ripper Chair completed last season. The Cupcake Carpet surface lift and Mountain Sports School were both relocated to the top of the Gondola in 2023-24 creating a new centralized learning zone. "Complimentary hosted resort tours are returning for the 2024-25 winter season. Tours are available daily at 1 p.m.," added Meggs. Photo: Contributed Revelstoke Mountain Resort has 3,121 skiable acres with 75 runs?12 per cent green, 43 per cent intermediate and 45 per cent advanced. The longest run is The Last Spike at 15.2 kilometres. There are four bowls Great Northern Cat Skiing has partnered with the resort to offer a two-day introduction to Cat skiing program. Day one is at the resort with an instructor teaching the basics, plus tips and tricks on how to ride in powder and in cat skiing terrain. Day two is spent cat skiing. "Over the past year, our team has been busy working on a significant maintenance shop expansion," said Meggs. "Building off the existing shop's footprint, the expanded facility will provide an additional 3,000 square feet to accommodate a growing cat fleet and an expanded maintenance program centralized in one location. This facility is dedicated to maintaining and improving resort infrastructure, including lifts, snowcats, vehicles and more, which will ultimately lead to a better overall resort experience." Significant progress is being made at the Slopeside Hotel, she said. "The roof installation on the amenities building was completed this fall with framing taking shape on the lower floors allowing guests to envision how this new Slopeside Hotel will integrate into the existing village. The new hotel will include 158 rooms, conference space, restaurant, fitness and spa facilities, and will be the new home for Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing." Phase one of the staff housing development made great strides during the off-season with the exterior nearing completion, she said. "Interior finishing will continue into the winter months with anticipated occupancy by spring 2025. Building 1 will have 160 beds. The resort will launch the 2024-25 winter season Nov. 30 with the Red Bull truck pumping tunes at the base with a live DJ. At the top of the lift, you can enter to win prizes from Salomon. The Mackenzie Common Tavern has après-vibes with Red Bull from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. As of Thursday, the resort had already received more than 40 centimetres (100 inches) of snow. Other special events include Locals Days, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 15, Jan. 12, March 16 and April 13. Lift tickets will be $20 for local residents (proof of residency required) with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to the Revelstoke Foundation. Standard ski and snowboard rentals will be $10, with 50 per cent off high-performance rentals. Group lessons are $20, which includes a two-hour lesson from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for ages five and up (limited to levels 1 to 3). You can ski with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 24 (free), starting at the upper ski school building with hot chocolate and stocking stuffers and after at the Mountain Sports School. More events are posted on the website. Mt. Mackenzie is known for its steep pitches, record-breaking snowfall (the annual average is 10.5 metres), diverse terrain—wide-open alpine bowls to perfectly-spaced glades—and the most vertical in North America at 1,713 metres. Its 3,121 skiable acres have 75 runs, 12 per cent green, 43 per cent intermediate and 45 per cent advanced. The longest run is The Last Spike at 15.2 kilometres. There are four bowls, South Bowl, North Bowl, Separate Reality and Greely Bowl, served by the eight-person Revelation Gondola and four-person Stoke, Ripper and Stellar chairs. Revelstoke Mountain Resort isn't just downhill skiing and snowboarding. It has Nordic skiing through the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club with 30 kilometres of groomed trails and stunning scenery at Mt. Macpherson suitable for both classic and skate. Heli and cat skiing are also available, thanks it to bordering two pristine national parks. The ski tenure for Selkirk Tangiers is 500,000-plus acres of unspoiled wilderness with more than 400 established runs from towering peaks to sheltered valley floors. Other activities include snowshoeing, snowmobiling and relaxing in hot springs. Sutton Place Hotel, situated at the mountain base, just a few steps from the Revelation Gondola, offers the only ski-in ski-out accommodation in Revelstoke with 200 condominium-style hotel suites in three buildings, It has an outdoor heated pool and three on-site dining experiences, including the Rockford Bar & Grill and Mackenzie Common Tavern. All units boast spectacular views of the Columbia River to the Monashee and Selkirk mountains. Photo: Tom Poole Revelstoke Mountain Resort made great strides with phase one of its staff housing development during the off-season, with the exterior nearing completion. Interior finishing to its 160 beds will continue into the winter months with anticipated occupancy in spring 2025. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt following a low snap. Thomas then took the kick back 43 yards as the Cowboys (4-7) ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Part of that was the play of backup Cooper Rush, who threw for 247 yards and two TDs in his third start in place of starter Dak Prescott. Part was also the defense forcing two turnovers, as Chauncey Golston ripped the ball out of Brian Robinson Jr.’s hands for what was called an interception of Daniels in the second quarter, and Donovan Wilson stripped John Bates midway through the fourth. KaVonte Turpin provided the fireworks with a spinning, 99-yard kickoff return TD seconds after Daniels found Zach Ertz in the end zone and scored on a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to three with 3:02 left. In the final three minutes alone, the Commanders (7-5) scored 10 points and allowed Thomas’ TD. All that after the score was 10-9 through three quarters before madness ensued. CHIEFS 30, PANTHERS 27 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns , Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired and Kansas City beat Carolina to reach double-digit wins for the 10th straight season. Noah Gray caught two TD passes as the Chiefs (10-1) bounced back from last week’s 30-21 loss at Buffalo and won at the buzzer yet again in a season of narrow escapes. DeAndre Hopkins also had a touchdown catch for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, who scored on their first five possessions. Bryce Young finished 21 of 35 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (3-8), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. David Moore had six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Trailing 27-19, Young completed a fourth-down pass to Adam Thielen to move the chains, then went deep for the veteran receiver, who drew a pass-interference penalty on Chamarri Conner. That set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Chuba Hubbard. LIONS 24, COLTS 6 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two scores and David Montgomery added a third touchdown run, leading Detroit to a victory over Indianapolis. Gibbs finished with 21 carries for 90 yards as the Lions (10-1) extended their league-high winning streak to nine straight. Detroit has its been 11-game record since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1934. Jared Goff continued his sensational season, too, completing 26 of 36 throws for 269 yards. The Colts (5-7) lost their second straight home game and for the fourth time in their past five games. Anthony Richardson was 11 of 28 with 172 yards while rushing 10 times for 61 yards. While Indy managed to hold the NFL’s highest-scoring offense largely in check Sunday, it was doomed by its inability to finish drives with touchdowns. BUCCANEERS 30, GIANTS 7 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Baker Mayfield catapulted into the end zone on a spectacular 10-yard scramble for one of Tampa Bay’s four rushing touchdowns, and the Buccaneers beat the Giants and new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito, snapping a four-game losing streak and extending New York’s skid to six. The Giants’ decisions this week to bench and then release quarterback Daniel Jones did nothing to help the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense. DeVito threw for 189 yards, mostly in the second half with New York well on its way to its sixth straight loss at home, where it is winless. