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There are some women who carve the most unique and inspiring paths through life, and their stories almost always become far-reaching. One such remarkable journey is the saga of Shashi Soni that embodies struggle and success. With a paltry sum of ₹10,000, Shashi began her entrepreneurial journey in 1971 by founding Deep Transport. Her dedication and determination carved the milestones for her future ventures. By 1975, she was setting up new ventures, establishing a cinema called Deep Mandir, situated in Mulund, Mumbai-a trove of joy and excitement for moviegoers till 1980. Riding the success of a decade of different experiences, Shashi ventured into the manufacturing sector, setting up Oxygen Private Limited, a gas plant in Mysuru. This marked the beginning of her plunge into the technical and industrial fields. In 2005, Shashi made a daring plunge into technology, founding Izmo Limited, a software company based in Mysuru with world-class automotive and e-retailing solutions. Today, as Chairperson of Izmo Ltd., she heads a company considered a worldwide bench-mark for excellence and innovation. Shashi's influence is not only experienced in her business endeavors but also in the realms of social welfare. The work done through the Deep Janseva Samiti is practically innumerable, insomuch as it has striven for women's education, fair employment, pension schemes, and care for the differently abled. She has helped tens of thousands of people to have a better life, hopefully a privileged one, and her work has received acclaim all over. Her numerous awards stand testimony to her accomplishments. In 1990, Shashi was awarded the title of Woman of the Year for her contributions to Indian industry. She also sits on the board of the Committee of the All India Industrial Gas Manufacturers Association and the Technical Development Directorate, playing a vital role in them. In recognition of her multifaceted contributions to business and social welfare, Shashi Soni was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri. Transporting small has now blossomed into a global tech firm with endeavors in meaningful social initiatives, becoming a shining light of inspiration for upcoming entrepreneurs and change-makers alike.MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favor to 13 against. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses. The platforms also could not demand digital identification through a government system. “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” Tehan told Parliament. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later Wednesday. The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will be passed by the Senate where no party holds a majority of seats. Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday. Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents’ authority to decide what’s best for their children. Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms they encountered and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media.” “The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” Daniel told Parliament. “There is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that’s because no other country wants to do it,” she added. T he platforms had asked for the vote on legislation to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could been enforced. Melbourne resident Wayne Holdsworth, whose 17-year-old son Mac took his own life last year after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, described the bill as “absolutely essential for the safety of our children.” “It’s not the only thing that we need to do to protect them because education is the key, but to provide some immediate support for our children and parents to be able to manage this, it’s a great step,” the 65-year-old online safety campaigner told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “And in my opinion, it’s the greatest time in our country’s history,” he added, referring to the pending legal reform. Advertisement

shares have underperformed benchmarks this year, and owners of the stock have had to endure some stomach-churning . , with those betting on a falling Pilbara Minerals stock price profiting handsomely. Whether lithium stocks return to strength remains up for debate. Lithium prices are heavily compressed from former highs amid a supply glut and weak demand for the batteries the metal is used in. But Pilbara's y gave investors plenty to digest, from updates on growth projects to insights into the company's evolving strategy. So, where does the company go from here, and what does it mean for Pilbara Minerals shares? Let's see. Key AGM points for Pilbara Minerals shares The AGM highlighted Pilbara Minerals' journey throughout the desolate lithium landscape these past 12 months. Chairman Dale Henderson detailed how the company has grown from an exploration venture into a lithium heavyweight, supplying 11% of the world's hard-rock lithium from its flagship Pilgangoora project. Henderson also commented on the bright future of the market despite its current slump. The agile nature of our operating model and ability to adapt to changing market conditions has placed us in a strong position. In 2015, around the same time the team of geologists were drilling the first holes at Pilgangoora, a total of 370,0002 electric vehicles were sold worldwide. Fast forward to 2024, and China alone now sells the same number of EVs every two weeks. Looking further ahead, long term demand for EVs and battery storage remains incredibly robust. We believe that no other lithium company is better placed to weather current conditions and capitalise when the market turns, than Pilbara Minerals. He also mentioned the P680 Project had already ramped up production and cut costs, while the P1000 Project was now 80% complete and set to deliver first ore by early 2025. Meanwhile, Pilbara Minerals is making moves beyond Australian shores. Its joint venture with POSCO in South Korea has achieved lithium hydroxide production. thium Project in Brazil. Tough lithium market, tougher strategy The lithium market has been a wild ride