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As the debate continues to unfold, it is important for all parties involved to approach the situation with empathy and understanding. Rather than resorting to online attacks and public shaming, a more constructive approach would be to engage in dialogue and seek common ground. It is crucial to remember that miscommunications and misunderstandings can easily arise in the fast-paced world of social media, and that thoughtful reflection and open-mindedness are essential to resolving conflicts.
Men lose 17 minutes of life with every cigarette they smoke while a woman’s life is cut short by 22 minutes with each cigarette, experts have estimated. This is more than previous estimates, which suggest that each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 11 minutes. The new estimates, which suggest that each cigarette leads to 20 minutes loss of live on average across both genders, are based on more up-to-date figures from long-term studies tracking the health of the population. Researchers from University College London said that the harm caused by smoking is “cumulative” and the sooner a person stops smoking, and the more cigarettes they avoid smoking, the longer they live. The new analysis, commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care, suggests that if a 10-cigarettes-a-day smoker quits on January 1, then by January 8 they could “prevent loss of a full day of life”. By February 20, their lives could be extended by a whole week. And if their quitting is successful until August 5, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke. The authors added: “Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life. Make 2025 the year you quit smoking for good. There’s lots of free support available to help you. Find out more 🔽 https://t.co/J0ehnoRM1D pic.twitter.com/LQpUp6HJBm — WHH 🏥 (@WHHNHS) December 27, 2024 “Thus smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability. “So a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.” The analysis, to be published in the Journal of Addiction, concludes: “We estimate that on average, smokers in Britain who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette they smoke. “This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health. “Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be.” Dr Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow from the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, said: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy. “The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke. “The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. “Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately. “It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.” There are so many reasons to quit smoking this New Year – for your health, for more money, and for your family. Make a fresh quit for 2025 – find tips and support at https://t.co/GyLk65o8kS or https://t.co/iW6WLxTL00 pic.twitter.com/KxPZ5N378y — North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (@NTeesHpoolNHSFT) December 27, 2024 Health officials have said that smokers can find advice, support and resources with the NHS Quit Smoking app, as well as the online Personal Quit Plan. Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit. “The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step.” Commenting on the paper, Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals but also for our healthcare system and economy. “This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the UK.”
Ryan Seacrest Is Celebrating 20 Years Of Taking Over Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Eve, And Holy Moly, What Is Time?Unlike the past New Year's, the arrival of 2025 signifies the birth of the first cohort of Generation Beta babies, who are expected to grow in a new world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and technological innovations. As fancy as this may sound, it is far from reality for the unfortunate child that will be opening their eyes this week in an average household in Karachi, where both the past, present and future appear to be hinged around the provision of basic urban necessities. Water, transport and roads. Karachi's three incessant woes. Even as another year comes to an end, no major project initiated under the supervision of the federal or provincial government could reach its timely completion hence continuing the long-held tradition of sluggish development. While some projects were started as far as eight years ago and were halted midway, others faced delays in the initiation of key components thereby depriving the public of their intended benefits. In the city of over 30 million people, only 650 million gallons of water are supplied daily from two sources, the Indus River and Hub Dam, which are insufficient to meet the city's daily water requirement of 1,200 million gallons. Despite the passing of two decades, no additional water has been sourced from the Indus River to address the deficit. Although two mega projects were launched in 2016 to overcome the water crisis, despite the passage of 8 years, they could not be completed. The first was the K-IV project, which was supposed to supply 260 million gallons of water to Karachi. Despite consistent cost spikes, the project faced delays following which it was transferred from the Sindh government to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 2021. Under the new plan, the project should be completed by December 2025. "So far, 50 percent of the work on the K-IV project has been completed. If the funds are released on time, the project will be completed soon," said an official from WAPDA. However, sources have revealed that there are two more components of the K-IV project, the Augmentation Plan and the power station, which have still not been put into action. If both the components are not completed on time, it will not be possible to supply water to Karachi from Keenjhar Lake. Similarly, the second water supply project was the 65 million gallons per day (MGD), which has been halted for five years due to the lack of interest of the Sindh government. Only 15 percent of the work on the project has been completed, even though the cost of the project has nearly doubled. The project has now been red-tapered at the government level and is being considered for construction on the basis of a public-private partnership. When it comes to transport, the port city still faces a severe shortage of buses. Although 100 buses are running on the Green Line Phase I and Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit alongside 280 air-conditioned buses under the Peoples Bus Scheme, considering the population of the city, 8,000 more buses are still required. According to a survey conducted by the Express Tribune, 400 public transport routes have been closed. Currently, only 135 routes are operational, through which 3,000 to 4,000 buses, minibuses and coaches are plying. "Despite the passage of three years and an increase in cost, construction work on the Green Line Phase II has not been started," confirmed an officer from the Sindh Mass Transit Authority. Conversely, an officer from the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited assured that construction work on Phase II of the Green Line should be started in four months and will be completed in a year. Furthermore, the Orange Line project, which is 3.9 kilometers long from Orangi Town Office to Matric Board Office, has been completed since two and a half years. However, very few passengers travel on this route since it is not connected to the Green Line. Construction work on the Red Line bus project began in 2022. In 2024, construction was suspended for six months due to various reasons. Although the project was slated to be completed by 2025, it has now been postponed by another year. Similarly, the 26-kilometer-long Yellow Line project has also been postponed to 2027. On the other hand, several roads including the MA Jinnah Road, New MA Jinnah Road, SM Taufiq Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrah-e-Usman, Nishtar Road, Jail Road, Jamshed Road, Manghopir Road, Sher Shah Suri Road, Garden Road, Hub River Road, and Korangi Industrial Area Road are in disrepair. While similar issues plague the streets and other smaller lanes throughout the city. A KMC official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed that KMC has allocated Rs9 billion while the Sindh government has released Rs3.3 billion for district annual development for the current financial year. COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see ourOn one hand, the partnership with Amazon could provide Perplexity with the financial backing and resources needed to scale its operations and bring its technology to a wider audience. Amazon's extensive customer base and market reach could open up new avenues for Perplexity to deploy its AI solutions across different industries and verticals. Additionally, the collaboration could lead to enhanced research and development efforts, accelerating innovation in the AI space.
In conclusion, the decision by the United States Department of State to provide combat gear for Ukrainian volunteers marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. By supporting the efforts of young citizens to defend their country, the United States reaffirms its commitment to assisting Ukraine in its fight against external aggression. This initiative underscores the importance of solidarity and partnership in upholding peace and security in the region and sends a strong message of support to the people of Ukraine as they continue to resist external threats.Just_Super ETF Overview iShares U.S. Tech Independence Focused ETF ( BATS: IETC ) invests in U.S. technology companies that derive a significant portion of their technological capabilities, revenues, and production from within the United States. The result is a portfolio of nearly 120 large-cap U.S. technology Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of MSFT, GOOGL, AMZN either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Fulks puts up 26, Milwaukee defeats IU Indianapolis 88-81
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Traditionally, pharmaceutical centralized procurement has been criticized for its rigid and standardized evaluation criteria that often favored larger companies with lower pricing. This approach led to a lack of diversity in the market, limited innovation, and hindered the entry of new players. The new regulations aim to address these issues by introducing a more dynamic and comprehensive evaluation framework that takes into account various factors beyond just pricing.Tucsonans prepare for mass deportations: 'It's a sad and painful time'
Stay tuned for more updates on "Uncharted 4: A New Adventure for the Four Seas Brothers" as we eagerly await its release and the further adventures of the beloved characters in this exciting new chapter of the series.Unveiling the Secret Behind Nvidia’s Astonishing AI GrowthIn the thrilling match between the fierce rivals Iron Hammer Wolf Team and the formidable Conte-Tuchel squad, fans witnessed a spectacle that encapsulated the intensity and passion of the sport. The clash between these two powerhouse teams in Century Grasp 2.0 was more than just a game - it was a battle of wills, skills, and determination.
US SEC issues summons for India's Adani, nephew on bribery allegations
Panic has gripped school heads across the country following the creation of a monitoring unit by the Ministry of Education and Sports to unearth the rot in government schools including those that inflate pupils’ numbers to swindle capitation grants from the government. The unit has hit the road running and so far has uncovered 43,045 ‘ghost’ pupils – who are counted in official records but do not exist in Ntungamo district, western Uganda. This revelation was made by Janet Kataha Museveni, the minister of Education and Sports also the first lady during her year-end address to ministry staff and affiliated agencies. The revelation sheds light on the persistent issue of inflated enrollment numbers that have cost taxpayers billions of shillings over the years. Ms Museveni said that the discovery was part of broader efforts to enhance accountability and governance within Uganda’s education sector. To address these challenges, Ms Museveni noted that a Special Infrastructure Monitoring Unit has been established within the ministry to oversee and streamline operations. This unit aims to curb fraudulent practices, ensure transparency, and safeguard public funds invested in education. The unit, led by Dr Kenneth Ssemwogerere, is tasked with closely monitoring infrastructure projects among other assignments. “These people have been my feet, ears, and eyes for all the projects we undertake because I don’t want to sit here and report on projects that are non-existent or done poorly,” Ms Museveni started. She added that one of the achievements made by the unit this year was their recent findings in Ntungamo district where they conducted surprise checks and headcounts across 236 primary schools, they identified 43,045 ghost pupils. Given that the government allocates Shs 20,000 for each primary school pupil, this discrepancy could have led to an overpayment of approximately Shs 860 million in capitation grants to the district over the years yet similar funds if placed into use could make a difference. For instance, districts like Kabarole receive Shs 500 million for schools in the 17 sub-counties as School Facilitation Grant (SFG) to help with the construction of more classrooms, latrines and purchase of desks for primary schools under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) program. Despite the gravity of this discovery, Ms Museveni did not reveal the fate of the implicated head teachers or other officials in charge. However, in her address, she urged ministry staff and school officials to act with integrity, stressing that corruption and dishonesty must have no place in Uganda’s education system. “We must serve with integrity in handling the funds allocated for education. This money is meant to support our children’s learning, not to be misused,” she concluded. According to estimates from the ministry of Finance, ‘ghost’ pupils alone cost taxpayers about $11 million (Shs 41 billion) annually. In 2022, the ministry of Education introduced an improved Education Management Information System (EMIS) to among other things combat the issue of ghost pupils by assuring accurate learner enrollment data in individual schools, enhancing planning and management. Though EMIS is still in its roll-out phase, preliminary results have already shown significant discrepancies. Ministry sources revealed that some schools reported inflated numbers of pupils, only for those students to be missing when the data was cross-checked in the system. Nearly half a million over-reported learners have been identified nationwide through this process, and the ministry plans to carry out a full analysis of the data shortly. When asked about the matter, Vincent Ssozi, assistant commissioner for statistics, monitoring, and evaluation at the ministry of Education, explained that once the ministry completes the harmonization of data collected from schools, a clearer picture of the ghost learners will emerge. “This process will allow us to eliminate discrepancies. We will completely handle those so-called ghost pupils and ensure that future capitation grants are allocated based only on verified data from the Education Management Information System (EMIS).” Still addressing the issue of integrity spoke on the recent disciplinary action taken at the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), following reports supported by evidence of misappropriation, misuse of government resources, and abuse of office. She emphasized that whenever such issues are detected, she will not hesitate to take swift and decisive action to address the matter. “This year, we had to crack the whip on the team at DIT, and this was not done haphazardly, it followed a report by the IGG, with evidence of misappropriation, misuse of government resources, and total abuse of office,” she noted. She added that, while recognizing the importance of DIT and the significant benefits it brings to the people, the work must be done properly. “Next year, we must come together to streamline the mandate, management, and work methods of DIT,” she stated. Meanwhile, during the same session, the ministry also took stock of its achievements over the past year, including securing the AFCON co-hosting bid and streamlining the TVET sector, among other successes. It is not new for public servants to include ‘ghosts’ and non-existent figures in the payrolls so as to siphon public funds. For example, in 2021, it was discovered that over 1,039 ‘ghost’ workers were on the nurses’ payroll whereby each nurse was receiving Shs 15,000 per day. editorNvidia’s innovative strategies are paying off even amidst U.S. restrictions on GPU exports to China. While unable to sell its top-tier offerings like the Hopper H100 series directly, Nvidia has introduced a modified solution: the HGX H20. This cut-down version has outperformed expectations in the Chinese market. Despite reduced specs, the HGX H20’s sales have surged dramatically, marking a significant victory for Nvidia. Industry analyst Claus Aasholm highlights this remarkable success, noting a 50% quarterly growth, making it Nvidia’s most profitable product currently. In contrast, Nvidia’s full-spectrum H100 series saw a 25% growth rate. The shifting landscape of artificial intelligence technology showcases the global thirst for advanced computing power. While the U.S. naturally progresses with an abundance of resources—entities like OpenAI are in relentless pursuit of more power and hardware to dominate AI development. In China, the quest for AI supremacy isn’t lagging. A recent breakthrough by Chinese AI company Deepseek demonstrates this ambition. They utilized a network of 2,048 Nvidia H800 GPUs to train a massive language model with 671 billion parameters, completing the task in two months with 2.8 million GPU hours invested. As China continues expanding its AI capabilities despite export limitations, future competition from emerging local tech companies could eventually challenge Nvidia’s market dominance. But for now, Nvidia’s strategic adaptations, like the HGX H20, affirm its stronghold. Nvidia’s Success Story: How Their Strategic Adaptations Are Beating Export Challenges Nvidia’s Strategic Adaptations in a Challenging Market Nvidia, an industry leader in GPU technology, finds itself at a unique crossroads. Despite stringent U.S. restrictions on exporting top-tier GPUs to China, Nvidia’s tactical innovation shines through. While the premium Hopper H100 series remains inaccessible to the Chinese market, Nvidia has cleverly introduced the HGX H20—a strategically modified version designed to bypass these limitations. Breaking Down the HGX H20’s Market Performance The HGX H20, though a toned-down variation, has defied expectations and achieved remarkable success in the Chinese market. Its impressive 50% quarterly growth, as noted by industry analyst Claus Aasholm, outstrips the performance of Nvidia’s full-spectrum H100 series, which saw a 25% growth rate. This success demonstrates Nvidia’s ability to adapt and thrive under restrictive conditions, maintaining its profitability and market leadership. Global AI Expansion Sparks Demand for Advanced Computing The global landscape of artificial intelligence continues to evolve, with countries racing to harness advanced computing power. In the United States, companies like OpenAI are pushing the boundaries of AI development with substantial resources at their disposal. Conversely, China has made significant strides in AI technology, exemplified by Deepseek’s remarkable achievement. Utilizing 2,048 Nvidia H800 GPUs, Deepseek trained an ambitious language model with 671 billion parameters in just two months, allocating 2.8 million GPU hours to this task. Future Prospects and Market Challenges While China’s AI capabilities continue to grow, Nvidia remains at the forefront, thanks to its strategic approach with products like the HGX H20. However, as Chinese tech firms continue to evolve, Nvidia may face increasing competition in the future. The challenge will be to uphold its market dominance amid a dynamic and competitive environment. For more insights on Nvidia’s innovative strategies and market performance, visit Nvidia .
The tagline accompanying the poster reads: "Rise to the challenge. Conquer the opposition. Liverpool Away." This message serves as a rallying cry for both the players and the fans, encouraging them to approach the game with confidence, courage, and a winning mindset.In October, the latest Chinese Corporate Credit Index was released, indicating a steady and positive trend in the overall credit health of businesses in China. The data suggests that the efforts to strengthen credit management and promote financial stability are yielding results, as evidenced by the continuous consolidation of a stable and favorable credit environment.
In conclusion, Xiaomi's announcement of the YU7 SUV marks a significant milestone in the company's expansion into the automotive market. With its innovative design, advanced technology, and strategic positioning in the SUV segment, the YU7 has the potential to redefine the driving experience for consumers. As we look forward to the summer launch of the YU7, the automotive industry is bracing for the impact of Xiaomi's entry into this competitive arena.
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