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers dominated in every phase in a near-perfect perfect performance that featured TD runs of 1 yard by Sean Tucker, 6 yards by Bucky Irving and 1 yard by Rachaad White. After recent losses to the Ravens, 49ers and Chiefs, Tampa Bay (5-6) moved within one game of idle Atlanta in the NFC South. Tampa Bay scored on five of its on first six possessions to open a 30-0 lead, and none was more exciting than Mayfield’s TD run with 12 seconds left in the first half. On a second-and-goal from the 10, he avoided pressure and went for the end zone. He was hit by Cor’Dale Flott low and Dru Phillips high around the 2-yard line, and he was airborne when he crossed the goal line. The ball came loose when he hit the turf but he jumped up and flexed — seemingly mocking DeVito’s go-to celebration — as the Bucs took a 23-0 lead. DOLPHINS 34, PATRIOTS 15 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, including two scores to running back De’Von Achane, and Miami routed New England. The Dolphins (5-6) have a thin margin for error the rest of the season but have kept themselves afloat with a three-game winning streak. With their win at New England (3-9) in Week 5, the Dolphins have swept their division rivals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000. Tagovailoa, who moved to 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with a league-high 73.4% completion rate and went 29 for 40. Backup Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with about 11 minutes left in what was already a blowout, but a bad handoff on his first play resulted in a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. It cut New England’s deficit to 31-15, and Tagovailoa returned the next drive. TITANS 32, TEXANS 27 HOUSTON (AP) — Will Levis threw for 278 yards and his 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo put Tennessee on top in the fourth quarter and the Titans held on for a win over the Texans. Okonkwo grabbed a short pass and rumbled for the touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 91⁄2 minutes remaining. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that would have stopped him near midfield. The Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left. He fell to the ground after the miss before getting up and slamming his helmet on the field. Titans coach Brian Callahan held both hands in the air and smiled after watching the miss that allowed his team to win on a day it had three turnovers. The Texans forced a three-and-out, but couldn’t move the ball after that and Harold Landry sacked C.J. Stroud in the end zone for a safety to make it 32-27 and allow Tennessee to snap a two-game skid. VIKINGS 30, BEARS 27, OT CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal , and Minnesota outlasted Chicago after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (4-7), who lost their fifth straight. Minnesota appeared to have the game in hand, leading 27-16 with 1:56 left after Romo kicked a 26-yard field goal. But the Bears weren’t finished. Deandre Carter made up for a muffed punt that led to a touchdown in the third quarter with a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40. Williams took it from there, capping an eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. A 2-point conversion pass to DJ Moore made it 27-24 with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears recovered the onside kick and Williams hit Moore over the middle for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal as time expired.Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams

777 jili games A New Brunswick entrepreneur whose family pioneered the baby eel industry in Canada is suing Ottawa again after it told her she would likely lose nearly 90 per cent of her business to First Nations and other people who want to get in on the lucrative fishery. In a filing in the Court of King’s Bench in Fredericton on Dec. 9, Mary Ann Holland accuses the defendants, who include three successive federal fisheries ministers and eight high-ranking officials in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, of having “engaged in a carefully calculated plan” over the years to drive her “out of business,” and give it away to First Nations and other fishers. “Such a plan represents patent gross abuse,” that they know will cause her companies, Brunswick Aquaculture and Alder Seafood, great damage, the lawsuit states. She complains that Ottawa did little to enforce the fishing rules on the water, and was, in effect, in cahoots with First Nations leaders who told their people to exert their Aboriginal right to pluck eels out as they wished. Holland declined to be interviewed for this article. But she has stewed about Ottawa’s decisions in recent years to allow more First Nations to catch the elvers and its lack of enforcement on waters in southwestern New Brunswick where she’s a licence holder, a spring fishery that’s been cancelled a few times because of poaching and spasms of violence. Now the trouble has boiled over. Holland’s late husband, Philip Holland, was the first commercial eel licence holder in the Maritimes, setting up the practice and developing overseas markets for the creatures 36 years ago. The Holland family has held a licence continuously since 1988. Mary Ann Holland has argued in other lawsuits against Ottawa and First Nations that they are destroying her business. The Wolastoqey Nation dismisses her claims and says they have a traditional right to fish. In the latest filing, Holland says DFO has invited some of the people who worked for her to become licence holders. A spokeswoman for the department said officials were aware of the allegations in Holland’s lawsuit, which have not been tested in court. “As the department is a named party and this matter is now before the courts, it would be inappropriate for DFO to comment,” said Debra Buott-Matheson in an email to Brunswick News. One of Holland’s colleagues in the baby eel industry in Nova Scotia warned that no one in the fishing industry would be safe from federal confiscation of their licences without any financial compensation. In a two-page letter sent Dec. 5 to nine enterprises in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that have elver, or baby eel, commercial licences, Jennifer Ford, the director of the elver review team in the Maritimes for DFO, outlined the latest proposed changes following consultations. Ford – who is named as a defendant in Holland’s lawsuit – said the federal fisheries minister, Diane Lebouthillier, favoured “broadening the benefits” of the elver fishery to boost First Nations’ participation and give people already working for the commercial elver industry a shot at having their own licenses. She said redistributing existing quotas was the only way of ensuring the species’ long-term survival. A table attached to the letter showed that of the nine licence holders, before 2022, eight of them had a quota of 1,200 kilograms each (a ninth had a quota of 360 kg). The new proposal would see all their quotas – or