The stock market in China had a turbulent morning as the Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) started the day on a positive note but soon experienced a sharp downturn. At midday, the SHCOMP was down by 1.58%, with total turnover surpassing 1.5 trillion yuan.The total turnover of both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets surpassed 1.5 trillion yuan, reflecting the scale and depth of the Chinese stock market. The robust turnover demonstrated the liquidity and trading activity in the market, even amidst uncertainties and volatility.
One of the clichés often trotted out about television shows is that the characters “start to feel like family”. After all, as we grow up, become more atomised, spread out across the world, it’s easy to find yourself spending more time with the cast of your favourite TV show than with your own kith and kin. But while it’s a trite observation, it’s also quite true of , which puts middle-class British family life under a microscope, revealing its facts and follies for all to see. As it makes its long-awaited return this Christmas, Sue and Pete Brockman (Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis) have some news. Some big, scary – – cancer news. But they aren’t going to let that derail their Christmas plans, as the three Brockman children – Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben (Daniel Roche), and – descend upon the family home for the festive period. Oh, and then there’s Jane (Hattie Morahan), the local irritant the Brockmans can never shrug off, who becomes an extended interloper for the holidays. “This place is so much smaller than the last place,” says Sue, as the brood arrives at the new digs, “and they’re so much bigger.” And so they are: , and the kids are now in their mid-twenties. Adulthood brings new challenges. “Are you going to stop paying for our mobile phones?” the children ask, in unison, when their parents tell them that they have an announcement to make. But there is something bigger at stake here: Pete, the world-weary Brockman clan patriarch, has prostate cancer. It’s a revelation that breaks the children out of their own crises: Jake has relationship issues, Ben is about to backpack across the Andes, and Karen has left another job after falling out with her colleagues. But does the dynamic with your children ever really change? However old they get, aren’t they always to their parents? has always been typified by a quiet sense of farce. Dennis, a master of dry British comedy, is a straight man whose visible self-repression always builds towards a frenzied release (here, he ends up, as the kids would say, yeeting the neighbour’s Christmas parcels over the fence). Skinner, meanwhile, is a ball of anxious energy, desperate for this fudged Christmas gathering to be a success. But while Dennis and Skinner are pros, the actors playing their children – who have been part of the cast since they were 11, 7 and 5, respectively – have lost something of the natural comedic instinct they displayed as kids. The rambunctious chaos of the Brockman household has given way to a gentleness that could be mistaken for blandness. Of course, a Christmas special ought to be mellow. has always been a show for the whole family. Parents will sigh along with that feeling that their children will never get out from under their feet; kids will chime with that creeping recognition that their parents are mere mortals. “We’ll know they’re OK when they start taking the piss,” Pete reckons, after delivering his cancer bombshell. It is a show to be watched as a family, in a turkey fugue, before, or between, arguments about politics or football or who was the least-favoured child growing up. An Christmas special is like a very simple two-act play. The cast assembles and a dramatic revelation is made. Curtain, go get a £5 tub of ice cream. Then, in the second act, everyone speeds towards a sense of acceptance with this new reality, demonstrating that blood is thicker than eggnog (figuratively, it’s actually not), and we’re all bound to our families by more than mere proximity. It’s a simple proposition, and a harmless one, and ought to provide 45 minutes of square-eyed communion over the fractious yuletide period.Serie A Round 15 Best XI: De Gea, Di María, Mxitaryan, and CKD Shine
TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- STELLATM Automotive AI, Inc. (“STELLA”), a provider of automotive artificial intelligence technology, announced a new round of convertible loan financing, which raised $11 million to drive market growth, continue to build its team and support ongoing product enhancement and development. The raise was led by existing investor and strategic partner Reynolds and Reynolds with participation from other existing strategic investors, including more than 15 large private automotive dealership groups, as well as new investors Sheehy Auto Stores and Butler Automotive Group. The Presidio Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to STELLA for the convertible loan financing. “The ongoing support from our original investors has been tremendous, and we appreciate their confidence in STELLA’s AI technology,” said STELLA CEO Rich Sands. “The market’s embrace of our technology has been robust, and this funding will help STELLA deliver our innovative products that improve operational efficiency and the customer experience to more dealerships. We expect STELLA’s rapid customer and revenue growth to continue over the next year.” STELLA plans to use the capital raised to accelerate the onboarding of dealership clients; expand its team, including in leadership; advance product development; and introduce enhanced features to its suite of AI tools. STELLA’s technology helps dealerships solve longtime industry pain points around engaging with customers in a timely and helpful fashion. STELLA’s AI assistant can simultaneously handle unlimited inbound calls as it engages in natural language conversations 24/7 to deliver a world-class customer experience. The STELLA assistant is expertly trained on a wide range of automotive retail topics and can personalize the customer engagement process when booking service appointments, leading to higher customer retention and lower operating costs for dealerships. STELLA’s products integrate with existing dealership software offered by companies like Reynolds, a longtime leading provider of the full Retail Management System for auto retailers. The financing round underscores the intense interest that auto dealers and auto retail technology companies have in the potential for artificial intelligence to transform the industry and the customer experience. “We continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence through both development and strategic partnerships,” said Chris Walsh, president of Reynolds. “The technology STELLA delivers creates huge efficiency gains for dealers, and when paired with Reynolds Spark AI unified data layer, the results increase exponentially.” Enthusiastic strategic investors like Reynolds and the many dealership groups backing STELLA provide a framework for real-time feedback to support quick product enhancement. Their interest also demonstrates the power that AI software holds for automotive retailing more broadly. “Presidio has seen the interest in AI solutions for the auto retail ecosystem skyrocket over the last year,” said Presidio CEO Brodie Cobb. “There is huge potential for AI tools to improve dealership efficiency and profitability and to make the sales and service experience for customers smoother and more painless. STELLA’s innovative technology is beginning to deliver on the promise artificial intelligence holds for the industry.” About The Presidio Group The Presidio Group (“Presidio”) was founded in 1998 with the simple mission to relentlessly put the interests of our clients first. By steadfastly adhering to this philosophy, the firm has earned the trust of clients throughout the United States. During their careers, the professionals at Presidio have collectively done more than 280 transactions totaling more than $18.5 billion. The Presidio Group is based in Denver and Atlanta. Presidio Merchant Partners LLC is a subsidiary of The Presidio Group LLC and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information on Presidio, visit www.thepresidiogroup.com . About STELLA STELLATM Automotive AI, Inc. (“STELLA”) is the leading provider of automotive AI technology. STELLA, based in Tampa, Fla., helps auto dealers deliver a complete and intelligent customer experience via telephone, chat and web. STELLA’s digital assistant behaves like a staff member to complete repetitive tasks such as answering and routing phone calls, booking appointments and answering frequently asked questions about vehicle sales and service. STELLA sits on top of legacy software infrastructure and reports analytic information about customer behavior to the dealer. Dealership groups are adding STELLA to their stores every week with tens of thousands of customer calls being handled 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more about STELLA at www.stellaautomotive.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205555844/en/ CONTACT: The Presidio Group Keith Style Managing director kstyle@thepresidiogroup.com 678-831-5523 www.thepresidiogroup.comSTELLA Shelli Clark Director of marketing shelli.clark@stellaautomotive.com (913) 485-2145 KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE DATA ANALYTICS AUTOMOTIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: The Presidio Group Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 03:24 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 03:24 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205555844/enSyrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent visit to Moscow, Russia has sparked a wave of speculation and analysis among global media outlets. The news of Assad seeking refuge in Russia has led to significant changes in the regional political landscape and has raised questions about the future of Syria and its relationship with other countries.
LG Energy Solution Hosts 'Battery Innovation Contest (BIC) 2025' to Foster Breakthrough Battery TechnologiesPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley wanted to be a student in team history before he had a chance to make some with the Eagles. The running back who had just signed with Philadelphia for $26 million guaranteed took a deep dive on some of the franchise’s greats out of the backfield. He learned about Wilbert Montgomery. Brushed up on LeSean McCoy. Barkley then put them in his sights — and this week against Carolina, he could become the top single-season rusher in Eagles history. Get past those two Eagles Hall of Famers and the target narrows: McCoy has a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. “That’s your goal,” Barkley said. “You want to come in here, you want to leave a legacy on a place, on a franchise.” Here’s where things stand with Barkley in his pursuit of records: — Barkley has an NFL-best 1,499 yards rushing through 12 games, an average of 124.9 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would surpass the NFL mark that’s stood for 40 years. — Barkley needs to run for 108 yards against the Panthers to break McCoy’s Eagles record of 1,607 yards set in 2013. Montgomery ran for 1,512 yards in 1978. RELATED COVERAGE Steelers QB Russell Wilson is spreading the wealth on offense Bills’ push for AFC top seed continues with visit to Rams, who need to keep pace in NFC West Surging Bucs look for 3rd straight win, while reeling Raiders aim to end 8-game skid “I’m aware of the things I can accomplish,” Barkley said. “The way I accomplish that is sticking to the script.” The Eagles (10-2) have won eight straight to take control of the NFC East and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Barkley — with a little help from Jalen Hurts — has largely led the way and moved into MVP consideration. The former New York Giant also ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. It’s reasonable to expect Barkley to pile on the yards against Carolina (3-9). The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . The Panthers are 32nd in the league against the run and just allowed Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving to run for a career-high 152 yards last week (he had never broken 100). “It’s incredible what he is doing. The record has stood up for a while. I mean 17 games or 14 games, it’s ridiculous,” Panthers defensive lineman Shy Tuttle said. “It’s a record that has been held for a long time and whoever breaks it, Saquon or someone else, it’s an incredible achievement.” Barkley leads the NFL with four rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards this season and tied Montgomery for the most 100-yards games in an Eagles season with eight. “You get to see the player on Sundays. We get to see the person every other day during the week,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s special. At the end of the day, he’s a special teammate, special person. The way he connects with everyone, rallies everyone together. He’s one of the best.” Putting last week behind him Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is eager to get back on the field and put last week behind him. Carolina’s leading rusher had a costly fumble in overtime last Sunday against Tampa Bay as the Panthers were driving for a potential game-winning field goal, resulting in a 26-23 loss to division rival Tampa Bay. A dejected Hubbard remained on the bench for several minutes after the loss. “You definitely use it as motivation,” Hubbard said. “I have come a long way and I know what it’s like to play great football. That was a big mistake on my end, but I don’t just lose all of the work I have put in because of that one mistake.” Get down, Young man Bryce Young is beginning to show he can be a factor with his legs, scoring on a 10-yard run last week against the Buccaneers. However, Young still receives plenty of good-natured ribbing from his teammates when it comes to his sliding ability, which the QB has previously admitted is limited because he wasn’t much of a baseball player. “He definitely has to work on his slide,” Hubbard said. “He has been making people miss so he hasn’t had to slide like that a lot. I mean I’m not trying to hate on my dog’s slide but it’s just a work in progress. He will be all right.” Oh, those Philly fans Panthers guard Robert Hunt said it’s always interesting playing in Philadelphia because of the team’s passionate fan base. Last year, while Hunt was playing for the Dolphins, he said an Eagles fan attempted to board the Miami team bus. “They have some characters there — some people who don’t really give a damn,” Hunt said. “He was trying to trash-talk us. But he was confident and that is what makes them them.” Hunt said the fan never made it on the bus. “Aw hell no, we would have stomped that boy,” Hunt said with a laugh. “He tried. He was talking his noise. Good for him. I don’t want to say you want a fan base like that, but you want a fan base that cares about the team.” ___ AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLNo. 22 Syracuse looking for 10 wins in 1st year under Fran Brown against depleted Washington State
Two analysts say former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who is currently president of the NCAA, might try to make a political comeback, WCVB-TV reported. Speaking with WCVB-TV’s “On The Record” for an upcoming Sunday episode, Democratic analyst Mary Anne Marsh said it looks like he’s going to make a return to politics in the Bay State. “Baker is in Massachusetts all the time, endorsing candidates, doing the Boston Pops, all of it,” Marsh said. “He certainly looks like someone who’s running.” Republican analyst Robert Gray concurred, adding that Baker would have a chance at winning a Senate seat, specifically Sen. Ed Markey’s. Markey told “On the Record” in October that he plans to run again for a third term in 2026. “Baker would have a chance to win,” Gray told the news station. “I mean, he’s the exception. He’s run twice for governor and won successfully. He can raise the money and Ed Markey has a lot of problems.” Both analysts say Baker has a better chance of winning against Markey than Republican John Deaton had against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the Nov. 5 election. Were he to run, Gray told WCVB-TV that although voters from blue Massachusetts might not want another Republican in the Senate while President-elect Trump is in office, “Charlie Baker has been very anti-Trump. So maybe they’ll look the other way.” The 68-year-old served as Massachusetts governor from 2015 to 2023 and chose not to run again. Democrat Maura Healey succeeded him after winning the 2022 election. More political news
Flagg's growth, Broome's consistency show in matchup of AP All-Americans
Hunter numbers and harvest success mixed in north-central Montana during fourth week of hunting seasonIn recent news, the annualized yield of money market funds has experienced a significant drop, with over 20% of funds reporting a 7-day annualized yield below 1.3%. This downward trend has set a new record low for popular money market fund Tianhong Yu'ebao, managed by Tianhong Asset Management Co., Ltd.As the game progressed, the intensity on the court continued to rise, with both teams trading baskets and making crucial defensive stops. Shandong fought hard to regain the lead, but Jilin's sharpshooters capitalized on their scoring opportunities, maintaining a slim advantage throughout the game.
English media reported that Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier has decided to deactivate his social media accounts following negative comments from fans. This decision comes after the Ivorian player received criticism for his performance in recent matches. The backlash on social media platforms prompted Aurier to take a break from the online world in order to focus on his game and mental well-being.