lately, with oversupply concerns pushing prices down. For Pilbara Minerals, this has meant navigating some challenging headwinds. Several mines have been mothballed this year as a result, and Pilbara decided to pause operations at its smaller Ngungaju plant until prices recover. Whilst Henderson is bullish on the market, according to Trading Economics, 190 tonnes of mine curtailments have occurred since 2023. Despite relatively high stocks from a historical standpoint, battery manufacturers also reportedly raised purchasing activity amid risks of a trade war after Trump assumes office next year in the US. In turn, the plunge in prices during the year drove multiple mines in Australia and China to close or cut costs... As such, lithium prices remain the elephant in the room. Until they stabilise — or ideally recover — Pilbara Minerals shares faces an uphill climb. Are brokers bullish on Pilbara Minerals shares? Analysts are which, on analysis, likely reflects the broader uncertainty in the lithium market. The different possibilities of outcomes are broad. However, three different brokers have three different opinions on the stock, which makes it simply fantastic for market observers. UBS is , assigning a $2.35 price target and raising concerns about global lithium oversupply. Bell Potter is neutral, valuing the stock at $2.95 and praising Pilbara's operational strength while acknowledging market volatility. Fair game. Morgans, however, is the one wearing the , rating the stock a buy with a $3.25 target. It reckons Pilbara Minerals is in a prime spot to scale production quickly when (or if) the market turns. Foolish takeaway Pilbara Minerals continues to churn the lithium engine despite a soft commodity market and weak demand for the metal. Like all miners, it is a price taker at the mercy of market pricing on the commodities it produces. The company's chair laid out a number of talking points in its AGM, which may or may not have some bearing on the stock price. Ultimately, it's up to management to execute and lithium prices to improve. In the last 12 months, Pilbara Minerals shares are down 31%.Friday's Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, one of the game's top jackpots

At the top of a twisting driveway, the Crafty Distillery enjoys a glorious view of the Galloway landscape. Situated just outside Newton Stewart, it is best known for its gin production but has branched out more recently into vodka and whisky. Its products are already stocked in a number of major supermarkets and hundreds of independent retailers but the company now has plans to expand. Founder and managing director Graham Taylor said it could allow them to increase production, hire more staff and boost turnover signficantly. The story of the distillery goes back to 2014 when Graham was working abroad but was keen to move back to the area where he grew up and start a business. "I was working in the design industry, but I had an interest in spirits," he explained. "I guess my dad was a whisky fan and both me and my brother got into drinking whisky over the years." He spotted a distillery for sale in the area but could not afford to buy it so, instead, ended up finding a site where they could build their own. They started building in 2016 and completed it early the following year. And when it came to developing their first gin, it was inspired by their surroundings. "First and foremost, we are a Galloway distillery," said Graham. "You've got Cairnsmore of Fleet in front of you, you look up to the Merrick, you've got the history and we've got this absolute bounty of botanicals. "So when we went to develop our first product, which was the Hills and Harbour gin we wanted to capture some of that." So from the hills they took noble fir - and seaweed from the coastline - to give it its distinctive flavour. Only recently have they branched out into whisky and they are working with a farmer in nearby Port William to look at growing local barley. Now the company, with a staff of 12, has gone as far as it can with the current facilities and has plans to expand. "We've really maxed out the production in here," Graham explained. At present they produce "only" 10,000 pure litres a year for their whisky but the new facilities could allow them to go up to 100,000 with the potential to reach 200,000. It would also let them double white spirit production as well. "We've grown roughly between kind of 10% and 20% every year for the last five years," he said. "We've done it in almost, you could say, in quite a traditional fashion. "We only invest and we only grow when we can afford to, because we don't work with banks in the sense that we don't have investors, we don't have bank loans at the moment." They have just launched their first crowd funder to look to get more local investment because Graham said they were at a point where they really hoped to "scale this up" and be able to take on more staff. "Last year we had £1.1m turnover and almost in its entirety that has come from white spirit," he said. "So what we're looking to do is double that revenue for the business, so we're looking to get that to £2.2m in the next few years. "That means producing, roughly, about 100,000 bottles a year." In the process, they hope to "help put Galloway on the map" and be able to take on more staff. "The main story I guess here from my perspective is that we're at that point where we've had a really good solid seven or eight years of growth," said Graham. "We really want to double down and cement our commitment to the region, the existing staff and the future potential. "To do that, we really need to try and expand in operations." Dumfries and Galloway Council has just approved the expansion of the site with a new production and visitor facility. Graham said the best part of running a business in Galloway was also one of its most challenging aspects. "You're only two hours from Glasgow - in some ways we are actually easy to get to, but, in a lot of people's minds, we're quite remote," he said. "We really need more people to come and enjoy it. "This is an absolutely magical place, and there's tons of opportunities here - you just have to find them."