total allowable catch – significantly reduced by between 60 and nearly 90 per cent. Holland’s company fares the worst, going from 1,200 kg annually down to 123 kg. The letter appears to be the last straw for Holland, whose lawyer filed the legal paperwork only a few days later. Stanley King, whose in-laws have owned Atlantic Elver Fishery near Kejimkujik National Park in southwestern Nova Scotia since the early 1990s, said the department was being unfair to hard-working entrepreneurs who’d developed the business. “The process has been an exercise in futility,” he said of the letters sent from the minister seeking the industry’s input into the changes. “It was a sham consultation. They didn’t listen to one thing we said.” He also described it as a “five-year coup de grâce of DFO mismanagement that’s destroyed an entire industry that took 30 some odd years to create.” King said the industry wasn’t against First Nations having access to the fishery. But the proper process to follow, he said, was the “willing buyer-willing seller” model to ensure there would be no animosity between the fishermen. Such a model has been used in other fisheries, including crab and lobster, since the Supreme Court ruled 25 years ago that Aboriginal people have a right to pursue a moderate income from fisheries, a case that pitted Donald Marshall Jr., an adult eel fisherman, against the province of Nova Scotia. For the most part, those new agreements have reduced tension on the water. According to Holland’s lawsuit, Ottawa also proposed buying out her licence in 2021 but it didn’t go anywhere. DFO eventually decided to reduce the commercial eel quotas unilaterally. It’s not the first time in recent years DFO has made such a move. It reduced the number of traps of crab fishers in Tofino, B.C., by half in 2022, after a court ordered that part of the fishery had to be Indigenous. No compensation was offered. “I want other fishermen to realize this is now the government’s path forward,” King said. “Other fishermen should be very afraid and should pay very close attention, because they will be next.” As prices for the translucent baby eels have risen, people have fought over the spring run in dozens of rivers in the Maritimes. The violence and unauthorized fishing got so bad that the federal fisheries minister suspended the season in the Maritimes this year. The popularity of the American eels in Asian cuisine and the collapse of stocks in Europe has pushed prices up markedly. Buyers who ship the eels to Asia, where they’re grown in tanks to adulthood and then made into sushi or other tasty dishes, have paid as much as $5,000 a kilogram for them, although prices have moderated this year to closer to $4,000 per kg. It is the most lucrative seafood by weight in Canada. Holland’s lawsuit does not specify how much damages she’s seeking. No statement of defence has been filed.Jimmy Carter: A brief bioFAKRA Coaxial RF Connectors Market 2024: A Decade of Phenomenal Growth AheadZayn Malik pays poignant tribute to Liam Payne as he performs first gig since ex-One Direction bandmate’s tragic death

Shares of Lucid Group ( LCID 2.58% ) have been flying higher in recent weeks. That move continued in today's holiday-shortened trading session. After jumping more than 10%, Lucid shares held on to some of that gain, higher by 4.2% as of 11:55 a.m. ET. The stock has soared by nearly 60% in the past month. Some of that was due to the electric vehicle (EV) maker opening its order book for the new Gravity SUV. Today's move, though, looks to be more related to other news from the company and in the automotive sector. Merger mania Earlier this month, Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson said he was considering partnering with a traditional automaker to help lower capital costs, according to Bloomberg. Rawlinson stated, "It would be lovely if we could supply technology to a traditional car company to help them on their way to sustainability, and perhaps we can leverage economies of scale with their parts bin and other aspects of the business." Now a major merger between Honda and Nissan is being discussed, and that has Lucid investors thinking Rawlinson's plan could be closer to reality. Honda and Nissan have begun talks to merge into what would be the world's third-largest automaker . The two Japanese automakers say they hope to announce a merger deal by the end of next year. While Lucid stock has been surging recently, it is still down by more than 20% year to date. Even with its new SUV hitting the market next year, the company still faces major hurdles to reach profitability. It only expects to produce about 9,000 vehicles this year, and volume is important to cover high manufacturing fixed costs. A partnership with another automaker could help Lucid extend its cash runway. Fellow EV maker Rivian Automotive recently announced a partnership with Volkswagen Group that will help the start-up reduce its capital needs. Investors are likely thinking that Lucid needs to take the same approach. With the CEO stating his desire to do so, and a potential new automotive merger in the news, Lucid stock is getting a boost today.Banks and miners are typically the first ASX that come to mind when hunting for decent yields. However, after a tremendous rally in the Big Four banks, an investment in the likes of ( ) just isn't quite the no-brainer buy it once was. But what if I knew of a company dishing up more than twice the a delicious amount of potential capital ? Sounds like the holy grail of investments, right? Or at least one heck of an opportunity for someone hoping to strike a balance between income and growth. Don't worry; it's not a figment of my imagination. The company is ( ), and despite posting a sensational in August, shares in this billion-dollar business are down almost 8% this year. Is this ASX dividend stock really paying a 6% yield? The short answer is . The salary packaging, fleet management, and novated lease provider has paid 49.5 cents per share in dividends in the last year. This works out to be a of 6.2% based on the current share price. There's a longer answer, too. Part of the 49.5 cents is a dividend. If we remove the 16 cents attributed to a special payment — which usually means it's a one-off — the yield reduces to 4.2%. Nothing to sneeze at, but a savings account might hand out more. What's important to know, though, is that Smartgroup has paid this special dividend for four years in a row. It doesn't mean it will be paid again next year, but four years running sets quite the precedent for possibly even cranking up the baseline payment. It all comes down to profits. If Smartgroup's profits flatline or fall, then there's a slim chance of an increase in dividends. Conversely, if the business can continue to grow, then the income component can also expand. I'm buying more, and not because of the dividends This is where it gets exceptionally interesting for Smartgroup. While the ASX stock has dividend credentials, the growth on display is beyond what you might normally expect from a high-yielding investment. In the latest half-year result, Smartgroup's revenue increased 27% to $148.5 million, and bottom-line profits increased 16% to $34.1 million. Consensus estimates have the company earning in the region of in FY25. Today, Smartgroup has a of $1,070 million. If we calculate the forward , it comes out at around 14 times FY25 earnings. That's a fairly low multiple for a company posting decent growth. If I had to guess, my fair value for this ASX dividend stock would be approximately $10.50 per share. Meanwhile, shares were trading hands at $8.01 at the close yesterday, which means there could be 31% of capital appreciation around the corner. In saying that, I'm a long-term holder of Smartgroup. While the short term looks extremely compelling, the potential in the long run is even sweeter.

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BONITA SPRINGS, Fla., Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovative Food Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: IVFH) (“IVFH” or the “Company”), a national seller of gourmet specialty foods to professional chefs, today announced significant corporate updates, including a planned name change to Harvest Group Holdings, Inc., the stockholder approval of a reverse stock split, and the successful execution of securities purchase agreements (the “SPA”) for a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to raise $3.25 million in new equity capital. Strategic Updates in preparation for Nasdaq uplisting Name Change: Over the last year and a half, CEO Bill Bennett and his team have dramatically changed the focus and business model of the Company. These actions have included divesting, inactivating, or shutting down eight previously operating entities within the corporate structure, while simultaneously launching a new large retail business and new customers within its drop ship business. Accordingly, the Company will rebrand as Harvest Group Holdings, Inc. to reflect its growth strategy and new focus. The new name underscores IVFH’s commitment to its vision of delivering fresh and artisanal products from as close to the source as possible, while still being a broad enough brand to encompass the many growth opportunities ahead. The Company website, logo, and other Company branding will be updated over the coming weeks after the finalization of the name change. Reverse Stock Split: The Board and the holders of a majority of the Company’s issued and outstanding stock have authorized a reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock at a ratio between one-for-three and one-for-seven, which may enable the Company’s share price to meet the stock price element of the initial listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”). Private Placement Financing: Under the SPA, the Company will issue 2,031,250 shares of common stock at $1.60 per share, raising gross proceeds of $3.25 million. The capital raised will be used to enhance working capital and fund general corporate purposes. This modest raise, largely from Company insiders, is intended to help the Company continue to lean into its growth opportunities, and meet the minimum shareholder equity requirements of Nasdaq. Nasdaq Uplisting: With the above actions, the Company management believes the Company is in a strong position to navigate the uplisting process, which it is kicking off in earnest. Pending all necessary approvals, the Company hopes to complete the uplisting process in the first half of 2025. CEO Statement Bill Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of IVFH, commented, “These milestones represent a transformative chapter for our Company as we continue to build a strong foundation for future success. The name change to Harvest Group Holdings reflects our vision for future growth and broader market opportunities. Combined with the reverse stock split and new equity capital, these initiatives will drive shareholder value, prepare us for a Nasdaq uplisting, and enhance our ability to serve the evolving needs of our customers and partners.” About Innovative Food Holdings, Inc. At IVFH, we help make meals special. We provide access to foods that are hard to find, have a compelling story, or are on the forefront of food trends. Our gourmet foods marketplace connects the world’s best artisan food makers with top professional chefs nationwide. We curate the assortment, experience, and tech enabled tools that help our professional chefs create unforgettable experiences for their guests. Additional information is available at www.ivfh.com . Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company that are based on the current beliefs of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain assumptions, including those described in this release. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as “should,” “could,” “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “might,” “potentially” “targeting” or “expect.” Additional factors that could also cause actual results to differ materially relate to international crises, environmental and economic issues and other risk factors described in the Company’s public filings. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. The content of the websites referenced above are not incorporated herein. Investor and Media contact: Gary Schubert Chief Financial Officer Innovative Food Holdings, Inc. investorrelations@ivfh.com

NGM partners with Quaise Energy on deep geothermal pilot plantGonzaga coach Mark Few hadn’t been off the court long over the weekend when the focus turned to preparing for the 14th-ranked Bulldogs’ matchup with a ranked opponent days after Christmas. The good news was he could start thinking about it after a win, unlike UCLA’s Mick Cronin — whose No. 22 Bruins face Gonzaga on Saturday in a home-state venue in the only ranked-vs-ranked game of the week on the AP Top 25 schedule. “It’s a good series for us,” Few said after Saturday’s win against Bucknell. “It’s certainly what TV wants to see, fans want to see. And this year it’s another one of those high-level games that’ll help (NCAA Tournament) seeding and all that. It doesn’t hurt you in any way, shape or form.” The programs agreed in July to a two-year series, the first meeting coming at the new Intuit Dome home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Next year’s game will come in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena. The Bulldogs (9-3) have won two straight since falling to Kentucky and UConn. Few said the plan is for the players to return for Christmas Day for a workout to get started in prepping for the Bruins. UCLA (10-2) is coming off a loss to North Carolina in New York’s Madison Square Garden, where the Bruins blew a 16-point lead. It left Cronin visibly irked in his postgame news conference, notably with eight missed free throws after halftime as well as a late turnover in a tight game. “There are no silver linings in losses, none,” Cronin said. “You’ve got to make free throws. Your point guard has to take care of the ball at the end of the game. That’s what real teams do. ... I’m still fighting to get this group to — same thing as last year — where we were a couple of years ago.” The holiday week is light on action, with 12 of the poll’s 25 teams not playing all week. That represents one last chance for teams to get some time to rest and recover from lingering bumps and bruises before diving into the meat of conference play next week. The AP Top 25, KenPom, Bart Torvik and NET rankings seem to agree on Tennessee, Auburn and Duke as a top tier, with the Tigers as the No. 1 in three of the fourth. Fluctuations start from there. The Volunteers, Tigers and Blue Devils were the only three teams to appear in the top five of all of those rankings as of Monday afternoon. AP No. 3 Iowa State also appeared in the top five for KenPom (5th), while No. 14 Gonzaga (No. 5 in the NET and Bart Torvik, No. 6 in KenPom) and No. 15 Houston (No. 2 Bart Torvik, No. 4 KenPom, No. 6 NET) ranked notably higher than their AP Top 25 standing. Maryland is the top vote-getter among unranked AP teams, but checked in at seventh for the NET as well as 11th for both Bart Torvik and KenPom. Other AP unranked teams appearing in the top 15 of other rankings include St. John’s (12th in KenPom), Texas Tech (12th in Bart Torvik, 13th in KenPom) and Pittsburgh (11th in NET). One game stands out for teams that were top vote-getters among the unranked in Monday’s latest poll: Memphis against No. 16 Mississippi. The Tigers (9-3) host the Rebels (11-1) on Saturday in the kind of game that could boost them right back into the AP Top 25 with a win. Memphis spent a week at No. 16 to start December after wins against UConn and Michigan State in the Maui Invitational, but dropped out after losing at home to Arkansas State. The Tigers returned at No. 21 last week beating Clemson and Virginia on the road, then dropped out again Monday after losing at home to Mississippi State. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Percentages: FG .333, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 5-19, .263 (Gondrezick 1-2, Lovejoy 1-2, Lary 1-3, Kuac 1-4, Nadeau 1-8). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Kalambay, Mitchell, Okoro). Turnovers: 14 (N.Johnson 3, Geeter 2, Lary 2, Mitchell 2, Kalambay, Kuac, Lovejoy, Nadeau, Okoro). Steals: 4 (Kuac, Lary, Lovejoy, Mitchell). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .393, FT .692. 3-Point Goals: 10-35, .286 (Sallis 5-9, Cosby 3-11, Harris 1-4, T.Johnson 1-4, Friedrichsen 0-3, Hildreth 0-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 10 (Abass 2, Harris 2, Hildreth 2, Sallis 2, Spillers 2). Turnovers: 5 (Sallis 2, T.Johnson 2, Abass). Steals: 6 (Sallis 3, Spillers 2, T.Johnson). Technical Fouls: None. A_8,705 (14,665).SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- BoomiTM , the intelligent integration and automation leader, today announced that Australian precious metals and jewellery company Pallion Group has bolstered resilience and customer experience (CX) across its brands, and laid a foundation for generative AI using the Boomi Enterprise Platform as the baseline for its data strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/en/ Pallion Group Welds Resilience and Customer Experience Into Dynamic Gold and Jewellery Business With Boomi (Graphic: Business Wire) Sydney-headquartered Pallion comprises six brands that source, manufacture, distribute, sell, and provide secure storage for gold, silver, and custom jewellery to organisations and individuals in Australia, Hong Kong, and China. The company implemented Boomi’s integration platform as a service (iPaaS) to simplify and improve connectivity between its technology systems and establish visibility over highly sensitive financial, commercial, and product supply data. “Pallion supplies high-value precious metals and jewellery subject to dynamic, fast-changing pricing, with strict compliance requirements around them. We’re handling people’s and companies’ money after all – that includes banks, superannuation funds and major retailers,” said Simon Smith, Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Pallion Group. “This means we need consistent uptime of and between our systems so that data flows back and forth in real time, while giving our teams a consolidated view of customer information on one screen. Boomi powers our data strategy by giving us a clean, hub-and-spoke integration framework to connect business-critical platforms and centralise data to make this possible.” Pallion implemented the Boomi Enterprise Platform in February 2024 to support the foundations of its digital transformation and replace a “spaghetti mess” of hundreds of outdated point-to-point integrations, according to Smith. The Boomi platform has already been used to connect Pallion’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 enterprise resource planning (ERP) stack, and its finance and human resources (HR) systems, and the company affirms its use of iPaaS will scale up as its digital transformation strategy progresses. Meanwhile, data ingested by Pallion’s systems is already centralised in Boomi DataHub. “Boomi has fostered an environment we know we can trust to get data across to the right people and places securely with no downtime – spanning production operations through to the websites our customers use to buy precious metals and jewellery,” said Smith. “This has amplified CX, as the information buyers and our teams see is always accurate. If there are ever any issues, Boomi’s integration model allows us to rapidly pinpoint and resolve the issue – a process that could formerly take days is now completed in a few hours.” Pallion has also seen dramatic productivity gains as Boomi helped the company strip away countless hours previously spent maintaining and fixing point-to-point integrations. In addition, the Boomi Enterprise Platform serves as an “abstraction layer,” said Smith, ensuring new technology investments are rapidly and seamlessly integrated into the group of companies, with data readily available through Boomi DataHub. This will be pivotal in Pallion’s strategic roadmap, with the company planning to introduce generative AI for its employees to query the company’s data using natural language, and ultimately expedite internal processes and customer service. David Irecki, Chief Technology Officer, APJ at Boomi, said, “Pallion Group serves some of the most prolific retail brands – from Tiffany & Co to Michael Hill Jewellery – as well as Australian financial institutions and citizens. It has even worked on the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open trophies, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Carriage. Its clientele expect seamless experiences when making significant purchasing decisions. Boomi has helped Pallion establish a reliable and resilient technology environment across its brands to optimise CX, all the while supporting the stringent compliance obligations under which the group operates.” Additional Resources About Boomi Boomi, the intelligent integration and automation leader, helps organizations around the world automate and streamline critical processes to achieve business outcomes faster. Harnessing advanced AI capabilities, the Boomi Enterprise Platform seamlessly connects systems and manages data flows with API management, integration, data management, and AI orchestration in one comprehensive solution. With a customer base exceeding 20,000 companies globally and a rapidly expanding network of 800+ partners, Boomi is revolutionizing the way enterprises of all sizes achieve business agility and operational excellence. Discover more at boomi.com . © 2024 Boomi, LP. Boomi, the ‘B’ logo, and Boomiverse are trademarks of Boomi, LP or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Other names or marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/en/ CONTACT: Media: Jasmine Ee Head of Influencer Relations, APJ jasmine.ee@boomi.com KEYWORD: AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA AUSTRALIA ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: JEWELRY LUXURY RETAIL TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Boomi Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 05:00 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 05:01 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/en

Perth couple Mohammad Shahidul Hasan Swapan and Sabrina Ahmed die trying to save daughter from drowningHenri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, has announced he will step down from his role in 2025. Upon delivering an emotional Christmas speech on December 24, the Grand Duke revealed this would be his last festive broadcast. Henri, who led Luxembourg for nearly 25 years, will abdicate in favour of his son Guillaume, who has already overtaken many of his father's duties in recent month in the role of Lieutenant Representant. We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story. For the latest news and breaking news visit: /news Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/DailyExpress and @daily_express

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Supreme Court hears transgender health care case. What does it mean for Montana?Boise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship momentsBigBear.ai ( BBAI 9.58% ) stock is rocketing higher in Thursday's trading. The company's share price was up 12.8% as of 3:15 p.m. ET and had been up as much as 22.6% earlier in the day's session. BigBear.ai is surging today thanks to meme stock momentum. Meme stocks have enjoyed bullish energy lately, and BigBear's share price has seen explosive gains recently on the heels of a report which raised the possibility that the company could be the next Palantir . BigBear.ai rallies on continued meme stock momentum On Dec. 2, The Economic Times published an article discussing Bigbear.ai and whether the stock had the potential to deliver multibagger returns comparable to recent gains posted by Palantir -- a leader in artificial intelligence ( AI ) technologies. While there wasn't any new information contained in the report, the write-up was enough to help spur big gains for BigBear.ai's share price. In conjunction with expectations that next year could bring new rounds of cuts for interest rates and corporate taxes and a more lax regulatory climate, meme stocks have been posting explosive gains lately. BigBear.ai stock is now up roughly 82% over the last month. What's next for BigBear.ai stock? BigBear.ai has been an explosive winner lately, and it's possible that the company's market-crushing gains will continue in the near term. Investors are on the hunt for the next big opportunity in the AI software space, and the announcement of new contract wins and solid financial results could have the effect of pushing the software specialist's valuation above current levels. On the other hand, investors should probably move forward with the understanding that recent gains for the stock have not been driven by any breakthroughs in fundamental business performance. With the company's share price climbing thanks to meme stock momentum and excitement surrounding the broader AI software category, BigBear.ai looks riskier on the heels of its recent rally.

Tasha Ghouri has been defended by legions of Strictly Come Dancing fans, after some critics hit out at her getting the first 40 of the new series on Saturday night. As soon as it was revealed that ex Love Island finalist had signed up for the BBC show, it was quickly reported that the social media star has worked as a professional dancer, as her background in the industry was revealed. Despite a few eyebrows being raised over Tasha's training, she went into Strictly as one of the big favourites to win and has stayed in the top three of the betting ever since, although some distance behind clear frontrunner Chris McCausland. Tasha and pro partner Aljaz Škorjanec were the highest overall scorers of this year prior to Saturday night's Strictly and, after Tess Daly introduced their performance, by mentioning the fact they were 'desperate' to get a 40, that's exactly what happened, with all four judges blown away by the couple's American Smooth to Lewis Capaldi hit Someone You Loved. Even Craig Revel-Horwood, a week after landing in hot water for not giving Sarah Hadland a 10. was swayed to dust off his 10 paddle, as Aljaz was moved to tears by getting the score. Their top marks saw Tasha and Aljaz soar straight to the top of the Strictly leaderboard, although they ended up sharing the summit with JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, after they beat them in the Sambathon. And, as credits rolled Tasha fans were quick to jump to her defence on X, as some hit out at her getting 40, given her past as a working dancer. Taking on her critics, one posted: "Tasha is UNBELIEVABLE!! Wow!! Deserved 40!! It's such a shame that she hasn't got a hope in hell of winning. Like Layton last year, she should win but she won't because of her previous experience. It's so annoying how the public hold that against certain people." Also backing Tasha, a second reacted: "That was a deserved 40 from Tasha though. Well done, beautiful lady and Aliaz!" Among the many other posts i support of Tasha was one that read: "I’m absolutely sobbing at tasha getting a 40, she’s such a lovely and inspiring woman!! she deserves so much love and her partnership with aljaz is so special"MIAMI, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hut 8 Corp. (Nasdaq | TSX: HUT) (“Hut 8” or the “Company”), a leading, vertically integrated operator of large-scale energy infrastructure and one of North America’s largest Bitcoin miners, today released its operations update for November 2024. “We achieved net increases in deployed self-mining hashrate and efficiency in November by bringing inefficient miners offline in preparation for our initial fleet upgrade and completing the development of our R&D facility at Salt Creek,” said Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8. “These measures partially offset the impact of rising network difficulty on Bitcoin production, and we expect further performance gains in Q1 2025 as our initial fleet upgrade is expected to drive an improvement in average fleet efficiency to 19.9 joules per terahash.” “We remain intently focused on growing our proprietary operations and have advanced the buildout of our Vega site on schedule for energization in Q2 2025. Accounting for our fleet upgrade and assuming we fully exercise our purchase option for the miners we expect to host at the Vega site, we have a path to approximately 24 exahash per second of self-mining hashrate with an average fleet efficiency of 15.7 joules per terahash as early as Q2 2025. In parallel, we continue to progress AI data center development opportunities across our development pipeline.” : Hut 8 Corp. is an energy infrastructure operator and Bitcoin miner with self-mining, hosting, managed services, and traditional data center operations across North America. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Hut 8 Corp. has a portfolio comprising twenty sites: ten Bitcoin mining, hosting, and Managed Services sites in Alberta, New York, and Texas, five high performance computing data centers in British Columbia and Ontario, four power generation assets in Ontario, and one non-operational site in Alberta. For more information, visit and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Hut8Corp. This press release includes “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and United States securities laws, respectively (collectively, “forward-looking information”). All information, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that Hut 8 expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including such things as future business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, expansion and growth of the business, operations, plans and other such matters is forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “allow”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “predict”, “can”, “might”, “potential”, “predict”, “is designed to”, “likely” or similar expressions. Specifically, such forward-looking information included in this press release includes statements relating to the Company’s planned initial fleet upgrade and the expected resulting performance gains, including expected improvement in average fleet efficiency, its focus on growing its proprietary operations, its buildout and energization of the Vega site, including the expected timing and resulting performance gains, its continuing progress with respect to AI data center development opportunities across its development pipeline and the impact of Ionic’s termination of the managed services agreement. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts, but instead represent management’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events based on certain material factors and assumptions at the time the statement was made. While considered reasonable by Hut 8 as of the date of this press release, such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to, security and cybersecurity threats and hacks; malicious actors or botnet obtaining control of processing power on the Bitcoin network; further development and acceptance of the Bitcoin network; changes to Bitcoin mining difficulty; loss or destruction of private keys; increases in fees for recording transactions in the Blockchain; erroneous transactions; reliance on a limited number of key employees; reliance on third party mining pool service providers; regulatory changes; classification and tax changes; momentum pricing risk; fraud and failure related to digital asset exchanges; difficulty in obtaining banking services and financing; difficulty in obtaining insurance, permits and licenses; internet and power disruptions; geopolitical events; uncertainty in the development of cryptographic and algorithmic protocols; uncertainty about the acceptance or widespread use of digital assets; failure to anticipate technology innovations; the COVID19 pandemic, climate change; currency risk; lending risk and recovery of potential losses; litigation risk; business integration risk; changes in market demand; changes in network and infrastructure; system interruption; changes in leasing arrangements; failure to achieve intended benefits of power purchase agreements; potential for interrupted delivery, or suspension of the delivery, of energy to mining sites and other risks related to the digital asset mining and data center business. For a complete list of the factors that could affect Hut 8, please see the “Risk Factors” section of Hut 8’s Transition Report on Form 10-K, available under the Company’s EDGAR profile at , and Hut 8’s other continuous disclosure documents which are available under the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at and EDGAR profile at . Sue Ennis A photo accompanying this announcement is available atMIAMI , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN and LEN.B), one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced today that the Company will release earnings for the fourth quarter ended November 30, 2024 after the market closes on December 18, 2024 . Additionally, the Company will hold a conference call on December 19, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time . The call will be broadcast live on the Internet and can be accessed through Lennar's website at investors.lennar.com . If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the call will be archived at investors.lennar.com for 90 days. Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the nation's leading builders of quality homes for all generations. Lennar builds affordable, move-up and active adult homes primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar's Financial Services segment provides mortgage financing, title and closing services primarily for buyers of Lennar's homes and, through LMF Commercial, originates mortgage loans secured primarily by commercial real estate properties throughout the United States . Lennar's Multifamily segment is a nationwide developer of high-quality multifamily rental properties. LEN X drives Lennar's technology, innovation and strategic investments. For more information about Lennar, please visit www.lennar.com . Contact: Ian Frazer Investor Relations Lennar Corporation (305) 485-4129 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lennar-corporations-fourth-quarter-earnings-conference-call-to-be-broadcast-live-on-the-internet-302324202.html SOURCE Lennar Corporation

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NoneTORONTO — TD was an outlier during the banks' fourth-quarter earnings season as other lenders released cautiously encouraging outlooks for the year ahead while the beleaguered bank suspended its guidance. The bank said it was suspending financial targets for earnings, return on equity and positive leverage as it works through a wide-ranging strategic review ahead of leadership change next year. "In my role as incoming CEO, we are undertaking a broad and detailed review of the bank strategies and investment priorities," said chief operating officer Raymond Chun, who is set to replace Bharat Masrani in the top job in April. "It's my opportunity to dive deep and make sure that we're putting TD in the best position possible," Chun said on an earnings call Thursday. The review comes as TD continues to grapple with the fallout from anti-money laundering deficiencies that saw it agree in October to pay fines totalling more than $4.23 billion to U.S. regulators, who also imposed an asset growth cap on its U.S. retail banking operations. The bank said it will be challenging to generate earnings growth as it navigates its transition. For TD's peers, the tone was more upbeat but still cautious as CIBC, RBC and National Bank reported profits that beat analyst expectations and said there was more growth ahead as interest rates are expected to drop further. Even BMO, which has been struggling with a pool of shaky loans, said it expects its provisions for credit losses to have peaked in the fourth quarter with improvements ahead. Shares of BMO opened down more than four per cent as its earnings came in well below analyst expectations because of the spike in provisions, but shares gained after an earnings call where the bank said it was turning a corner. The bank's share price was also boosted by an announced share buyback of up to 20 million shares, and a four-cent dividend increase from the previous quarter to $1.59 per share. "We're net confident in the U.S. and otherwise, and that's underpinned by the decisions we've made with respect to the dividend increase and normal course issuer bid," said chief executive Darryl White. CIBC showed even more faith in growth ahead as it reported results that were well ahead of expectations. The bank, which saw its provisions fall 23 per cent from last year, said it was boosting its dividend by eight per cent. "This increase reinforces the confidence we have to deliver earnings growth," said chief executive Victor Dodig on an earnings call. While bank leaders all generally saw better days ahead as interest rates fall and credit risks ease, their outlook on the timing is less confident. RBC chief executive Dave McKay said he was cautious but optimistic on the credit picture but still not sure on when it may normalize. "We're just a little uncertain as to how we're going to land this thing, whether it's in the first half or second half of the year, or early into '26." The bank shrugged off the effects of a softening Canadian economy to report a profit of $4.22 billion in the fourth quarter and $16.2 billion for the year. It increased its quarterly dividend by six cents, or four per cent, to $1.48. Scotiabank results fell short of analyst expectations as its results were hit by higher-than-expected taxes and a writedown of its holding in a Chinese bank, while its Canadian operations were affected by the softening economy, said chief executive Scott Thomson. "The realities of a slowing economy and the impact of peak interest rates made for a challenging operating environment," he said on a conference call with analysts. But he too is looking for a turnaround ahead as interest rates fall. "We anticipate additional easing through the first half of the year, which we expect will be stimulative to activity in the domestic housing and mortgage markets and buoy consumer and business confidence," Thomson said. While analysts welcomed the outlooks from banks, they expressed disappointment in TD's silence on its financial expectations for next year. "We would have hoped that TD would have been able to provide a little more concrete guidance to investors here right now," said Scotiabank analyst Meny Grauman in a note. "Waiting another half a year or more for management to tell us what the longer-run implications of its U.S. consent order are leaves the stock without a proper anchor." Jeffries analyst John Aiken said the bank was "throwing in the towel for 2025," and that investors will need to be patient for a catalyst to release pent-up value. Chun said he is optimistic on the road ahead, but it will take time to get there. "I really do believe there are opportunities to get even stronger, more competitive. And so I look forward to sharing more with you in the second half of 2025." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:TD, TSX:BMO, TSX:RY, TSX:BNS, TSX:CM) Ian Bickis, The Canadian PressFormer Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Stock futures were flat in overnight trading Sunday evening ahead of the last few trading sessions of 2024. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were flat, while S&P 500 futures edged up 0.04%. Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.1%. > 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are The major averages are heading into the yearend shy of record levels, with the S&P 500 and Dow up more than 25% and 14%, respectively, and on track for the best year since 2021. The Nasdaq has gained more than 31%. The benchmarks are also headed for a winning fourth quarter, with the Nasdaq on pace for its longest quarterly winning streaking since the second quarter of 2021. Despite a losing session for all the major averages on Friday, investors are hoping that stocks will continue to rise into the year-end and the new year, and trigger what's known as a Santa Claus Rally. The phenomenon refers to the market rising into the final five trading days of a calendar year and the first two in January. The S&P 500 has returned 1.3% on average during this period since 1950, according to LPL Financial. This week ushers in a light period for economic data, with the market closed Wednesday in observance of New Years Day. Chicago PMI and pending homes sales data are due out Monday. Also on CNBC Goldman sees nearly 43% upside for this little-known China robotaxi stock Dow falls more than 300 points Friday but breaks 3-week losing streak The economic lookout for 2025 is strong, but plenty could go wrongNVDA Stock Looks Cheap to Value Buyers Based on its Huge FCF Margins

Forthright and fearless, the Nobel Prize winner took pot-shots at former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US president George W Bush among others. His death came after repeated bouts of illness in which images of the increasingly frail former president failed to erase memories of his fierce spirit. Democrat James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr swept to power in 1977 with his Trust Me campaign helping to beat Republican president Gerald Ford. Serving as 39th US president from 1977 to 1981, he sought to make government “competent and compassionate” but was ousted by the unstoppable Hollywood appeal of a certain Ronald Reagan. A skilled sportsman, Mr Carter left his home of Plains, Georgia, to join the US Navy, returning later to run his family’s peanut business. A stint in the Georgia senate lit the touchpaper on his political career and he rose to the top of the Democratic movement. But he will also be remembered for a bizarre encounter with a deeply disgruntled opponent. The president was enjoying a relaxing fishing trip near his home town in 1979 when his craft was attacked by a furious swamp rabbit which reportedly swam up to the boat hissing wildly. The press had a field day, with one paper bearing the headline President Attacked By Rabbit. Away from encounters with belligerent bunnies, Mr Carter’s willingness to address politically uncomfortable topics did not diminish with age. He recently said that he would be willing to travel to North Korea for peace talks on behalf of US President Donald Trump. He also famously mounted a ferocious and personal attack on Tony Blair over the Iraq war, weeks before the prime minister left office in June 2007. Mr Carter, who had already denounced George W Bush’s presidency as “the worst in history”, used an interview on BBC radio to condemn Mr Blair for his tight relations with Mr Bush, particularly concerning the Iraq War. Asked how he would characterise Mr Blair’s relationship with Mr Bush, Mr Carter replied: “Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient. “I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world.” Mr Carter was also voluble over the Rhodesia crisis, which was about to end during his presidency. His support for Robert Mugabe at the time generated widespread criticism. He was said to have ignored the warnings of many prominent Zimbabweans, black and white, about what sort of leader Mugabe would be. This was seen by Mr Carter’s critics as “deserving a prominent place among the outrages of the Carter years”. Mr Carter has since said he and his administration had spent more effort and worry on Rhodesia than on the Middle East. He admitted he had supported two revolutionaries in Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, and with hindsight said later that Mugabe had been “a good leader gone bad”, having at first been “a very enlightened president”. One US commentator wrote: “History will not look kindly on those in the West who insisted on bringing the avowed Marxist Mugabe into the government. “In particular, the Jimmy Carter foreign policy... bears some responsibility for the fate of a small African country with scant connection to American national interests.” In recent years Mr Carter developed a reputation as an international peace negotiator. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his commitment to finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, his work with human rights and democracy initiatives, and his promotion of economic and social programmes. Mr Carter was dispatched to North Korea in August 2008 to secure the release of US citizen Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labour after being found guilty of illegally entering North Korea. He successfully secured the release of Mr Gomes. In 2010 he returned to the White House to greet President Barack Obama and discuss international affairs amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Proving politics runs in the family, in 2013 his grandson Jason, a state senator, announced his bid to become governor in Georgia, where his famous grandfather governed before becoming president. He eventually lost to incumbent Republican Nathan Deal. Fears that Mr Carter’s health was deteriorating were sparked in 2015 when he cut short an election observation visit in Guyana because he was “not feeling well”. It would have been Mr Carter’s 39th trip to personally observe an international election. Three months later, on August 12, he revealed he had cancer which had been diagnosed after he underwent surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. Mr Obama was among the well-wishers hoping for Mr Carter’s full recovery after it was confirmed the cancer had spread widely. Melanoma had been found in his brain and liver, and Mr Carter underwent immunotherapy and radiation therapy, before announcing in March the following year that he no longer needed any treatment. In 2017, Mr Carter was taken to hospital as a precaution, after he became dehydrated at a home-building project in Canada. He was admitted to hospital on multiple occasions in 2019 having had a series of falls, suffering a brain bleed and a broken pelvis, as well as a stint to be treated for a urinary tract infection. Mr Carter spent much of the coronavirus pandemic largely at his home in Georgia, and did not attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021, but extended his “best wishes”. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Mr Carter during his term as US president, died in November 2023. She had been living with dementia and suffering many months of declining health. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Mr Carter said in a statement following her death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”Credit Acceptance Announces Increase and Extension of Revolving Secured Warehouse FacilityOpenAI boss Sam Altman has expressed hope that Elon Musk won't use his political clout to hurt his competitors, describing such activity as "un-American." During the New York Times Dealbook Summit, Altman was reported as saying: "It would be profoundly un-American to use political power to hurt your competitors and advantage your own businesses. I don't think people would tolerate that. I don't think Elon would do it." Musk and Altman have fallen out over AI technology, particularly the "openness" of OpenAI's approach and the idea of the company becoming a for-profit business. Earlier this month , Musk filed an injunction against Altman to prevent OpenAI from moving toward an entirely for-profit business. The latest filing also asks for an injunction to prevent OpenAI and linked parties from investing in the company's competitors. Having lent his support to US President-elect Donald Trump during the recent US election campaign, it has been announced that Elon Musk will head the "Department of Government Efficiency," charged with finding ways of reducing the US budget. One of Musk's customers, Jared Isaacman, was nominated as the next administrator of NASA earlier this week. While Musk merely offered his congratulations, it is difficult not to imagine the billionaire exercising some influence over the decision. Isaacman has paid for several rides on SpaceX's Falcon 9, culminating in a recent "spacewalk" in which the space enthusiast stood inside the top hatch of a Crew Dragon, garbed in a SpaceX spacesuit, and looked at Earth. But using that power to hurt a rival? Un-American. Or so Altman and other tech giants will be fervently hoping as they ponder what the next four years will bring. Musk has fingers in many pies, including social media, rockets, and electric cars, as well as AI technology. However, it is over AI that the lawsuits and invective are flying at the moment. Musk's xAI is to expand its Memphis supercomputer to house at least one million GPUs, a figure Musk later upped to one billion via a posting on X. The billionaire was probably joking, although Meta, seeking to fuel its AI ambitions, has said it'll need another four gigawatts of power by the time the 2030s roll around. ®

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- BoomiTM , the intelligent integration and automation leader, today announced that Australian precious metals and jewellery company Pallion Group has bolstered resilience and customer experience (CX) across its brands, and laid a foundation for generative AI using the Boomi Enterprise Platform as the baseline for its data strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/en/ Pallion Group Welds Resilience and Customer Experience Into Dynamic Gold and Jewellery Business With Boomi (Graphic: Business Wire) Sydney-headquartered Pallion comprises six brands that source, manufacture, distribute, sell, and provide secure storage for gold, silver, and custom jewellery to organisations and individuals in Australia, Hong Kong, and China. The company implemented Boomi’s integration platform as a service (iPaaS) to simplify and improve connectivity between its technology systems and establish visibility over highly sensitive financial, commercial, and product supply data. “Pallion supplies high-value precious metals and jewellery subject to dynamic, fast-changing pricing, with strict compliance requirements around them. We’re handling people’s and companies’ money after all – that includes banks, superannuation funds and major retailers,” said Simon Smith, Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Pallion Group. “This means we need consistent uptime of and between our systems so that data flows back and forth in real time, while giving our teams a consolidated view of customer information on one screen. Boomi powers our data strategy by giving us a clean, hub-and-spoke integration framework to connect business-critical platforms and centralise data to make this possible.” Pallion implemented the Boomi Enterprise Platform in February 2024 to support the foundations of its digital transformation and replace a “spaghetti mess” of hundreds of outdated point-to-point integrations, according to Smith. The Boomi platform has already been used to connect Pallion’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 enterprise resource planning (ERP) stack, and its finance and human resources (HR) systems, and the company affirms its use of iPaaS will scale up as its digital transformation strategy progresses. Meanwhile, data ingested by Pallion’s systems is already centralised in Boomi DataHub. “Boomi has fostered an environment we know we can trust to get data across to the right people and places securely with no downtime – spanning production operations through to the websites our customers use to buy precious metals and jewellery,” said Smith. “This has amplified CX, as the information buyers and our teams see is always accurate. If there are ever any issues, Boomi’s integration model allows us to rapidly pinpoint and resolve the issue – a process that could formerly take days is now completed in a few hours.” Pallion has also seen dramatic productivity gains as Boomi helped the company strip away countless hours previously spent maintaining and fixing point-to-point integrations. In addition, the Boomi Enterprise Platform serves as an “abstraction layer,” said Smith, ensuring new technology investments are rapidly and seamlessly integrated into the group of companies, with data readily available through Boomi DataHub. This will be pivotal in Pallion’s strategic roadmap, with the company planning to introduce generative AI for its employees to query the company’s data using natural language, and ultimately expedite internal processes and customer service. David Irecki, Chief Technology Officer, APJ at Boomi, said, “Pallion Group serves some of the most prolific retail brands – from Tiffany & Co to Michael Hill Jewellery – as well as Australian financial institutions and citizens. It has even worked on the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open trophies, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Carriage. Its clientele expect seamless experiences when making significant purchasing decisions. Boomi has helped Pallion establish a reliable and resilient technology environment across its brands to optimise CX, all the while supporting the stringent compliance obligations under which the group operates.” Additional Resources About Boomi Boomi, the intelligent integration and automation leader, helps organizations around the world automate and streamline critical processes to achieve business outcomes faster. Harnessing advanced AI capabilities, the Boomi Enterprise Platform seamlessly connects systems and manages data flows with API management, integration, data management, and AI orchestration in one comprehensive solution. With a customer base exceeding 20,000 companies globally and a rapidly expanding network of 800+ partners, Boomi is revolutionizing the way enterprises of all sizes achieve business agility and operational excellence. Discover more at boomi.com . © 2024 Boomi, LP. Boomi, the ‘B’ logo, and Boomiverse are trademarks of Boomi, LP or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Other names or marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/en/ CONTACT: Media: Jasmine Ee Head of Influencer Relations, APJ jasmine.ee@boomi.com KEYWORD: AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA AUSTRALIA ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: JEWELRY LUXURY RETAIL TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Boomi Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 05:00 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 05:01 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121138990/enNone