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Wall Street stocks were little changed on Thursday while Asian equities rose in thin Boxing Day trade, extending their "Santa Claus Rally" with several bourses still shut for the holiday. Japan's Nikkei index closed up 1.1 percent, boosted by comments from the Bank of Japan governor and share price gains for top-selling automaker Toyota. China's plans for massive bond issuances in 2025 also bolstered investor sentiment. "Even though many in the region are still shaking off a bit of a holiday hangover, with several markets closed for Boxing Day, Asian stocks opened higher, riding a favorable wave from China's financial bond juggernaut," said Stephen Innes from SPI Asset Management. In New York, major indices veered in and out of positive territory in a sleepy post-Christmas session. The broad-based S&P 500 finished down less than 0.1 percent. Large technology companies that have led the market in much of 2024 mostly took a breather. These included Netflix, Tesla and Amazon, all of which declined. "What's interesting today is that we're seeing small stocks bounce back a little bit," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers, noting that the Russell 2000 index put on 0.9 percent. Holiday consumer data showed a 3.8-percent increase in US retail spending from November 1 to December 24, according to a Mastercard SpendingPulse review of a key period for retailers. London Stockton, an analyst at Ned Davis Research, noted that the "Santa Claus rally could still be alive, with strong seasonality into the end of the year." Stock markets have traditionally fared well in the last five trading days of the year and the first two in the new year, a trend known as the "Santa Claus rally." Among a number of possible reasons advanced by experts include the festive holiday mood and purchasing ahead of the end of the tax year. Innes said remarks from Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda in which he refrained from signaling a potential interest rate hike next month also "influenced bullish regional sentiments." Japanese market heavyweight Toyota ended nearly six percent higher after reports in the Nikkei business daily said it aimed to double its return on equity -- a key measure of a company's financial performance. New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,325.80 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 6,037.59 (close) New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.1 percent at 20,020.36 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 39,568.06 points (close) Hang Seng: UP 1.1 percent at 20,098.29 points (Tuesday close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,398.08 points (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0424 from $1.0414 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2526 from $1.2538 Dollar/yen: UP at 158.00 yen from 157.06 yen Euro/pound: UP at 83.19 pence from 83.05 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $69.62 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $73.26 per barrel bur-jmb/aha

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. ( NYSE:HY – Free Report ) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 845 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling worth $1,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HY. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling by 19.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 26,492 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,690,000 after purchasing an additional 4,226 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 255,870 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in Hyster-Yale Materials Handling by 117.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 32,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 17,347 shares in the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Hyster-Yale Materials Handling during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 5,434 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.47% of the company’s stock. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Trading Down 1.3 % Hyster-Yale Materials Handling stock opened at $50.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.36. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.73 and a 1 year high of $84.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $56.43 and its 200-day moving average is $62.91. The company has a market cap of $878.38 million, a P/E ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.25. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.71%. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, November 18th that allows the company to repurchase $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently issued reports on HY. StockNews.com cut shares of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on Hyster-Yale Materials Handling from $84.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00. Get Our Latest Analysis on HY Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Company Profile ( Free Report ) Hyster-Yale, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, and services a line of lift trucks, attachments, and aftermarket parts worldwide. The company manufactures components, such as frames, masts, and transmissions; and assembles lift trucks. It markets its products primarily under the Hyster and Yale brand names to independent Hyster and Yale retail dealerships. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. ( NYSE:HY – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hyster-Yale Materials Handling and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .